Newborn to 1 Month, January '05

Welcome to the Newborn to 1 Month thread for January 2005!

To have any of your details included in this thread, please reply to this post and a moderator will add you to the list.

Newborn to 1 Month List - Jan '05

Forum Name:
State:
Baby's DOB:
Baby's Stats: Weight - Length - Head Circ -
Gender of Baby: Boy / Girl
Baby Name(s):
Baby's Website:
Health Concerns: (e.g. eczema, reflux, colic)
Notes: (e.g. 9 days early, breech etc.)
__________________________________________________ ___________

Kathryn, could you please put my website in the stats info thingy.

http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/l/lilymayellen/

TIA,

Happy New year everyone, I bet we are all busy looking after our bundles of joy.

I am getting more and more experienced at b/f which I am really happy about. Thanks for all the support, it has really helped.

Not much to report, Aidan has had 1 long 5 hour sleep the past 2 nights and he seems to be in a bit of a routine where he has a long sleep late afternoon and one in the middle of the night. I wonder if it is a 'routine' or he will surprise me with a new timetable tomorrow!

Jess

Jess, great to hear that Aidan has given you a little more sleep the last couple of days. Hope he keeps it up! Lily is still sleeping the night through, which is so great.

Not much to report here either. Just that Lily is getting bigger by the day! I think she has grown about 5-6cms since birth. That's a lot!

Hope everyone had a great new years!

Take care,

Sorry, hectic few days and unable to get online - hope no-one interpreted it as a dummy spit (pardon the pun....)

I am not offended in any way shape or form by the comments ref Babywise. Once I read more about ii I was horrified I had considered using it. I contacted my paediatrician who disagreed with some of the ideas, and also Aust Breastfeeding Assoc who were obviously strongly against it. I appreciate all the comments, I'll take it all on board and will use what I think is appropriate for us. Will try and find the Pinky McKay books and see what futher advice I can get from there. I can assure you thought Ashleigh is thriving no end, a real little chunky monkey, we will be going to get weighed on Tues so will let you know how we go.

I will not be using Babywise any longer - and as for the nap times we will just work at it. I hate the controlled crying method - I think I end up more distressed than Ashleigh, and she is VERY distressed over it!!! She goes down reasonably well at night, it's just the day ones she sometimes doesn't want. I got a "bounceonnette" thingy (the mesh on a frame) and she loves that so if she is happy sitting there and not napping well thats her choice! She has started lenghtening her first night feed, a 4 hr in between on Fri night and 4 1/2 last night. So it's back to 3 hrs after that, but she is doing one big stretch!!!

My DH is away for a few days with work so Mum is with me. It is really helpful having her here and a wealth of knowledge. (mind you she used controlled crying with me and it hasn't done me any harm 8-[ !) But that's what they did way back then......

Sorry for War and Peace,
Anna

Tegan, so glad to hear that yourself and Lily are doing so well!

Anna, it sounds like you and Ashleigh have naturally gotten into a great routine, you should be proud of yourselves. I am yet to research much about controlled crying and 'forced' routines but I want to stress I am FAR from an expert, but I really want you to realise how well you are doing! =D>

Aidan seems to enjoy 2 long sleeps now, last night he fed at 8pm and didnt wake for his next feed until 1am, after than it was every 3-4 hours but I expect another long sleep either now or later tonight.

Jess

Jess, thanks for the encouragement, as with anything new it's good to know we are on the right track.

Miss Mouse had a 5 hr break in between feeds last night (7pm-midnight) and my breasts are suffering from it!! Now I know how the poor old cows feel waiting to be milked LOL. Wish most of that was sleep, only about 2 1/2 hrs were though...... Sounds like Aidan is similar to Ashleigh - a big break then back to 3 hr feeds.

I have started to put Ashleigh in her cot for an occasional nap so as to get used to it - she is rapidly growing to big for the bassinette and will need to be moved out in a few weeks. They grow so fast don't they?

cheers for now
Anna

Anna - you are doing very well, don't you worry! I don't think anyone has their first baby and is 100% certain of what they need to do and what their baby will be like, hence they seek out help from books, websites etc. for what they think is the best way to bring up their baby. Unfortunately there are so many different people saying so many different things, of course it's going to be totally confusing to poor mums and dads!

One of the reasons I have become anti-controlled crying is exactly what you said about them growing up. Because they do grow soooo fast. Today's society has devised and widely embraced all of these many, different routines and ways to make baby more 'convenient' for our lifestyles. I thought it was supposed to be about baby and baby's needs? Maybe it's just me. But they are too young to know how to be manipulative and try to get their own way with us!

I know if I was to do controlled crying, I would later regret missing out on all that cuddle time and comforting my baby - it's all I want to do when my little ones cry. I want to nurture and care for them and in the way I want to do it - and my kids aren't spoilt and naughty little brats from parenting them this way either! I'm very proud of them.

I am not saying those who control cry are neglecting their babies in any way - so anyone please don't think that! I'm all about what works for you, as long as bubs is happy and healthy - that's the main thing in all of this. Gentle for baby, but also gentle for mums and dads.

I know once my little ones become more independent, I will be sad to lose all the 'potential' cuddle time, through crying and comforting them with cuddles as well as in general. As some midwives told me when I had Elijah that as soon as they go to kindergarten/pre-school, often they get a taste for independence and they fly on ahead with a big, 'Bye mummy!'. Apparently moreso the case with girls being more independent quicker. I am going to be very sad the day I lose my cuddly girl to the big wide world... but I wont stop her of course ;) So I am going to enjoy every cuddle I can get ;)

You're doing great - be a proud mummy :)

Anna,

Aidan and Ashleigh sound so similar, although last night Aidan forgot to give me a 5 hour feed break so I'm a little tired but I cant complain because they were still only every 3-4 hours which aint bad from what I have heard from other people.

We are off to see the nurse today, cant wait to see if Aidan has broken any weight gaining records!

Jess

Just to let you know, Aidan is now 4.525kg (9pound15ounces) so he has put on 6ounces in the 2 weeks since his birth, when normally they hope to only meet their birth weight at 2 weeks of age!

Jess (the proud Mum!)

Woohoo for Aidan! \:D/ that is fantastic Jess, you both sound like you are doing so well!!! :D

woohoo Jess and Aidan. Its nice to get confirmation that you're doing well isn't it! (even though you can tell from the way that they grow out of everything).

Hey Jess, that's great news! Sounds like you are doing a fanastic job! Haven't been able to get Kaleb an appointment with the CHN until tomorrow, so I'll let you know how he's going. There is no rhyme or reason to his sleep pattern yet, and after every feed it is like 'will he go off to sleep this time or is it going to be 2 hours of rocking and singing', which is okay during the day, but at 2am is pretty daunting. Yesterday he slept from 5pm till 11pm, which was amazing, but he then barely slept for the rest of the night. It makes me wonder whether or not to wake him for a feed earlier, so he'll sleep better later on. Aaagrh, it's so hard to know what to do for the best! One fantastic thing I have discovered is that he loves his baby sling (he is in there now) so I can get so much more done while carrying him around.

Tegan, I didn't realise Kaleb and Lily were born a minute apart! That is an amazing coincidence! Hope you're both going well too.

Well we went to the CHN yesterday - Ashleigh now weighs 4.34kg - that's another 340gm since last Weds!!! She is a little Buddah baby now O:)

After our previous 3 nights of stretching out the first feed it was back to 3 hr feeds - on the dot!!! That child has the most accurate body clock I know...... I feel like the walking dead, but hey, she's happy. I fantasise about the last days of pregnancy when I was getting a solid 8hrs sleep a night and trying to really appreciate it. Now I REALLY appreciate it!

Jess, glad to hear Aidan is doing well, it's so comforting to know they are putting on weight!

Beth how do you find using the sling? I have a baby bjorn, but it is killing my already painful back.

Kelly I agree with what you say about comforting baby - the couple of times we tried the controlled crying when I went in to comfort her the tears stopped the second I picked her up and she clung on to me like she was drowning. There is no way I cause that much distress again.

cheers
Anna

Anna, check out the "Recommend a Book or Product" forum right down the bottom of the main page - there is a big thread about slings - we love 'em!! No pain like the Baby Bjorn! I'm a convert ;)

Well i would like to announce that my little girl did her first big smile yesterday!!! So a very happy mummy here! \:D/ \:D/

On another note, that's not so good, Lily has become a thumb sucker!! #-o Although she loves her dummy, she's now taking fancy to her thumb AND her dummy...Never heard of a dummy sucker and a thumb sucker? :-s

Oh Tegan, congrats on Lily's smile - what an amazing moment that must be! Hopefully I'll have that soon!

Anna, I am loving the sling. I've got a Baba Sling, and I've found it really comfy to wear, you can swap shoulders or wear it on your back. Apparently they are better for the baby's back too, because it follows the natural curve of their spine rather that the carriers that put pressure on their lower back and hips - well, this is what the advertising jargon tells you anyway.

Went to see CHN yesterday, Kaleb's put on 420g in 2 weeks, so pretty happy with that! Appointment went for 1 1/2 hours - she watched me give him a bottle, burp him, change his nappy - very thorough!

DH goes back to work tomorrow which I am a bit sad about, although having 4 weeks off has been great. It will be interesting to see how I cope on my own, kind of looking forward to testing myself actually!

Hope everyone is well!

Hi

Im having terrible problems with poor little Hannah, she gets really, really bad wind pains and cant sleep coz they wake her up. Its a double whammy coz she (and me) is so tired but the wind is keeping her awake. It also seems to be worse when she lays horizontal so getting her into her cot is impossible.

I have tried gripe water (on the midwife's recommendation) and it doesnt seem to make much difference and now Im trying Infacol on a friend in WA's recommendation and in desperation have bought a dummy and a bouncer 2 things I wanted to avoid!!!

Any suggestions? Also for anyone who has succumbed giving their bubs a dummy do you have any ideas how to keep their use to a minimum - are they really that bad?

oh Mimo thats so hard, Matilda had really bad wind as well... on the CHN's recommendation I tried warm boiled water.. and it helped push through the wind incredibly!! The other thing that helped Matilda was the marena's mixture, and the infants friend... those two worked the best with her...but the water tricked worked the best....

hi mimo

just a suggestion, have you tried putting the bassinet/cot on an incline, most bassinets you can, with a cot you could prop up the legs with phone books, so bubs is not lying so flat, this may help. my ds had terrible wind pains as a bub and nothing would help, it turned out when he was 9mths old he had a few allergies, dairy being one of them, after he was put onto soy he was fine, i am not suggesting you use soy but maybe something to keep in mind.

and in my opinion dummies are the greatest invention, babies sometimes just need to suck to sooth themself, i would rather have a dummy than a finger or thumb although lani uses both, sometimes at the same time lol.

my ds is 4 1/2 years old and he just gave his dummy to santa without a problem he was a bit old, but over the last few years we have had a terrible stressful time with our first dd being diagnosed with cancer and dying in 2002 so weaning off the dummy was the least of my problems. with my kids i used the dummy everywhere, i used to have it on me at all times however once they hit 1yr old we got into a habit that dummy is for sleep only (or if not feeling 100%) and when they got up it would stay in the cot/bed to keep teddy company lol that seemed to work.

good luck

Hello,

Finally I can post here - feels fantastic.
But I know that this forum will be a lot of help for us being new parents.
My problem is the same as Mimo!
Bub has terrible wind which seems to make her grimace and cry,cough etc. We burp her during and after feeds but it is pretty stubborn.
In hospital they did show us the trick of propping up the bassinet-which I had forgotten about until reading a post here. Must try that again.

Christy - Is it okay to use your little trick with Cara at 8 days old??

In the hospital there was another trick the midwife had shown us.
They warm a couple of bunny rugs: the 1st they fold into a square lge enough to fit comfortable around bubs chest & under her arms, the other the swaddle her in very securely so that the arms are wrapped as well.
She had terrible wind and within 10/15 mins she brought up quite a bit.
Mimo maybe this will help with your bub.
I must try this again too!
Its amazing how much you forget when your bub is crying hysterically!!:-(

And I too had sworn not to use a dummy- and yes I did buckle! Not just for sanitys sake but to stop her from crying.
It didn't take her long to realise that she wasn't getting anything from it.

Has everyone gone into breastfeeding smoothly??
I have a big problem with bub latching on. And I have to say my nipples are not the best at the moment!
I'm actually calling the b/feeding assoc on Mon to join the local group and hopefully meet with someone for help.. Ouch!!
If anyone has any other helpful hints with wind Pls let me know! :-)

Carol

Forgot 2 add my details:-)

Forum Name: Hindonly
State: Qld
Baby's DOB: 31.12.04
Baby's Stats: Weight - 7 Ib 5 oz Length - 49.5 cm Head Circ - 34cm
Gender of Baby: Girl
Baby Name(s): Cara Katherine
Baby's Website: Coming
Health Concerns: reflux
Notes: 1 hr 10 mins early :-)

MiMo - I have exactly the same problem with Elijah. The reason they have this problem is obviously that that they have an immature digestive system but the lactose in breastmilk (it's naturally there, nothing we can do) is hard to digest and some babies have more of a problem than others. Elijah is 9 weeks and he still wakes around 2 hours after a breastfeed and squirms and kicks until all the wind has passed, so often I am awake for ages after his 12am feed and 3/4am feed to help him pass it. He isn't as 'upset' with it as he used to be, now he just wakes, squirms and kicks and can't settle til it's gone - i.e. he doesn't scream or cry, more of a whine if that. Unfortunately they will most likely have this problem until around 3 months when they can deal with it better in their bodies.

Brauer Colic Relief is fabulous. We actually had a discussion about wind and things that help in this post here so you might get some good ideas there. Hang in there, poor bub is just uncomfortable and I know you're really tired - it will pass soon.

I just wanted to add - Elijah also had reflux and we gave him a dummy. It helped his tummy so much, although I know they aren't recommended in the early weeks in order to avoid nipple confusion. Elijah did have nipple confusion for a little amount of time but soon worked it out and feeds well. But the poor little bubba with reflux and colic, it really helped him to have something to suck on, and it saved my nipples big time! :)

MiMo, try not to worry too much about having to use a dummy. We gave Aidyn a dummy at 2 weeks of age. Although in the beginning he used it frequently, we now only use it to settle him for nap/sleep time and take it with us when we go out, just in case.

hindonly - I also had huge problems getting Aidyn to latch on to me. Maybe if your nipples are really sore you can try expressing the milk with a breastpump? I think its a really good idea that you are hooking up with the ABA, I'm sure they will be a great help to you!

Carol, I don't think that anyone has ever gone into breastfeeding smoothly, its not as easy as they make it look. Its like any other skill, it takes a while to get the hang of it but you and bub will figure it out soon enough. In the first week or two after my milk had come in Yasin had a bit of a problem latching because my boobs were so full that my nipples went flat and they were really hard so it would have been like trying to figure out which part of a rock to suck on and then once the let down happened there was milk everywhere so it was kind of slippery too. I found the best thing to do was to express a bit before feeding (sometimes into a bottle but often by hand onto a cloth nappy) and then dry them off before trying to get him to latch. Once my boobs were softer and had a nipple he had an easier time figuring out how to use them. Mind you expressing whilst trying to calm a hungry, crying newborn isn't the worlds easiest job but after a week or two things settled down a bit and latching got easier.
re the dummy -all the books and midwives say not to use them, it seems to be the convention at the moment but most people seem to end up using them anyway. I said I wouldn't use one but Yasin hadn't read the books or spoken to the midwives so he had differant ideas. Like Mooshie said babies like to suck so if it makes them happy why deny it. We only use it for sleeping and never had any problem with nipple confusion.

Carol - not that I know much, I'm on a steep learning curve myself, but the peadiatrician said dummys were fine, and we used one on Ashleigh from about day 3. The reason we started was I didn't know how often she should be feeding, we don't really keep to demand feeding, but stretch it out a bit, and the doc recommended to use a dummy to hold her off a bit so to speak.

We are now using it more for that feral time of day a/a 5pm, and also when going down for a nap or sleep.

On that note, Ashleigh is definitely going into a longer sleep pattern, last night from 7.30pm - 12.30am!!! (for about the 4th night in a row) Then this morning after her 7am feed she went back to sleep until about 10.30. Fisrt I was worried she wasn't napping, then I was worried she's sleeping too much!!!! No matter what the poor child does I'll worry it's not "right". :-s But its our routine and everything is working for us. Wish she would have dropped the 1am or 3am feed instead of the 10pm one though!

Kelly, thanks for the advice on the sling thread, I checked it out and will look at getting one at some stage.
cheers,
Anna

thanks for all the suggestions, Hannah has been alot better the last few days. Today has been pretty awful though and Im wondering if its the curry we had last night. Does anyone know how long it takes for food to affect your breast milk? I think for the moment curry will be off limits though.

Christy, how much water do you give them and should it be warm?

with the warm (cooled boiled water) Matilda used to only have like 20mls at most... sometimes more but only on hot days...

Hello strangers
Well finally I get to post. I have been on a couple of times, but only very briefly cos as soon as I do a little man decides that it is more important for him to be sitting on a boob than me sitting on the computer!!
He is half-heartedly on the boob now- I've got the cushion sorted so I am able to work hands-free (for a short time anyway)
Maybe I'll even get the chance to write my birth story one of these days, although it wasn't overly pleasant so maybe it's best not to!!

Hope everyone is going well
can anyone answer a question I have re sterilizing bottles for expressed milk etc?
If I boil the bottle/teat etc to sterilize for expressed milk do I need to boil them just before using them or can you boil them and then use them whenever??

Details:
FORUM NAME: shazbails
STATE: Vic
BABY'S DOB: 23/12/04
GENDER: Male
BABY'S NAME: Kane Jayvyn Oakley
STATS: Weight 7lb 12oz 3570gms, Length 50cm Head circ 35.5 cm
NOTES: Posterior delivery with vacuum, forceps and epis from butthole to breakfast (TMI #-o )

Now I have a grumpy little man so will try writing again later!!
Sharon

Hi Shaz

You can boil them and then use whenever as long as they are kept in a sterile air tight container.

Love

Hi Sharon it's great to hear from you and I hope your little man 'allows' you more time on belly belly!

I have my 1st mothers group tomorrow, I am both excited and nervous. I hope Aidan behaves himself, but I am very worried about feeding time as I don't plan on b/f in front of others, especially other Mum's who no doubt will be watching each other intently!

Jess

Jess, hope you have a good time at your mothers' group tomorrow. I can't seem to find one around my area!

Sharon, nice to hear from you. Hope all is going well with your little one.

Hi Shaz

I keep any sterilised bottles or dummies in the fridge on a section of shelf I have reserved for Grace's stuff.
Hope things are going well with your little one.

Hello again
Thanks for the info re sterilized stuff.
Hope everyone else is going well with their little ones.
Kane is going really well. Tends to sleep at night for 3 or 4 hour stretches which is great.
He really varies during the day. Today he has slept most of the day away and just had a couple of little snacks, other days he won't sleep and wants to eat all day. Or just stay awake - afraid he'll miss out on something!!
Hopefully I will soon have some pics to put on a website - I'm part way to getting organised with that ie I've actually got onto the babiesonline site and got a password!! I should finish it now but I really should eat some dinner while the little man is sleeping!
He had his first shower yesterday and loved it. Loves the bath too, just lays back and laps it up.
Babies are the biggest time-wasters aren't they?? You can just sit and watch them all day, even when sleeping. Kane really drops the lip when getting ready for a cry, it's so funny.
Anyway won't ramble
Will go eat.
All the best to you all, and hopefully this sleeping business will keep going for a few days so I can get back and have a good look around the forums to see what's going on.
How funny is it that all these people who were posting daily in the 3rd tri are now lucky to post in the newborn section once a week!! Too busy watching that lip dropping :-)
Cheers
Sharon

Hi every1,

Just wondering if any1 else has had this exp' with their bub??

Every time she has a poo it seems like she is in a lot of pain, crying loudly, and going quite red its pretty distressing to watch!

Ive asked a couple of child hth care nurses and they have told me that some babies do this but would feel more at ease if I knew others had exp'd this also...

Thanks,
Carol