This thread is for parents who's baby was born March 1st-15th 2010
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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:
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.
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QB, I'm hopefully starting back at the gym this week. All I've done so far is walk, walk, walk but my body is pining for the gym and all the associated pain that goes with it. I've noticed that I'm getting a tummy back again and half a kilo has found its way back onto my body. Obviously I've indulged in one too many biscuits (Anzac biscuits are my downfall - them and hot chocolate). I don't want to wake up one day to find a fat butt and a spare tyre around my middle! I was feeling pretty good about myself until yesterday when I caught a glimpse in the mirror. I've got a fitball at home so maybe I should start using it. BTW, does your DH happen to know how to get (baby) spew stains off of a couch? It's that "suede look" fabric.... I can see you're going to be very popular, well at least your DH's knowledge of carpet cleaning is anyway!! LOL
Thanx Cassi and QB! All ok...just keep on keeping on!
Took toddler to DR and she said virus so have to wait it out....been going for ten weeks!!! Gave him a cough medicine last night and he slept alot better. Damn MIL again! She had it just b4 Soph was born and she was organised to look after Will when DH at hossy 4 labour etc. I suggested asking SIL instead as last thing needed was sick toddler but MIL insisted that DR said she wasn't contagious. Thought it was hard to believe at the time...but what do you say to DH - "you Mum is full of it"??? Anyway - toddler was sick as a dog for my return home from hossy!!! Fortunately Soph hasn't had it as badly (but maybe breastmilk herlping her).
Enough feeling sorry 4 myself....
We went out to park this morning for fresh air...and Will and Soph had nice time and were happy ...thank goodness!
Since Soph has been sick with this virus her long sleeps have gone out the window...but still getting between 4 and 6 hours so that's ok.
She has become so much more alert in the last day or so....grabbing dangling toys and kicking a dangling ball ...looking at herself in mirror...talking and big cheesy smiles...rolling onto her side...and started holding onto me and pulling my hair. She is enjoying her playmats now which is great and gives me a little break. Her gaze while she is breastfeeding has changed and its great!!! She really is a good girl! Her wind is more under control..she gets a little but generally with the infacol and infants friend given at night she is feeling so much happier.
Hey girls,
I'm in recovery from holiday mode today. I think my washing machine will be going for 2 days straight to keep up.
I had a pretty disasterous weekend- Vent ahead, sorry...and I am so new too. Must feel comfortable with you girls
Mostly down to DH not getting the whole mothers day thing, for the 3rd time.
First mothers day, DD was 4 months, he came home with a roadside bunch of flowers. I got sad, we were doing it tough and I had just gone back to work (After 4 years of student poverty) and didn;t have a watch as well as loads of other things. I told him that it would have been nice if he had put some thought into it, breakfast in bed etc etc. He bought me a watch
Last year- I ran the mothers day classic last year and we were one week out from moving into our house. I was working full time and he was doing most of the house organising (tiring for sure) we woke up early to get to the run. I asked where my breakfast was so he went and got me breakfast and i got all sentimental with my DD telling her how much I loved being her mum etc (I am a big sop) and he didn't come back with my card or pressie (Even though we made sure we'd sent his mum something), I went quiet, arrived at the run and i said "Lucy is too young to say happy mothers day you know...." He had clean forgotton.
This year
We get up with our 2 babies and get ready for the race. No breaky in bed (Which I longed for as had been up feeding etc) We had spent large part of the days before organising pressies for his Mum, dad's partner and family friend who helped us A LOT with DD and I had even joked..."Do I need to remind you I am a mum too?"
We arrive at the run, I am feeding in the car, we're going to be late, friends I am meeting calling to see where we are. He gives me a card at this moment and tells me he didn't have time for a present. I burst into tears. We don't talk for the rest of the day. We spend time spoilng his mum, I keep hearing about how his brother was his SIL's slave for the day, everyone I know updates their FB status with how they've been spoilt and I am just trying to keep it all together. WE go to his Brothers for dinner and i am exhausted. DD won't go to sleep no matter what I do, I bath both kids and try desparately to get her to sleep (Not much sleep to be had the whole weekend) while his mum keeps meeting us in the hallway and offering her ice cream and strawberries hours after bed time GGRR
ANyway, lots of tears and I tell him how much it meant to be to know that I was appreciated. I love being a mum and wouldn't change it for the world, but it is hard, especially working so early this time
I Think we got somewhere, I hope so, I think we usually have such a great relationship but lately we've been slipping into bad habits with the tired blues, like not fixing an argument before bed...a promise we made. I'm going to stop here...hang out some washing and then reply to some of your posts. Sorry about the vent
LilsJula I have had a sick toddler for 10 weeks too, nasty cough mostly but she hasn't been sleeping well since Daniel was born. That wasn't part of the plan and is definitely forming the bulk of our sleep deprivation. Teh other night I only got 2 broken hours of sleep with a combination of feeds and burping and spewing (the little one) and cuddles and crying and settling (the big one). I had to work the next day and really don't know how I managed. So looking forward to only waking for a baby at night!
The BFRP's are shaping up nicely. I really need to stop eating chocolate. Breast feeding makes me ravenous and tiredness makes me crave chocolate big time. Bad combination. For me if I get the exercise sorted the food kind of follows.
The run was a bit of a disaster. I have a new cold (3rd round since Daniel was born) and had a bit of trouble breathing, My friend was up ahead so I told her to go. DH ran with me with the kids but we weren;t really talking. I cried a bit but had sunnies on so it just looked like sweat. My feet hurt, my lower tummy muscles caned but we made it. At the 5km mark Daniel decided he didn't like the stroller anymore so I carried him most of the rest of the way 2.2km and at over 6kg he's no light weight, But I was proud to carry my baby and hold my 2 year old hand across the finish. Looking forward to getting my fitness back though. My friend raised over $1100 for the breast cancer foundation and had something positive to think about on her first mothers day without her mum. SO I am really glad i did it. And it is a wonderful event. That and the Pink Tri I couldn't recommend more highly.
Re: sizes. DD was 4kg born but grew slowly and was in 0000's for 6 weeks I think. Daniel was 4.8kg and never fit into 0000's. He's really busting out of 000's now due to length, all the stitching on the feet of all in ones is coming apart. But we just haven't kept up.
DD was in 0's until about 12 months but I am imagining with Daniel it will be more like 6-8 months. maybe even earlier.
Its official that my little boy can't sleep on his back, he spews and is really uncomfortable. After 2 weeks of having him in our bed and matching his and hers cricked neck's I just ordered a co-sleeping basinette from the ABA, A ciot with 3 sides that attaches to the side of your bed. So looking forward to being able to sleep in more than one position but still have my boy close by.
Well the washing awaits.
Hope you're all well
And just in case you need to hear it. Being a mum is a tough gig, with the best rewards in the world, and you are all doing a wonderful job!
Happy Tuesday
Polly, we all need to vent sometimes so don't hold back in this group - we all have a turn!!!
Hope you're all having a better day than me!
Robert woke at 5.45 this morning. I gave him a feed and then put him back to bed. He didn't actually sleep I could hear him "talking" to himself but it gave me time to make DS1's school lunch and get some porridge for me. I sent DH an email while I was eating then got bubs out of bed. He was looking a little bit content so I put him in his bouncer in my ensuite so I could have a shower (DS1 had gone to school).
After my shower I fed bubs again and tried to convince him it was time for a sleep. It was just after 9am by this stage and he'd been up for 3 hours. By 10 I had decided that he could just go in his cot. The next two & half hours were a combination of him screaming and me crying, then him dozing and me singing. He was doing some major screaming and wouldn't settle at all, he even ended up with real tears. The longer he went on the more tired he got and the more frustrated I was getting. I did the calming breaths before going into the bedroom each time he started to get too worked up but to say it's tough is an understatement especially when you know that they will feel so much better if only they would go to sleep.
I gave up at 12 and thankfully he went off to exhausted la-la land on me after a feed. I put him in his bouncer and it better not run out of batteries just yet. It's been just over an hour and a half and I've got everything crossed he stays asleep for atleast another hour . He's at my feet in case I need to give him a "bounce" to resettle him.
Polly A - Sorry to hear you had such a sh***y day on Sunday but well done on the run! I understand what you mean about toddler and baby not sleeping! Last night toddler went to bed at 7.30pm and Soph at 8.30pm. I went to sleep around 9.30 but toddler was up with horrible coughing fit at 11.30 until about 12.15 - poor little bugger! I felt terrible 4 him and angry that I can't fix it for him and couldn't get back to sleep so read for a while. Finally get to sleep and Soph is up at 1.45am - good 6 hour stint for her but I had only been asleep half an hour!! Fortunately she resettled in 30mins! It is a challenge isn't it!
Cass - Sorry to hear you had such a frustrating day yesterday. Must have been something in the air. Soph refused day sleep in the day yesterday. She slept on me or in the baby bjorn only and only for a max of 40mins at a time. So I just strap her in and keep going or just chill out on the couch for a while if toddler will let me do so...I don't even bother fighting her re settling in her cot or bouncer...as I just get overwhelmed and upset. But Soph has only ever self settled once and my son (who is two) has only just started putting himself to sleep on occasion (now that I have cut out his day sleep and he is thoroughly exhausted!) Did your sling work???
Hi all. We had a good night last night. A feed at 1030, then 230, then 630! Wonder if it's too much to hope for that he keeps this up for a while, I can live with that routine.
LJ thanks for the commiserations! It's always good to hear that someone else is in the same boat. In hind sight does it really matter where he sleeps but as long as he sleeps. I know this, it's just that when you're in "the zone" it seems all so important!! Go figure!!
We are all doing wonderful jobs ... admist sick toddlers, forgetful partners and difficult in laws ... this mothering business is a tough job, but we are all getting there!!
It sounds boastful (but then again, my first 8 weeks were horrendous) but Willow has been just beautiful since the weekend.
I've managed to do some chores of a day, which is making me feel more productive and happier ... I even managed to water the garden yesterday with Will by my side in the stroller. It was awesome to feel like I did one other thing besides tend to the baby all day - and the fresh air did me a world of good.
Today so far we have been to the shops for morning tea with my SIL, did a spot of shopping for 00 winter clothes (I figure Will will be in them by mid to late winter), made a chocolate peppermint slice for my Mother's Group tomorrow and am now enjoying a cuppa while little Miss W is asleep in her cot. Ahhh ... now this is more like it!
Only taken me 9 weeks to get here!!
I tried both the sling and the Baby Bojrn yesterday and Will will still not have a bar of either of them. Annoying, as I'd be able to get so much more done if she would just settle in the sling.
I have a joint baby shower and birthday BBQ to go to this weekend, both DH and I are invited and the plan was for him to wear the Baby Bjorn with Willow in it the whole time, am thinking we will need to pram. Bugger. The friends house is right on the water, while impressive, I read this as VERY hilly and probably no good place to park the pram outside.
Anyone else planning on having bubs christened/baptised/naming ceremony?
We are in the midst of organising Willow's baptism, while I am Catholic am not practising but have reasonably strong Christian values, so baptism is important to me. However I don't want to dress her in the whole traditional garb with frilly lace, ribbons and a white bonnet ... anyone have suggestions on where I might track down just a nice pastel outfit as opposed to a while christening gown (websites or stores/chain stores).
A new thread, I have no idea what's going on.
Sorry to hear about some bad times but I am sure it will get better for everyone.
Lennox is going great, growing, growing, growing just so quickly. He isn't a new born anymore and I can't believe he is over 2 months old!
Good news is he is sleeping from about 7-8ish till about 2am and then up at about 5ish every morning for a chat and some little chuckles. Just sooooo cute. He is chatting away to me now as I type.
Oh he is such a quiet lil baby compared to DS1. He sleeps and eats and is happy most of the time and that makes me happy.
Off to fold up the load of washing and enjoy the beautiful sunshine this afternoon here in Brissy.
Cass - Soph seems to have roughly the same night time routine..
Thrilled - My husband is catholic and we had my son christened in a catholic church ( but didn't do it until he turned 6 months). Soph will be christened but will wait a bit longer for all to settle. At our church you had to wear white - no pastels allowed. We did not have access to a family christening gown and wasn't going to pay a fortune for a frilly piece. I ended up with a onsie from David Jones - BeBe from memory. It was just a bit fancier with a pattern (in white) embossed(???) into the material and nice finishing. For Soph I will just look for a simple white dress (easier than for a boy). It took me ages to find something for Will to wear for his christening!
Re Sizes –
Ciaran has been to long for the 0000 for some time now, so is in 000 but edging towards 00 soon as cloth nappies require a bit more space in the bottom end!
It is amazing the difference in brands for eg. Target is a lot smaller than Big W.
Re Drinking and Breastfeeding –
Since early on I will have a wine after a feed in the evening on occasion, however I have less than a ¼ glass (cant drink much more than than after 12 months of not drinking – it makes me to light headed otherwise!) so yeah im all for a sanity drink ladies. Plus if its with a meal (which I always do) the effect will also be less. Funny story though, once I was sipping on DH’s wine while eating, then bubs wanted a feed and I forgot to stop. So im sipping while feeding him – a huge vomit followed that feed – suffice to say I didn’t do that again (poor bubs).
Re – DH not being supportive/ bad mothers day experiences –
For those having challenges with you DH, a good long frank discussion may be in order. If they don’t truly appreciate (can any man??) what its like to be a mum (regardless of how many children you have), maybe we need to educate them a little in how we are feeling.
Re BFRP –
Polly - I also need to stop eating chocolate, icecreams and baking cakes, but I cant stop craving them just yet. Im so hungry! At least im exercising so that’s something
Thrilled – did you leave Willow in the sling for at least 10 mins to give her time to settle? Ciaran fussed the first 2 times but I just walked and jiggled and then he was fine. Since then he LOVES IT!
UPDATE ON US.
So our normal night routine for weeks has been feed at 1030, then again 230, then 630.
But the last 2 nights Ciaran has decided to wake up intermittently and feed almost twice as often. Gotta say im feeling tired as a result.. plus DH has been working afternoons this past week so Im home alone with bubs till about 10pm (can make preparing dinner etc difficult, and certainly makes me less inspired to eat well when im alone and hungry with a whingey/tired/hungry bub).
However on the upside, he has just started feeding less frequently during the day (still adjusting to this, its still weird) about 3/4hrly. And is also sleeping HEAPS during the day which he never did before. This has all been the past 4 days so will see if it continues into a new routine or is just a growth spurt…
For mothers day DH made me breakfast in bed and gave me a card. Nothing to flash (like an eternity ring!!) but it was lovely as I also went for a run and left Ciaran with him – was nice to just have some time to myself for the morning.
Ive also started to revise my HypnoBirthing study so I can start practicing in another month and bring some money in – we have recently spend over $3k which was not planned on various things that have broken down etc so some extra cash would be great now my paid leave at work has finished.
Aside from that we are all well and healthy, and approaching 2.5 months on Monday. Wow time is flying….
I spoke to my CH nurse at the clinic today and told her I was worried that Robert wasn't getting enough because he had only put on 10g last week. Well, we weighed him and this week he's put on 310g. She's thinking that something was wrong last week when the other nurse weighed him because it would be way more likely that he gained 170g each week. So he's now a healthy5.64kg (12lb, 7oz). I also asked her about feeding and sleeping. I told her about his pattern last night (same as your's Breesa) and she said she wouldn't expect anything more from him at his age. She doesn't think much of a lot of these "sleep programs". She said they are more for formula fed, not breastfed babies and it will only do my head in trying to get him to go along with it. You can follow them, but there's no need to be so rigid about it. She also suggested that the "we'll just try again tomorrow" philosphy always works too! Today I wasn't stressed at all about him getting proper sleep in his cot and he's had 2 really good sleeps in his pram and is napping again now. I think it's time to throw the books away and just go with my instincts. Yesterday I was so concerned about doing it the "right way" that I forgot to enjoy having a wonderful baby who just loves me unconditionally.
Good point Cass - just enjoying the whole process can make a huge difference!
Im all for throwing the books away, and just doing what works for you, your baby and your family - Instincts rule my world, especially when it comes to parenting
What a day! It started this morning when the microwave broke (which I use constantly for bottles etc.). Had school drop off, kinder drop off and feed at kinder using their microwave. Then off to the shops (which is a 45min drive) to buy a new one. The good news is Tobi slept in the car(I have been putting off long car trips due to the spew). Then kinder pick up and feed at Mum and Dad's and left the boys with them whilst I picked up DD from school. When I got back Tobi started screaming after a minute, I think because I left him with my Dad and I didn't pick him up straight away. I don't think he likes my Dad. Once he was in the car with DD & DS he was back to gooing and gaaing again. When I got home he was very unsettled, all whilst I am trying to feed the hungry hoards, install and work out new microwave and wash and sterlize the bottle. AAAHHH! To make matters worse DH has hardly been home this week and he worked late tonight too. I am throughly exhausted. Everyone is in bed now and I might go to bed too.
QB - What a day!!!! I hope you got to bed at a reasonable time and a decent sleep.
Cass and Bree - I am completely with you on following your instincts! I think that is what I learnt with my son (and why I love Pinky Mc Kay's literature as that is basically what she says to do). When you get too hung up on the "supposed tos" it gets stressful!!! I vowed to chill out with Soph and just enjoy a happy baby...so I do what she likes. I find the babybliss routines helpful as a guide and Pinky McKay has some useful strategies but otherwise I do what is working on the day. I said to my husband recently - best to have no expectations for a day..it makes it easier. If it is quiet or flowing I do something from my job list for the week - some days we do alot...others nothing. Bree, if it is quiet at 9am - I make dinner then.
Planning on a restful morning - toddler with MIL and he won't be going to kindy again 2morrow as still too sick - so this is my only break from him for three weeks now. I have done anything beauty routine wise with the kids being sick - so when this load of washing done - thought i would go get a dvd and do my nails etc. Hopefully Soph co-operates!
Babies Born ~ March 1st-15th 2010 #2
. He's at my feet in case I need to give him a "bounce" to resettle him.
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