Babies Born April 1st - 15th 2008 #1

[Fire]

my computer has gone psycho, ignore....

[jenh30]

thanks fire

i've been lurking around in the background since we were pregnant, so i pretty much know everyone's style the thing with isabelle is that i know when shes tired, well before overtired, i pick her up, we close the blinds and put on her grobag and i lay her down, say "nigh nighies princess", give her a kiss and walk out...she's always asleep within a few minutes and rarely with any tears. so i cant understand why she doesnt go that extra cycle when she's so happy to go to bed? i learned that the hard way with james, i used to put him to sleep, rocking and singing and then transfer to bed...always had only 1/2 hour but that at least made sense to me.... i thought if they went to sleep happy, in the same place and comfy then they would sleep longer?

since she was a few weeks old ive been carrying isabelle in a sling for shopping and kinder dropoffs, stuff like that. i really dislike using a pram, they always seem so cold..and too big and annoying to actually go into most places. the thing is she's getting too big for the one i have so i think i'll have to do some research into whats good to use for this age. any suggestions?

Fire...i remember reading a post from you a while back regarding post natal depression, a close friend of mine is having a tough time with it and i let her know what you had said about zinc. she found it very interesting and is going to look into it...so thanks very much

well both my kids are in bed, so im off to play some wow ( im married to a computer programmer..i think the geekiness rubs off on you )

jen

[Butterfly_Princess]

Well apparently its all a developmental thing, and that she will grow out of it, and that i should wait til this miraculous day. Fun times to be had. She has only had ONE sleep today, for about 30-40 mins. Im in for a long, monster night. I dont think im coping any more. I used to be so patient with this kind of thing, able to sit it out and rock her. But i just cant any more. My neck and shoulders hurt. Any peep that sounds remotely like a cry depresses me. I dread her crying coz i just cant do it

[Beatrix]

Meg- hunny im sorry you are having such a rough time.. I urge you to go and see your dr... Its hard when you know they are tired and just ant understad why they wont sleep. Are you still bf?? cause it could possibly be somethign in your diet that is upsetting her tummy.

i am having a nightmare 3 days with Mj and i know why... i gorged in chocolate and now poor Mj has a wickered tummy ache, plus i have a sore thrat and am just over the whole single arent thing atm

[Nettie]

Janine!! You sound like you've turned the corner! Well done hun!

Jen - welcome!

Ness, Meg & mgm - to you...

to Sharon, Leyla, Steph & anyone else I missed.

I'm afraid I'm not much good with all the problem solving as we seem to have a dream child. I know I'm the lucky one with getting to have DH home with me all the time (and me not having to return to work until mid-Sept) - I really think that's the defining difference in this household (both of us here) - but we can't all do that, can we?

Yesterday we overstimulated him and paid the price with him not sleeping very well last night (it's not true that if they don't get much sleep in the day that they'll sleep better at night) - so I tried to make up for it today. He slept HEAPS today and is down for his big sleep now. His naps were long and frequent today - pretty much fell asleep on every bottle today (which means he didn't eat much today - but he ate a lot yesterday). Am proud of a moment this arvo when he was really grizzly when DH was trying to feed him. I just *felt* like he was needing distraction from the grizzling, so I took him - walked him to the back door (where it was bright) and talked to him about 'that's enough crying for now. We love you and it's time to eat, so be a good boy and have your bottle'. He'd stopped crying when I picked him up and when I took him back to DH, he ate calmly and fell asleep on the bottle. DH was very impressed and tried the same technique the next time he was grizzly!!

I also recommend the NCSS book - we're going through it now and although we don't really have any issues, I've already gained some insight into problem areas. ie: we now do a night time routine with Liam where we put some music on (Loreena McKennit) and dim the lights, turn the TV off and wrap him. He knows it's bedtime then! I've also learnt to try to re-settle him in his cot if he wakes up grumpy from a nap (unless he's due for a feed). I only get him out of bed if he wakes up happy (or doesn't re-settle from the dummy). I love hearing him wake up and then start 'talking' to his mobile!! So cute!

I'm starting to prepare for my return to work (mentally) but I'm not looking forward to it... I know I'm going to miss Liam like crazy.

to all - hope you're all doing better today ... or tomorrow...

[Fire]

Thanks, Toni. Loreena McKennit is one of my faves, btw!

DH is home here too. I also have my mother here, and two brothers. (big house, still cramped, but I need them so i deal) They all help me, even if it's just to thaw some frozen soup. on this diet, i don't know how i'd do it without help. I'm 49 kilos again, and it's stressing me out a bit - even with all this help! I'm ready for dh to go back to work two days a week now though. he puts ci to bed at night so we have to transition Ci into the new pattern first.

Jen, let me know how your friend goes on the zinc. make sure she gets liquid or powder first. Manganese also. I have other tips on pnd, i had it very severely with dd, only just survived it. was she separated from her baby directly after the birth for any amount of time? so your wee one goes in awake? that's odd then. maybe she is catnapping because she can't stay awake long? I know Ci struggled to stay awake longer than half an hour/hour, so for a while there we just did about 7 short naps a day. he still does four a day - he just can't last long enough, plus he feeds often, so to make sure he's awake for enough of the day (and therefore not taking awake time at night to make up for it!) we just did the short nap thing. they grow into longer naps, esp if they are happy nappers like yours seems to be.

[alittlegrubi]

Just a quick one

Firstly :slap: Fire for apologising for your long post. Thought we all agreed never to apologise for our posts.

Meg If Greer wakes when I transfer to the cot, I just pick her up and settle and try again. I try to put her down keeping my arm under her neck and slowly remove that after tucking in the blankets with my spare hand, it seems to lessen the startle effect of taking her out of my arms. Doesn't always work and if it doesn't I usually try patting and give her my finger to suck on. In extreme cases I'll lean into the cot with the boobie and let her suck back to sleep - it isn't good on your back, but it gets her to sleep so I suffer a little for the peace of sleep later.

I've been finding taking Greer outside helps to settle her when she is really bad she has been screaming lately. Think it is a lot to do with the info Fire posted about the way that tribes do things and don't have the issues we do. Thinking our processed lifestyles add to it. So much so that I'm thinking of following in Fire's footsteps and doing a detox to try and eliminate Greer's digestive issues. See I jinxed myself saying she didn't really have any and was suprised since she was a c-sec birth. We are getting it all now, reflux, wind, watery poos - you name it she appears to be having it.

GTG have DS at home today and we are going to do some drawing now.

[bellelass]

Lila slept like normal (11-9) the past two nights! No idea why. So much happier, both of us. I hope hope it keeps going.

Had vax yesterday at the new doctor's. This one is an Arab woman, she wears hijab and everything and judging from the packed waiting room most of her patients are Arab immigrant families. Fantastic. I feel very much at home in that sort of setting and the Dr. was great. She said she sees lots of cloth nappies and was telling me the health and bonding benefits of baby wearing. It was all stuff I had read already, gave me a good feeling about her to have her telling me though. Lila was alright with the shots, cried when the stuck her but settled soon enough. Was a little more grizzly than usual last night so I gave her a little panadol for the pain and an extra feed and she slept soundly. A little extra clingy today but that's fine. Anyway I'm kind of hoping to maybe make a young Arab mummy friend and we can trade arabic-english lessons. i used to study it at uni and I don't want to lose it.

Janine- do you use your tickle turdle wraps? I love love love mine and bought some more wool yesterday to make more since mine are getting too small/ratty. Found such lovely nice wool- Clickheaton's. Smooth and soft and machine washable.. I can't believe you're 49 kilos, you poor poor chicken. Good grief, I thought I was looking pretty good at 68 kilos... I hope you find out better what you can eat so you can put some weight back on. Very shocking. And thanks for the info on slinging outwards, I didn't know that and the part about them not being able to turn away from too much stimulus didn't occur to me. I'll keep that in mind. I do face her out sometimes but its with frogged up legs and not usually for very long. When she starts voicing unhappiness I take her out.

Nettie-I think having a good baby is part luck, but also being calm and confident yourself- sounds like you're both soo good with baxter, of course he'll be sweet and good and trustful. That trust one seems to be the most important, I feel like Lila trusts me more now than she did at first. Like trusts me to be there when she needs me and not leave her alone. There's not really any scientific research for it, but I wonder if perhaps Dr. Spock and his back-a$$-wards methods that so many practiced has something to do with the epidemic of depression and distrust of one's elders that is so rife these days. I mean, its all a rich tapestry of course, but maybe people learn from an early age that they can only rely on themselves...? Oooh sorry for the rant.. hehe.

Jen- My Lila has outgrown her sling mostly so I ordered a Mei Tai. I like the way it looks and what I've heard but I don't have mine yet so I can't personally attest to how much I like it. I'm pretty sure Lila will like it too, she likes best being upright and pressed against one of us. I'm hoping hoping that maybe when I get it she'll practically live in it and I can work again. I mean, if women work in rice paddies with their baby on their back, surely I can sit at a cafe writing with a baby on mine??

Meg- You can do it. You love your baby, you're such a good mother. It's just really hard sometimes, especially when the routine is disrupted and you don't know what to expect next. I was feeling just like you and then magically Lila started back on her regular sleeping pattern. You can do it. One minute follows another, one hour at a time. You can. It won't always be like that I promise.

Beatrix- Its hard staying out of the chocolate (and the coffee, and everything good... sigh) I hope it gets easier for you soon, maybe xdh could help a bit??

Hellos all around to anyone I've missed, must run since little Miss wants her afternoon boobie...

[Sequoia]

Nettie-I think having a good baby is part luck, but also being calm and confident yourself- sounds like you're both soo good with baxter, of course he'll be sweet and good and trustful. That trust one seems to be the most important, I feel like Lila trusts me more now than she did at first. Like trusts me to be there when she needs me and not leave her alone. There's not really any scientific research for it, but I wonder if perhaps Dr. Spock and his back-a$$-wards methods that so many practiced has something to do with the epidemic of depression and distrust of one's elders that is so rife these days. I mean, its all a rich tapestry of course, but maybe people learn from an early age that they can only rely on themselves...? Oooh sorry for the rant.. hehe.

Steph

Nettie = Liam
SG = Baxter



We are going okay here. Just about to order myself a peanut shell sling, never been a babywearer before!

SG
xo

[Fire]

I love my wraps! But they're all too small now and I don't seem to find the time to do projects now. I'm also finding that with the gut yeast, Ci's nappy area isn't fine in cloth nappies, so I've put him in sposies most of the day. Sad, but true. I'm hoping I can go back to cloth when his gut is better and he doesn't get that sore red ring around his bum and *!*.

Grubi, the detox I'm on ROCKS. It is horrendous for healing crisis. I get horrible headaches and Ci screams for hours if I dose him too high which I believe is gut pain from the die off. But my skin is amazing, it hasn't been like this since I was a teenager, seriously. And his skin is sooooo much better. We're only dealing with the scalp issue now, the facial one is so mild I don't even need cream on it. For more info on what we're doing, it starts on this page of my blog: c-section syndrome. I just got the Threelac yesterday in the mail with the power killer oxygen with enzymes. WOWZA. I peed outta my butt so much is moving outta there, 'scuse the gross detail, but it really kills those suckers, you can tell. I can't give that to Ci, but if my gut flora picks up, my breast milk will contain more good bacteria and healing factors.

[alittlegrubi]

Belle Thanks for your post in the other half. I think that it was because she was so fussy for a couple of days. Tonight can hear her nasal comgestion - was probably headcold pain that was causing the mass screams and fussy feeds which lead to the watery poos.

Fire will read your info on c-section syndrome when I get the chance. Still thinking of doing the detox, and expect it will be a little trying, might ease into it since we don't have any major issues to deal with, just back off the offending items like wheat and milk asap. Was thinking of getting some Lifestart for the flora myself.
Just did a quick scan read and WOW - informative - Fire - will definitely be cutting out that wheat (yeast and gluten too)and dairy the later being the harder for me to give up in order to help both of us heal. Once again Fire thanks you really help with all your research.

[bellelass]

Silly me, I knew I had the names mixed up and didn't change it. Baby brain...

[Nettie]

Steph - no worries about the name thing. I usually have to look them up myself! Thanks for your kind words though - it's nice to hear someone say those things. I agree with you on the anti-spock rant too... he he

SG - thanks for straightening out the name thing - you beat me too it

Fire - the difference is - you're BF and babywearing/AP to a much greater extent than we are, so there's only so much DH & others can do for you so to you. You're doing a great job there hun! and I second Grubi's :slap:... no apologising here please!
I loved reading your *long* post!

Liam's been a bit sicky today, but I reckon we've got a bit slack and blazey (sp?) about the formula. Sometimes it's out of the fridge for too long before we give it to him so we're trying a new regime where we have a 1 hr rule. Once it's been heated up, we have 1 hour to give it to him - then it gets chucked. We currently pre-make our formula too which isn't what the packet says so it this doesn't help, we'll be strictly adhering to the packet instructions... trouble is, when you try to make it up like they say, it doesn't dissolve properly and the special feeder bottles we have to use for Liam get clogged up at the membrane with undissolved formula. Not to mention that you just CAN'T make it up with a baby in your arms... you need two hands - how practical is that???

Anyway - just finished my lovely custard I just made (mmmm....) so am now off to bed!

Cheerio...

[bellelass]

Am online catching up on emails and belly belly is right here in the other tab...


Nettie- I don't know much about it, but have you seen those powder-formula mixy bottle things? I feel like I just saw one today and was puzzling over what its for, maybe its for that? So you can mix it properly and hold the baby? I'm sure I don't know but thought I'd mention it..?

[Butterfly_Princess]

Well today seemed to be a better day. Not great, but better. I dont feel any better though She seems to be okay if i wrap her, then feed her, then put her in the cot. It works, sometimes. Its really hit and miss with her. One moment it will work, the next it wont.
I kinda wish i had more ppl around me to help and support me. I feel so isolated and alone sometimes.
*Sigh* How depressed do i sound hey?? Sorry girls, I should cheer up a bit more and look on the bright side of things..which, at the moment i cant see what they are, but im sure if you give me a while, ill think of something. Nothing seems to go my way.
And, and, i want a cuddle from Ben he left for work and we werent on very good terms, and i said sorry, and i think he is still mad at me coz i havent heard from him all night, which is unusual for him.

[Leyla]

Meg - you poor thing, you do sound down. I'm sure things will improve soon honey. We all go through the odd 'down' stage.

Fire - Thanks for the info. Very interesting indeed. I'm thinking I might need to do the detox too. We had been fine, and then just today he suddenly comes out in a dry red rash over his torso and legs. I can't think of anything I've eaten that is new. I have had a sore throat though. Do you think a cold could cause a rash like that?

Steph - Your new Dr sounds so much better than the last one!!

Shoegal - Are you still in Perth? Nice to see you back in. I have a peanut shell sling, but have not used it since he was about 8 weeks - will have to figure out how to use it at the size he is now.

Nettie - Sorry that Liam has been unwell. Hope he is over it soon.

Beatrix - Sorry that both you and MJ are under the weather. Hope you both improve soon.

Jen - I dislike the pram most of the time too! Just such a bother most of the time - especially in smaller shops. Mush easier to sling them.

Grubi - Good luck with the detox!

Well, as you can see by the time, I'm having a shocker of a night. Jack has been awake since 2 and will not settle. Is not crying, just making cute little peeping noises and fussing about. He seems to only be happy if I am holding him while i am seated - which means no sleep for me. As soon as I lie down with him, he fusses and wakes again. ARGHHHHH! Very unusual for him. He usually settles straight away after a feed during the night. I'm thinking he must be sick with something - sudden dry rash, change in sleep etc. Any ideas what it might be?

[Leyla]

Well... we are now up for the day. Yay.
Dont know how I am going to make it through.

[Beatrix]

Meg- sorry to hear that you are still having a rough trot, have you had Bubba checked out for reflux??? Could it be something you are eating that is upsetting her tummy? Maybe see a dr and have a word to them abotu how you are feeling too.

Janina- great to hear ci skin is so much better!

Leyla- make sure you sleep when Jack sleeps today,

Nettie- Premaking formal as long as it is in the fridge after you have made up is fine. You can try a forumal dispenser which you can put 3 amounts of forumla in then when add it after you have heated the water not b4

Steph- you are so lucky with the sleeping!!

Shoe- oh i live my slings and my meh tai,


Well I have figured out Mj can not stomach me eating two much chocolate!! Some yes but alot no.


I have my first night out tonight!! I have great tickets to David Strassman (the comedian) exH is coming and watching the kids. Should be interesting to see how he goes doing the night routine with all 3 kids. He will get a taste of my night everynight


oh and Annika has been telling me what Mj drinks from my boogies