Babies Born April 2008 #3

[Fire]

Oh Beatrix, I'm so sorry to hear about your marriage. They do get challenging at times, eh. I honestly don't know how you do three kids, I think you're superwoman! I have trouble with my two who are widely spaced in age. I barely have time for the eldest anymore, I read her a bedtime story and spend 3 minutes with her in the morning. I'm really upset about it actually and don't know what to do about it, I just can't seem to find the time. Thank God DH is superdad, he's been there for her while I try to sleep or carry on with this baby strapped to me 24/7. I think I'm going to have to change my routine soon, or I'll lose her altogether. DH and she still cosleep, but I'm cosleeping with DS in the spare room so I'm missing all that crucial togetherness we enjoyed. I may have to sacrifice a few hours sleep and go to bed later and fall asleep with her at night. Currently, I go to sleep when DS does, which is about two hours before DD would be asleep, which would then be cutting it really close to DS feed time so I'd basically miss that whole sleep cycle. But I have to I think, or the guilt won't be worth it. I miss my girl. And I know she misses me.

[Nettie]

Hugs to you Nessa. I hope you both find some happiness soon. Thanks for the tips on the cloth nappies - I'll have a look. I'll also ask Elli what she reckons! Ta!

[bellelass]

Janine- Hope you figure out how to juggle both small ones. I'm having a hard enough time trying to pay enough attention to Dh and DD... Le sigh. How does one go about establishing a routine for sleeping/feed? Or do you just pray and hope that one starts to emerge? Lila had a really good one going for a few weeks- sleep four hours, feed, up two hours- lather rinse repeat. That's gone out the window. Sometimes she's up for 12-14 hours at a whack no matter what I do. I've cut everything tasty out of my diet, just don't know.

Nettie- Our place is unheated, too. I've been putting several layers of blankets on her at night. I bought a 2.5 grobag that she seems to like. I figure when its colder I'll just put her in a thick jumpsuit, the grobag, and put her in the bed between us for extra warmth. Lila's pretty alert these days, too. Smiles and almost laughs and coos.

Mgm- I have a Bubba Moe sling, which is pretty good even though I'm sure I'm not using it right. After a few hours my shoulder starts killing me. I have no idea (despite online and written instructions) how to put it on the way they tell me to. I'm thinking of getting a Mei Tai.

Nessa- Sorry to hear about your husband. That's really hard, I don't know what to say but you're in my thoughts.

I tried giving Lila the breast this morning and she flat refused. I guess the bottle is much easier, even the Back to Nature ones I've been using that are supposedly more breast-like. We had been doing ok with bfing except the thrush. That's when I started expressing, now looks like I have a choice between expressing til she's weaned, going to formula (really don't want to), or re-learning bfing. Any tips? I'm so scared about the re-learning, I had two cracked nipples before and really like having healed ones. I don't know, maybe I'll go rent an electric pump and just do it that way...?

Not much sleep last night, went down at 8pm after and hour of fussing, slept til 1ish. Fed, brought up some wind, back down around 3. I expressed til 3:30 and went to bed, only to be dragged back out at 5:30. She slept this morning for an hour in the sling and then wasn't having any more of it. I just don't understand how she gets by with so little sleep. I sleep when she does and I'm exhausted. Beat. My books say newborns sleep 14-19 hours a day. What a laugh.

[Fire]

Sheesh, Steph, is she content awake, or fussy awake all that time? Kudos to you, that would be difficult. If she's fussy, maybe she's having trouble going to sleep? Re routine, one sort of emerged for us, but it changes a bit each day. I just know that he goes 2 to 3 hours between feeds 24/7, is awake for about a half hour after feeds, then sleeps - lather rinse repeat :lol. I have to keep settling in the sling though, or he'd be up after one sleep cycle of half hour most of the time. When I'm busy, it's auto soothe, but if I'm sitting and reading, GOD FORBID!! Ci no likey me to sit and relax, so I have to get up now and again b/w sleep cycles and bounce or whatnot. DH simply moves his foot and it rocks him back to sleep, he doesnt' do that for me though. The longest awake time is late afternoon when I push him from a 3pm feed to an after 4 sleep, then awake again at 5 until 6.30 - when I put him to sleep with a feed. It seems to kick the witching hour in the a$$, which used to hit at about 7pm. Although, I can't seem to get him to sleep on the right boob, he hates it cos it's too fast. So he sucks my little finger until he falls asleep if we're on the right boob after his feed is done.

He's waking cranky, gotta go...

[bellelass]

Sometimes she's content awake, but that generally devolves into fussiness if I'm not holding her. She'll fall asleep on my chest but the second I'm not sitting bolt upright on the couch (heaven forbid I stretch out or move off the couch) she wakes up. If I put her down she wakes up. If I try to take her to bed to sleep with her she wakes up. This has been going on for three or so weeks now so I'm over it. I try getting her to self settle but maybe I'm not doing something I should be, she just lies there and screams and I'm not into letting her scream herself to sleep. Bah. I just fed her and put her to bed, she's lying here next to me gurgling but I can't very well go to sleep when she's not. I could, but would just have to get right back up which is killer and upsets me more than if I hadn't slept at all.

[Sharon19270]

Hi ladies, no time really for personals atm, will try to do some later tonight.

Last night Oliver started screaming during his feed again, and when he brought up wind he would cry also, now I don't know if it's wind related screaming, reflux related screaming (as he gets some milk come back up with each burp) or whether he has an upset tummy as one of his poos was quite watery last night (it was more the consistency of cream really, sorry if that is TMI for everyone) so I am thinking that maybe he has a viral infection since last week he was a little congested in the nose with green mucous coming out his nose, and a bit of a cough, but his nose and cough have been really good this week, he still sleeps really well, although I have decided to throw (my) routine out the window and just let him sleep/feed when he wants, if that means he will need a feed while we are at school waiting to collect Jordan, then I take a bottle pre-heated and put in insulated pocket of bag and formula in a container and then feed him when we get to school.

Well, i'm off to have a coffee before the school pick up. BBL

[alittlegrubi]

I'm struggling to workout if Greer needs a feed or just needs to cry. She seems to be feeding every hour and a half. I try to work out if it has built up to a cry and therefore maybe needs a feed. When I hold her she seems to root all the time for a feed and will contently feed when she finds the boob- note I am not giving it to her, she is rooting and finding it, she then settles and minutes later is back to crying. I have a night alone with the two kids tonight and do not know how I am going to handle it if she is fussing all day today.
Beatrix I know you have said that you have had counselling with DH, but have the two of you talked about why he is grumpy. My DH is grumpy and a lot lately too and there are 2 issues. One is me saying I wish I had his life and I'm going to be the man in my next life and the other is that he realy wants to have as he put it "a vacation from life with me". He is missing the pre children relationship. Is there a chance you could arrange for someone to have the kids, go out for a coffee and talk about how you are feeling?
Gotta go to deal with this screaming child, going to try lying down with her.