Babies Born January 16th ~ 31st 2009

Runner: Good luck with the dummy issue!! Is it the type of dummy you are using maybe? When I mentioned to a friend that Dash would spit it out she said that I just needed to find the 'right' dummy for him?? There are a lot to choose from but they are too expensive to keep buying them to try. ETA: Dis answered this above!! As for the photobooks the software at bigw is pretty basic and as I mentioned, not too many choices to make. You can save it and take as long as you need to take!! I was tired when I made my photobook and spelt Ziggi's name wrong lol!! Now I have to reprint them. Don't know what I was thinking and I checked it many times he he!!

10kms is amazing - I hate even driving 10kms lol!!! You are very motivated.

Dis: lol at Jared fading away to nothing, poor mite (what a sweetheart)!!

Hi!

No dummy here either. DD had one and was so attached we couldn't get rid if it until after she turnef 3! Ned sucked his fingers until 11 months, and H - well I just haven't offered one.

Ruuner - v envious on the 10km. I used to do half marathons pre children and am aching to get back into running. 10km wil be my limit though - have dodgy knees.

Dis - Jared is such a boofa! H is 5.75kg and he was 10pd 2 born!

For all those doing photos and books and stuff - I use an online site that is v good and cheap...not sure if i can mention it here?

H has been much better with sleep. Going down around 8-0pm and sleeping til about 2ish and the wakes again around 5 or 6. Cat naps and feeds in morning before we head out usually around 9am.......bbl Ned wants to eat eggs!

HI Mummies,

Well 1st i must say if any of you are having trouble getting your child in a schedule or sleep JO is the saviour,i followed her EASY program and went and bought the books Secrets of a baby whisperer,Day 4 and we have an angel now,,,Nixon is sleeping when supposed to(well he generally did)hes in a schedule of some sort,i dont do timetables etc as i think you need to be flexible,i have learned to read his cues and cries,we now have a happier baby who tonight took just 25 mins to go to sleep and today around 10-15mins,unfortunately my compromise is the dummy,we do let it fall out grab it b4 it falls out,we get it b4 the fall goes clunk n rattle n wakes the koala up..
He only has it when he sleeps,not often,only when hes feral,usually he doesnt like the dummy but some sleep times hes does,hes fast asleep with it in his gob right now,,,its soooooo cute!!!
hes fussy with his dummies,will only suck on the avent ones,,hard to get his age group ones,,they all sold out....


oh some A$$hole has just rang my house phone and woken nixon,as if it not important enough they could ring during normal hours,the one night i get him to go bed easy some Tosser rings my house phone,then DH after being told 3 bloody times not to ring,pranks the house phone and wakes him again.....now i have Nixon screaming his bum off and wont go back to sleep
GGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRr some people just dont get that you have a newborn and no you dont want to speak to them after 8pm at night...F!@KERS

hi ladies!

I still wish I had the time to do some photobooks...sounds lovely, very envious!

As for running 10kms, it felt fantastic to be able to do this again. I am used to running about 80-100kms a week, more if training for a marathon, so 10kms is just a starting point for me - as crazy as this may sound to others. But hey, we all have our passions and talents and I just wish I could sew or navigate softwear like many of you ladies!!

Sleeping and Reflux - yeah, I think Amara does have reflux, but not overly serious, but it does affect her sleeping - she is great today SO far - even after some chucking up milk and fussing at the breast.

thanks for your stories about dummies - have hardly needed ours in the last 2 days - don't use it at night at all YET. We got the cheapest ones - happy baby or something.

question for you all (which may sound silly!). When do you know for sure that your little one wants to feed in the middle of the night?? Can you hear a sucking sound or does he/she start to cry or wimper? Sometimes I am about to feed Amara and then she goes quiet and sleeps some more.......

Runner, J sucks on his fingers when he's hungry and makes his "I'm Hungry!" noise as well. He usually makes the noise for a while, while I'm in bed in denial, and then when I hear him sucking away I force myself to get up and feed him :)

We went to Lollipops (indoor playland) today with some friends from Ben's mum's group. Haven't been since B was around 15 months or so and it's SO much better now. J got lots of cuddles and B ran around like a nutter - now they're both asleep. Maybe I should go there every day... :)

runner-if u have her on a schedule then u will know when her feeds are,roughly around 3-4 hourly,some babies do sleep longer between feeds,nixons formula fed,he has dreamfeed 11-12 midnight,then around 3-4am then 7-8am,all depends when he hungry,he sucks n mouths n cries so u kinda work it out,in our case the dummy gets a workout when he has it so u know he hungry,
Jo from our site here put me onto 2 books called secret of the baby whisperer,its a bible,teaches u everything n what their cues n cries mean,feeding,sleeping u name it...i cant speak high enough of it,helps u get things figured out real quick and some structure without strict routines..

in the end u just do what works for amara,reflux can cause them to want to feed more often etc,im no expert but my friend having breastfeeding and reflux issues

thanks ladies for your replies! So great that I can always have you guys to ask!

Amara is fully breastfed as you know, and is on a routine so to speak. I feed her around 6.30 - bath, wrap and then the other breast at about 7pm. She has been then waking around 12 midnight - one night went to nearly 2am! But usually midnight, then again around 3.30 to 4am. I wake her up at 6.30am (which suits me fine, as I run early in the morning and plus my son is up then too) and feed her again before heading out for my morning runs.

I am going to start giving Mylanta a better go...when she seems distressed at all, and not waiting until she is REALLY distressed. It seemed to work today - much more settled.

thanks for the tips re waking time at night and feeding - just go by your instincts I suppose - and I know what you mean about lying there in denial - who wants to get our sleep deprived bodies up - especially night after night. I also have to express each breast before i feed at night ............to get rid of sugary first milk (by advice). very tiring.

things will get better, so far not as bad as it was with my first born..and she is such a beautiful little girl (I am so biased of course!!)

runner - Ella too is fully bf and her routine is very similar to Amara's re the waking at midnight and again at 3-4am - like Disgirl i usually wait till i hear the sucking noises unless she is really crying out!
Re the dummy - i've tried Ella with it but she just spits it out - will suck on it for 10mins tops if im lucky but she's not really a dummy baby i guess?

Hi everyone, have not been on in a while as sharing the one computer with DH and he takes it during the day and at night I am too tired. Have been keeping up with you all via the posts going to my email.

I just read the email from yesterday and it was funny as you were talking about dummy use and I had only minutes before decided to give Emily another try with it as she is having trouble settling. Runner: We were talking at mothers group today about dummies and they suggested that we use the dummy until they fall asleep and then take it away (to save the dummy fallling out leading to crying situation). Emily used to always spit it out and gag but with a little persistence she took it tonight (but has just spat it out and started crying again -DH currently trying to get it back in). We figure if it helps to settle her then it is worth a try but if she does not like it better for us. Oh and they also said at mothers group that as soon as they start playing with it (taking it out by themselves..it is time to take it away completely) not sure how that would go but something to consider when the time comes.

We are going pretty well with Emily she only wakes once at night for a feed and breastfeeding has gotten easier and easier. Settling can sometimes be really hard and we have been cuddling and rocking her but are thnking we want her to learn to self settle so now trying a few things now that we have adjusted to life with a baby.

Sorry for no personals but will try to get back in more often.

runner: I just wanted to ask you whether you think running impacts on breastfeeding. I am really keen to start running again as would like to do City to Surf this year (August). Do you have any advice for me? I know I need a good bra as even walking fast feels uncomfortable.

me-lisa-the dummy is the bane of my existance atm,,,my boy will not settle so we have to get dummy to help.we try pull it out when he asleep as when he falls asleep with it in his mouth sometimes it works,other times when it goes kerplonk and hits the mattress all hell breaks loose!!! we are really having issues with the self-settling,mainly between 7-10pm, thats our witching hour/hours,no matter what we have tried it still goes on for 2 hours ish...last nyt he down in 15 til someone rang,tonights phone on silent....has anyone ever been sleep school??????????? only to iron out the self settling issues as he a good sleeper when he is asleep...
anyway im off,we have had 10 mins so far crying his eyeballs out....lol soooo cruel but i gotta do the techniques to settle
my boy when he does go to sleep.has dream feed at 11 or 12,then feed around 3-4am then up at 8am.....no sleeping through the night,im sure if he knew how to settle he would....bloody little koala...definately nocturnal hehe

oh yeh ps.b4 the p.s- i got him to sleep within 30 mins tonight,dummy in tow!!! not game to go in just yet and pull it out..


p.s sorry i think im repeating myself....mumnesia!!!!!!!

No personals this morning.....just wanted to stop and say....

I got my AF back today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What's worse is that I only stopped bleeding/spotting post pregnancy 3 days ago (yep at 8 weeks). It is really heavy and it sucks. I am a bridesmaid on Saturday so now i look all puffy and bloated (well I already did...just worse iykwim). Oh the joys!!

TTFN

happy 2 months dash (for yesterday!!)

Just a quick post to say hi all, I'm still here. Fin is doing really well. Not a single complaint. He Sleeps from 11 - 4 then 4 -7 during the night. We use a dummy but have a rule if he spits it out three times he doesn't get it back also we never put it back it after he goes to sleep once. I might change that if he stops sleeping well. During the day we BF taking no longer than 30 min, play for as long as he wants, sleep.

I'm loving having DH home one day a week, takes the pressure off and I can sleep in, Still not a morning person.

Till the next break I have.

Snoochie Boochies

i got AF back too 2 days ago...i rang my obs and said im bleeding is this normal,he laughed n says yes its ur AF...well it was a shock after not having it for near on 11 months....if you breastfeed it takes longer to return..
another good night out of nixon,dreamfeed at 11pm,then he woke cos he broke outta swaddle,back to sleep til 3am,then fed and back to sleep til 630,had a feed was hungry,then back to sleep til 830am,feed and now back in bassinette for morning sleep,,hes farting around a bit but will drop off,i find his tired cues happen around the 50 minute/60 minute mark,hes yawning and staring and fiidgeting then,if i dont get him down then i pay for overtired cranky pants....
i so want to go back to sleep,need to do something bout my low iron as i feel so sick,,today esp as its pouring rain and the sound on the roof is nice,been a long time lemme tell ,i could lay here in bed all day listening n chilling,,
Tonight im going to visit my old workmate who had her baby,shes the 3rd last one of our 11 pregnant people we know,after her 2 left

am i the only one whos kid is not sleeping/feeding thru the nyt for more than 3/4 hours??any suggestions.do i just put dummy in when he wakes n see if he nods back off b4 giving him a bottle at 3am as he is having dreamfeed around 11pm?

Hi everyone, grrr i hate it when BB doesnt send me email notifications, i forget to check on here and end up having to read back a few days.

Well so far so good, Caleb goes to bed at 7.30pm, had a dreamfeed at 10.30, sleeps till 5am, has a feed then and wakes up at 7.30am so we are at least getting a good nights sleep.

My dad is coming over next week to meet Caleb, im soooo excited, i cant wait!

For those with dummy use, if your little one needs to suckle then i say let them, until they are three months old they dont form attachments to it and they need the suckling time. However, once they are asleep and they spit it out DO NOT put it back in, If you put it back in then you are creating a prop.
They dont know how to settle themselves at such a young age, they werent born knowing how to put themselves to sleep so they use the dummy to soothe themselves. the other idea about pulling it out is a good idea too. We use the dummy when Caleb needs to suckle himself to sleep but this doesnt always happen, usually when hes overtired and just needs that extra comfort to fall into sleep, then he spits it out and contently sleeps for two hours (during his day naps. We dont need it to send him off to sleep at night) We dont need to use it any other times so the dummy actually never leaves his bedroom... its used very minimally.

However each to their own! I know what works for my little man and you all know what works for your bubbies :)

Has anyone else tried baby massage? Caleb LOVES it and the nights i do it he just sleeps and sleeps. He has his dinner, an evening bath and a massage and then off to bed, its a great time to spend quality time wiht your little one and they love the touch of their mummy and the eye contact. I find this is the time Caleb "talks" the most. It can be a really special time. maybe the dads could use this time to give you mummies a rest and bubby will love it.
I know when Craig gives Caleb a bath, Caleb just looks up at him like hes saying "oh your the best dad in the world, i luuuuuurve my baths" its so cute

anyone elses babies outgrowing their baby bath? Caleb kicks around and if he stretches out he hits his head at the top, we are having to move to the big bath in the main bathroom now!
I cant beleive my boy will be 8 weeks on Saturday! I remember being only 8 weeks pregnant.... oh a lifetime ago!

Woohoooo! Last night DD slept from 10pm (after her 9pm feed) until 3am! And the night before that, she slept 9pm until 4am!! We didn't bother waking her for a feed she was tired.... and we needed sleep! :D I don't feel so tired the last week....

I won a book on Ebay called "100 ways to calm the crying" by Pinky McKay. It's a good book and very popular so I can't wait to get it & start reading it..... !

BF'ing is going well for me, my milk supply is going up as I'm still expressing every 2-3hrs when I can and giving DD top up's of EBM & formula. we're doing well... hopefully soon she'll just only be getting EBM & B/feeds.

Dummies - yep we use one. Only when she won't settle and i've tried everything else and she is giving me the signs she wants to suck something (and she's not hungry) then I use it and it works a treat..... I never wanted to use one but hey, it works. Like before in GP's office she screamed and screamed so i gave it to her and she fell asleep!!! lol

I love going out with Ava we get so many comments "oooh how cute" "oohh she's so little" etc and makes me feel so proud. I love going out with her to the shops now as I'm not so nervous anymore taking her out.... it's more enjoyable!

Hope everyone & their bubba's are great and you're all getting at least some sleep each night!! :pray:

HAPPY 2mths DASH!!!! :bluecheer:

To those of you who have your periods back.... are you breastfeeding or bottle feeding??? It takes longer when you are B/feeding yeah? I"m not ready for mine to come back!!!!

Happy 2 months Dash! Boy time is flying!

Ren, I don't get the 'so little' comments. Yesterday I got two "Gee, he's a big boy!" comments from complete strangers :lol: They're right so I can't be offended :lol:

You poor girls getting AF back :( I've only had two periods in nearly three years! So, yes Ren, generally when bfing it takes longer to come back, but each woman is different. Mine didn't come back until Ben gave bfing totally... and then I got pg straight away. It also seems to work as a contraceptive for me - not that we're taking any chances right now. It's a bit TOO soon for us to think about #3.

Speaking of DTD, we finally did last night!!! It's a bloody logistical nightmare, with DH working shifts and the two kidlets, but we found time yesterday evening when they were both asleep - woohoo! So much better after J than it was after B with the episiotomy. No pain at all this time :)

J seems to be getting over his growth spurt, thank goodness! Last night he was back to 4 and 5 hours between feeds. Hopefully he'll be back to six hours soon :)

hi ladies,
it is wonderful to hear that most of you are having a better time re your babies sleeping - I know that if baby settles well and sleeps, then I am a happier mummy!

Dummies - well, I certainly started a discussion, didn't I? A very nice one too, no judging, and after reading it all, I think dummies do have there place in the early weeks and months.

I have started Amara on Mylanta more regularly - 1ml at a time about 3-4 times a day if needed. Beforehand I would just tr;y and settle her other ways, but now by nurse advice, I need to give her the Mylanta to see if it works. Only 24 hours so far, and there is some difference. Fingers crossed. She is still doing some big chuck ups however, and in some pain after feeds...

Period back so soon??? Ahhh.......I remember getting mine back at about 5 months post baby - I hope it is the same this time but who knows!

Me- Lisa re Running - No, does not affect my milk supply at all, either now or with my first born. I run AFTER I feed in the morning ( usually about 6 or 6.30am). And drink lots of water, have some breakfast etc. So go for it I say!!! I am entering my first race next weekend and I cannot wait!! Yes, I wear TWO sports bras - one over the top of the other however I am relatively small for a breast feeding mum - a 12 B!! But still, I am a 10A so still a big change for me. Also, be wary of hard surfaces - start running on a softer surface at first - trails, grass or sand until your muscles get used to running again. I did this for the first 2 weeks. And don't forget to stretch after!!

Runner - is that normal Mylanta you give her and how do you give it to her? Caleb is having reflux probs too, i have elevated his mattress and given him infants friend which seems to be working but if it stops doing the trick i do have some Mylanta in the cupboard i could use :)

as for DTD, we did it at 4 weeks post birth... i think it was a little early but it was driving us a bit mad, we felt like teenagers messing around all time wiht no where to go so we took the plunge and did it hahaha, have done it a few times now and it gets better and better every time, I did ask DH "does it still feel the same down there?" and he said yes so phew! thats a relief :dance: am now on the pill which i feel like ive gone backwards a bit, after being told i would need assistance falling pregnant and then when it happened naturally (after trying for only 6 months) i was stoked but now that we are back on the pill it feels weird... I keep thinking "will i be able to fall pregnant again naturally next time or will being on the pill stuff all that up?" feels kinda like im pushing my luck with my body.
Did i tell you gals that we want five kids?? especially if htey are all as good as little Caleb :D i cant wait to have more, but im spending the next 2-3 years enjoying my little guy, it will be the only time i get to have only one child in the house before we have more

yes, Jo - it is normal Mylanta - 1ml at a time, but check with what your child nurse says or doctor. I really hope it works for Amara - I hate seeing her in pain, as any mother would.

We haven't used a dummy much. My mum keeps trying to suggest it, but Max usually doesn't need anything. Having said that, we had a shocker of an afternoon/evening last night when he just wouldn't go to sleep, so I did stick a dummy in his mouth for about half an hour or so. As I say to Mum, I don't have anything against them, but if Max is reasonably content (even if not settling) I don't see the point in giving him one.

As for DTD, we tried on the weekend but it wasn't to be. Mind you, I gave up pretty quickly cos Max was stirring. We have done 'other things' quite a bit, but I think we will need a bit of time and peace and quiet to return to actual DTD. It's kind of hard to really get in the mood when bubs in whimpering away in the next room!

We haven't really tried massage as such, but Max usually gets moisturised all over after a bath (so long as he's happy, which he usually is). I noticed last time I bathed him that he's getting a bit long, but we will be sticking to the baby bath for as long as possible. The only other bat hwe have is a corner spa. Not only do I not want to waste the water needed to fill it, but there's no way I can lean over it. A friend told me you can get some kind of 'dam wall' to put in them - might have to look into that.

So, after our shocker of a day yesterday, I've kept Max home all day today (apart from a brief trip to supermarket during his awake time). He has been waking up after an hour or so, but I don't like having to feed him every 2 hours, so twice I've managed to hold him off till 2.5-3 hours. Then I have fed him, we've had a little play time and it's back to bed. Means he's been up for about 1.5-2 hours, but so far it's been better than yesterday! Gosh it would be nice if they could talk and tell us what they want, wouldn't it :lol:

Max is also getting into a bit of a pattern at night. He generally feeds somewhere around 9.30-10.30pm (the later it is, the less chance I'll have to get up again 15 mins later!), then will sleep 3-4 hours. So I'm up again around 2-3am, and then about 6-7am. He seems to have forgotten how he slept 6 hours last week!

He's waking again now, right on cue - about an hour after I put him down. Now got to keep him happy for 40 mins or so till I'm ready to feed him!

Jo - Sam looooves massage. I give him a massage everynight after his bath. We use aromababy products and they are so gorgeous. Sam chats and smiles throughout and then is soooo relaxed afterwards... and smells soooo sweet.

No period for me yet either. I thought I was about 2 weeks ago as I had a tiny amount of brownish type stuff when I wiped but then that was it nothing since. I'm not game enough to use as contraceptive either. Would love a #2 but don't even want to try until after Sam turns 2. I was hoping to just use billings method as I didn't want to go on pill again after all of the trouble we had conceiving then with m/c's. But with no af I don't want to take any chances but want to still have good relationship with DH. I also think that it just feels really weird that we tried to get pg for soooo long and now all of a sudden we're trying not to. Am sure we'll get something worked out.

Ren - sounds like you are doing really well with BF. Sounds like your supply is great now. Good on you, it is very inspiring. That is great she is sleeping well too.

Little man calling.... bbl for another catch up. Big Hugs to everyone.

im not game to dtd,i suppose i better have a crack at it sooner or later,im still sore n stingy down there,,obs says to use some lube,at this rate ill be using a 44 gallon drum full..
Well not much from me,went to see my friend at hospital who had her boy 2 days ago,she got all of nixons clothes he outgrown and most never worn,poor thing looked like a deer in the headlight,oh how we know that feeling,told her in 8 weeks she will look back like us and say oh its getting easier...i got her a couple of baby books so that should help her
anyway its midnite and past my bedtime

Hi girls! Stioll here......not sure about contraception either - when Lucie was 3 months old I was pg with Ned, so it can happen! Not planning on any more kids so will have to sort it out. Got my post natal doc appt today and then have to take Henry to demonstrate bathing and nappy changing and stuff to a class of midwife students.

Was planning on heading to airshow tomorrow but decidedthe risk to H's ears is too great :(

Anyway crazy day....Ned taking apart the computer atm.....

hi ladies,
well, it really up and down for these early weeks isn't it? Some days are good, some days it seems all we do is try and settle our bubs. I just realised that I spend almost 12 hours a day in our bedroom!! Either sleeping, resting, settling Amara.

i don't do a dreamfeed atm. I feed/bath/feed her at 7pm and then she sleeps until 12 midnight approx and then again around 3-4am and then I always get her up at the same time of 6.30am. I go to bed after I feed her at 7pm - usually takes about 30-45 mins to wrap, feed from the other breast, burb, sit upright, cuddle and then to bed. Will try the 'rollover feed' (as what it used to be called) when she is a bit older.

Do any of you who are fully breastfeeding cut out anything in your diet?? I do not eat chocolate, coffee/tea, citrus fruits, cabbage/brocolli or milk products (have soy milk) and also reduced my sugar intake. also limited peanut butter (which is hard as I love it).
This is what the nurse who came to our house recommended. Yes, I think Amara is better - but maybe it is the Mylanta? Who knows hey? in any case, she said I can eat all these things again after 3 months.... so only about 7 weeks to go!!

Looking forward to the weekend - Sat is my day for my 'long run' and then a dip in the ocean! Sunday we are going to a Buddhist workshop/meditation afternoon - Amara is generally very good in the sling, so it SHOULD be Ok.

Have a good weekend everyone!

well alls good today.........
just wanna know when u guys feed in the middle of the night do you change the nappy? i did at 3am and he woke up an wouldnt go down til 515am....he went down this morning in 5 mins,asleep no dummy,woke up 40 mins later and no wont go back to sleep.
Well i rang tweddle(sleep school and child services)and we are going to the day stay progamme near my house as the issue of him not self settling is ridiculous....hes a brilliant sleeper,its getting him to sleep and getting him to put himself back to sleep,,,ive had this problem since day one,that and i made the mistake of cuddling him to sleep at the start as he wouldnt settle then,and my MIL damn rocking him cos he wont settle...grrrr naughty boy
Im really disappointed with my private hospital,not did i pay big money to got here cos they are sposed to be one of the best private maternity hospitals(which they were far from)but now i rang about the sleep school they have and they tell me they might not run the classes anymore or they cant gimme an answer...I wanted to go there because they are supposed to offer the best of inpatient as well as outpatient care,,,its like thanks for your money,see-ya!!!
anyway im off,got a house to clean b4 my real estate agent brings hopefully a buyer for me,i have 3 people fighting over my house...
cheers bon

hi Soniebon,
I only change Amara's nappy in the night if she REALLY needs it changed - like if there was a big, big runny pool or leaking with wee. Otherwise, no! Yes, I agree because it wakes the litle darlings up!

That sucks about your hospital no having sleep school/help and paying such good money.
I went to a sleep place in melbourne with my first, it was at Canterbury - cannot remember the name of the place - but what really helped was someone coming to my place and seeing what I did in MY environment -worth the money.

But all is good - your little man is still so young and you are great to do something about it now.......I still think maybe I do some things to help Amara sleep that I should not - like picking her up - but I do this when she is really crying and why not??? She is only 5 weeks old! So don't be hard on yourself. I know i am, that is why I say it to you.

anyone on the forum who has to wake up bubba because of school pick ups??? Ahh, I know I just have except it that is the way it is, but hate seeing Amara dragged around sometimes..

I don't change DD unless she really needs it either (at night), but I have been using a nappy pin to keep the wrap nice and secure , she sleeps better but i can also just wriggle it up when i do have to change her so she stays asleep or very close to it! It's worked really well for me, especially as it is getting that bit colder at night

Hi girls thought i would quickly pop in and just say HI. everything is going well at my end have done one ivf cycle and unfortunately got a BFN am trying again next month so fingers crossed. seems like all your little ones are doing well lots of hugs to you all and will let you know when the BFP arrives. take care all and have a lovely weekend.

Ahhh I am so tired today after having two nights in a row of Emily waking for her feed at around 3am and then refusing to go back to sleep. I know it is partly because we have decided to stop rocking her to sleep as we are finding that she is not going down without A LOT of rocking which was getting ridiculous. We are letting her cry to settle herself but it is sooo hard to hear it. We got to the point last night where instead of in our room we put her in own room in cot (so not so loud for us!). I do feel really bad but I feel we just have to try this as other things are not working anymore. Is anyone else trying this? I really feel that things are messy at the moment. She seems not to want to sleep.. I generally don't see tired signs and she often stays up between feeds. Even now after her two thirty feed she fell asleep straight away at the breast so we put her down and she woke up soon after and then we let her cry for about 15-20 mins (going in regularly to comfort her) then DH got her up and put her in the bouncer and she appears to be happily awake for the last 20 mins. (DH just picked her up to put in bassinette and she is screaming again!!) She also did not sleep between last feed except for about 15 mins. Can a baby just not need as much sleep or is this really bad? I feel like things are so messed up at the moment and not sure what to do.

Runner: Thanks so much for the advice. I will go and get a bra fitted and then get started. I had my 6 week check up and all good so feel more comfortable knowing all healed before starting to run. Will let you know how I go. Also I hear it is good not to eat stone fruit when breast feeding as can upset their tummy. I have had a little bit as bought it before I knew but has not seemed to make any difference.

Dee: good to hear from you again. Sorry to hear about BFN, must be so disappointing. Will pray for BFP ASAP and look forward to hearing good news hopefully soon.

soniebon:Sounds like we are having similar difficulties with our bubs. I am going to try not changing her at night (saves a nappy and me getting up) but still not sure how to get her to self settle..listening to her screaming now. She seems to fall asleep while feeding rather than after when supposed to be sleeping. Let me know if you do something that works. I will do the same.

DTD: Have had 6 weeks check up so ok to go but going away to church camp this weekend..maybe SUnday night as not keen on DTD in a bunk bed at church camp.

Contraception:We have decided to just use condoms until AF returns then just be careful/condoms when ovulating but since we are not worried about getting pregnant again we are not worried too much. I am hoping to wait around 6-9 months (after City 2 Surf in August) before trying again. I want 4 kids and need to have them close as am 29 now.

Ok bettter go and cuddle Emily as she is still screaming after DH put her down. Poor little mite.. I feel so bad but need to try something different.

me-lisa- i suggest you pm or email JO as we are/were having same probs but they are getting better,yep rocking is a bugger to get them out of....

Well i spoke to tweddle sleep school today they have a day program for settling/sleep near me,i heard they do controlled crying but when i spoke to the lady i told her if you do controlled crying im not interested as we have left Nixon cry and he doesnt cry himself to sleep he gets emotional and hysterical and i personally think its cruely,she told me pick him up and give him a cuddle...

Went to my MCHN today,she says im being hard on myself and that im doing all the right things when it comes to settling etc and if he sleeps in the car when its his sleep time its not a bad thing either,some babies like movement,she said some babies just dont settle well til after 3 months and according to my baby whisperer book hes a spirited baby,,,lol just like his mum,its comforting to know im doing the right things,she said afterall hes a great sleeper and not to change his nappy during the night unless hes had a poo...lol i wont be doing that again in a hurry!!!!!!!!

Anyway my boy is still a featherweight,i was and so was DH,no fear of my kid being overweight...his weight is 4422 grams(ill have to do kilo conversion) hes 54 cm length(shorta$$) he has slight excema or flaky skin on face and a bit red under arms and behind one ear and has cradle cap...poor kid,i have to get the curash and olive oil out,i been putting olive oil on his head for cradle cap..but apart from that hes doing well.,she said for him to still wake 4 hourly for feeds is normal during the night for his age/weight ratio and i shouldnt stress that all you lot have your kids sleeping through longer,,,lol
Bit daunting 1st time mum,i been so worried about getting him doing the right thing at the right time i need to chill and lavish some more attention on the poor kid but in the same token she says its good he not too clingy...me bad hehe

Jo- if tweddle or sleep school at hospital dont ring or work out ill ring,i know you got caleb and your family coming and going to NZ so i dont want to annoy you too much,plus its a fair trip from my place to yours however id do it...
Anyways just waiting for my koala to wake as unfortunately i have to go shopping and have no other time to do it...i think what also has been hard is that we have had no family or much support here in melbourne as they are miles away and you gotta do what you gotta do to get by,its unfortunate also that it eats into bonding time or sleep/schedule times with my boy...what doesnt kill you only makes you stronger,hell 8 weeks ago i was struggling now im managing
cheers and have a good weekend
bonnie

Sonya - im always here if you need me :) I wondered if Nixon was a spirited bubby!!
Dont worry about me and family,i got my dad coming next week but after that there is no one until May :)

Dee - so good to hear from you!! PLEASE keep us posted on your journey, we are very honoured that you are still keeping in touch with us, you are a very brave woman,not many people would stick around in their old baby group after what you have gone through, your little girl must be so proud of her Mama :D

Max has had another unselttled afternoon/evening. A workmate of DH's reckons it's cos he'd egtting into a new sleep routine. Just hope he sorts it out quickly! We have just given him a shower, massage and feed, and he was asleep so I had high hopes, but have just had to go back in to settle him. Ah, at least it's given us a bit of a break as he has been much calmer since the shower.

As for not chaning nappies at night, I wouldn't dream of it - only cos Max's nappies are ALWAYS dirty! He goes back to sleep very easily at night too (touch wood!) so that isn't an issue for us.

And since writing the above I have caved and now have Max in my arms. Ah. the joys of motherhood!

Runner - I haven't cut out anything from my diet, apart from not having more thsan one or two alcoholic drinks at a time. I don't drink coffee anyway, so that's not an issue.

Dee - Sorry to hear about the BFN. Fingers crossed for next month.

Dee- good to hear from u honey and stay positive it will happen soon,we hope you will pop in here and share your news with us..

Gypsy- keep trying love i know how u feel,get Jo to email you her easy routine as well as some stuf on settling,dont worry im having the same issues,i promise u it does get better as the nights go by,do yourself a favor and get the 2 books secrets of a baby whisperer,,it helps,if not you can contact some sleep schools like tweddle,tresillian or your local hospital as most run day programs for koalas(my nickname for unsettled nocturnal babies)who have probs settling,we have had issue with Nixon since about day 3 after he born...We too put him in the shower,after he had one this morning it was lights out in 30 seconds,he slept 45 mins then awake,speaking of which he been asleep since 8pm ish has just woken himself up and is having probs sleeping now,dummy is out,he was asleep with no dummy but he thrashes his head about and wakes up and squeals...

Jo- Ill let you know if i need help.will ring u for a chat anyway as i could do with some advice,i managed to get the other baby whisperer book tonight,as soon as the koala goes back to sleep im gonna jump in bed and start reading,i can barely put the other one down...Hope you enjoy your trip to NZ....We are gonna go to Lakes Entrance next weekend to stay with the inlaws,i soooo need some ocean therapy,,,been saying for weeks im gonna go but im going come hell or high water,plus having MIL gimme a break will do me good as long as she a) dont pick him up everytime he whimpers,B)dont rock the koala to sleep,c)dont overstimulate and loud-talk at him when hes half alseep or trying to go to sleep....god bless her she means well,1st grandchild i cant begrudge her that
cheers and have a good weekend

Thought I'd weigh into the dummy debate. Before Owen was born we said 'no dummies' but that changed when we were in hospital. He seemed to like to suck, so we bought him one when we came home. It seems to soothe him when he's settling and thankfully he spits it out just as he's going to sleep, so we don't have the issue of him waking because it's fallen out.

Dee- good luck with your next IVF cycle, Owen is an ICSI (IVF) baby and we were lucky and only went through 2 cycles to conceive him, so I can understand what you're going through. Stay strong, hopefully things will work for you soon.

As for night time nappy changes, I've been changing Owen's nappy at night as I am breast and bottle feeding and have to get up to get the bottle anyway. Just make sure I don't really chat to him and try to minimise the light. Have been pretty lucky with the night time sleeps, as he seems to generally be able to settle himself to sleep and sleeps for up to 5 hours at a time.
Day times are a different story!!

Dee, HI! I'm sorry your first IVF cycle left you with a BFN :( I'll send positive vibes your way that you get that BFP real soon. :)

Runner, Strangely J and B have both had bad reactions to onions and garlic! Little buggers as we use them in quite a lot of our meals normally. From memory, we re-introduced it slowly when Ben reached about 3 months and it wasn't as bad. Geez, if J had issues with choccie I'd be in trouble! I've also cut down to about two cups of tea a week.

Bon, I always change J's nappy during the night. He's such a heavy wetter that it's a bit crazy. Even the mw's and community nurse couldn't believe how much he wets but pointed out that it's just a sign he's getting enough milk. Honestly I felt like saying "Well DER, look at the size of him!" :lol:

We're going really well here. We went to a pre-school open day today at the Montessori we want to send the boys too. I LOVE that place! Gotta convince DH that the super $$$ is worth it though. All the staff were guessing J was 3-4 months old! He's not even two months old yet!

J seems a lot more settled now. He's sleeping better during the day - although he's still only really having two long naps. During the night he is only getting up the once for a feed but goes off to sleep straight after, which is actually a bit of a pain as he doesn't even bring up any wind - which comes back to haunt me a few hours later :(

We went to the park yesterday and J slept the entire time in the HAB. I even got to go down the slippery dip with him in it :lol:

Hope you're all well :)

Bon, me-lisa - I have been following the guidelines in the Tweddle book sleep right sleep tight which goes through some settling strategies and talks about what tired signs may be. I've been using it for the past few days and Owen seems to be sleeping better. I got tired of rocking him to sleep and he was getting too heavy. He is now going down in the basinette and if it's going to work it takes about 10 minutes to do so. Let me know if you're interested in what the book suggests and I can email you the relevant bits. I'm sure it's no miracle cure but seems to be working at the moment. Tweddle may also still be selling copies.
I've been thinking about whether to continue breast and bottle feeding. It takes so long, over an hour and despite everything I've done my supply is still low. Has anyone had any experience with this and how long did you persevere?

I have the sleep right, sleep tight book as well, i threw it out, it encourages you to let them cry, but the other stuff in there isnt so bad... its just a matter of getting to know your baby, only YOU know what works for your child as every child is different :)

Well my baby boy is 8 weeks old today, does that mean he is 2 months or do i wait till his birthdate (the 17th) before saying that??
I just went out to spotlight to buy some more materials for the cloth nappies im making and so i missed out on seeing him get up from his nap and go back down again and I really missed him!! silly i know, i see him everyday but to miss one awake time (i knew i was gonna miss it anyway when i left) made me sad,i didnt get to have a cuddle or see his gorgeous wee smile... i shall await 4.30 when he is due to wake up again :D