This thread is for parents who's baby was born January 16th ~ 31st 2009
Your moderators for this forum are as follows- Astrolady ~ Administrator Trillian ~ Senior Moderator Dachlostar ~ Senior Moderator MistyFying
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.
Please note - To receive thread notifications click the "thread tools" button at the top of this post and click "Subscribe to Thread" there is no need to post in order to get notifications.
Okay, looks like I"m first to post! Who's going to join me?
My details:
Jared Ray was born on Jan 19th at 7:07am after a 3.5hr, drug-free labour. He weighed 8pd4oz (3.75kgs) and was 52cms long. He was weighed two days later and weighed 4kgs, so obviously he's enjoying his booby juice!
All is going fairly well, except I had a mastitis scare and now have two bleeding nipples. BFing is painful but I'm persisting because it's very important to me. Sleeping is going very well, last night Jared slept for four hours, woke up for a feed and then slept another three. Delightful since he's not even a week old yet
Big brother Ben is coping very well with the change and adores his baby brother. He's always bringing him blankets (even when it's 42 degrees!) or dummies or whatever he thinks he wants He even shares his cars with him - which is huge in Ben's world
I wanted to say a few things in the Belly thread so I'll put them here...
Sydney Moose - I've got my fingers crossed that things will start for you before tomorrow night
Congrats Happymum!
Welcome home Ren!
I have attachment issues with my left boobie too. Did with Ben and Jared is a little better, but we still have some issues at times. It's frustrating, but when they get a bit older it gets easier. I think my problem stems from my enormous boobs! I'm an F cup at best, probably should move to a G this time around, but haven't been back to be fitted.
Bon, we don't really have a routine and I won't be trying to get one. Well, unless you call; Feed. Play. Sleep. A routine, which I guess you could! Jared seems to have night and day pretty much sorted and doesn't really want to be awake for his 3am/4am feed which is fabulous. I'm just trying to stay home as much as possible (not hard in this heat!) as that seems to help keep him settled
Hi girls!! i got back from hospital today...so good to be home!.... stayed in extra night as Ava had lost 400g (bit more than 10% her birth weight) and we needed to make sure she was gaining it and not losing more. A few attachment issues on left side, but feeding great from right side! My left is a flat nipple makes it a bit trickier but we are getting there and I am determined to have her feeding from L side regularly soon! Expressing with top up feeds of BM helped Ava to put on 220g in just 2-3 days!! we didnt think it was possible. she has gained more than half the weight she lost so its' wonderful. She is doing so well and now weighs 3.44kg. She's sooo tiny! I thought i'd have a big bub but nope she's nice and average!!!
I had a wonderful labour and birth (I call it perfect cos' i cant imagine it being otherwise!!) and my hospital stay was pretty good also....bub was POSTERIOR so very painful and didnt know until I was 9cm dilated by which time it was too late for anything even if i wanted it!!! I just feel on such a high and can't believe how much in love with our daughter we already are!! She is just perfect and we feel so so lucky to have her. Every time I look at her I just think "wow you are ours!!"
Can't wait to hear how you are all doing with your new bubba's!! I will have to go back and read the other thread to catch up!! A few pages there..... I will stay in this group even though Ava was born 02 Feb, it's only a few days off anyway and besides you girls have been with me throughout the entire pregnancy!!! also be great to learn off you girls as you've had bubs 1-3 weeks before me so i'll know what to expect etc!!!
Will post up my Birth Story soon..... look forward to reading those birth stories yet to come also!!
About to post up some pics!!! (I also posted in other thread before it was closed )
Ok so I know Sam was a December Bub but he was due Jan 26 so that gives me grounds to stay in this group, hopefully no-one has any objections to that.
Ren - yay you're home - excellent news. I had exact same problem with my left nipple and I expressed about 6 or so times in hossie and just those times I did it have had no nipple troubles since. It was super sensitive for the first few minutes of each feed for a couple of weeks but now it's just as tough as the right hand side one. Ava has had an excellent weight gain since her first initial loss. Sam lost around 10% of his birth weight but gained it again fairly quickly too. Can't wait to look at your pics - she looked just gorgeous going by the pic you sms'd me.
Mel & Dis - Hi, glad to hear things are going well with your bubs.
Am sure the rest of our friends will join us in here soon.
HappyMum - congrats on birth of Lachlan!! Gill - congrats on birth of Ella!! AJC - yeah attachment problems seem pretty common huh? I was upset i had to express in hossy but then in the end it was the best thing! Milk came in faster and so much more of it and she gained the weight she needed I hope soon we can wean off the nipple shield on L side. Dont like using it. and yeah attaching is very tender but after a few sucks it eases off.... i've been told by MW's that this will be for few weeks until my nipples toughen up... Runner - hope you made it out of the hossy today as planned and are enjoying being home with your gorgeous Amara and son and DH.
I'm soooooo tired.... averaged about 2hrs sleep a night in hospital except the last night I slept for 6hrs (in between feeds of course!). Amazing how we can survive on such little sleep.... I couldn't sleep for first 3 days in hospital cos' i was just living on adrenalin and so amazed that I'd birthed our baby and she was here with us.... can't stop staring at her.... I get teary so easily. I cried when i walked in the house this morning holding her and DH said "whats wrong?" and I said in between tears "im just sooo happy" hehe I've certainly done ALOT of crying lately.... just so happy. (silly hormones hehe)
xx hope you are all great. I'm off to bed we are so tired. I'll be back online Monday. DH and I have the weekend together and thats it he has to keep working as we have our business to run. Monday i'm probably gonna cry when he leaves for work!!! He's so great with Ava, he is just loving being her Daddy. Holds her heaps, changes her etc. its beautiful watching them together.
Oh no!!! I typed up a big post to catch up and had some personals in there and lost it!!
Never mind...will have to try later on as I think Ava is about to wake!
Here is a few pics of our gorgeous Ava! We still can't believe we made her
BF is going really well for us. After having attachment issues in hospital and having to express with BM top ups. I am happy to say that I haven't had to express since Sunday! And she is feeding heaps better on the L side now! I'm so proud of the two of us. I haven't had to use the nipple shield since Sunday either. I've just persisted. Me-lisa - have you tried using the expressing machine to help bring your nipple out? MW told me to do that and so did Mum. It does help. Also just before the feed play with the nipple for a bit. Hope you're going well with it hun.
Runner - it was so great to meet you in hossy too! So glad you came to my room and found me! Lovely to meet Amara too!
DH went to work yesterday and I cried!! Today I also cried when he left just cos' i love having him home with us he is so helpful. He is so hands-on with Ava and such a great Daddy to her. I am so lucky he can cook us meals cos' TBH eating is the last thing on my mind lately!!! lol in between feeds and settling..... we're doing great though. She is more settled during the day and more unsettled at night but it seems to be the way with newborns and most of you are finding the same with your bubs by the sounds of it.
I'm coping pretty well with the tiredness. I didnt get much sleep in hossy either. Ava slept from 10pm til 2:30am last night! What a dream.... it was wonderful. then she was restless until 5am we'll get there... only early days yet so i'm just going with the flow... not much else i can do. Still getting used to being a milk machine, takes some getting used to!
My nipples leak so much.... does anyone else find that? I can't complain though i must have a great supply. just have to remember not to walk around the house without a bra pad on.
My lower back and tailbone is SO SORE still as Ava was posterior!! So much bruising down there from all that pushing that I did.... was about 1hr 45mins of pushing I think.... what a killer.... I found that the hardest part. My stitches are still very sore and I'm afraid to look at my Vagina after seeing it the other day in the mirror. Whoa. Never mind, I birthed my daughter so it's worth it
Hope you're all doing great - I did do personals but lost them in my other post and now I have to go.... hungry monkey calling....
Birth Story hopefully to be done tomorrow!! Cant' wait to read them all....
sydney Moose has had her baby?? yes??? Congratulations, we hope to hear all about it.
Ren - so happy breastfeeding is going well for you and Ava...that is wonderful. it was great to meet you and put a name to a face..... I can totally relate to your feelings of your hubby going back to work, mine will go back next week, and I will miss him. we had a special day today - as Logan is at school and when Amara is sleeping, we just sat there and talked.
Being from Melbourne however, it is hard NOT to feel extra sad about the raising death toll from the bushfires. My brother and sister in law is in the Kinglake area. They are Ok and so is their house, but many of their friends are missing or dead. Just horrific.
I will not end a bad note however! Amara is 1 week old tomorrow.......wow.
Ren, how do I change my ticker??? I know it is easy, but can you remind me?
Hi everyone, it has been nice having some cooler weather here in Sydney with a bit of rain. Not so good for washing but nice to be able to snuggle up with Emily and keep her warm. I know I just had a baby but this weather makes me want to bake. I think I will make some chocolate muffins tonight while DH is here and can take them out of the oven if Emily needs me. I think I am having more cravings now I am not pregnant! I want to drink coke (but trying not to have too much) and eat choc muffins.
Ren: I saw your pics. Ava is gorgeous. I can see why you are such a proud mum. I keep looking at Emily and thinking she is just perfect (even when she spits up milk on me). I am so happy to hear BF is going well. I wish it was better for me but we will get there. I have not been trying too hard to not use the shield today. It is just such a fight to get her on the breast...I can't believe how distressed she gets and how she relaxes and sucks well with the sheild. I definitely need some help but might try on my own for a little bit longer.I Might also try expressing like you suggested to get the nipple out. Any suggestions are welcome. I also have a VERY sore tailbone. Sitting down is some uncomfortable as is going from sitting to standing. It has been a week and a half and does not feel like it is getting better.
Yes...breast are VERY leaky. Emily and I were so sticky and covered in milk after one of our feeds today. They also sometimes just start leaking like someone has turned on a tap. Breast pads are a great invention. A friend told me that the washable ones are softer and better so I am going to get some tomorrow.
gypsy: Thanks for letting me know. Emily is 11 days old some hoepfully bleeding will ease up in the next few days. It does feel lighter today.
Runner: Hopefully bleeding is easing up and had no pains today. Feeling less concerned but will see GP if by next week I am still seeing red blood. Good to hear Amara is doing well. It is good to hear your brother and sister in law are ok but the fires are just awful. Both DH and I tearing up watching the news tonight. It is hard to imagine that so many could have died. If this fire was deliberately lit then that person must be carrying massive guilt. I hope the police can find them.
Ren: Gorgeous pics, glad breastfeeding is going so well .
Me-lisa: I still have quite a bit of bleeding myself the MCHN told me today to call my doc if it hadnt cleared up by week 3 and also if i developed a temp or had any large clots to go straight to the hospital.
Josephine: hope you and caleb are feeling better soon
Gypsy: Glad to know that the bottle didn't interfere at all with BF. I think i will have to try that out soon.
glad i'm not the only one with leaky boobs. We're are having attachement issues atm especially at night when he sleeps for longer because of oversupply. He doesnt need to suck just open his mouth and catch the jet so he gets a bit lazy and wont attach properly, very difficult to cope with at 3am. i'm trying to express first to stop the let down being so strong. Also having some choking, vomit, hiccup issues cause he feeds so quickly. i've been told that all this will settle down around week 4 can anyone confirm?
I'm still here!! I have been trying so hard to find the time to get online each day but every time I read through the posts and start to type, I literally have to feed again or attend to Ava. It's really hard finding the time to sit on BB nowadays and I knew that would happen anyway!
Ava is down at the moment after a nice big feed so I have some "me" time for the first time today YAY!! It's been VERY full on for us the last week..... just as I thought my BFing was going well, my nipples were just getting worse and worse and I started dreading each feed time so I started a thread in the BF section on BB 3 days ago and contacted a Lactation Consultant in my area and she saw me yesterday. She came to my house and showed me correct attachment (we've been doing it sooo wrong thanks to the MW's in hospital showing me differently!) and my nipples are on the slow road to recovery..... the pain has been a 10! Now it's about a 7 when she attaches.
Ava has still not regained enough weight to be at her birth weight and only weighs 3560g (birth weight 3660) so we are working hard to get her back to her weight and above.
I was expressing up until today to boost my milk supply as it had dropped from only feeding 4hrly and from ineffective attachment i think. Poor Ava has been so hungry and not getting quite enough
It's been a tough week but we are slowly getting there and I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel with this BF. It sure has been hard but I am so determined to get it right.
The LC (lactation consultant) rings me twice a day and is seeing me again Thurs. If i had my time over again I would have had her visit me in hospital on day 2! Rather than wait 2 weeks but never mind.... better to get help now then never. I was nearly ready to give up and go to FF three days ago but I don't want to go down that path.....I am persisting through this pain and will get there!
Ava has been very unsettled during the days and hardly sleeps so it's been really hard finding any time to do anything other than hold her, rock her, and try to put her down. It's hard and can take up to 2hrs after her feed to get her to sleep and by the time she is down she is almost ready to feed again!!
I am now going to read through the last few pages to catch up!!! Just wanted to let you all know how Ava and I are going.
Hope you're all going well and not too tired (yeah right!!) and all getting plenty of support with your newborns.
Had my first rum & coke tonight (after Ava's big feed) for the first time since May and it was soooooo yummy I figured after 9mths of not drinking and the last 3 weeks, I kinda deserved it hehe only having the one. and it was half nip!
Ren - i had a mouthful of bicardi breezer the other day and it went straight to my head! but then i went to a tupperware party on sunday and had some feta on crackers oh and it was devine to be able to eat that again!!!
Tell me more about swimming lessons, im wanting to do that with Caleb but have no real idea what happens there.
I also give Caleb nappy free time and he loves it, i get the biggest smiles from him when hes like that and im sure they get even bigger when he pees on mummy!!!!!
just went to make up a bottle for Caleb and put the bottle in a mug of boiling hot water only to knock it over and pour boiling hot water over my hand, its a little sore now but i ran it under cold water.
Have my mothers group this wednesday, a little nervous but excited at the same time!
Oh and Sonya, I would be keen in the future to get some professional photos done of Caleb so i will definately be in touch with you about that
Sonya: I've had some pro shots done by a friend who was practising...will have to post to see what you think. I love them but I am biased I guess he he!
Jo: My DD has been going to swimming since 4 months. The best thing you can do is get them used to the shower and water over their head. She has been to two different program but both involved counting before head under. You have to shop around for a program that suits you (some are song based, some are two or three in a group etc). They teach them safe entry, flotation and you simulate falls so they get used to the feeling and therefore don't panic if it happens. My only advice (here's that advice again) is that you go and watch the group you think you are going to attend because it does make a difference which instructor you get. Pick one that you think DS will get-along with as they will be handling him (eventually) to get him to 'swim' to you and run across the wobble mat etc. DD was doing the swim by 6 months (about 2 - 3 meters) but the underwater passing started first lesson. As soon as DD could walk they had her running across the wobble mat and jumping in the water!!
Good night everyone....DS is down now until 3am (hopefully) so am going to get a good sleep in as DD is up at 5am every morning!!
my little ****(hes not really i love him) still wont self settle tonight,grrrrrrrrrr!! did so durring the day but not with dh or tonight,hell im not going in the car tonight,we try wooshing his cot up n down,patting his tummy and everything the books tell u to do,,once hes asleep he not too bad...i put him straight down as soon as he yawned and he been up 90mins,yes Ren its gonna take a while but if we dont ger it right we will pay...during the day he good in car,he sleeps,sleeps in pram but not bassinette at bedtime
anyway its mummy off to help cos not working for daddy
Ren, congrats on the drink! I've been thinking about having some wine with dinner, but it gave me heartburn when I had a sip while preggo so I'm a bit scared to even try it. It used to make Ben really unsettled when I was breastfeeding him too, so that's another reason to hold off for me.
I took the boys to the community nurse and had them weighed and measured. Seems I've got a bit of an oompa lumpa on my hands! Jared is now 5.55kgs so he's put on just under 2kgs in his five weeks. He's also grown 4.5cms. I guess my milk really is doing the trick! He's been a lot more settled today and last night. I think he might have had his six week growth spurt a bit early. He's only been feeding every 3-4 hours today which is much better. Slept wonderfully last night too and Ben was only awake once for a bit of a drink which means I got some sleep - in short blocks, but still about seven hours.
Jared's having a play naked on the floor right now. He loves tummy time too, so different from Ben. His neck is unbelievably strong. Ben was the same and sitting up by himself at five months. I'm hoping Jared will be the same as he usually hates lying down at all and wants to be up and seeing what's going on. Doesn't even like his bouncer which is slightly elevated.
I braved the mall again today too. Jared slept peacefully in the Hug A Bub the entire time and Ben really behaved himself so it was pretty good. Still exhausting though, and then they didn't even have what I wanted. My best friend said I should have stood at the counter saying "Do you know what it takes for me to get out of the house with these two?" until they came up with the goods
Babies Born January 16th ~ 31st 2009
He even shares his cars with him - which is huge in Ben's world 
so very painful and didnt know until I was 9cm dilated by which time it was too late for anything even if i wanted it!!! I just feel on such a high and can't believe how much in love with our daughter we already are!! She is just perfect and we feel so so lucky to have her. Every time I look at her I just think "wow you are ours!!" 
also be great to learn off you girls as you've had bubs 1-3 weeks before me so i'll know what to expect etc!!!
he has to keep working as we have our business to run. Monday i'm probably gonna cry when he leaves for work!!! He's so great with Ava, he is just loving being her Daddy. Holds her heaps, changes her etc. its beautiful watching them together.
I figured after 9mths of not drinking and the last 3 weeks, I kinda deserved it 
but then i went to a tupperware party on sunday and had some feta on crackers oh and it was devine to be able to eat that again!!!
Bookmarks