Babies Born January 1st ~15th 2009

Hi girls..Happy Australia Day!!

Breast Pump-I have the electric Nuk Breast Pump and if anyone wants it they are welcome to it..

Jo-Ryley is well thank you for asking..Your very lucky to have such a good baby. Go Ruby :D

Marshymallow-Welcome and congrats..Good to see you here..I lost a lot of blood also and have 2 bags of blood going back in me. :lol: But glad your both here and safe..

Puppies-hope the JD chiropractor appointment will go well for you..

Steph-:hug: poor you and Larissa..

Tashie-welcome and glad you found us..

Hello Deb, Kim, LMS, Salsa, Paula and to everyone else I missed..

AFM-Ryley and I are well. Was feeding him the other night and I saw something floating and realise it was a white tail spider :o So I jumped up and flicked it away..Dad found it the next morning and its now gone to spider heaven :lol: Have to go see the MCHN tomorrow and going to give my Jazsling a go..Did today and Ryley fell asleep in it..Can't believe he be 3 weeks tomorrow it sure does fly. Lol.

Well hope you all are well.
Kirsten

Hey girls

How are u all going? I've been good, was expressing feeds for Harley but I've gotten bored with it and ended up getting the NUK electric pump but just didn't seem to do as good a job as the hand held one...So have put him back on the breast using nipple shields. He seems to be feeding well at the moment...and if he doesn't seem to be getting much, I can always get that fenugreek stuff to help my supply. I'm glad i've persisted with bf, at least for now things are good.

He is putting on weight nicely and most the time is a pretty content little boy. A couple of nights ago, we had a bad night where he wouldn't settle, was constantly on the breast and seemed to have wind which we tried getting up, took him awhile to finally bring it up but then still didn't seem to settle. I realised that earlier in the day I had been to the coffee club and my aunty had got me a cappuccino and I had a iced coffee, thinking it wouldn't hurt to much. But I think he had a bit of a caffeine overload...so now just not having any, don't want another night like it!
I do have questions for bf mothers, is there anything I should avoid to eat, I know foods that make us windy will make bubs windy... but anything else...I know not to feed him if i'm going to drink, thats when I express...
Just a big learning thing as last time I never breast fed.

Rob is back at work tomorrow, so big step for me being on my own with 2 kids! Hopefully I will be fine. I have many ppl to talk to on the phone if needed and if my neighbour is home she is there for some company.

Well Harley is waking up so better go feed him! Will be back later hopefully for personals but big hellos to u all and hope u are all well and same with ur beautiful bubs!

Take care
Deb :)

Hi Ladies,

Sorry I've been MIA the last few days, just so busy with bubs (i'm sure you all understand ;))

Nothing exciting going on here, just enjoying my little boy. Have been taking him for walks in the pram and it is so nice for both of us. I get the much needed exercise and he sleeps so peacefully. 3 weeks tomorrow - it's going way too fast! He is such a good bub. Feeding really well (every 2-3 hours) and sleeping between feeds at night. Can't ask for more than that! Would love to have a full nights sleep though - I can hardly remember what that was like????

I hope everyone is going really well and your bubs are bringing you as much joy as Harrison is bringing me!

Will try and get on tomorrow and catch up on personals. Take care xo

Well today I am on my own with JD. DH went to work today. I did the late shift last night but was great because the evening feeds have been his hissy fits and last night he settled nicely and slept through from his 8.30 feed all the way through to 1.30am and although he was a little unsettled I managed to get him back down within an hour. So he was back asleep again by 2.30am. Then he woke at about 5am to which saw he just curled out of his wrap and sheet so I wrapped him back up and went to get his bottle ready. By the time I came back he was out to the world. So I left him and slept on the couch thinking he for sure would be awake within minutes. But he stayed asleep till 7am this morning. Thing is I give him his 100ml bottle either breast milk or formula and he seems to settle for about 10 -15 minutes and then wakes wanting more milk so then I either give him the breast for a while or a bottle.
Is this common, are the breaks between feds good? I don't have a clue if I am getting good sleeps out of him as I have no one else to compare with.
I hope I have got him down now for a few hours but he is fidgety so not that confident, but if he stays down I am dancing a jig as he settles best for his dad rather than me and that has beaten my confidence down a bit.

Its been so hot here that we bought JD a portable air conditioner cause his room was way to hot to sleep in. Now it looks like VIC is getting the heat wave this week. So hang in there girls. I know what its like. Grab some dvd's and be prepared to not see the light of day for the rest of the week if you have air con at home which I hope you do.

Hi everyone

Hope you and your gorgeous bubs are doing wonderfully. Its gotten very quiet in here..understandably!

Jo

Hey girls

Well my aunty has lent me a medela swing pump! It belongs to her daughter in law and she is very happy for me to use it for as long as I want! I used it earlier and it worked really well although my supply seems low again, I only got out 80mls from both sides, it prob was only an hour and a half after Harley had a feed, and I have been drinking plenty of water. So might have to get the fenugreek. Would love to keep up the bf!
Harley was 3.6kg yesterday and the midwifes are very happy with him. I was discharged from the program I was on and now will have visits from or to the Child health nurse for all checkups etc. So happy about that!

I've noticed that while bf or expressing, I get like a period pain, its not the after birth pains cos they have been gone a good week and a bit, but is this pain just normal while still bleeding? I know my flow is stronger while expressing or bf. Just hope its nothing to bad, if it gets worse I'll see my doctor.

Hope u girls in Vic are coping with the heat, its not nice at all! Its been a nice day here in Brissy!

Well Harley is starting to stir so better go get him a feed. Think he has had a growth spurt today cos he was feeding off and on all morning until he finally went to sleep until now!

Take care girls and hope u are all well and enjoying ur beautiful bubbas!!
Deb :)

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I've noticed that while bf or expressing, I get like a period pain, its not the after birth pains cos they have been gone a good week and a bit, but is this pain just normal while still bleeding?

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Don't know if it's normal, but I am having the same pain and was wondering about it too. I haven't been on for ages and you girls have been busy since I last caught up so I won't be doing personals sorry. My daughter has turned into the opposite of when she was a newborn. She now likes to be swaddled, is not doing well on the boobs and is awake during the day instead of the night. For some reason she is not getting enough milk out of my breasts so I have started expressing for her. Anyway she's awake AGAIN so must go.

Hope you and your bub's are all okay.

All good here. Zachery was also weighed yesterday and like Harley...is now 3.6kg as well! He is still a good sleeper....loves his booby (EBM) milk, he has 2-3 bottles a day of 100ml...and the rest is formula. I have to say this heat isnt making him a happy camper....was so unsettled before i bathed him and then he was my usual blissed our lil tike :)

Deb when im expressing i get pains too...i think the uterus is still contracting a bit. I find also when im expressing one side..the other bb starts to get a shooting pain!

I can get around 100 mls each expression and i do it so over the place....maybe once every 5-6 hours....or when i get around to it..LOL

Hi girls - just popping in briefly too I'm afraid - sorry it's been a while. So hot here - poor little miss is just in her nappy and has been on the breast a lot of today. We've stayed in just to keep cool. She is doing well overall - has put on 600gms just in the past 2 weeks and grown 3.5 cms. Must be doing something right with bfing (I tell you, if you knew me when I was having trouble bfing my son, you would understand the irony now - lol!).

I also now get the pains (both tummy and bb) while bfing even tho they had stopped for a while.

big hugs to you all - lots of cuddles to your babies.

Hi yummy mummies,
I have had a tough couple of days with depression and anxiety. I have a mental health nurse coming to visit on Monday morning. I have been getting anxious about each fed time cause then I know comes the possibility of screaming and crying due to wind, settling and generally I just freak out when he really gets going. So much so that even when I finally get him settled and asleep I have been pacing the house anxiously waiting for the next feed. Its been really debilitating. I had a chat with my mum a week ago and that I really need her. things have been hard between us for a few years now but enough is enough. So she spent yesterday with me and I broke down into tears as I bought a sling thing for me to wear with JD and when I got home DH almost had him asleep so I thought it would be a excellent time to try him in it. But it scared him so much he started screaming and I just panicked and began feeling really devistated in myself for being so stupid and upsetting him like that. It didn't take long to settle him down again, but I spent the afternoon on the floor crying my eyes out for being such a crap mother.
Anyway, eventually I snapped out of it and I realised that I am just scared of hurting him, or breaking him or stuffing him up in some way. I have always been pretty clumsy and hopeless with important things and I guess I am just terrified that I will break him in some way and that breaks my heart. I have almost no confidence. But last night I got so ****ty at myself for being such a sook and I kept saying that he is only a baby, how can I be so scared of a baby? I have broken in young horses and even a brought up and trained a young colt of course I can handle one little baby! I am still trying to keep myself strong and determined to not be so scared and anxious but i can still feel it inside of me but hopefully each day that I get by and not HURT him the more confident I will get. Last night while DH was at sport I even made a bath and jumped in it with JD and he loved it! It was the skin to skin that I think we both really needed and I am going to try and do it again this week.

Oh man this mother thing is so hard, but like anything new like starting a new job there is a time of transition before you start to feel like you know what your doing. I have never been good at that part and always want to on top of things and confident right from the beginning, but I have always lived in a fantasy world in my head and this has certainly brought me crashing back down to earth! I just pray that I stay strong and each day just gets better and better for me.

As for BF, it seems I am loosing my supply probably because I am feeding him formula as well. He seems to like the formula better. Certainly keeps him happier for longer. I love BF, I don't have any problems doing it but bottles are easier so I just express once in the morning and once in the evening and thats about all I get out of my BB now. But I am not worried as long as JD is happy then so am I.

Have a good day everyone.

Amanda huge hugs hunny. Having a baby for the first time is damn hard. Its scary and exciting at the same time. For me, i have PND, i feel your pain and your worries. Im glad you have some help coming your way on Monday, thats excellent your reaching out. If you ever need to talk PANDA are great, or Beyond Blue as well.

It seems alot of babies settle better on formula. I know Zach does, simply because it fills him up more and i can get a good 3-5 hours between feeds.

Anyone want a baby? I have one on offer! :lol: JK!

Amanda I totally feel you, I have an oversupply as well as too strong of letdown and a foremilk/ hindmilk imbalance. As a result I get a baby who screams at the breast, chokes while he feeds, screams if he is not on the breast because of his tummy pain and wants to feed every 30 mins to an hour and usually mostly at night when I want to sleep. I gave him a bottle of formula just before bed and got 3 hours out of him! I am trying to reduce this supply of mine but don't have the sanity left to wait for it to work. I hope the nurse works well with you to find some coping stratagies, it is really hard being a mum and I don't think it gets easier with each one so far. You sound like you are doing a great job so far, and don't give up on the sling just yet, maybe try it in a few weeks and see how you go then.

Kim, is your PND ongoing or did it start up again? I have moments of it coming and going, usually with situations that make me anxious like going somewhere or trying to organise dinner, feeding Xavier etc. Is your DH back at work now? 3.6kg! They grow up so quickly don't they?

Ack!!!! So much for personals, I have a toddler trying to torment a baby and bash my keyboard while I am shouting time out at him :lol:

Xavier got weighed yesterday and has gained 500gms making him 4.3kgs now, time to pack away the 0000's now :( So yeah, worked out I have oversupply, signed up to ABA and ordered the booklet Too Much, hopefully I get some good tips out of it, atm just feeding on the one side for 5 hours or so letting the other get engorged so it sends the signal to the brain to slow production, then I swap sides. I am just at high risk of blocked ducts and mastitis from doing it :s.

Hugs to everyone else, hope everyone is settling in well. BBL to re-attempt personals.

We're going away for the weekend! I haven't got to see any of Australia yet so its fantastic! We leave tomorrow morning and come back on sunday, just going to Canberra but staying in a lovely hotel with a swimming pool. Do you know if theres any reason Larissa wouldn't be allowed in a pool? Or where we could get something for her to wear in it? She's been pretty good, we had one full nights sleep but last night she was up 3 times. Pretty irregular sleep patterns still. We bought her a wipedown mat so she can have some naked time after getting out of the bath or shower and she poos on it every single time!

I was wondering about foods that you shouldnt eat while bfing too? Some days she seems to have awful wind and some days she has none so is there anything we can do to stop that?

Amanda - you shouldn't let yourself get so worked up. I'm sure you're a fantastic mum, I'm sure that JD can sense your lack of confidence and maybe thats why he seems to be a handful for you at times.

LMS - How did you work out that you had an oversupply of milk? Did you just work it out yourself or did a midwife tell you?

Amanda sorry you are having a rough time of it. It sure takes time getting used to the demands of motherhood. Be kind to yourself.

Kim sorry you have PND again.

Brunette thats great you can get away! We have started doing no nappy and tummy time as well. Ruby enjoys and poos and wees every time nappy is off lol! Ive never put bubs in a pool before 4-5 months...more because of the chlorine issue, so I guess it depends on that. As for food affecting bubs, I think its a trial and error thing. I know chocolate is never good for me..damn! Cabbage is a windy one too.

Sarah certainly sounds tough for you right now. Hope offering the one breast does help to slow down production, it must be frustrating for little Xavier as well.

PLC thats so great! You are doing a wonderful job. You must feel on top of the world after having probs with feeding your son..wtg!

Weve been plodding along nicely here. I feel a tad guilty as Ruby is such a calm easy baby and seems to be putting on weight nicely without any drama. Darren goes back to work on Monday, same day as the kids for school so will be very strange just with me and the little two kids, im nervous but looking forward to it at the same time. Ive just converted the study into a playroom as Sammys room is upstairs with us and I have no room for toys for Ruby! Sammy is excited about it! Anyway have to finish school supply shopping for Jess today and do a grocery shop, its getting low!

Jo

Great question re the pool Brunette! I am curious of the answer too although I still have bleeding so I can't go in yet :( I worked out the oversupply myself, I did a process of elimination using infants friend and gaviscon to rule out reflux and colic, middy suggested lactose intolerance to which I looked at on the ABA site and it said that overload/ foremilk/hindmilk imbalace mimicked intolerance. I expressed some BM last night and got 150mls of just foremilk in 5 minutes and still had more foremilk coming out. Not to mention letdown feels like nails are being stabbed into my nipples :lol: I feel better knowing and at least I have too much and not enough so I should be thankfull really. As for wind, Infants Friend works well to get wind out but I don't know about food you eat causing it, I can't eliminate food I eat, I am too selfish for that :lol:

I am starting to feel a bit better. Am quiet annoyed at myself actually for being such a sook and mental case. When does the settling part get easier thats that part that gets me all churned up. I know its only been 3 weeks. I am too impatient and want to be good at things straight away. So I am my own worst enemy most of the time.

Has anyone been given the mini pill as contraception yet? My GP gave me a script for a mini pill called Microlut. Has anyone taken that and how did they go with it. When should you start taking the pill and how soon will it be effective? And are Mini pills really that effective?

I really want to be able to DTD with DH and not feel scared that I may fall pregnant again as that has happened to so many people before. I just wouldn't cope if that happened to me right now. We have DTD twice since JD's birth and attempted a 3rd time the other night but I have been having a stinging sensation when I pee for about a week now that I need to see the GP about and anyway it hurt too much so we stopped. I think it was because we used a condom before and they really irritate me in there. So the pill is something I need to get right.

Anyway would love to know your thoughts. Just another thing for me to worry about!

Amanda when you mean settling..do you mean after JD is fed and back to sleeping or? For us, Ruby will wake feed either fall straight asleep or need a bottom change where other breast is offered. In between these times are wakeful times where she is wanting to look around and watch intently. She is happy during these times and not unsettled at all. Im guessing poor little JD is feeling unsettled after his feeds and is not bringing up wind to be able to be calm is that right?

I was on microlut when breastfeeding Jess and fell pregnant with Emmy, so although its very very rare it can happen. Im not going on the pill at all, Darren is booking in to have a vasectomy again.

We dtd for the first time yesterday and it was a bit ouchy as well. It takes time to heal i guess, even not delivering vaginally. Id say maybe have an irritation/infection with the burning feeling you poor chookie. I had that for a couple of days but it cleared up on its own which im thankful for.

Dont be hard on yourself..im sure we all have sooky days..whilst we have superhuman powers being woman and making milk lol, we are human and its normal to feel emotional and overwhelmed..its a huge adjustment.

Jo

Soooooooooo HOT!!! I am hating this weather!

We have a two storey house and whilst down stairs stays pretty cool (at least livable) upstairs is like an oven. Our bedroom and Harrisons bedroom are upstairs - thankfully we have a small air con in our bedroom. I went into Harrisons room at about 5pm last night and checked the temp on his monitor - It was 48 degrees!!!! Needless to say he hasn't been sleeping in there.

I hope all the other SA & VIC ladies are coping with this ridiculous heat!

Amanda - :hug: hope you are feeling better. I don't think you can take the pill when you are breastfeeding? I would check with your GP.

Sarah - sounds like you are having a tough time. I'm sure things will get easier. I can't imagine what it must be like having to look after a newborn when you have other kiddies around!

Jo - I feel so lucky that Harrison has been such a good bub. I'm pleased things are going so well for you and Ruby also.

Steph - I hope you have a great time away! Just be careful with the pool thing - my doc told me you shouldn't swim for the first 6 weeks after birth. Maybe you should check with your GP first?

Seena - I'm pretty sure those pains are just your body contracting back. Sounds like we have all been having the same pains (me included)!

Kim, Paula, Deb - sounds like things are going along nicely for you all. Keep up the good work ladies.

Big hello to everyone else! Better go feed my gorgeous boy :D