Babies Born June 1st - 15th 2008

**MummyPig** · November 13th, 2008, 01:39 PM

Hi Leesha

Most babies do make faces as if what they're eating is the most disgusting thing in the world (it usually is!) and at first might have a bit of a tongue co-ordination problem, but if they are ready for the food they usually have a pretty good go at trying it and will readily open their mouth again for more.

If Taj is gagging on it, perhaps your suspicion is right and he isn't ready? I've read that if you push a baby into trying to take solids before they're ready, then you might end up with them refusing to take it once they are. So, I wouldn't push him and would just leave it a week and try again see how he feels about it then.

I would have thought that plain Farax made up with breast milk would be the thing he'd most likely take, especially if it's on the thinner side initially, as it would be close to what he is used to tasting. When you try him again after a break, try putting a bit on your little finger at first and letting him suck it to see if he takes it and once he gets used to the taste, try again with a soft, shallow baby spoon.

I know that you were told he'd do better in recovery if he was heavier, but remember he will be heavier than when they said that anyway from all that lovely expressed booby milk you give him!

**Mirandabelle** · November 13th, 2008, 02:53 PM

Leesha, if he's actually gagging, it may be that the food is too thick? In the beginning most babies like their food quite runny, a bit like soup and you make it thicker as the time goes on. The other thing is the cleft palate making it hard for him to swallow? I don't know a lot about it, but if this is the case maybe it would be better for Taj to wait till after surgery.

If neither of these things seem to be a cause, I would think that he's not ready for it and leave it for a week or two (depending on Taj's cues) before trying again. Good luck! Not long till his surgery now... I hope it all goes fantastically for him!

Kerry - fingers crossed someone buys or rents your house soon! It's amazing how quick they change isn't it? Perhaps if you swaddle Freyja just till she drifts off then unwrap her you won't have to go rescue her as often, and unwrapping her will let her find her fingers to self soothe (if she does that) It was really hot last night, and Zeke slept really well, even though he got out of his swaddle, so I will unwrap him once he's asleep again tonight, and see if he can self soothe with his hands... maybe I will get more sleep!

That's really rude of people to smoke around Freyja... my dad goes outside, even when he is in his own house where he smokes indoors. Fortunately all my friends are great about this, they will smoke well away from Zeke and wash their hands after too - without me ever asking them!

Oh and the best way to handle unwanted advice is to smile sweetly and go "I'll keep that in mind" then forget it entirely!

Anyway, DP starts early again tomorrow so I gotta do dinner ASAP.

**MummyPig** · November 14th, 2008, 06:56 PM

Good point on the cleft Miranda - I'd never even considered that, but it must make it difficult for Taj to eat, poor thing

Freyja hasn't been getting swaddled for ages. She was a sleeping sack (grobag), but it's been too warm the past couple of nights for her to use it. Wednesday night she was nappy only with no covers and her window open, last night I closed her window and gave her only a light sheet to cover her. I have bought a couple of light summer swaddling sheets, so will give that a go tomorrow.

Last night was the worst ever. She woke at 11.30 for food, but only just went down again at 1.30. She wasn't unsettled, just kept turning on her tummy and then I had to sit with her for an hour and let her hold my hand until she drifted off. The storm hit us at 12.30 and I wonder if that maybe disturbed her a little. There was another at the back of 3, which is when she woke for her next feed and it took me over half an hour to settle her again, when normally she goes down within minutes.

I didn't even manage to get my family to wash their hands before holding her, they would have taken it totally the wrong way I suspect. I just don't think they realise how dangerous it is.

**leesha** · November 14th, 2008, 08:14 PM

Thanks for the advice girls!!!

Taj doesn't have a cleft palate only a cleft lip so that isn't the problem thank goodness!!

Think he is just not ready for solids even tho he watches soooooo intently when we eat and has his hands or anything in his hands in his mouth!!
I will try him again one day next week! His surgery is in 4 weeks so maybe will even wait until that is out of the way and start then...(he will be 6 months old then)

I'm not really worried about it but I was curious to see if they all start off reacting that way or if he is just not ready!!!
xoxoxoxo

**Mirandabelle** · November 14th, 2008, 09:07 PM

Leesha, does a cleft lip mean that it will be easier for the surgeons to fix and for Taj's recovery than if he had a cleft palate? Zeke never gagged when he ate, just that he spat a lot out at first. He still makes a bit of a mess even now!

Kerry, Zeke was pretty good about the storm, although he woke when it started up initially and was in bed with me after that, so I think that helped. The reason I suggested swaddling her is because Zeke can't roll when he's swaddled (yet!) so it may help Freyja stay put while she drifts off. The wind and storm may have upset her too, Zeke is usually more restless when it's windy, the wind whistles really loudly down the side of the house past our bedroom window, and it upsets him (and me!)

Hopefully she'll let you have a bit more sleep tonight, Zeke has just gone down. I gave him a top-up bottle when the storm disturbed him instead of waiting for his usual feed, and really encouraged him to drink a lot last night and he did 6 hours, which was absolute bliss! I'm going to try it again tonight and see if I get the same result. It's easier for him to drink more from the bottle b/c it flows more quickly than when he BFs, which meant he barely had to wake up at all!

Got a baby shower for my sort-of neice tomorrow, yay! The only shower I've been to before is mine, so I'm excited to see how this will turn out. Oh, and she's sort of my neice b/c she is DP's stepsister's baby... confusing!

**leesha** · November 15th, 2008, 05:46 PM

Ohh yes....a cleft lip is alot easier to fix than a cleft palate and less painfull!!!
The poor bubs with cleft palates have numerous surgeries and they don't always work...
The lip repair surgery is still painful(obviously) but nothing like having the roof of your mouth pulled together!! We were blessed as we were told that his palate will be involved but at birth it was all intact!!!
This is because they can only see the cleft lip at ultrasound and not in the mouth so they just prepare you for the worst I guess!!!
It's only a 2 hour operation and an overnight stay in hospital for us so it's not too bad!!
I have been up at the Royal Childrens Hospital every friday for the past 2 months and there is soo much to be thankful for after seeing what I have seen up there!!! But at the same time they are all in the best place for the best possible care!!!!
Anyhoo enough of my ranting and off to have dinner...I will try Taj again tomorrow on some farax and make it more liquidy and see how we go!!!!!

**Mirandabelle** · November 15th, 2008, 07:04 PM

Good luck with the Farex Leesha, I hope Taj likes it a bit better this time around, and remember not to stress if he doesn't, every baby develops at a different rate!

That's fantastic news on the lip too, it must have been a weight off your mind when he was born. Of course it is still surgery, so I will be keeping my fingers tightly crossed for him.

The Childrens' Hossy is great, we are going to the one in Melb for Zeke's heard surgery, and I'm really relieved to be in such good hands.

Anyway, I had a big day and I'm pooped!

**amyhunz** · November 19th, 2008, 03:21 PM

Hi all,

Wondering if I could join your group? My bub was born June 4 - Grace Amy. She is such a joy to my HB and I.

I'd love to compare notes, ask questions, have a whinge etc!

**Mirandabelle** · November 19th, 2008, 05:40 PM

Welcome Amyhunz! Always great to 'see' a new face in here. I'm Miranda, SAHM to my baby boy, Zeke who was born on June 3rd. He is the absolute light of my life when he's not having a tantrum LOL!

Look forward to getting to know you a bit better!

**MummyPig** · November 19th, 2008, 05:41 PM

Hi Amyhunz!!

Of course you can join the group. Leesha and I only joined recently too, so I'm sure that the others won't mind another new mum. The more the merrier after all!

Grace Amy is such a lovely name. Is she your first baby? Freyja is mine and we're finding this whole parenthood lark to be fairly complicated, but a whole lot of fun and possibly the most satisfying and worthwhile thing we've ever done.

Having said that, I have another cold, my bb milk is drying up again (2nd time in 6 weeks), my baby is catching it and is not a happy bunny. My DH has just taken her for a ride in the car so I don't have to listen to her screaming in my ear for a little while.

Well, I guess that's my whinge over for today!

**amyhunz** · November 19th, 2008, 05:52 PM

Thanks for the warm welcome...

My LO is doing really well...apart from the odd upset day she's a pretty happy bub. She's my first baby. I had her in Sutherland Hospital in Sydney. At the time we were living in a remote farming community in NW NSW, so I had to travel to a major centre to have her. Anyway, we've recently re-located to a town near Bathurst. My husband is a Paramedic so we're moving around with his work. I grew up in Southern Sydney and my folks are still there so we visit as often as we can (first Grandchild on my side!!)

Has anyone started solids as yet? To be honest, I'm lazy and can't be bothered with it all. Having said that, a few weeks ago she was waking every 40mins up to her dreamfeed so I was tempted to try and see if it made a difference. That same week she was taking from both breasts and 200mls of EBM for her 6.30pm feed!!

Anyway, interested to know if anyone has started yet and if you have just introduced rice cereal at this stage...

**leesha** · November 19th, 2008, 07:25 PM

Welcome amyhunz!!!

Have tried farax and ebm made really runny and pumpkin but my DS is just not really interested.. I will leave it for a few more weeks and try again!
He seems to be happy with booby milk for now!!! They don't necessarily need solids just yet so don't worry about it!!

**MummyPig** · November 20th, 2008, 10:04 AM

Hi again Amyhunz

Leesha is right - they don't really need solids until after 6 months, which is roughly the point at which they need the extra nutrients, though they still get most of this from milk until they are 12 months old. You should fill them up on milk before giving them their solids to make sure that they are still getting enough.

Having said that, some babies are desperate to try food earlier than this and if you miss the signs you may (it's just a may remember) have trouble getting them to take solids later on. Some babies, not all, but some who are weaned later than 6 months may have problems coping with the change apparently.

Freyja was obsessed with our food from the point when she was able to start following things with her eyes, about 3 months of age. She would watch our food & drinks, avidly watch us eat and grin when she caught our eye, she would chew her hands at the same time and when she hit 4 1/2 months, started to try to grab our food off plates or out of our hands if she was close enough!

We decided then it was time to try her with some solids. She would open her mouth and take them straight away, but it took several days of her to get the hang of what she was supposed to do with her little tongue! Now she absolutely loves solids and is usually going 'ah, ah, ah' mouth open and trying to grab the bowl as we're taking too long to reload her spoon.

She would eat the equivalent of a jar of baby food, 3 times a day if we let her and I have done that on a couple of days to see how much she would eat (I wasn't sure how much to give her at the time and I was still building my milk up after a cold). Now she normally has the equivalent of a jar a day, half of a fruit one for brekkie (when she's had her mid-morning nap and second bb feed) and half of a veggie one for dinner (after her second last bb feed of the day, before the much needed bath!!).

Right now I have another cold and my milk is reducing again, so Freyja is having to do without solids until it's gone to make sure I don't lose it completely. She is doing fine without it, but I cannot go to Gloria Jeans for a nudie freezie without having to allow her to suck through the straw or eat some off a spoon - she screams and tries to grab it if I don't!

Like Leesha said, they don't need solids yet, but if you try it be prepared to wait a couple of weeks and try again if Grace Amy doesn't seem to like it. She's almost 6 months now, so there is no harm in giving it a go if you think she is ready or will enjoy it.

Oh, as for the baby rice, Freyja got really constipated when I was giving her Farax with her fruit in the morning. She didn't poo often on just the bb milk (maybe once every 4-5 days), but with solids she was pooing every 2nd day until the rice kicked in and we went almost a week, with her having tummy pains every evening. I asked on here and Miranda suggested I cut out the rice and then give her a tummy massage in the evenings and it worked a charm.

That's one of the many good things about here - someone is almost guaranteed to have already been in the same situation as you!

Ah.... yet another massive post from me. Easy to tell when the baby is asleep, huh?

**skye+cammi** · November 20th, 2008, 10:54 AM

hi everyone,
ive been really sleack on posting ive been reading everyones just havent had the time to post..
glad to hear everyone is going good..

cammi is teething at the moment she has been a handfull lately,i have so much housework to do!!

its good to have a few cooler days as cammi hates the heat she wont sleep of a day if its to hot..
not long till taj's surgery goodluck with everthing..
welcome amyhunz the more the merrier....
well cammi just woke up so i better go will post more later..

**Mirandabelle** · November 20th, 2008, 12:28 PM

I started solids for Zeke at just over 4 months... he was desperate to eat, he actually took my toast and licked the vegemite off it when I had a lapse in concentration and didn't realise what he was doing!

For those bubbas who haven't done well on Farax, I've found the Heinz organic rice cereal is a smoother, creamier texture, tastes better and doesn't seem to cause any constipation issues for Zeke.

Skye - are there any teeth yet? I thought I saw a bit of white on Zeke's gum yesterday, but it was just a little puke :P I didn't get teeth till about 8mos, so I'm not really expecting any teeth here soon.

Kerry - if you're concerned about your supply dropping, try pumping in between feeds and taking fenugreek supplements, as well as guzzling water! I hit the fenugreek and water everytime AF is back for a visit, and it helps stop the dip in my supply I get around then.

I don't bother pumping though, b/c Zeke will not take EBM, or rice with EBM added, so I have to throw out whatever I pump, and that makes me sad!

Anyway, he's rolling around on the mat w/out a nappy atm, so I'd better go make sure he doesn't make a mess!

We're trying to build Zeke's weight up for when he has surgery, so he gets his rice mixed with formula for the extra calories, and now he has an absolutely huge dinner. He was havign breakfast too, but has been less interested in that lately. He'll have about 2tbs of cereal with formula and 2tbs of veggies, or 4 of fruit mixed in as well... the fruit doesn't seem to fill him up as much.

Amyhunz, it's all about listening to Grace's cues, she may be interested now, but if not, I wouldn't stress. The extra feeding sounds like she's ready though.

**amyhunz** · November 20th, 2008, 12:42 PM

Hi all,

Thanks for the advice. As long as her sleeping continues to go well, I'll hold off until she's 6 months or so. It's interesting the pressure you get from some people about starting early. One forum I was on, they told me if I didn't start her at 4 months, she would develop allergies and refusal and all sorts of other problems. I really don't appreciate when people scare you like that. It's hard enough being a first time mum! As you say, all bubs are different and it's about reading them. I firmly believe that goes for all areas - eating, sleeping, etc Anyway, enough from me! Thanks again girls.

Another question - any tips for successfully weaning the wrap??

**skye+cammi** · November 20th, 2008, 02:56 PM

i started cammi on solids at 31/2 months for a week only a couple of days as she seemed interested than we stopped till she was 4 months some days she loves it and eats alot and other days she isnt interested i just go with what she wants..she loves the baby rice with spinich,apple,brocolli and peas it taste horrible but she loved it.....

miranda-no teeth yet but has the rosy cheeks and she has a rash on her chin from dribbling so much it i put lansinoh on it and its going away...what is zeke having surgery on??

amyhunz-some people tell you the most stupidest things and as a first time mum it does scare you at first......i dont have the wrap problem i wish i did as i co-sleep an she refuses to sleep by herself...lol

**leesha** · November 20th, 2008, 03:28 PM

I have been researching hard about the whole wrapping debate and as far as I'm concerned I will know when he is ready to not be wrapped..
Atm he goes to sleep because he is wrapped and if that works then i am sticking with it!!
I have tried unsuccessfully during the day to put him down unwrapped but his hands are too busy and he wakes himself up!!
I have had lots of different opinions and babies range from weeks to 15months old that are still being wrapped so just do what ever works for you and maybe try what I did and experiment during the day when you have more time (and patience)!!