Babies Born June 1st - 15th 2008

Yeah, every baby is different and every day with them is different! Today Freyja napped properly (because mummy got it all right for a change) and so only had 2 meals as she wasn't awake long enough to fit the middle one in. Brekkie was at 12.15 and supper at 8.15.

She has bb when waking then again before her morning nap and again before brekkie. Then bb when she wakes if hungry, before her next nap, then if she's hungry when wakes, then before her next nap, then again when wakes and again before supper and maybe more if she wants it before bed. Only a couple of these times she has a full bb feed, the rest she tops up. Plus there's the night time one or occasionally 2.

I've no idea how many tbsp in a jar - not even seen a tbsp since cooking classes at school, despite having tried to buy one so I can get measures right when baking!

Freyja has either 2 cubes or half a jar of food (fruit for brekkie and veggies or whatever at other meals), mixed with 4 tsps on Farex made up with water. She has bb first. At the moment the only Farex we have is one with pear and banana or something, so for supper she had that mixed with sweet potato - nice... :sick: Clearly not fussy about mixing veggies with cereals!

Hope Zeke liked the food you made. What did you try and did you just make your own or follow a baby recipe?

Hope the tooth calms down before you try to sleep or you'll be needing to steal Zeke's bonjela!

Hooray for proper naps! Zeke has a big nap in the afternoon, anywhere between 12pm and 2pm for about 2 hours, and 2 or 3 30-45min powernaps the rest of the day. I tend to lay down with him and have a snooze during the long nap if I can too!

We don't 100% have a feeding schedule here, Zeke asks for it when he's hungry, but I usually feed every 3 hours during the day and twice (about 4 hourly) overnight, with basically a non-stop nursing session from about 9pm-10pm before bed.

Zeke has the pear/banana stuff too... he loathes it plain! It doesn't taste that bad with sweet potato - I tried to see why Zeke didn't like it... couldn't tell the difference!

We've got some Heinz Organic plain rice cereal too, but I'm trying to finish the Farex before I open a new pack. I'm also going to whiz up some rolled oats in a blender, cook it and see if he likes that more than the rice... I imagine it would taste better!

I just cooked and pureed veggies that Zeke likes, this time it was sweet potato and broccoli. When the cubes are properly frozen, I'll do carrot and zuchinni. I only have one ice cube tray right now, I can't find the others!

He gobbled it up and asked for more he was pretty hungry obviously, but he didn't have much breakfast, DP bought the wrong food Apple Custard instead of plain apple and he didn't like it much!

I'm also going to make him apple, pear & mango puree, but I'm waiting on the pears and mango to ripen a bit more first - baby food is so easy to make! I'm getting addicted already and it's only my first go!

I'm still buying some though, I doubt my blender could make spinach & pea (his absolute favourite) smooth enough for him... it would just get all stringy. It's also easier to buy a tiny jar of it first off in case he is allergic or doesn't like it. But I spent $9 on fruit & veg for him, and I think I will have an easy 2 weeks of food, compared to about $21 of jar food for the same length of time! (1 jar per day for 14 days at about $1.50 per jar)

It feels slightly better right now - I've gone through half a tube of Bonjela already - it doesn't do much for me though. I've been taking Panadol, but even though my GP said codiene is ok while nursing, I'm not willing to take it. DP has an allergy to codiene which in high enough doses could kill him, so until I'm either no longer nursing Zeke or we know 100% he's not allergic, I won't take it.

Anyway, I have a meeting to get to early tomorrow morning, and mum's asked me to go pick her up... it's 20 minutes PAST where I have to go to get to the meeting in the first place... so I have to leave the house about when Zeke would normally be waking... urg! I think it's time I got some sleep!

BTW - I just saw your signature - Frejya is beautiful!

Does Zeke have decent naps every day? I've been useless with Freyja because of the whole moving to here thing and she's had no routine whatsoever since August. Means I've not been very good at putting her down for naps as we've always been out and about, so she gets overtired and is a nightmare. Now I'm having to get to know her all over again because she's changed so much! :o

Right now she's refusing to nap. I must have missed her sleepy cues (again! :doh:) because I put her down at 10.15 using the same routine as yesterday (bb, close curtains, sleeping bag, dummy, book, cuddle, in cot, music, leave room) and she's pretty much been awake since. She's been a little unsettled, but not too much. First she rubbed her eyes when I checked her, so I resettled her. Then I next went through she was babbling to herself and got all excited and grinning when she saw me, so we did our waking up routine (out of sleeping bag, have a hug, open the curtains, change nappy and play). Within 10 mins she was fussing, so I went through whole routine again and back in cot.... now it's coming up to 12 (when she would have been thinking about waking up!) and I'm still resettling her every couple of minutes. :wall:

Typical woman - doesn't know what she wants! :rolleyes:

What do you do when Zeke gets overtired because you've missed his sleepy cues? I'm about to resort to a walk into town in the rain in desperation.

Yeah, no feeding schedule with us either - she eats when she seems hungry basically, but I always try to give her bb before and after a sleep.

Freyja never tried the plain stuff. I thought that I could give her just the pear & banana for brekkie, but she didn't seem keen the first day so it always gets a few tsps or a cube of fruit mixed in for good measure. We might give the Organic rice a go - must be nicer than the Farex surely?! Not so sure the rolled oats would be though - really not a fan of porridge despite being Scottish! :sick:

It sounds like you're turning into quite the little baby chef! Annabel Karmel better watch out :D Actually, that's a plan - you should check out the Annabel Karmel website (just Google her) as there's lots of recipes there. I won't link you as it also sells her cooking books and I've already received one warning for linking to an Amber necklace site (oops...).

Unfortunately, my blender is sitting in a container at Melbourne docks right now otherwise I would give it a go myself. Oh, Coles has the normal Heinz stuff in cans for $1.05. Doens't seem to have anything added other than water, so I bought a few of those to try.

I don't blame you for not taking Codeine. I was told in the UK that you shouldn't take it because it can pass to the baby in b/m so I've avoided it completely. Even though Nurofen Plus is the only thing to work when I have really bad headaches or period pains (they lied when they said that wouldn't happen whilst b/f!!!) :grr:

Are you back at work then that you have a meeting to go to? How do you feel about leaving Zeke with family/childcare? I'm officially on maternity leave until March, although it's unpaid from December. In the UK we have statutory maternity leave of up to a year, 9 months paid, and I went on leave when I was 7 months pregnant because my job was so stressful. It's great - especially seeing as I live in another country now and am obviously not going back to work!

Thank you for the Freyja compliment. I think she is beautiful to, but then I'm biased :) Zeke looks like a cutie in the pic you have, but I'm guessing he was quite young then?

Zeke is so-so on naptime right now, even when he gives very clear cues that he's ready, like Freyja he mucks around and won't go down. Then when he gets overtired he screams. The only thing that works is distracting him by taking him for a walk then offering bb again till he's ready to sleep. Mostly he has 1 short nap in the morning, and one longish nap (about 2 hours) and another 2 short naps in the evening.

I would think that if she's lying quietly but not sleeping she'd be okay to stay there, she may drift off on her own anyway... maybe if you just check on her from the door w/out her seeing you. When I know Zeke needs to rest, and is lying quietly in his bassinette I will only peek in from the door. He always wants up if he sees me!

By the way, the Organic Rice is the same as the plain Farex, but made from organically grown rice... it may taste better though, who knows? But at least you know what is or isn't in it!

The organic stuff is a lil more expensive... but DP really likes the idea of Zeke eating organic food, so he gets that a lot of the time. BTW, I personally avoid the "Nutricia" brand stuff, there's a pretty high water content (35% in the green beans), so the food tastes horribly bland and is sloppy and gross, there's also not just the veggie on the label in the jar... the sweet potato has pumpkin too, but unless you read the ingredients you wouldn't know, and pumpkin seems to make Zeke constipated so it's important I avoid that for the time being.

How long until you get the rest of your things back? It must be a pain living without some things, though wouldn't you need to buy a whole lot of UK-Aus adaptors for your electrics?

Zeke was fairly young in that shot, probably 3 1/2 - 4 months-ish, I don't remember when it was taken, and I think he's beautiful too - but like you, I'm biased!

Hey :)

Yesterday was a nightmare! I got so wound up by her I even got really angry when she lost her slipper, like she'd done it on purpose. Obviously I didn't yell at her or anything like that, but I was so glad when she went to sleep and allowed me to have lunch in peace. Somedays it's really hard y'know, but then she'll give me that gorgeous smile and her eyes light up and I wouldn't change anything for the world :)

It sounds like Zeke is fairly good at napping - what's his normal night hours? We usually try to put Freyja down around 8pm.

We managed to miss her first nap today (I was asleep and she was with her daddy, who put her on the floor to play so he could use the pc), but I managed to calm her and rock her to sleep about 30mins ago. Going to go and sit with her in a minute so I can soothe her when she hits her light sleep stage and hopefully prevent her waking fully!

Unfortunately we can't leave her door open anymore as our two cats got out of quarantine yesterday (woohoo!! I missed them like crazy) and they like to find warm places to snuggle. I don't want to let them think that sleeping in her cot is okay, so I usually just listen to her on the monitor. I just don't know what I am and aren't supposed to do as everyone tells you something different. I do know I will never leave her to cry though.

I think I did buy some Nutricia stuff at first, but I froze it all so I could just mix a cube of it with Farex for her brekkie. I do like the idea of feeding her fully organic, as I do think it tastes better and don't like the idea of her being put at risk from loads of pesticides etc in her system. That's why I want to make her her own food as soon as I can!

Poor Zeke getting constipated! Does the baby rice not help as rice is one of the things that helps adults regulate their bowels? Freyja doesn't poo every day anyway, in fact it's more like twice a week (there's a lot when she does!!), but I expect that to get more with the solids. Not sure how often is normal once they're on solids - any ideas?

We'll have all our stuff back by the end of this month and I can't wait! Everything is rented at the mo and I find myself missing the most random things - like a can opener that works, or a grater that's not blunt and glass mixing bowls that are microwavable and oven safe!

And yes, we already have 4 UK-AUS adaptors but that's nowhere near enough for all our electrics. I discovered that KMart sell them though for $10 each, so we will need to stock up soon.

Off to do some soothing now. Fingers crossed!

Yeah, sometimes it's hard not to feel frustrated at your LO, even though you know they don't understand the adult way of thinking. And yes, that smile makes everything totally worthwhile all over again!

Zeke is usually asleep by 10.30, though right now he's sitting on my lap, sleepy as anything but refusing to go down. He wakes aroudn 1am and 4am for a feed, and gets up for the day at 8am. I'm not thrilled he still wakes, but he is very good, I have known him to drain an entire side of bb in 4 minutes flat and be back to sleep less than a minute later! :dance:

Daddies and naps aren't a good mix here either. DP took Zeke while I slept in this morning, and I told him that Zeke would want a nap around 10.30am, after solids. So he comes in at 11, with a furious Zeke who had not had solids b/c DP "just didn't do it" :angry: and was overtired. Fortunately some bb and cuddles had him off to sleep... but I was not impressed!

It must be so nice to have your cats back! I'll bet you missed them. I can't have any pets in my rental place, and DP is allergic to cats anyway.

There's a lot of differing advice out there about how to feed your baby, get them to sleep, and every other topic under the sun! The best advice I have is do what feels right, trust your Mummy Instinct about what is the best for you and Freyja! I don't CIO or even do 'controlled crying' at all, it feels wrong to listen to my baby cry.

It's 11pm now, and Zeke just went down... hopefully he'll stay that way! :pray:

Not sure on how often is "normal" for a baby on solids to have a bowel movement. Again, I trust the Mummy Instinct on this one. Zeke goes fairly regularly, and never seems in pain or to have trouble passing it, so I think he's fine. He usually does one big one per day at around the same time. Sometimes he'll hold it in for a day, and spend the entire next day having a poo at every change! I think that if Freyja has a pattern of her own, and doesn't seem to have any problems when she poos, she's fine... just like adult bathroom habits, babies have their own routines.

Oh you asked before, but I never replied. It was a meeting for my old choir which I'm on the commitee for. I'm a fulltime SAHM, I finished work up at 28weeks, I planned to work till 32, but was pretty sick because my iron levels were really low. I never had plans to take maternity leave b/c unless your boss is generous and will offer you paid leave, the government ruling is that you can only take (up to) 1 year of unpaid mat leave, so I resigned. Also, as no relative was available to care for him all week (they all work), I'd have had to send him to childcare, and I wasn't able to bear the thought of that, not to mention everything I earned would have gone towards his care anyway, and there would have been no financial difference for DP and I.

I've left Zeke with DP's mother for an hour or so when I went shopping once, and with a good friend of ours for an evening, and both times I was so tense I didn't really enjoy it. Now that he's older and has better relationships with some of our friends/family I don't think I'll be so worried... maybe! Now all I have to do is find somewhere to go!

Do you have any friends/family over here who can mind Freyja for you? Have you had a night/day/hour out without her, how'd you go?

Anyway, this has turned into a novel! I'm off to bed, hopefully I can get some sleep too!

Freyja is waking about 3 hours after she goes down for a feed and then again another 2 hours later, and then 3 hours after that. Tends to mean the she wakes just as I try to go to sleep - I swear she knows because if she falls asleep at a different time to normal, she still manages it!

Her daddies pretty good actually. He loves spending time with her and likes to feed her. It's just that he wants her to be contented with 10 mins of attention, then he can do something he wants and she should play happily. He knows it doesn't work, but he will keep trying to put her down to use the pc and she gets all upset.

I think there's too much advice if you ask me and not enough of telling mum's to listen to their instincts. I am so angry right now for having listened to all those people who told me the wrong things (like never co-sleep as it teaches bad habits, she should sleep through from 4 months, not to pick her up right away when she's upset or she'll be spoilt and manipulative, leave her to cry whilst you get things done 'it won't hurt her' etc etc).

Her bowel movements have changed a bit with the intro of solids. She was a definite twice a week only bb baby, but now she's a little bit of poo every change baby. I think she's actually a bit constipated, so have decided to cut out the rice for now and just give her her fruit and veg. Hopefully, that and the bb will clear her out a little bit. She's not in pain or anything, so I'm not worried for the mo.

Wow, I think you're the first person I've 'met' since I got here who intends on being SAHM! :D I also went on maternity at 28wks, partly because I had a very stressful job and was worrying all the time that something might be wrong with the baby so was a bit of a wreck, but also because I developed SPD early on and wasn't allowed to sit/stand/walk or anything for more than a few minutes at a time. Not suited to a desk job then! Plus, there is the fact that I knew we were moving here and I hated my job... ;)

Are you guys managing okay for money and stuff then? It's a bit tighter for us now as we've only got one income (my statutory maternity allowance is approx $900 a month and runs out next month), but are paying rent here and need to pay a mortgage in the UK if we don't get anyone to rent / buy our house. That's a further $1300 for rent and approx $2000 for the mortgage, so things are going to get a bit hairy in a few months when our savings run out. I'm trying not to worry about it, but it means I may need to find some work from home if possible to do whilst looking after the baby. Something I totally don't want to do - I wanted to be a full-time SAHM until Freyja went to school (at least!).

Do you find that DP's mum looks after her the way you want her to, or more like the way she thinks you should be looking after her? My mum is totally of the 'well, this is the way I've always done it and I'm not changing now' mentality. My DH's mum is better at following your guidance, but she's a bit unsteady after a serious illness and we always end up hovering near when she's holding and playing with her. She did offer to look after her one night when we visited so we could have a night off, but we pretended not to hear so we didn't have to go through the trauma of explaining why we couldn't!! :redface:

I've never left her with anyone other than her daddy and the air-stewards who kept coming to 'borrow' her on the plane over here. She spent a fair bit of time in first class being doted on, whilst mummy and daddy squished in cattle class.

I don't think it's so much because I'm nervous doing it, but more because I haven't had anyone to leave her with. We lived several hundred miles away from our families and our best friends have a 4 year old and twin girls who were born 3 weeks before Freyja. And as we've only just gotten here, we don't have anyone near by that we could leave her with - pity as I'd love a night out with my hubby. Then again, if I did leave her with someone maybe I would be nervous!

I do get nervous even when people are holding her actually, I find myself keeping one eye on them and flinching when they move her. It's so hard not to run over and say, no, that's not how she likes to be held! Do you find that?

As for the cats, we missed them like mad. Haven't seen them in almost 2 months until now and we missed them so much they're sleeping on our bed, which we would never let them do before. Our female Ziggy has only just realised it's safe to come out of the airing cupboard during the day, so they were a bit freaked out. Our house is rented to (can't sell our own to fund a purchase!), but they made us sign a cat clause. Is your DP really allergic, or is he just not a cat person and using it as an excuse? I love cats, but notice that they totally polarise people - either love them or hate them.

And yes, another essay from me too - why use one word when a hundred will explain things better? :D

It is like babies can read clocks sometimes! Even if Zeke goes to bed later than normal, or is up longer overnight, he still wants to get up at 8am on the dot!

We have the putting Zeke down to play computer thing here too... sometimes I want to kick DP! He's wonderful with Zeke, and plays awesome games, and Zeke obviously adores him, but he kinda expects that after that he can do whatever he wants and Zeke will keep himself busy.

Actually Zeke is playing on the floor behind me atm, and I've already stopped typing twice to join in!

There isn't enough faith in a mother's instinct anymore IMHO, but there are also a lot of mums who aren't really aware of this instinct either, and look for advice rather than listening to their hearts or heads.

A change in her poo is quite normal now that she's on solids, and from what I've heard leaving out the cereal is quite a good idea. Apparently it can cause constipation in infants, even though it's recommended to help adults with constipation! If she really seems to have trouble a few sips of warm water (from a cup, bottle or spoon as you prefer) can help too, used to do the trick with Zeke! A gentle clockwise massage on the tummy after a warm bath is another great favourite here too.

We'd always planned I'd be a SAHM, at least until the youngest was at kinder, and even though Zeke came along unexpectedly and we aren't thinking of having anymore for a while, both Ryan & I believe it's best for Zeke to have one of us at home. When Zeke is no longer BFing, if Ryan happens to be out of work, we may change places and I might work, but right now we're happy with our arrangement. Not to mention I couldn't bear to think of the mess the house would end up in if Ryan was in charge!

Money can be a bit tight some weeks, and great others, Ryan's base wage is ok, but he often gets a lot of overtime, which is where we get the big money from. We usually make do though, there are lots of things I can do to save $ and because we go to Ryan's mums house once a week for dinner, that makes a big difference! Our rent is a bit high for what we have, but the scary thing is the landlord could actually ask for around $40-50 more per week!

Ryan's mum is great with Zeke, we actually have very similar ideas about parenting, she raised her kids the way I want to raise Zeke, and she's happy to change what she did in order to do something the way we want it to be done. My mum is a bit more tricky... not sure why exactly, I just think she's not used to me telling her what to do!

I tend to hover and get a bit nervous when my older rellies hold Zeke too, they're a bit frail as well, and even though they sit down Zeke is getting to the stage where he lurches around and leans to look at everything, and he's getting pretty strong, so I'm always a bit worried he might jump clean out of their arms one day!

I do kind of find it nice to see Zeke being held by someone else though, he is a really sociable boy, and it's great to see how much he enjoys talking to and meeting new people... but he does have ways he prefers to be held, and I really try to step back, especially with other people who already have kids... they do know what they're doing after all, and I don't want to come over as being paranoid. Mum's rellies would probably think it meant I wasn't coping well or something... they're not sure I can cope because I'm not married! (Like that would make a difference!)

And Ryan is sadly, genuinely allergic to most cats, he gets really bad hayfever and asthma. He gets pretty miserable at my mum's place. She used to have 5 cats, only 2 now, but they're long haired and shed just about all year round.

Anyway, it's time for Zeke's dinner so I'd better go!

Hello again :)

Well, I think Freyja has hit the same stage as Zeke was at now. She suddenly learnt how to roll onto her tummy at will on Tuesday - now I can't get her to stop!

Every time I try to settle her in bed, I have to rescue her from her tummy several times before she will become drowsy and sleep. Today she managed to clunk herself on her head with her merry-go-round music toy, so now we need to rearrange her room to be able to put it on a shelf where she can see it but not reach.

Can't believe it was only 2 weeks ago I was moaning because she hated tummy time! :rolleyes:

Well, that's maybe 3 days without rice and we're still getting small amounts of poo, maybe once or twice a day. I've also realised that she is waking at the same time every night (roughly the end of 2 sleep cycles) with bad wind. She screams and I hug her and soothe her with booby, she does a few farts and then goes back to sleep. So, I think I might try the water tip (never heard that one before!) and the tummy massaging before bed tonight and see if it helps.

Apparently there have been 7 viewings in 2 months on our house (rental side) and only a couple sales wise. We can't drop the price any further in an attempt to sell as we're too close to negative equity as it is, so we're hoping that something will come of the next couple of rental viewings we have (in the UK people go round individually with the agents, rather than having open days like here). Everyone keep their fingers crossed for us!! :pray:

And unfortunately I can't save money by going to my mums or in-laws for dinner! Lucky you... though saying that, my mum can't cook to save herself.

I think part of the not wanting other people to hold her is that I want to keep her all to myself still and I think you're brave for actively wanting people to hold Zeke. Freyja is such a little flirt and will grin like mad at anyone who talks to her, so people are always asking for hugs and I have to keep finding excuses. I need to be more relaxed I know, but she was a longed for baby... perhaps I'm just slightly more paranoid than you Miranda!

My mum is one of those people who looks at you and says 'oh, you do it that way...' and just gives you this look. I think she sees herself as being an excellent mum as she has had 4 kids, but she is very set in her ideas. Plus, she smokes and happily does so around my 3 nephews who vary from a newborn to 3 years old, so I find it difficult to take advice from her! My whole family smokes around the babies, but I insist every time I visit that nobody is to smoke whilst we are there and that they have to open the window to let the smog out.

Freyja asleep now (woohoo!!) after only 4 tummy rescue missions and the smacked head incident, so I'm going to take the opportunity to finish making a picture for her wall.

Bye!

Hey I have tried to give Taj Farax with breast milk and I tried pumpkin too but he just gags on it when it he goes to swallow it........:doh:Does this mean he is not ready for soilds yet or did you all have that problem when you first started? Do I keep trying everyday or just stop and wait a bit? I don't know what to do???:wall:
Also his surgery is scheduled for december 11th so not long to go and I will have a different looking little man!!!:dance:

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! :D

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.

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. :(

Thanks for the advice girls!!!:dance:
Taj doesn't have a cleft palate only a cleft lip so that isn't the problem thank goodness!!:rolleyes: 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):p
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

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!

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!!!!!

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!

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! ;)

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!

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! :D

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...

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!!

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? :dance:

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!!:wall:
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..

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.

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??

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

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)!!

Yes I've also tested without the wrap with not much success (short sleeps, long time to settle). I'm holding off until I really need to (i.e. rolling around in cot).

Thanks for the advice girls...

Skye - Zeke's skull plates are fusing prematurely and his brain will run out of room to grow if it's not remedied. They're not 100% sure what they'll be doing, we're waiting for an MRI to confirm, but they will be breaking and re-setting his skull, probably with separators to increase the space his brain has to grow. I'm ok with not knowing all the details right now, because until the Doctors can know, there's too many possibilities and info to read into and get stressed over.

Amy - Zeke is wrapped to sleep too, and I am beginning to wrap him more loosely so it falls off/comes undone as he sleeps, and it no longer bothers him when it does. Maybe you can try something similar... He still has to be wrapped to get to sleep most nights though, and I'm fine with that, and don't bother wrapping him if he drifts off w/out it. Sorry I'm no help, I'm happy to go with whatever works being a SAHM, and able to rock him to sleep whenever I need!

Hi Skye :) How are Cammi's little gums? I bet they're really sore. I keep reading that babies don't really get bothered by teething, that it's usually something else like a development milestone, at the same time that causes the probs. I just don't believe it! Freyja seems to have really sore gums and I'm going to take out shares in Hylands Teething Tablets!

Miranda - I'm not so concerned now. Last time it just disappeared completely (seriously, no milk and no let down, no chance to express :wall: ), but this time it seems to be okay (so far!). I felt sorry for Freyja tonight having no solids and decided I could stop worrying and give her some - she stuffed herself and ate a whole jar or sweet potato, then cried when I said it was done. I had to go and get another jar and gave her some fruit, thinking she'd only have a couple of spoons and be full, but she ate that all as well!! :o

I hadn't realised why Zeke was having surgery until you posted there. How do they know that his skull plates are fusing early? Just curious as Freyja has only ever had the tiniest little soft spot at the front and I was worried about her brain not having room to develop, but all the docs etc keep telling me it's fine.

Hey again Amyhunz - you're right about it being hard being a first time mum. I was completely lacking in confidence over my own judgement until I came on BellyBelly and now I'm a lot more secure as a mum. Still confused by all the contradictory advice for abolutely everything though!!

As for the wrapping thing, you will probably know when Grace doesn't want to be wrapped as she'll wriggle and complain loudly when you try it. You could always try putting her in a sleeping sack (gro bag) as an interim measure and see how that goes. Or like Leesha said, just wait and see! I stopped wrapping Freyja when we moved here (about 4 months) because she simply became too big for the sheet I had with me to use. She likes her sleep sack and it doesn't stop her from putting her legs in the air or rolling over :)

Gotta go - Pizza's here!! ;)

Kerry - I know! They always say that babies aren't worried by teething but why do so many babies cry and then calm down when they're given a teething ring or some bonjela?

It sounds like Freyja was HUNGRY! Zeke already knows what 'last bite' means, and starts to get upset when I say it. He doesn't actually want more food, just that he really enjoys eating, and doesn't want that to finish.

We were clued into the fact Zeke's head wasn't growing right because he has a very large head circumfrence, and because they kept such a watchful eye on it, regular measurements, xrays etc, they were able to pick right away when the plates began to fuse. His head is also 'lopsided' as in, the left sticks out more at the back than the right, it's all a bit complicated, but thankfully because the nurses were so watchful, we're able to fix it quickly before he has any serious learning or health issues.

I'm trying to wean Zeke from wrapping too, he's beginning to wake himself up when he wants to move around but can't, but he still finds it very hard to sleep w/out a wrap. His sleeping sack was a miracle till he outgrew it. Amy - I suggest giving one a try!

Hello all!

Haven't posted in a while but all is well. It's been great to read that all the mums and babes are growing nicely.

Nate started solids at around 4 months. I make all his food at home and he has about 175-200ml of veg a day. He doesn't mind Farex at all but was very keen on the pear and apple I tried him on last week. All that sucrose definitely hit the spot :lol: He is getting around on the floor by rolling and commando crawling. Just today Miss 12 realised that if you stand Nate on a hard surface he stamps his feet up and down alot. She had a great laugh making him 'run' up and down the dining table. If you stand him in one place he looks like a miniature Michael Flatley :lol:

He's still waking regularly for night feeds which is hard. My other three were sleeping thru by now. He no longer fits in the baby bath so showers with me. Never swaddled him, or the other children but probably for the best as they were/are all tummy sleepers.

We're still b/fing and I still enjoy it. I'll be sad when we stop.

Miranda - hope everything goes well for Zeke's op.

Wow.. Nate's eating well! Making your own food is great isn't it? Even though you can read the ingredients on jars and there's never any additives, you always know just what has gone into your own food... not to mention it's cheaper!

Zeke still wakes twice overnight too... he's not waking up properly for his 1am feed anymore, but he still wants it. I'm trying to shorten it as he mostly sleeps while he nurses to see if he can do w/out it, and eventually stop waking. Because he doesn't wake properly for it, I'm beginning to think waking at that time is just a pattern.

His surgery is not yet scheduled. We're waiting to have an MRI done, and they're massively booked out. (They're only 1 of 2 hossies in Vic that do infant MRI)

We're still BFing although we're supplementing (or comp feeding really, he gets a top up after each BF) and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. I really want to keep BFing especially thru his surgery as he's likely to lose a lot of weight immediately after.

We went to storytime at our local library yesterday - he loved it! If there's one in your area, you shoudl check it out. Even if our LO's are too young to be really thrilled by the stories, it's great for us to get out of the house, especially those who are SAHMs!

Yes he eats well and I'm happy to make his food at home, so much cheaper than buying and not that much hassle. I don't know why I stopped with the two older boys! Last night I made the decision to start giving him breaskfast as well as his usual dinnertime feed. He wasn't that interested this morning but I'll try again and see how he goes.

I've thought about trying to comfort Nate through his second 'wake up' but I'm usually so tired then I just get the 'cans' out and let him feed.

I have to admit, I've made a mess of meeting other mums since I had Nate. I've made dates for coffee or just meets but I never go. The MCHN sent me info for Mothers Groups which I promised I'd go to but didn't. I returned a psoitive test for the PND test they make you do at 2 months so fudged it a bit at 4 months to escape scrutiny. I know I'm suffering a bit from depression and a lot from loneliness but I can't make myself get out of the house. And I just can't bring myself to get out there and make nice. I've tried telling hubby but he really doesn't understand anxiety or depression.

And now I'm sitting here :crying: because as much as I tell myself it doesn't bother me that I have no friends here, it does. And I feel like a sook. :redface:

I'm sure it's just a phase....I'll get over it, right?

Kim - I'm sorry you're feeling like that. I know it's hard to want to get out sometimes with a new baby, you're tired, overworked and the last thing you want to do is have to appear presentable in public, but even getting out in the fresh air for a bit can really help with your situation... try and make a 1/2 hour each day for "garden play", and if you really feel weepy there are plenty of good support services out there too.

Not trying to bang on too much really, but if you get some help it will pass a lot sooner for you.

BIG HUGS Kim, I really hope that you can feel better soon.

Hi all,

Just wanted to pop in and offer some encouragment to you Kim. I too tested positive for PND and was prescribed AD. I haven't as yet filled the script because I want to pursue meetings with a psyc first. I'm booked to start those in early Dec. I can't imagine how hard it must be to get out of the house when you have other children to take care of as well. My PND has been related to the lack of support I've had since Gracie's birth. We were living in a very remote farming community miles from family and friends when I had her. Our local Dr was the Flying Doctors! We've just moved again to a slightly bigger, but still country town, so I'm going through the process of finding new friends/ support network again!

I was married, quit full time work, moved to the country, had a baby, moved again - all in less than 2 years. Anyway, just wanted to say I hope that you can talk to someone like a counsellor who can validate your feelings.

Lots of love!!!

Hi girls!

I haven't been online all week and just saw your posts Kim and Amy. I suffered from clinical depression for many, many years and was concerned I was going to suffer PND. Although I am escaping it so far, I can really sympathise with what you are both going through.

When I was depressed my emotions were a total roller-coaster - I'd be ecstatic, then I'd burst into tears for no reason. I would have a right go at my poor hubbie, but it was like I was looking down on myself and their was this little sane voice going "what are you doing?!", yet I couldn't stop myself. I was constantly tired and couldn't get myself out of bed. Nor did I want to have to socialise with anyone other than my hubby, and that was mostly a desire for comfort hugs constantly, which I would cry and take personally if he didn't oblige!

I cannot imagine how you are both managing to cope with those feelings when you have children, especially babies, to care for and I think you must be the strongest, bravest women around. :clap:

My hubbie is away right now (2 weeks with work :( ) and I am missing his support in the evenings. Freyja has decided that going to sleep is not for her if there's no daddy to tuck her in and read her bedtime story, so it takes me a couple of hours to get her down. I have no 'me' time and I'm at the end of a really nasty chesty cough I've had for 2 weeks, so rundown and exhausted. Plus she is up a minimum of 3 times a night for feeds, so I never get more than 4-5 hours a night.

Today she was tired before 10am, I put her down and spent the 3 hours until 1pm resettling and trying every trick in the book to get her to sleep - I may chop her hands off as everytime she rubs her eyes, she knocks her dummy out and the screaming starts anew! :wall:

For a while before we came to Oz I was convinced that the baby didn't like me, as my hubbie could calm her instantly and I couldn't. When we were 2 hours into todays screaming session, with no let up in sight, I felt that again and could feel myself getting angry with her and my voice starting to raise. I felt so awful I sat there with her thrashing around in my arms, screaming and contorting, her little face looking at me as if she was begging me to help her, and I bawled my eyes out.

Now she is calm, asleep, I've had my lunch and am sitting in the back-garden on the laptop, listening to the cicada's and feel relaxed.

Miranda is right - even if you can't bring yourselves to socialise yet, get outside and play with the kids, even if it's just to sit and read to them or chat, go for a short walk and marvel at the trees, the birds, the twenty million Aussie ants running around like they're on speed, or go for a coffee with the bub - just sit by the window in the coffee shop and watch people. In the UK, it's common for hospitals to run regular 'pram-walks' where you can help combat PND by going for a walk with your baby and a group of other parents. I wonder if they have anything like that near you guys?

I joined a mother's group, but don't feel like I fit in as I joined months later than it started, I am the only person from the UK, they're all young (I'm only 32 but they're in the early 20s most of them!), plus I can't drive so it can be a long walk to get there and I just can't be bothered making the effort when we have nothing in common.

Instead, I walk into town twice a week and have lunch in a little Italian coffee shop. I really enjoy the walk (bar the flies!) and Freyja is usually asleep by the time we get there. If not, I have a walk around the shops with her until she is. Then I get 40mins to sit, eat my lunch, read a book, watch the shoppers, have a coffee and just chill.
Then we do a bit more wandering around (I enjoy chatting more to the woman in the pet shop or in the 2nd hand baby store than the mother's group!), before we head home and Freyja normally has her 2nd sleep.

The fresh air, sunlight and exercise do me good, I don't have to socialise if I don't feel like it, I get to have a good meal and a hot cup of coffee (for a change!) and Freyja actually has a daytime nap. Works well for us, so maybe worth a go? :D

I had to laugh as I was reading your post! My emotions are exactly how you described...calm one minute, phyco the next!!! My poor husband - what he must think sometimes! I'm blessed to have such a great partner and support.

Decided I need to get out more so I joined a Gymbaroo class today and I'm trying out a Mother's Group tomorrow. Didn't enjoy PlayGroup much last week - no one talked to me and there were no other babies. Anyway, that's ok. Gymbaroo was great so I think I'll stick with that.

Sounds like Freyja is a party animal or a socialite maybe?? :-) Gracie's day sleeps can vary but she's doing solid nights so I really can't complain. Getting that sleep makes the days managable.

Anyway, thanks for your post!

Hi everyone,
Can I take a quick survey to see how much sleep your bubs do in the day?

I'm trying to figure out if I'm expecting too much sleep of my LO. At the moment, her awake time is still only about 1.5hrs, obviously more if we're out and about. Her total day sleep can vary between 3hrs and 5hrs depending on the happenings of the day. I supposed a normal day if we stay at home is 4-4.5hrs. She's taking longer to settle off to sleep over the past couple of days and I'm wondering if it's a phase or whether I need to extend her 'up' time (???)

Would love to know what your LO's are doing! Thanks...