Babies Born March 1st - 15th 2008

[india44]

Thanks for all the advice girls. We bought a vapouriser which helped us all alot also some baby balsom which was great on WIlls chest and I had vicks on mine so when he was close he got that as well. He is so used ot having his nosed suck now he only crys for a very short time its liek he knows its going to help him breathe. He really is such a good boy despite a cold he slept from 10 pm till 5am which was great and today he was awake for the 5 hours mum and I were out and didnt fuss until hungry then just watched the people go by.

On a sad note I think my milk has dried up I have being trying to express my hand and by pump and he sucks so hard but obvioulsy doesnt get much out. I have been having trouble with the lymph nodes under my arms and my scars hurt from where I had some lumps removed. My boobs are also soft as..how do I know when its over as far as milk goes? I cant help but think its my fault becasue I had been topping him up but he was always offered booby and took what ever he could get and was always hungry afterward. SJ with your nursing background do you think that my lower platletes and low neutrophils could affect. I know when they are know my body uses all its energy to fight things off and I have been really flat and had this cold along with Will. My mum said her milk dried up at 4 weeks with both my brother and I but I dont think it has much to do with my body. I want will to be satisfied and hydrated and will do whatever..I guess physcologically I wasnt ready for it to end.

We had our second mothers group this week and I was amazed at how many people were bottle feeding I think the health nurse was too they all has different reasons and I felt less guilty for topping up but not sure about total bottle feeding. It was a fun group although I had flashbacks to my early childhhod trianing with all the home made toys and books and activites that we had to learn how to makes.ALso had a visit fomr the dental health clinic which was really interestingas I have covered dental care for 2- 5 year olds but not newborns. So now we have started to rub a light cloth on Wills gums to get him used to having something in his mouth.mind you hed suck on your big toe if you put it in there *L*

Hope the weather was nice at your place we had al ovley afternoon out and about with Grandma only to come back and find our garage half demolished ready for the folks to build their new house behind us. MUm and Dad are going away for 6 weeks in a fortnigh and I realy dont know what I am going to do I wil miss mums company so much our relationship has really changed since Will was born and we are so close.

Yay for moe I soaked in the bath for an hour tongiht and read mags that a girlfriend gave me...very indulgent.

OK I have blabbed on and done no personals at all sorry just needed to type I guess *L*
Hope you are all well.
Bron xx

PS prama I luuuuuuuuuuuurve muscles I say book for yoruself now and eat a huge bowl full!!

[shell_120308]

Doni just left for New Zealand and not back until Saturday next week (boo hoo!!!) DJ is asleep and yes I should be sleeping right now but I am too overtired arghhhh and daytime sleeps only last for 40 mins so by the time I get to sleep it is time to wake up so no point in trying to sleep during the day haha......

Mum looked after DJ for us for a few hours last night so we could see a friend for her birthday, it was nice to get out and we were home by midnight. We were both exhasted!!!

I have decided that if DJ still has feeding problems from my breast in the next two weeks I am giving up breastfeeding. I just don't enjoy it anymore and everyone I speak to about it tell me I should just give it up. I don't have to justify myself to anyone and I should do what makes me happier. I know bottle feeding means having to sterilise bottles and prepare formula etc, but I can't sit there and enjoy breastfeeding, I am constantly looking down and what DJ is doing and if he is latched on or not. There is no point me seeing a lactation consultant. I always said I would give it 4 months and it is nearly 3 months, so I think I will see how I go in the next two weeks which will make it 3 months. It is still a great start. I might even go back to expressing full-time and giving him breast milk that way. He isn't filling up on my breastmilk at all. We have tried even giving him breast milk in the bottle and he only takes 80ml of it and then will gulp down a top-up of formula..... Mum thinks I haven't got enough nourishment in my breastmilk and I need to eat properly.....

Bron - I think SJ mentioned to me once that when your boobs are softer and floppy it actually means your milk has settled, because I thought the same thing with mine that my milk had dried up. And yeah my mothers group has alot more people bottle-feeding as well, so I don't feel so bad when I give DJ top-ups.

Prama - make sure you make a date for your mussels lunch kehehee and yeah I am seeing community nurse on Thursday so will get DJ weighed then and also talk to her about breastfeeding.


DJ is waking now, off I go.... That was a 20 min sleep so I am glad I didn't sleep now haha

Shell xxxx

[shell_120308]

After putting him back down to sleep after that feed earlier he then slept for 3 hours I was sooo happy. I didn't go to sleep because I wasn't sure how long he would sleep but ended up being able to relax and watch some tv etc it was sooooo nice. I have even caught up on some washing as well woohoooo so I feel good now

I signed up for pole dancing classes starting on Saturday and I can't wait. I actually did pole dancing classes two years ago and it got me into great shape really quickly as well and was great for my self-esteem as well, so really looking forward to doing it again It is all for good fun, not something I plan to do as a living haha no way..... Just a fitness and confidence booster

[prama]

It;s so quiet in here on the weekends! haha
I'm feeling really weird!!
For teh first time in almost 4mths I'm at home ALL BY MYSELF! DH has gone to MIL's and I'm a bit tired. so he said he will take poopy with him. i feel strange without poopy with me at home. it's been 15mins and i miss him. but im enjoying it but feel guilty at the same time.

bron -
sorry about how you're feeling. pls dont feel bad for offering the bottle. sometimes we just have to. i dont think my milk is enough either, i was feeding on the boob with bottles in between but no top up a few weeks ago and he only put on 150g, and since then ive been topping up with formula and he put on 400g, i also think it was a growth spurt.
my boobs feel floppy too. they say that happens once your milk settles in. i dunno if my milk is low.. motilium isnt helping much either. poopy's always hungry after the boob.
i hope you're feeling better and sorry you're hurting from the lymph node removal and all. i feel so tired too.
some days i get so down from bf-ing and topping up and hard work. and i think it will be easier when he's on solids and im not bf-ing. but then preparing solids is a lot of work too. and then there's the mess they make and cleaning up everywhere.
at the early days, i wasnt ready to give up bf so i was feeding him just in the morning and at night. maybe you could do that? i knew i would be devasted if i gave it up 100%. emotionally and mentally i couldnt.

shell
i know what you mean about bf-ing. i dont really enjoy it, i do it because i have to and want him to have the best. i suppose i would enjoy it if he was putting on lots of weight and didnt seem hungry after each feed. then i know im doing something right and it would boost my confidence.
i think giving him EBM is a good idea. cos he will still have your milk. I'm sure you will do what's teh best for you both.
bottles are a hassle. im nervous about flying cos i ahve to carry bottles and formula too. and carry tins with us. such a pain. iwish my milk was enough. i feel like a failure thinking of that.
mum said there's NAN there but not the HA. and the LC said not change the milk.
sigh it's so hard. im constantly thinking of feeding and feeding right.
i wish i had it easy.
anyway, im almost at my milestone of 4mths. but will soldier on until i come back cos i dont want poopy to pick up anything.
im fine feeding him at home with boob and top up. but going out, bothers me.
am going into the office on thursday, and im planning when and how to give him the boob and bottle. if i take just the bottle then im scared my supply will drop.
and then we're going to stanwell tops on sunday. im worried about the long drive and feeding him on the boob in someone else's hse. sigh.
my poor poopy.
shell - see you tomorrow. im not looking forward to the heavy workout!! but it will be nice to see you!

oh i forgot to mention.. i started seeing my councillor. first appt was last monday, i felt a bit more confident after that. she's a psychologist and does spiritual healing. she did reiki on me and said im thinking too much. so much energy wasted. told me to relax. i got a message at the end of the session - i cant be like other mums, i can only be myself and being myself is good enough.'
my next appt is on the 7th. im glad im getting help.

shell - just got your msg.
hehe great pole dancing. sounds like lots of fun, you will burn lots of calories.
it's hard to sleep in the day isnt it. cos you never know how long htey will sleep. poopy sleeps for such a short time, it's not worth it. as you said, as soona s you start to fall asleep they wake up. and end up being more tired.

[teachmum]

Bron if you want to keep bf one of the best ways to increase your milk supply is to feed on the breast more often. The top up feed can interfere with your milk supply but it's never too late to build it up again. Sometimes a couple of quiet days at home help. We are always doing too much, aren't we? But as Prama said being yourself is good enough, go with your gut and do what works for you.

I'm sorry you girls are finding bf hard. I really enjoy it and it suits my lifestyle. Like Trina I seem to live in the car so it's one less thing for me to carry ifykwim. When you have your next baby (and you probably will) you may not have the same problems or your breasts may settle into bf more quickly. Another thing I like is the fact it gives me time to sit down and be with Paddy. I think I'd have to fight the rest of the family if we were feeding him with the bottle.

Another booby call ...

[india44]

teach I was increasing feeds and he was so hungry and I also expressed as much as I coudl but the milk just would not come that way and didnt with an electric pump in the hospital either. LC thought perhaps when I had the surgeries I had quite a bit of damage to the milk ducts.I would be happy if Will kept having a morning and night breastfeed as I to enjoy that feeling nad have never found it painfull at all althoughI dont find the bottle feeds much less closs to be hoenst. Prep of the bottles etc has never really worried me as I Have done it right from the start in hospital I was also preping it all when I as able to move around.I am going to have a blood count this week and ama fraid if things get any lower then I will end up back on drugs anyway and then it really will all be over.


Prama if I feed when I am out I always bottle feed and Wil gets boob when we get home I find it much easier. Hope things arent too ldifficult when you are travelling.

Go shell on the pole dancing I have heard its great excercise..I have hard enough time lifting my legs to put my stockigns on some days let alone wrapping it around a pole *L* bet it will be fun

I have just sat here in tears after watching 60 mins Lauren Huxley's mum and my dad are cousins and we were kept up to date on how things were going for her but to see the pics of her skull were truly shocking. To see her dad Pat so upset and all he and Chris have done for her makes you terrified that anything would ever happen to your own children. Lauren is a credit to herself and he parents as to how she has overcome what that animal did to her.

AM having an ovaltine and calming down a bit before off ot bed. Hubby got home t 2.15 am on Friday and then snored from 12 till 4am last night and I am shattered.
Hope your weekend was good and here is to a good week ahead.
Bron xx

[shell_120308]

Hey girls,

Just put DJ to bed and hoping he will sleep through til 3am (fingers crossed) kehehee I think tomorrow I will just start giving DJ expressed breast milk because he just doesn't stay on the boob long enough to get anything. The funny thing is, when I am out and about and feed him in a place other than home, he is really good on the boob, find it so strange.

Prama
oh wow that would have been nice for you when Steve took Poopy out and left you by yourself. You need to have some 'me' time. I would go stir crazy if I didn't have a bit of time by myself a week. On Saturday I went out at 3pm to have some me time and I got a flat tyre arghhhh so much for me time. Doni came down and tried to fix it but I have mag wheels which are hard to come off so had to renew my NRMA roadside assistance membership - so that was $255 arghhhhh so all in all my me time ended up being 30 mins of grocery shopping haha I wanted to look around at clothes shops and try stuff on, a bit hard with a pram.

Yeah I agree on the breastfeeding as well, if DJ was settled after a breastfeed then I would enjoy more as well, so I think expressing might be the way to go. I used to do it alot more at the beginning so Doni could help. I don't know just so hard.....

Can you take a can of formula with you? I am not sure how that goes with quarantine mind you...... probably not.... The brand your mum can get is still the same brand ie. Nestle so it has to be just as good

haha on tomorrow, eating so much this weekend, so need it haven't stopped eating all afternoon today. I think it is from being able to relax this afternoon.

Well done on seeing the counsellor, that is great news. I did a reiki course a few years ago, but forgotten how to do it. So happy it helped sweetie.

And yeah can't wait to get back into my pole dancing, it helped tone up my body and also great for the self-esteem.


BronI missed that interview but she is amazing especially what she has been through.


well girls, I am going to relax and watch some tv before heading to bed.

Hope you have a great night.

Sooooo hoping DJ sleeps well tonight for me

Shell xxx

[Sammiejane]

Hello girls,

just a quick one from me tonight, buggeed!

BRON - yes if your counts are dropping you milk possibly will be affected, if your body is having a difficult time fnctioning normally, it will sacrifice the milk after a while, as unlike when we are pg, your body wont keep just giving out - thats why when we excercise too much milk can dry out (good excuse in my books not to for a while )... but in saying that, my boobs are rarely hard anymore, only after a big overnight stint.
What Teach says is right, you need to offer more to increase your supply.
Im wondering, are you letting down properly? if you sit and are anxious maybe this is the prolem... i know this as when i express my let down is very very slow and bugger all comes out, them when i feel the tingle, whooosh its starts fowing like no tomorrow.
I cant really give you any advice, i seem to have loads of milk (but my boobs at times look smaller and are way softer), but will be keeping my fingers crossed for you

SHELL sorry that you dont enjoy feeding, do whats right for you, maybe expressing and bottle feeding will work out well for you... best of both worlds so to speak. hope you do OK with Doni away...
I find it really really hard o get back to sleep after a feed, sometimes i lay there thinking about ridiiculos stuff - maybe you should do your meditation CD again.

PRAMA - i love reiki - i did the reiki one course years ago and when i first got pg did it on my abdo every night!!! Glad you had a great session and have got a bit of a boost out of it. Its a funny way of putting it, but yeah thinking too much is exhausting!

Ania and Jess hope you had a great weekend
Teach has the nappy rash healed? got fluggy mail yesterday - some loulou aio - nonight naoppies atm - but mj is not a heavy wetter (yet)

Trina - cant wait to hear about your hols!

We had a ok weeken, Saturday got some family pics taken, nice dinner, then the bomb shell... DSS was on the toliet and this little voice cam out - 'um Sam..... i think a worm just came out of my bum' BUGGER - he pulled out out and squished it so i didnt see, but today has been washing, cleaning and scrubing the whole house and clothes and bedding AHHHHHH - poor little thing, had nightmares last night about the worms nibbling him and he was in tears before bed, no matter how much we told him that it was really common and that loads of kids had it, it really upset him - poor little thing, for a 10yr old he acts really really grown up most of the time and its times like this that just makes you realise how young and vunerable he is

Well thats it for me - he is staying tonight as his mum didnt think that she could be bothered cleaning today, and it was just too much for her... so we have him another night and i have to get him to school in the morning (45min drive - thats 1 and a half hour round trip in peak hour!!!) i dont mind though, he is so helpful and lovely to have around, besides its another evening of bonding with his little sister

Oh yeah - Teach, DSS asked if i could express some milk so he could feed her - i guess its helpful at times, but im greedy and want that time all to myslef!!! he got a kick out of feeding her thou!

Nighty night

[prama]

quickie. going to sleep now.
bron - hope you're ok. an lc i saw said she had very little when expressing but had plenty of milk. i dunno what else to do to increase milk. poopy doesnt always detach. he can go on and on so i can never tell if he's had enough and just sucking on. i watch the clock now, 20mins each side.

shell - steve was away for 45mins but it was nice nevetheless to have the house to myself.

sj - poor dss. how's his mother's finger? is it still infected. haha
thanks reiki is good, when they tell you to relax, i find it hard, and not to think so much i think more!

gotta go, here's to a good week!