Babies Born March 2008

Thanks so much girls. not sure if he has wind, he's been grizzly all day.
JAde, i heard about the super hot weather in SA... and no a/c in the car.. :( sorry hun

That's no good Jade, if you get desperate go to a big shopping Centre....

When do you think going back to the gym (lightly of course) would be ok? It is usually 4-6 weeks but do you think going earlier is ok?

DH is in NZ having a great old time lots of drinking, dinners and is going fishing this weekend just love it when he calls and i am frantically trying to bath kids, feed kids get them to bed while he is at a bar pi**ed. I told him he had better get a massive pay rise and buy me a big house cos i bloody deserve it!!!

How are you c section girls feeling? Hope you are starting to feel better.

Are you all feeding both breasts in one feed? I hate the different advice you get from the early childhood nurses. I was feeding one side, changing burping then putting her back on the first side so she was getting the hind mild and then if she was still hungry giving her the second side and the ecn said i was doing it wrong :wall: What are you all doing?

I got told to do what you're doing except use the second side after changing/burping etc rather then the first

Trina - I was told by the physio that once you can jump up and down and not have any bladder leakage then you can start doing some light exercise.

I went to hockey training last week and it was not a light session and although I could feel pressure, there was no leakage that was after 5 weeks. I have not been doing my pelvic floor so I am going to start and hopefully this will stop the pressure feeling.

Danni - Fingers crossed that you can take her home Sat. We roomed in the night before Caitlin came home and it is a weird experience but nice - especially after 4 weeks of traveling to the hospital to feed etc. You won't know yourself once you have her home.

Prama - Caitlin goes red in the face like she is trying to do a big poo and brings her legs up. I usually put her over my shoulder with her arms above her head and the wind comes up pretty quickly, you just need to put a towel on your shoulder for any follow through so you don't get a snail trail down your back where you can't see it!

SJ - *sigh* molly jane is sooo gorgeous! hehe dont blame you for showing her off!!

Trina - I'm sick and tired of all LCs and nurses and ABA telling me different things abt bf.
What they do say is feed on one side till its empty, change nappy, then switch. And then the next feed start with the last breast.
In theory yes. I cant tell when my one side is empty, and Lakshman can stay on one breast for over an hr. It doesnt really empty, my GP says, there's always a little milk so they can cont to suck. Right now, Lakshman is abt 20mins each side, it feels floppy so i think the breast is empty. then he bottle feeds. so it takes more than an hr.
Yest, at the settling class, one of the nurses/LC said, to increase my milk I should feed/express every 2 hrs. I was like WTF... it takes me over an hr to feed him, first - i wont have time to rest or do anything else. second - he needs to actually digest his food!
Yest I had a bad day, he'wasnt settling, I think it wasnt wind, just unsettled cos we were out for so long yest. I was awake from 2.45am and slept at 11.30 only. no sleeps in between and he was so restless.
And feeds are getting very painful even with the nipple shield. I was really in tears, I dont know what to do. Whether to cont trying to bf at least till 6 weeks or switch to formula completely. I've started to dread feeding times. And then I feel so guilty for thinking about giving him formula.

Jo - thanks. He does that sometimes, get all red. I've tried to burp him but nothing happens. I dont know if he's just really tired and cranky or not.

Exercise - I was told walking is fine until the 6weeks. And when you have your check up with your mw/ob, they will give the go ahead. But I was also told, when you stop bleeding it should be ok too.
I cant wait to get back to swimming, I'm dying without it. I know I will be less stressed with it. Because I had 6 stitches, my GP said I still ahve to wait for a couple more weeks. There's a creche at the pool so I could leave bub there for an hr or so.

Is anyone using baby talcum, baby oil or lotion. In antenatal class we were told it's not necessary. I know with talcum you avoid the nappy area. My mother from the old school, thinks babies should have something on. they have to smell nice!
I also read in another thread that you can put some lavender essential oil, mix it with olive oil etc and put it in the bath. might try that today.
Oh, what time do you bathe bubs? We do it in the evening so both DH and I can do it. My mum again thinks it's too cold by then and he might catch sthing!

Trina - hope DH comes home soon and helps with everything. It's so tough doing it by yourself. :hugs:

*sigh* just in the past day or two Ryan has become quite unsettled and wont let me put him down. It would be fine except that i have to to deal with the other kids aswell. We're starting to have some troubles mainly because of that, and i think the weather is really not helping either.
We're thinking of putting off our rent this week to buy a rocker or something that we can out him into so he can look around or be rocked to sleep or w/e, We were going to use baby bonus but i'm told that it'll take another 10 days roughly for us to receive it and i cant wait that long, i'll go insane by then if things keep going the way they are.

*sigh* he's awake again...

jade - at the settling class yest, they told us if bub becomes unsettled, just hold him tight against your chest. Dont rock or say anything, or give eye contact. just hold him tight till he quietens. we tried that yest and it worked a bit. he fell asleep and then woke up after 10 mins. repeated a few times and he finally fell asleep.
hope it helps.xoxoxox

Hi guys,

Trina, what size sling did you get? i ended up getting the M-L so that Dh would fit it as well, but it is slightly too small for him, i think that i could have just had a M, but it feels comfy so its not a problem.
You must be finding it so hard to deal with the kids without DH there - last night DH was out until late with work and then caught up with a friend, i was in tears as i needed him to be home - not that i wasnt coping, just needed some support and i was lonely - although i guess knowing that he wouldnt be back may make it easier - having drunk phone calls would pi$$ me off thou!
I couldnt imagine how hard it would be for you to go back to work - i think you deserve the time off to enjoy Summer and also be there more for your other ones with all their activities.

Re the BF - in hossy i was told to feed on one side and per feed and then change to the other s that Molly was getting the hind milk. The CMHN told me to feed both boobs so i changed and it seems to be ok - at least i get a bit of relief although she never empties my boobs and i worry about mastitis.
Also was told never to totally empty a boob, rather leave a tiny bit in there, cant remember the reason. So my routine is feed one side, burp, chnage nappy and then feed other side. She has got this down to about 45 mins now all up.

Not using powder at all as it is not really that good for them and can be a carcinogen if breathed in (large amounts thou)
I use a Gaiga (sp) massage oil on her feet at night that as lavender in it and if you want to add something to the bath, the best mixture is 10mls carrier oil (olive, baby, avocado, almond etc) try to avoid nut oils JIC of allergies thou - with 5 drops of Lavender oil (make sure you get an essential oil not a fragrant oil) and 5 drops of camomile oil mix well and then add one or two drops to the bath water.
We bath at night too - better to settle them - we have a thermometer that we check the water wth, MW said that 35-38C is best for them - also if they scream in the water or are not settled, by putting a wet face washer over their tummy they will settle (sorry if you all already know this, i thought it was a good tip) Molly loves her bath and DH has been coming home having a quick shower and then running a bit of water in the big bath and they sit in there together - she loves it (and i think he does too!)

JO - did you know that Kingston has a Lactation consultant that we can contact? I am sure that you probably already have these details, but i was thinking that i might contact her and get a few pointers as she comes out to your house and helps. Molly is feeding really well, but when she latches on it hurts until she gets her sucking coordinated and i am getting tender and dont want it to continue.

Prama - hope things settle for you in the BF dept - is there anyone that you can see to help with feeding or has it just come to the point that you can no longer cope? Dont worry about what other people say you do what you need too - we are all here to support you :hug:

Well Molly Jane is stirring and my boobs are so full that they feel like they are going to pop - she has been asleep for nearly 4 hours !

Have a great day girls and sorry about the novel!

Jade and Danni - you must be finding the heat awful - it has been 38 yesterday and 40 today and i wouldnt have coped with 10 days in a row!

thanks Prama, i'll give that a go.

I'm really sorry for not putting any personals into my posts this past week, just been so busy and frazzled with DH back at work and all the kids its just been hard and i've only really had the opportunity to read posts and then have minimal typing time which is usually with 1 hand. Just want to let you all know that i feel for you all when i read that you're having problems and am excited when something cool happens. Just please accept my apologies that i haven't had the chance to say it.
:grouphug:

Hi girls,

Hubby brought in the laptop and I finally feel up to posting. Yesterday I was just so out of it from the morphine and being hooked up to the cords, catheder etc. Just got so frustrated from the pain and not being able to go for walk. I hate being bed ridden. I wanted to hold my baby without feeling uncomfortable. I was having problems breastfeeding because I couldn't sit up straight as well. C- sections are so not pleasant that is for sure. So, this morning in pain at 4am and figured I might as well stay up so I can get the cords and catheder removed and have a much needed shower..... Ohhhh it felt sooooo good to put my own clothes on and feel refreshed.....

Today has been pretty good, DJ was feeding well this morning from both breasts, more so from my left..... I think we all get different stories on breastfeeding because I was told that if I feed from my left then for the next feed I should feed from my right side. I went to a breastfeeding class earlier and the lactation consultant is coming around to see me at 4:30pm to see how I am doing it and see if I am doing it right. The position the midwives showed me makes it very uncomfortable for me and my neck and back kill me..... The LC said that it is because I have short arms and should be feeding a different way. Phewwww what a relief to hear that..... and hopefully it will make a difference. Really looking forward to the LC coming around at 4:30 because I think that will be the start of me actually doing it correctly. He attaches better to my left breast and sucks well, but the other one seems to invert when he goes to suck..... My breasts are starting to get fuller so looks like my milk will come in tomorrow or Sunday.....

Otherwise I am doing well, just very sore from the c-section. Walked downstairs to meet-up with Doni's parents and it was sooo painful to walk.... Feel like an invalid..... And then Doni made me laugh and OMG laughing absolutely kills!!! haha Saw my ob on my way back to room and he said the pain is just because I am contracting my muscles when I walk and that is causing the pain. So, there is my answer..

I love DJ soooo much and spent most of the morning just cuddling up to him. My hubby is going to stay overnight just for tonight so that will be great for him to be here overnight with DJ and I. I will have DJ in my room for the entire night tonight so my first night of feeding during the night etc ;) At least Doni will be here with me in case I need a rest etc.....

Well, that is it from me girls.... Just thought I better post a quick update. I also uploaded a pic of little DJ. Hubby uploaded a few more on the laptop so I will upload those also.

Prama - thanks so much for the beautiful flowers, they are so appreciated and sorry if I seemed out of it..... That morphine put me out of wack...... The flowers are so beautiful. Thank you so much. Big hugs..

Speak soon
Shellxxxx

Jazz has been given the all clear by the doctor. He spent about 1min with her when he did his rounds and all he said in response to taking her home was "Yep, all good, do whatever you want. Nothing wrong with her anymore."

So Matt & I are rooming in tonight and if that goes well we'll bring her home in the morning!

Jade - no need to apologise hun, you must be doing it tough, c/section and 3 very young kids! not having your dh there to help must be hard now too...
hope your pain is settling and the heat wave breaks soon.

shell the pain will settle - take it easy thou

Hello There, Just thought I would say hello and mention that I had a little baby girl 'Lila' on Monday morning, a 11.5hr natural birth with no drugs and an amazing husband by my side... She is beautiful and Mum and Dad are smitten!...
3.45kg and 49cm long. Out of hospital and battling breastfeeding and grazed nipples! 'ouchy'...

Jade - oh dont apologise hun.. im the same, i feel bad not doing personals, andwhen i type, i use one hand. and it's so much busier for you with 2 kids. I think your so amazing, you and trina both.

Shell - no worries! glad you like them. I came to return my breast pump and thought I'd send some flowers. Of cos, i didnt remember your surname from your u/s pix. so they sent me upstairs and the mw said i could come in for a bit. i didnt want to disturb you but she said it was ok. dont apologise. i felt bad, that i might be intruding. im glad you're feeling better now... how was dr. wardena? are you seeing rachel the LC? she's very nice and understanding

Danni - nice to have DH rooming!!!

Kanda - Congrats hun!!!! woo hoo!!!

SJ - thanks hun.. Some days are hard, nipples get so painful and he feeds for an hr but my milk is still not enough. and i get upset cos im trying so hard to increase my milk and it's so unfair. I've seen women who dont even have to try....
Today im a bit better, maybe cos ive had a bit more sleep..

Jade I have been slack on personals too, it's so hard to remember what everyone wrote when you are tired. Don't feel bad. Hope you are coping ok with your little ones.

Nice to hear from you Shell, hope you heal up soon i couldn't find the pic of DJ :( could be my tired brain....

Prama i have been told so many different ways to BF over the years i am just going to do what i think is right for Summer and as long as she puts on weight and is happy then I'm happy with that, it seems so different this time, my bb's don't seem that full and aren't leaking much, only a couple of times and she sometimes only feeds for 5 or 10 mins, and WILL NOT wake up for anything after that. All the guessing on how much they are getting can be so stressful. You are doing a great job, you have been through a lot and you are still going strong you should be proud of yourself.

SJ i'm not using powder either giving her a bit of time without her nappy which usually means pooing everywhere..... I am also bathing Summer every 2nd night and every other night having a shower with her so i don't have to fill the bath etc. She gets so hot and sweaty, she pretty much lives in a singlet day and night and still gets hot, she loves having the fan on in the bedroom and doesn't sleep well without it. I think i have the same size as you, havn't really used it much cos she gets so hot and is happy to sleep in the rocker, gonna give it a whirl tomorrow.

Welcome Kanda, those grazes are terrible hey? once you get one it hurts so much.

Codie has a friend sleeping over tonight (yes i am a sucker for punishment) I bet they won't be going to bed anytime soon. I should be in bed as we have two soccer games and a birthday party tomorrow....

I'm off to send some kids to bed. And myself

Trina, yeah thats right about the BF. its like my friend said, there's not a problem til there's a problem. you do what you think is right and what youre comfortable with.

Danni, thats great news about Jazz coming home soon! enjoy your little one.

Shell, ikwym about the section hurting hehe. its why i was after the VBAC because the pain goes away when its over hehe. But yeah it does get better hun, after about 3 weeks last time i took shane to brisbane for a couple days and was carrying around my luggage at the airport (even tho i shouldn't have) without problems. The scar itself will stay tender for a very long time tho but you shouldn't have too many occasions which makes it a problem.

Kanda, grats!!!! well done!

my nipples aren't healing very well either Prama. i've decided to buy an electric steriliser and bottles to give them a rest, gonna express a little. i'll get those closer to nature ones. my other two started refusing me after giving them bottles for a little while so i'm really hoping that the closer to nature bottles will be close enough to nature that that doesn't happen hehe.

Jazz is home and fast asleep!

The cats weren't too happy though.
Matt brought Jazz in and then he went and got the cats and carefully held them so they could see and smell her.

Congratulations Kanda and welcome to the group!

Trina - this may sound like a silly question, but how exactly do you shower with Summer? I am too scared that i will slip or something. How do you wash yourself, what do you do with her then?
DH only runs a bit of water in the bottom of the bath as we are concious of wasting water, but they both love it and it is a great bondng experience for them.
Oh and i am hearing you with the poo - Molly Jane has decided that she doesnt like to poo until her nappy comes off mid feed, easier for me as i know that it is coming and there is rarely a surprise in the nappy, but each time the nappy comes off, i am waiting for the squirt!!!

Danni - yay that Jazz is home, hope that cats are ok - our is not interested at all, the dog sniffs her and frets if she crys and comes and gets us, i think that they will grow up as great friends (i hope!!)

Jade and Prama - hope the nipples get better soon, the lanolin cream that i am using twice a day seems to help with healing... still can be sore at times thou.

Does all your babies stretch heaps??? every time Molly Jane wakes up (especially if she has been wrapped) she stretches and stretches, it is soooo cute, i just love watching her!

Oh and i was thinking - did i end up with the heaviest baby?

SJ i put the rocker in the bathroom with a towel on it, and we both jump in i put her up on my shoulder and also laying in my arms i give myself a quick wash one handed and when we are finished i put her in the rocker and wrap her up in the towel, she loves it, just don't have the shower on too hard as it splashes their eyes a bit. It can be an effort getting the bath out around dinner time etc. You could get your DH to do it and you just hand nudie molly in to him.

My dog sits with Summer and wont leave her side, she was a bit funny for the first week she got upset when Summer would cry or squeek but she is fine now, just have to watch the smelly dog licks. The cat is fine with her, he has a sniff every now and then.

Such a hot day at soccer today, Tahnie was so cute playing her first ever game Paige filled in as they didn't have enough turn up. The coach came up to Tahnie at half time and said "geez you didn't do much out there, you just stood there" I so should have said something but of course didn't. What a di*k! she asked me if i was yelling out "go Tahnie" so the 2nd half i was yelling encouragement and she loved it hehehe funny little thing.

Off to pick up kids from Party and friends, so can't wait for the taxi light to turn off this arvo.

we went shopping today, Gawd it was hard...
I'm beginning to foresee a really tough year ahead of us with all three kids at trying ages.... 2, 4 & newborn
anyways, the heat was awful and finding a park, then finding a table in the food court, waiting with the kids while DH got food which took ages because it was packed. Dylan whining the whole time, Shane trying to escape and Ryan was squaking by the end of it too.
good thing tho, Target has a sale atm, all the baby stuff is 20% off. bought electric steriliser, more bottles for the breast pump, a new sippy cup for shane and layby'd a cot and mattress because it was too big and heavy to take home today.
Did too much walking around a bit sore and very tired. gonna try and see if kids will let me nap...

THanks Trina, will try it out tonight - will hav eto get the camera ready too!

Jade - i was under the impression that we could not drive. It is driving me insane, can we drive or is it just too much of a necessity for you?
I am going to the target sale tomorrow - good luck with the bottles

well DH drove today but i have been driving though, yeah can't get around it. Not supposed to drive til 6 weeks i think

Jade - I did some research, apparemtly it is more an insurance thing after 2 or 3 weeks (makes sense as when i had my appendix out - which is similar just not as long, but abdo muscles still cut and TBH hurt more - i was driving in a couple of days) check with insurance company, if they are cool with it apparently it should be OK

Trina - stupid question - doesnt your rocker get wet?

We've been bathing lakshman every other day, sometimes we miss a day when it gets crazy, but i give him a wipe with a wet cloth. Am I not bathing him as often as I should? I feel bad now.

I'll try to go for the Target sale, I'm thinking we should get clothes for winter. I dont know how to dress him. We've got some wondersuits. I want to get some sweaters and jackets.
Do you put sweaters over the wondersuits?

SJ, Jade hope you girls heal soon and can do the normal things soon xoxoxo

Jade - it;s so tough to look after 3 so young kids. You're are so amazing..

We had some friends over today to celebrate Lakshman's 31st day. He's a whole month. I was quite comfortable having guests and a newborn. IT wasnt as bad as I feared. Of cos as soon as htey arrived, he decided he wanted a feed so i was in the room while ppl were arriving.. it takes a lot of juggling.

Prama, don't feel bad you don't need to bath them every day, Summer sweats so much, she gets sooooo hot and we have a bit of a routine going too. My rocker doesn't get wet plus it's a pretty quick drying fabric or you can put two towels down.

I have so many bonds suits and at this stage she will grow out of them if the weather stays like this. I have had to go buy a heap of singlet suits as she can't wear anything else, I am going to go to Target tomorrow aswell, as Summer wriggles too much in the basinette, i have found her right down the bottom a few times so am going to buy a cot from there, i had a 2nd hand one that i started painting but i couldn't be bothered now.

Jade your boys are at those lovely ages, sometimes it is safer to hibernate at home than go shopping, i just CANNOT do the food shopping anymore, i have to get mum to mind Sumer when the kids are at school. Food shopping and cooking dinner are my dramas at the moment.

Hope you all get some sleep tonight.

Trina

Hi everyone, thought I'd finally join the group.

Well Madison is nearly two weeks now, I'm already thinking it goes so quick! LOL

I'm a bit stunned because she just rolled over. I thought she's not going to get her head over but she kept trying and pulled her little arm out and there she was on her tummy trying to lift her head! I couldn't believe it. Miss 3 was an early crawler (5 months) so I think I'm in for the same drama with this one lol.

BF is going well after a week of intense pain. I had to give poor righty a day off last weekend after I was crying from the pain. But after talking to the home visiting midwifes we've been changing the positions from across the body to the football hold for feeds as this apparetly changes the pressure points on the breast and using lansinoh and the last couple of days have been really good, just a little bit of pain at attachment with a little bit of healing left. She has also upped her feeds so it feels that all I'm doing is feeding at the moment. But I do love it, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it with Miss 3.

Does anyone else still have pelvis pain? I had the pain before the birth and assumed it would go, but the day after Madison's birth I did something getting back into the bed in hospital and I'm now in even more pain than before. The hospital physio gave me this big elastic belt to wear but I'm hobbling around like an 80 year old. Very frustrating. I'm going to go back to the physio on Monday I think.

Hope everyones keeping cool in the heat. :)

Jesstibb, my pelvis was really sore but the last few days it is heaps better, i would go to a chiro or physio, my pelvis was twisted and so had it adjusted when i was pg and it was great most of the way through. Ouch on the nipples hope they heal quickly.

Summer has terrible wind again, she was in such a state this morning the poor thing and there is nothing you can do, might go to the chemist and get some drops, have tried them before with the others but they didn't do anything.

Jess - Congrats!!!!
Lakshman half rolled the other day I had him on the change mat and he rolled onto his side. he's only done that once.

Trina - does gripe water work? been thinking of gettign that. How are things? When is DH coming home? It's good that your mum can come and help.

The other day, Lakshman was asleep and mum was holding him and we were both sitting on the sofa watching tv. Suddenly, we heard him hyper-ventilate. We both got panicky and when we looked at him, he had this big smile... He was laughing in his sleep! It was so funny, and cute but scary as well.

Hope you girls are having a good weekend. (tho the weekends dont mean much to me anymore, they all seem the same. Except that DH is home and that helps heaps)

Hey girls,

Sorry the photos didn't upload.... Not sure why, think they were too big, so I have just uploaded the ones taken on the mobile phone. Check them out :) There is only two though.

I am being discharged from hospital tomorrow, got to see the physio though in the morning because of the whole adonominal gap thingy because the midwive tested it on me when I did a sit up and could fit four fingers eeeek Breastfeeding getting better though, he still doesn't like one boob so trying out different positions. LC said it could be because he was posterior in position, and also suggested just expressing from that breast if he continues to play up on it. But my milk came in today and OMG talk about engorgement eeek I have no ide what my bra size is now, because the bras I have so don't fit anymore, way too small. Need to get some new ones.

I have to go to the dentist!!! I was eating cornflakes this morning and I think I have chipped my molar teeth arghhhh but I did clench my jaw in labour/c-section etc from the drugs, so I wouldn't be surprised if I chipped it then or something. It looks like a filling or something that is loose, but who knows. I will make an appt for later this week to find out. Just will make sure I feed DJ beforehand.

How is everyone? More births YAY congratulations Kanda :)

Prama - that is totally fine, it was good to see you :) Dr Wardena was really good and I found the anethesiast to be fantastic as well, and haven't had any problems with any of the midwives, so hopefully it will continue until I get discharged tomorrow. How are you going? How long is your mum with you? I will have Doni off work for 2 weeks and my mum moves in this weekend for about 4 weeks and will be off work for 2 weeks as well, so that will help me.


Sorry I don't have more time for personals, it is getting close to the time to give DJ another feed and my mum is arriving soon and we are meeting her downstairs. I don't think we have alot of visitors tonight which is good, wouldn't mind a quiet one tonight and plus 'So you think you can dance' is on tonight ;)

Chat soon.
Shell xxxx

Sj - Yes, the MHN told me about the Lacation consultant and gave me a brochure with the contact number. She also suggested attending the Early Weeks parenting workshop. I have missed 2 so far as I had things on, but I am going to look at booking in to do it on the 27th in Parkdale.

Kanda - Congratulations on the arrival of your baby girl Lila.

We bath Caitlin every second day. In the hospital one of the midwives told us to use a couple of drops of olive oil in the bath but i have found it makes her hair look greasy. We had been using the Johnsons naturals bath lotion but last bath I tried the Gaia shampoo and bath gel and her hair came up nice and fluffy and her skin looked great so I am going to continue to use the Gaia products.

Jess - sounds like you are going to have your hands full with Madison!

I can recommend a good book that a friend gave me, it is called "Baby Love". It is fantastic, it answers all of the little questions that you are thinking but might not want to ask as well as the bigger ones. I have found it great and has put my mind at ease many times.

I played in a hockey practice match on Saturday and I am pleased to say that my bladder did really well so it looks like I can start training at full steam! I am also starting up netball this week, it is great, just up the road from home and there is someone available at the venue to watch Caitlin while the game is on which is fantastic. I am looking forward to getting back into my sport!

We have a MHC appt on Tuesday, I am sure that Caitlin has put on a stack of weight in the last 2 weeks so will see what the scales say. She has been demand feeding every 3hrs for the last couple of days and taking 80mls each feed which is more than she is supposed to be having but with the hot weather I am not too concerned as I know she can't be dehydrated. I think she is going through a growth spurt which would explain the feeding. She is 7 weeks old today but adjusted age is 1.5 weeks, last weight in she was 2750g, hopefully this weigh in she will be over 3kgs.

Hope everyone had a great weekend and have a great week this week.

Jo.

Jo - good luck with your apt on Tuesday and well done on getting back into netball. I am hoping I will be able to exercise sooner than 8 weeks time, the doctor said between 6-8 weeks but there are other exercises I can do also walking and stretches. The midwife was talking about me wearing a girdle to get back those abdominal muscles so that will be interesting. Will find out more at the physio apt tomorrow.

I have been going really well with my breastfeeding lately, DJ is just stubborn on one breast and tonight he was just not doing his thing..... arghhhh I still managed to give him 15 mins on each side, but feel bad that it wasn't enough so going to increase the amount I give him later tonight...... Does everyone have a good day with breastfeeding and a bad day??? Was also considering expressing some in case he doesn't take as much again later.....

I am so looking forward to going home tomorrow and will be making an apt with dentist tomorrow about my tooth, my mum seems to think I did something while I was in labour...... It is now rubbing on my gums so tomorrow it is going to kill me.

Hi Everyone,

Not really much time to post as we have been out 4x4 driving all day and I'm pretty tired :rolleyes:

I have had horrendous problems BF little Jake as he has a small mouth, I have nipples that are completely flat and I have large breasts too....the little fellow can't get a large enough hold on the nipple and areola and so therefore is clamped on the nipple only even though he has "good" attachment according to the Lactation consultant. Everything is picture perfect and he is doing it all right he just can't get enough as he's only on the nipple area and wears himself out trying to feed (he could only manage 5 minutes minimum) and therefore doesn't get enough milk and then is lethargic and fussy. Soooooooo after trying for a few days and getting massive cracks, raw nipples and bruising I have switched to expressing all my milk into the closer to nature bottles for him. This has resulted in a much happier baby who is getting fatter by the day, my nipples are slowly healing but even expressing hurts! The little man is polishing off nearly 80ml of milk every feed....I feel like I am a failure because even though he's on perfectly he can't get enough milk. I have a few questions about the whole expressing and feeding by bottle:

1. Can I express and bottle feed without my milk drying up? I read somewhere that if you express into bottles only without BF your milk will dry up...seems a little weird but any way....

2. Am I failure for quitting and feeding him breast milk through the bottle instead?

3. Will it hurt him in any way?

I plan to do this as long as I can as I don't want to formula feed him...

Cheers
Lisa

Shell - saw the pix you uploaded.. hehe really nice pix of Doni and DJ.
I'm ok.. some days are good w bf when nipples arent so sore and other days are not so good. It will help heaps with Doni with you and mum.. It makes such a big difference. My mum goes back on the 30th, so it will be hard on my own during the day. I find I'm doing more and more baby talk to Lakshman, thank god for BB, at least it's virtual adult company. It will keep me sane when my mum goes back and I have no adults to talk to!
Re the girdle, the physio therapist told us not to wear it very long, she didnt seem keen on it. She said that the muscles will get weak cos you wont be working them when you wear a girdle. Maybe check with her what she thinks. I have ab muscle separation too, 4.5cm. Last week I went to my physio and it was down to 1.5cm so the exercises do help.
I so cant wait to get back to yoga and swimming. Im going to check out the post natal yoga classes at Hills Yoga and Concord and see which one I like.

Jo - thanks for the tip on Gaia. I went to their website and you can get free samples if you send a Stamped Self Addressed envelope. :D
Good luck for Tuesday! I'm hoping Caitlin goes above 3kgs!! xoxox

Lisa - quickly, as Lakshman's grizzly.

1. You milk wont dry up but it wont increase if you express only, from what I've told

2. YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE!!!! Whatever you choose you are not! I';ve had some issues as well, I;m bfing and topping up with formula, and I did feel like a failure as my milk isnt increasing. I'm on Motilium and herbs and expressing but it isnt working. I know, I have my moments when I feel like a failure but Im starting to accept that thats the way it is.
Using the bottle is ok. It's still early stages, attachment will get better when bub's a little bigger. The LCs can help at different stages.

3. It wont hurt him, he's getting all your milk.

There's a thread with BF issues, you could post there. There's a LC that answers questions on that thread.
You could ask your LC about using nipple shields, they can help to draw out your nipples. I have bad sore, cracked nipples and have been using it. At least I can bf now. It does reduce the amt of milk bub can suck compared to without. But for at least it helps me bf.

Hope that helps hun..xoxoxoxo

Lisa don't buy into the whole thing about beinga failure if you can't bf. You are obviously doing what is best for YOUR baby and YOU. IMO if you can maintain your milk supply Jake will become stronger and be able to feed for longer. Look on the bright side, if you need to leave him for a period of time at least you know he will take a bottle.

I've got sore, grazed nipples and find that the Lanisoh ointment really helps them heal. I ran out yesterday and noticed that my nipples started getting worse. Might go to a bf group on thurs but I hate all the different advise on how to bf. Sometimes the little buggers just won't follow the rules:wall:.

I usually only give Patrick one breast per feed because otherwise he doesn't empty it and I end up engorged. If he's super hungry he'll take the second boob but not for as long. I remember when I had my DD I worried about giving both but now I just go with my gut feeling. It suits me and bub to feed like this so that's what I'm doing. Trust your instincts.:p

I must say I'm enjoying having the large age gap. It's like having a new baby but knowing what to do. My two older ones have been a great help. DD just loves dressing him and soothing him. I had to leave Patrick at home and go and chase our cows back to our paddock :doh:(long story). DD managed to deal with a dirty nappy that leaked through to his clothes and a grizzly baby. I was so proud.

Off to bed before the boy wakes.;)

We tried again last night to get him onto the breast and he had all the classic signs of breast refusal....he's had them from day one really, he takes the nipple has one or two sucks and then spits it out. I am going to give the nipple sheilds a go and if they don't work for him then I will just keep expressing for him (I have an electric breast pump so it's pretty handy!!!).

I have plenty of milk and let down very easily (ie if I think of feeding it runs out by itself LOL). My milk came in on day two and is well and truly established now so breasts are nice and soft.

I have been using the lanisoh cream which has helped almost heal one nipple but not the other as it was more damaged.

So far we have tried all the suggestions except the sheilds which are next...all to no avail. The Lactation Consultant is one of the BF australia ones and is pretty useless really but due to us being in a remote area I can't get to another.

All the midwives have agreed he attaches well, it's just that he can't get his mouth open wide enough to take enough of the Areola in and hence the damage to the nipple

Does anyone know what to do about baby hiccups? Jazz gets them all the time (even while I was pregnant) and sometimes they last over an hour.

Also. This morning she's been a bit bossy. She wanted a feed at 7am which is fine. She finished one boob, did a big poo, then had hiccups so I waited a little coz she wont feed when she has hiccups. Went back on the other boob about 7:30 (both times she fed for about 15-20mins each side). But then she kept demanding more, and then more and more. Then she fell asleep but as soon as I put her in her bassy she cried. I don't want her to become one of those babies who needs to be cuddled all the time, I have things I need to do but I need her to sleep for a while.

Patrick does the same thing nearly every feed. He attaches to the nipple, sucks a couple of times and spits it out. After about three or four goes he finally attached properly and then it hurts like hell for a few seconds until he establishes his sucking. Can't wait for these nipples to heal!

Just be careful with nipple shields. I have heard that they can make your nipples hurt more (if possible) so I haven't tried them yet.

I tried one of those new bonds suits (the ones with no buttons) on Patrick last night. What a pain! I don't think they tested them on real babies. Certainly not ideal for a quick middle of the night nappy change. They do look very cute on though :p. Might be better suited to an older baby.

I;ve been using nipple shields, my nipples still hurt but less with them.
but it's a bit of a pain, they dont stick on so well and Lakshman knocks it off all the time when he moves his hands or tries to latch.
They do reduce the amt bub can suck, compared to without. so its not always recommended.
But they have helped me put him on the breast...

Danni don't worry about spoiling her with cuddles some babies, from my experience, need more than others. It sounds like Jazz is getting ready for a bit of a growth spurt and by feeding more is increasing your milk supply. When Patrick is really unsettled and wants lots of cuddles I use my sling. That way he is getting the cuddles he wants and I can do what I need to. If I'm really tired then I'll prop myself up in bed and cuddle him while I have a catnap.

Babies are very good at telling you to slow down. That's something I'm having to get used to ;)

Hi guys,

JO - i might try and book into the same one and then we could meet up - was thinking that i should get along to one of those sessions.

SHELL - be careful doing exercise too quickly with the scar, walking must only be slow and you should aim to be walking for 30 mins at the end of 4-6 weeks... i know that this seems ages away, but you dont want to tear the sutures that are underneath. you should have about 3-5 layers of suturing and if you tear any of these it can end up in you having to go for more surgery to fix it up. not sure if you are keen for a VBAC but if you do too much too early you can hamper your chances of that too.
Dont worry too much about the weight, at day 7 i lost most of the fluid i was carrying and i have already dropped over 10kg. I LOVE BF!!!! In hossy i felt huge, but it will soon come off as long as what you are eating is good for you and bubs.'

LISA - you are not a failure at all and dont let anyone tell you that you are.
Do what you have too - DH and i were talking about the pain of BF (sometimes it feels like a hot pin being stuck in my nipples when she attaches) and we decided that we are better to see a LC early so that i dont end up dreading feeding becasue of the pain.

Danni - Molly Jane gets the hiccups too - 3-6 times a day, not sure what to do, apparently letting them suck helps, so i try her on my finger as i dont want her feeding early or when she doesnt need a feed.
Re the cuddles - i have read that young babies tell you what they need and dont learn selfish or attention seeking behaviour until they are older... Molly Jane needs cuddles at different times, usually late at night before being ut back to bed, the other thing that i read is that at this young agae, if you let them cry too long they learn it and tend to cry longer as they grow up... i will see if i can find the qte when i come back

Got to go BBL