Babies Born November 2007 #2

Dragonbub - I'm glad to hear you are enjoying it so much. Can't say the same for myself just at the minute, well not the sleeping part anyway. I just want this sleeping stuff sorted once and for all. And don't get me wrong, he is sleeping OK, he is only ever awake for 1.5 hours at at time, he self settles 90% of the time, other times I have to go in and out to help him a bit. He's generally doing a short sleep in the morning of 40 mins (I give up trying to resettle him after about 30 mins) then his other 2 sleeps are around 1.5-2.5 hours. It's just this waking after one sleep cycle that is doing my head in. I know if I am consistent that he will eventually learn to do this himself, but in the meantime, it's not much fun. I just have to listen to what the sleep schoolers are telling me and trust that he is much more able to learn how to do it from 3 months on and he 'should' get it soon. Life will be heaven once he does!!

I know I have high expectations and a lot of mums would be perfectly happy with the way he's sleeping but I can't help it.

DD is starting preschool tomorrow and I think that's getting me down too. She's never been in any sort of care before and I am going to miss her so badly.

Dragonbub- So lovely to hear you sounding so positive. Caden must be doing very well. I'm hearing you on the sleeping in its been too long since i had one. Molly and i get up about 6-6.30 and DD1 is normally about 8. (wish i could sleep til 8) SOunds like he is gaining weight etc well too.

Willow- Good luck with DD1 tomo i'm sure she will be fine it is bound to be hard the first few times you leave her etc but at least you will get some time one on one with DS. My DD1 starts day care one day a week on the 5th of Feb which i am looking forward to but saddened by also.

Well after Molly's big screaming match yesterday she slept reasonably well i suppose though we did get up twice. She is having a good sleep now so hopefully this afternoon will be much better for us.

For the last few days as soon as it hits roughly 3pm Molly is super unsettled and has a screaming match that is lasting for about 3-4 hours so i am mentally drained. I have no idea what is wrong with her but am assuming its tummy ache as she did a huge green poo yesterday and during this time is very windy. I have tried infacol and gripe water and neither seem to make a dramatic difference so i am lost as to what to do. I have posted in the BF prob and supp forum and am waiting to hear from Barb on any suggestions- gee that lady is amazing. She is very unsettled during the day and sleep is something that is an ongoing battle as she will only sleep on my chest or in the sling this week. Up until now she would go in her bouncer or swing etc as i have had no luck getting her to go in the bassinette during the day. At least our nights arent too bad she will feed and self settle most of the time. Molly has also spat the dummy quite literally in favour of her thumb, fist or a couple of fingers- whatever she can get into her mouth and get to stay there. Very cute i must say. DD1 starts dancing on Mon and daycare on Tue so from now on our weeks are going to be very busy as we have play grps on wed and thur. Fridays will become our stay at home day where i will attempt to do house work etc. I am also looking at enrollng DD1 into swimming lessons on Sat mornings so DH can take her. I took her from birth to about 8 months and would love to take Molly also but i guess it depends on what day etc. Are any of you doing swimming? The baby swim i am on about is run by the hospital Physio and consists of 20 mins for bubs then you take them and dress them etc and then its 30-40 mins of aqua post natal excercise for mums. I thouroughly enjoyed it with DD1. Well its been very quiet again so i hope you are all well.

We've had a very busy week - DD started preschool yesterday, have had drs appts galore for DS and myself and I feel like we haven't stopped. Poor bub has been dragged from pillar to post. I am going to try to make more of an effort to spend more time at home when we can. I think until he is a bit older and more adaptable with his sleep/awake time then it will be easier on him.

Hoody - sorry to hear that Molly is a bit unsettled. I hope Barb will have some answers for you. I've thought about swimming lessons but as I just said, life is busy enough as it is for us right now. I did take DD and really enjoyed it. I was also thinking Saturday lessons might work because DH is around to help out. We'll see. DS can't get enough of his hands either. Every time I turn around he has them stuffed in his mouth!

Had his follow up appt yesterday with the paed at the hospital and all tests have come back clear so that's a relief. We need to watch the growth of his Head Circ though, the paed was a little concerned that his head was growing too fast, but after looking through his notes, I think someone marked his HC at his 8 week check up incorrectly on his growth chart, which would explain it. Need to follow it up with the CHN in 3-4 weeks.

Still working on his sleeping and are going to a day stay at Tresillian on Monday. I'm pretty sure I'm doing everything I can but it never hurts to get some reassurance and a few tips. He had the worst night last night that we've had for a very long time, I'm hoping it was because we were out all day yesterday, he was overtired etc.

Anyway, hope all are well. It is very quiet in here. I have been posting in the Oct thread too as most of the babies there are the same age as DS (he was due in October) - what do you girls think about maybe combining our thread with either the Dec or Oct thread?? They are both pretty busy though, that's the only thing. Anyway, just a thought...

Hey Hoody and Willow - you both sound like you are having a hard time. I think until about 12 weeks or so they are still difficult to self-settle. That's what Ngala said anyway (like Tresellian over here). We took Caden there at 11 weeks and he learned pretty quickly so now he is fine. He does wake up after a sleep cycle though, especially during the day, but will grizzle a bit and then go back to sleep.

Hoody - cute about the thumb! I personally think it was a turning point when Caden learned to get it into his mouth cos now he can control his own comfort to a degree.

As for the evenings, we used to get this with Caden also. To be honest, I am not sure of any advice, just try and keep the same routine each time - we found a bath would be good, but then he would scream while getting changed etc until he was being fed. It was just something we persevered with until he has grown out of it. It is the "horror" time at the end of the day - they are tired, grumpy, ready for a good long sleep, hungry, and generally unsettled. And so are you, which makes it doubly hard. Does your DP assist you at this time? I find it a hundred times easier if there are two hands, and Caden is much more settled when his dad is around at this time also.

As for swimming lessons, we are booked in at the local pool. We will be able to do swimming lessons there right up until adulthood. I am SO looking forward to it! I am in the other boat where I am looking for things we can do together because I have had my "3 months" in solitary confinement, and now we are ready to get out and about a lot more :D

Willow - it sounds like you are doing really well, I guess you are just waiting for it all to click into place so that you can breathe a little deeper. The Tresellian place will definitely help, they can see the things we can't. It does sound like you know what you are doing though, but I hear you on wanting to just stay at home for a bit. I found the first week after Ngala we just stayed at home, or I would go out in short bursts so I was home for the next nap time. Gradually I started going for long walks and he would learn to sleep in the pram, then long drives so he sleeps in the car (not always but most times). It took a few weeks to get the confidence to be able to just get out of the house for an extended period of time. Be careful though - you can become a recluse and NEVER get out!

:( about your DD off to pre-school. I know you will miss her, but in some ways it gives you a bit more time to concentrate on DS and yourself (easy for me to say as I am not in the same boat, but I do appreciate how hard it is for you).

As for head circ - no one measures that over here. I asked the CHN and she just said they don't do it unless there is a concern, and she looked at Caden and said she is not concerned at all (his head is proportionate to the rest of his body). I worry it will become misshapen cos he sucks his right thumb and therefore has his head on the right side, but after he has fallen asleep I move it back to the left, so he hasn't developed a flat spot yet - isn't it funny that one blessing (sucking thumb) can turn into a problem? (flat spot). Aaaaah the joys of parenting...

Well, as for us, it has been a good week, with a couple of grumpy days and some POWER DROOLING! Literally pouring out of his little mouth, and he tries to ram both fists in. Needless to say I think his teethies are giving him a hard time. It never ends does it? I hope if they are on the move they hurry up and get it over and done with.

Willow - on your suggestion re joining posts, I had tried to follow the October thread (cos bub was born in October) but I found it was already onto a new thread by the time I caught up again! Those ladies talk so much and I just lost track. It is probably better to have a fast one that you can be a part of, and a slow one that you can drop into every day (or even week) for a follow up without losing track. Not sure what others think?

Have a great weekend!

Yeah, that's a good point Dragonbub. I quite like posting in both - we are one of the oldest bubs in this thread and the youngest in the Oct thread so it gives us a good range and to see how others are going.

Well - sleep school tomorrow! Couldn't have come at a better time, our nights have gone totally pear shaped and I have no idea why! He used to be perfect at night. We've had 3 bad ones in a row now and not hoping for much from tonight because we had to go out all day today AGAIN and he was overtired when we got home.

Will pop back in tomorrow and let you know how we go...

Hoody - hope Molly is settling down. You are doing a fantastic job! It is definitely a different kettle of fish the second time around when you have two little ones to worry about.

Willow- How was your DD's 1st day of pre-school? I'm not too keen on joining the 2 threads together either even though this one is very slow i dont think i could keep up with a really fast one and having to get to know everyone in a diff thread would be a little tough too. Just my opinion though. Good look for mon at sleep school i hope you get what you need from it. I had DD's head circ measured at her 6-8wk check but other than that my MCHN has never bothered.

Dragonbub- DH will help out alot with DD1 but is not really 'into' NB's. He will take her for me for a couple of minutes but he doesnt have the patients for her screaming and TBH when she is really upset i'd rather take her myself. He helps keep DD1 occupied etc and will bath and feed her but as for Molly other than a quick cuddle i do it all- this will change as she grows i can assure you!

Well Molly has been a little better and although she is still super unsettled i have found that if i put her on her tummy she will sleep for a couple of hours. I know i shouldnt re SIDS etc but i am at my wits end with no day sleeps. However when i put her on her tummy i put her bassinette in the living room so i am with her and at night she goes on her back as i would never forgive myself if anything was to happen. I do still feel guilty though as i know she is safer on her back but like i said its only her day sleeps and for now its a case of whatever is working. On a brighter note she is smiling alot more and we are having lots of chats which help me get through the days.

Our weekend in general was pretty ok as a whole until this evening when DD1 had 'ANOTHER' asthma attack only 2-3 weeks since the last and since the last one has been put on a preventer but obviously so far no change. A friend of DH's gave us a nebuliser so i gave her one at home to save me having to take her to emergency as i know thats all they will do. I have rung my sis who works at a Dr's surgery so she can fit me in tomo to see our GP to get her checked out again. Its really never ending at the moment for us since Molly was born this is her 4th attack. I really hope i dont go down this path with Molly too.

Well i hope you all have good starts to the week and cant wait to hear from some of the less frequent posters to see how you all are doing too.

Hello my lovely fellow slow-moving friends! I like this thread - I can keep up! I'm also occasionally popping into the Dec thread and that is insanely fast - it's nice to have something that moves at a more sedate pace, I actually feel like I can get to know you guys and your bubs a little better!

Willow - you sound like you're really getting there hun. It's hard when you feel like you're almost there with the sleep but never know what the next day will bring. Euan is the same - improving in leaps and bounds but has his bad days (and nights)! Fantastic that you went to the photoshoot - I'd love to see the pics too!!

Hoody - Euan is a big fan of the fist too. I think he would swallow it if he could. Sometimes when I'm about to feed him he will shove his hand in his mouth, then look at me with this 'why is there no milk' look. Well duh sunshine... It sounds like you have a fantastic swimming program - I'd love to do something like that! I'm about to start looking into swimming lessons but didn't realise that you could do them when bubs is so young. Sorry to hear that Molly has been miss unsettled - Euan has been a bit that way too but I've put it down to him having his immunisations. He did a big green poo too and had a little bit of diarrhoea for a day, and the last two days has been in quite a bit of wind pain, waking screaming. Poor little guy. Funnily enough he's been super happy the rest of the time.

June78 - hope you are enjoying your holidays - you're not too far from me!

Dragonbub - love the 'talking to the boob'! That's gotta be cute. He's obviously getting well fed if he's in the 75th percentile for weight - so you must be producing supermilk if he's still got time to chat! And it's great to hear that you are enjoying him so much - it's wonderful that he's settled into such a good routine! We've had powerdrooling too, but no teeth yet (I think). Sometimes I think it might be best to stick a bucket under his face.

Well, Euan had his immunisations last week (at 9 weeks 1 day), and coped with them much better than his mum, who was a complete sook and couldn't watch. But Euan was very brave, cried only a little, then had a big feed and went to sleep for nearly six hours. He weighed 5.59kg, is 60cm and has a HC of 40.5cm. The nurse thought he was just beautiful because he kept smiling at her with the loveliest grins - little charmer. He's gonna break some hearts one day (actually, he's already broken mine)...

After a week where he just would not sleep during the day, and fought tooth and nail against going to sleep at night, to the point that he was only sleeping 8-10 hours per day, I finally managed to get him to self settle with a dummy for the first time. Whoo hoo. Since then, it's been a bit hit and miss. Some days/nights he's settled well, other times he is still quite resisting of the whole idea. I have been trying to really get him down as soon as his tired signs appear - sometimes with greater success, other times he just doesn't want to know. Tonight was a bit tricky, but today he slept really well. He was really happy yesterday but today was quite grumpy in between his sleeps. I can't tell any more, he just changes the goalposts every day, what works today doesn't work tomorrow... But generally he has been a lot better and happier since I introduced the dummy - we'll see how long it lasts for!

Anyway, this post has taken me 9 hours from start to finish (ETA - I've missed a couple of people's posts!) - we've finally got him to sleep (at 10:40), don't know whether to just go to sleep now, or to wait till midnight to attempt a dream feed. Usually they work but I'm just too tired. Think it's time for this little black duck to head off to bed, he'll probably wake me at 5:00 but I don't care. I'm completely knackered, and my back is shot. G'night all!

Hey Suse- glad to hear your bub was ok at immuse, and sounds like you are giving bub some great juice yourself with those scores! Boob or bottle - they love their milk that's for sure :D

Willow - good luck at sleep school today hun. It will be nice to have the extra support of the nurses there, they are so caring and make you feel super protected, which I found to be such a wonderful feeling of relief. Not sure why your nights might have gone pear-shaped. Maybe he needs to learn to self-settle at night? Nights are so much harder because it is quieter and you are so much more concerned about noise. Hopefully you will get some tips and be able to get a rest as well *hugs*

Hoody - sounds like you are having a hard time too hun :( My mum and sis suffer from asthma (my sis used to have lots of attacks when she was little - they stopped when we moved to the coast though...). If she has had 4 since birth maybe it might be something you are stuck with for a while. Do you have pets? (mum's asthma gets worst around cats). Do you have shag-pile carpet? I know this is a more expensive issue, but if you do maybe consider getting tiles/wood/cork and some throw rugs. Much more hygienic. Make sure no-one smokes in the house. There are also some great natural remedies (bee pollen???) that may be able to help.

As for sleeping bubs on her tummy - to be honest I think you just go with what works. I mean, you pretty much weigh the SIDS risk (which is very small) against the need for sleep. Just keep an eye on her - which it sounds like you are totally doing anyway. I used to put Caden on his side and used the special bumpers you can buy from the shop to stop him rolling over. Maybe give side-ways a go? Some of the mums in my mothers group say that now their bubs can roll over themselves, they prefer sleeping on their tummies.

Suse - sounds like your man is a "sucker" and will probably enjoy the dummy. Caden will suck anything he can get his hands on (or his hands, for that matter). He tries to cram both fists into his mouth - it is VERY cute to watch! LOL about the bucket - maybe one of those scoop bibs?

As for us - still good. Caden still has his unsettled days, and when they occur I wonder if this is the end of our good times and hello bad times again, but then he settles down. We went to BILs for dinner last night and he was a postive angel - coo'd all the way there, drank his bottle (I express in the morning and DH gives this to him at night cos I heard morning milk is "fattier" than evening milk. I suggest you give it a go cos it has meant less feeds at night (well, NO feeds now :)) then off to bed in his pram! The knot is still there in my tummy but I am certainly enjoying things alot more.

Better go do my expressing before bubs wakes up again.

Have a good week everyone!

Suse- i had to laugh at the post taking you 9hrs! Many times i have started to type and then been interupted and get to the point where i just delete what i've done and then have to come back or on the other hand try to make it quick but get ppl and bubs mixed up and lots a mistakes so then i have to edit my post any way later on. Hows Euan going with the dummy? still enjoying it? Molly will take it some days but just lately much prefers her fist, finger, or thumb whatever she manages to get in her mouth first. I find the dummy is easier for her to hold in her mouth but her fist more convenient as i never forget to take that out with us lol.

Dragonbub- DD1 didnt have her 1st asthma attack until i was 32wks pg and since had had 6 (4 since Molly born) I am at my wits end and have no idea what to do any more. We have no pets and funny you should mention carpet its not the one you where on about but DH said last night maybe we should rip it up in her room to see if it makes a diff but financially i dont think we can afford to put anything else down jsut yet. DH is a smoker but only outside and in his work vehicle and never around DD and certainly never in the house or family car. I wont even let DD go outside with him if he is smoking. I'm jealous at you been able to express i can BF fine but am lucky to get 10ml when i try to express. Do you use electric or manual pump? with dd1 regardless of what i used i could get a full bottle from each side. Its my wedding ann in 2wks and i would love to have a drink when we go out for dinner. She will be coming with us and DD1 will be at my MIL's so i dont want lots but i wont even have 1 if i have to feed her iykwim.

Molly has been ok today and out night was reasonable too apart from DD1 but i'm gettign used to them taking it in turns to keep me up. :) Well we are now running late for a Drs appt so i better go.

Oooh, lots of posts today!

Well we're back from sleep school and we survived! True to form, he slept like a trooper there, but just put him down at home and he didn't go down so well :rolleyes: He's asleep now though, but i had to pick him up for cuddles a few times before he settled.

He settled and even resettled beautifully while we were there! Made me see just what he is capable of and that maybe instead of rushing in there at the first cry, step back a bit and give him a chance to do his thing and wait for him to let me know if he needs some help.

Can't say there were any lightening bolt moments. Just went through stuff I already knew but perhaps reaffirmed that he WILL get it in time if I am consistent. The nurse we saw also helped me to see that I just need to focus on one sleep at a time and not think about what has or might happen at other times.

Funnily enough, there were 4 other babies there today, all around the same age as DS. As the nurse said "Does that tell you something? This is NORMAL baby stuff."

It definitely helps having someone there to support you though. I can't say I actually had to do much settling today though which is a shame. We were asked if we wanted to do a residential stay (ie stay for 3 or 4 nights) but at this stage I don't think it's warranted and would just be a huge interruption to the whole family, especially DD. So what we've done is booked in 3 day stays for the next three weeks. That way I'm still getting lots of support if I want/need it, if not, then no harm done and we'll be going on the days when DD is at preschool so it works out well.

I was dreeeeeading having to see the psych team there and going through my sorry tale again, but got a pleasant surprise because the nurse already knew i was seeing someone privately, so she figured there was no point. So that was one less thing to worry about.

I felt bad for some of the other mums there, some of the poor babies were having a much harder time than DS and were crying sooooo much. Their mums and the nurses were with them but made me realise that things could be a lot worse than what we've got it!

BBL for personals...

Willow thats great news about the sleep school at least you know you are both doing fine. Must be a huge comfort to get that reassurance that the nurses give you.

YAY Willow - that's fantastic that you got such positive feedback at sleep school!!! WTG!!!

Hello Ladies! I haven't posted yet in this section as I'm a bit slow and only just discovered there was a baby buddies section. I have a lot to catch up on!

My little guy is 2.5 months old now and a real joy. My birth experience was awful and I'm still in a bit of pain but he was so worth it. He had his first laugh last week and it was the sweetest sound I've ever heard (I got all teary). It also looks like he might be getting his first tooth as there is a small hard white spot on his lower gums. It seems too soon but I was really early with my teeth too so I guess he takes after me.

Up until this past week he's been a great sleeper. He'd nap in the morning, anf have a 4 hour nap late afternoon. After midnight he'd sleep 4 hours, have a short feed and sleep another 4- 5 hours. In the last week or so though he's much more awake in the day and doesn't sleep much in the mornings, but he will still have a 3-4 hour nap most days. Last week he started sleeping 7 hours at night but then he got this nasty cold and he wants to be on the boob all the time so he's back down to only sleeping 1-4 hours at a time and doesn't want ot sleep much in the day. I hope once he feels better he naps again in the day as it's the only chance I have to get anything done.

I'm breastfeeding him but with great difficulty. Things were awful up until a few weeks ago when he finally got big enough to get his mouth open enough. Unfortunately since he's been sick things have gone back down hill. I dunno what's up but it's as if he's gotten lazy and things are getting painful again. We're hanging in though and I refuse to give up.

I was wondering what MCN diapers are? We have a poop blow-out every day and sometimes more than one. Sometiems there is barely any poop in the diaper, it's all been blown up and out the back. It's such a pain! Right now we are using disposable Pampers as the cloth diapers we have are a bit too big and everything just runs out the gaping leg hole.

Hi Twin Sister!

Welcome! To answer your question about MCN - Modern Cloth Nappies. They are shaped like disposables, but made of cloth. There are lots of different types - fitted (which need a cover), pockets (which don't need a cover but need to be stuffed with an insert - they dry really quickly), and All In Ones, (which are like the name suggests - they are really convenient and easy but take longer to dry). There are also sized nappies, and one-size-fits-most which go from approximately birth to toilet-training - depending on how small/large your bub is! The sized nappies are usually trimmer, but don't last the full time that your bub will be in nappies. A lot of people use flats and pre-folds on newborns, then switch to fitteds etc when they are a bit bigger and using less nappies.

There are also lots of different fabrics used - synthetics are PUL (polyurethane laminate) for waterproof covers, fleece for covers (heavy weight Maldon Mills polar fleece like Windpro - it's very breathable), microfleece for stay dry liners, and microfibre for inserts. Natural fibres are cotton, bamboo (very, very absorbent), hemp for inserts, and wool for covers. Wool is fantastic as a cover because it is breathable. If you check out the cloth nappies section there is a thread on Cloth for Beginners, and there is also the General CLoth Nappies thread - come and join us, the people with a lot more experience than I would be more than happy to answer questions.

ETA: fitted nappies with a PUL cover that has leg gussets are great for poo blowouts because there's two layers of elastic, so if poo makes it past one layer, there's the second layer to catch it! I've only once had a tiny bit of escaping poo, and that was in a pocket nappy on a 3day monster poo which happened whilst feeding. MCN are great!!!

Good luck!!

Hi Twinsister, Welcome Welcome and Welcome. I Have been following your Bfing story in one of your threads and you have done an amazing job to get this far :) Bfing certainly isnt as easy and smooth sailing as we'd like it to be sometimes is it? Although Molly has had no issues with my DD1 it was a nightmare so i do have an idea of what you have been going through however i gave up with dd1 at 7 wks and lived with the guilt and still do. However its made me all the more determined to feed Molly for longer. I cant comment on the nappies as i use disposables but i use huggies and have only had one or 2 blowouts iykwim.
I am assuming you are a twin due to your user name (correct me if i am wrong) and thought i'd share that i am too! Did you ever wonder if you would carry twins? I was scared to death of it esp 2nd time around as one of my other sister has twins and they are all throughout our family.

Everyone else- how are you all going??

We had a good night last night and today has been very nice too although Molly did scream for an hour plus this morning but thats becoming normal in our house. DD1 is much better, her asthma has settled down heaps so i think she is on the mend. She started daycare today for her one day a week! I was a little sad but thoroughly enjoying spending some one on one time with Molly and i even managed to do a food shop that only took me 45mins- yay.

Willow - glad to hear sleep school was a success, even though they just reaffirmed what you are doing anyway. It is still nice to have the opportunity to just go over things. I found with Caden to begin with I would stress about "the next time" even if he wasn't happy eg he would go to sleep for an hour, then grizzle until I got him up, even if it was an hour later. I stressed that if I got him up after an hour, it would mean he would only ever sleep for an hour at a time! Silly me, now I know he has a couple of hour sleeps in the day, and one big 3 hour sleep. IKWYM about thinking too far ahead, but once things settle down you will know what is ok and what is not.

Suse - wow, I don't know anyone that uses cloth nappies. I admit, I would have given them a go but my (lame) excuse is that we have such a tiny place, and our laundry is in our bathroom, that I worry it would stink the house out. We also have a tiny court yard, and don't even have a clothes line! (I know, our carbon footprint must be the size of Perth...). I will be investing in one of those wall ones very soon, but still don't think I could do the cloth thing.

Hey TwinSister! Welcome. Sounds like things are going ok, just as soon as you get back on track with the 7 hour nights. My lil fella is teething also - I got mine at 4 months so I am sure he is maybe a few months away. That could be throwing your little man off as well. BFing is bloody hard and I ignorantly thought that the hard part was the first week. Things have settled down for us heaps more now, but I still get lumps and worry about mastitis (I had that when DS was 5 weeks old). BBs get really sore and sometimes they are overflowing with milk and other times it seems like they are empty! I admire your determination, and don't want to put my foot in it or anything, but formula is always an option - it is not THAT bad for them, and sometimes the benefits (eg no more sore boobs, etc) can far outweigh the cost. Just a thought anyway - I know everything is pro-boob and that is really great, but it is just not for everybody...I am certainly not one to judge another woman's choices.

Hoody - I guess there isn't much to suggest - her asthma might be something you are stuck with! I only had one thought, perhaps pull up the carpet anyway and paint the floor and put a rug down. I guess if you are sure the carpet is a problem, otherwise you could just be wasting good carpet. You could always keep it rolled up in the shed and if her asthma doesn't improve you could put it back down again? At least it would be cooler in summer :D Hopefully it will be something she grows out of, fingers crossed hun.

Well, bubs is sleeping at the moment so I have some house stuff I gotta do...

Seeya's soon

Dragonbub, cloth is actually a lot easier than most people think! Not trying to convert you or anything but I was quite surprised - I expected it to be a lot of extra work but it's not! (And I'm pretty darn lazy, LOL!) We're in a flat too, admittedly we have a courtyard but have to dry inside because of the humidity most of the time. I just bung 'em on a clotheshorse and it's a load every two-three days. And the nappy bucket doesn't smell at all - unless my DP doesn't put the lid on properly. We just rinse off the poo into the toilet with a little squirt, and they go straight into the bucket.

Hoody - I hope Mia's asthma continues to get better - it's a horrible feeling.

Thanks Suse! I might have a think about it - especially for around the house. Going out might be tricky, but it would be good just round the house...

Have a great week,

Well my good morning yesterday went pear shaped by the arvo and molly screamed for about 4hrs but was awake from 1-8. I went to the chemist and got her some infacol and have started using to see if it helps with her wind. However she then slept from 11-7 so 8 hours but i'm sure she was just so worn out iykwim. So far today she has been good but the afternoons seem to be our worst we we will see whats in store when we get there.
DD1 is still off but doing ok thank goodness mind you the monkey wont go to sleep and is crying so i best go get her.

Hoody - I'm sorry to hear Molly is still having these periods where she's quite distressed. Have you thought about taking her to see a paed? Hopefully the infacol will help!

I am beside myself :cry:

I had Molly weighed today by my MCHN and in the last 4 weeks not only has she not gained any thing she has lost 48g. At 8 wks she was 4.050kg and today she was 4.002. I am so scared the MCHN was talking about failure to thrive. I have to take the fenugreed daily and take her in next week again and if no improvement investigations will start. Everyone around me is telling me this is why she is unsettled however after starting with the infacol last night today she has been a star. I am been told left right and centre to FF her. I just dont know what to do. I really want to continue to BF and yet feel like i am failing her and its my fault that her weight gain is so minimal. I blame myself for not weighing her in the last 4 weeks. DH thinks i am overreacting and has told me its one weigh in and not to stress. I wouldnt stress if it was only a week with no gain but for weeks no gain with a loss is scaring the ***** out of me.

Hoody - you poor darling, of course you are beside yourself, but IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT!!!! I can understand how scared you must be, but don't blame yourself over this. It's quite possible that you are right, that the infacol has worked a treat and that her unsettledness is unrelated to the lack of weight gain. But it is so hard to tell why they are unsettled - if all of the signs were pointing to wind then you had no way of knowing that she wasn't gaining weight until she was weighed. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but don't kick yourself because you weren't to know.

Have you posted in the breast-feeding support section? Barb would probably have some excellent advice for you specifically - but what I was told when Euan wasn't gaining enough weight at the start was to feed, feed, and feed some more. Offer the boob at every opportunity - if you can, spend two days in bed with Molly while DH looks after Mia, and just feed her till she's full up to pussy's bow. If she'll take it, use Molly to build up your supply rather than expressing, because a baby will drain the breast much more efficiently than expressing will. If you really want to BF perhaps give the ABA a call for advice, or Barb might be able to recommend an LC in your area (it might be really helpful if you can see one). It's really hard when everybody is telling you FF, rather than supporting you and helping you to get BFing on track again, when you are already feeling cr*p about Molly not gaining weight.

ETA: Just saw your other thread in the BF section. FF is not going to be the end of the world, but comp feeding won't help to build up your supply unless you express as well, it's a vicious cycle. If your MCHN has given you a week before wanting to check Molly's weight again, then things aren't so dire that you can't take a couple of days to get your supply up. Spend a couple of days feeding her as often as possible - (I've heard Barb use the phrase 'whenever she looks at you sideways' which I loved!) maybe Molly doesn't realise that she's not as full as she could be, so she's demand feeding, but not as demanding as she could be, iykwim. At this age comp feeding might not cause her to reject the breast, but the one thing it won't do is build your supply.

Hang in there hon, and get some good advice and support on helping you to stick with BFing if that's what you want to do. You aren't failing Molly at all, you are doing your best for her!!!

Awww Hoody, I'm so sorry hun, I know how you must be feeling because I'd feel exactly the same.

Suse has pretty much said it all, wonderful advice. If you don't want to give up hun, then don't!! But just make sure you get all the help and support you can. Wait a week and see how her weight is then. Her weight gain would be starting to slow down about now anyway I would imagine? Just feed, feed, feed!

Suse - thanks so much for your thourough reply on cloth diapers. I really want to give them a go but our first experience was terrible (every one i tried leaked everywhere). I'm hoping once he grows a bit more the diaoers will hold better.

Hoody - I'm so sorry to hear you're having troubles with BF as well. My prob is different from yours but I can still completely sympathize. It's awful to want to BF so badly but have it go so badly. Hang in there, 48g isn't that much and maybe now that she's settled she'll start gaining more. I had a friend whose baby was crying so much it was burning too many calories up and she was losing too. Once they got the crying sorted out she started gainig beautifully.

Dragonbub - It's funny cuz I know FF isn't the end of the world but I feel like I'm letting DS down somehow if I give up on the BF. I've tasted both BM and formula and blech formula is so yucky, though DS didn't seem to mind when I gave it to him. My DH is very pro BF and won't let me give up which helps keep me going too.

Well not much change here! Molly is now refusing the breast. I think it is because my stress levels have gone through the roof. I am expressing in between feed but so far have only managed 10mls :( i am trying to feed more often but as i said she is refusing. I am hoping to see an LC and get back on track i'm not ready to admit defeat yet.

Good on you Hoody - you poor thing though - Molly now refusing the breast - and right when you want her to feed more! I've been thinking about you all day and hoping that things were a bit brighter, but it seems not. Many hugs being sent your way until they do improve - with your positive attitude though things can only get better. Molly is very lucky to have such a fighter for a mum!

Hoody - I've been there too with DD. We were having problems, I was trying to force her to feed more and then she started refusing the breast. We STILL got it sorted out with the help of a LC and I fed her till 16 months - don't give up yet, but get some help asap!

My MCHN phoned today to see how i was getting on and i ended up in tears! She suggested i go and see her so i did. I told her i was going to see an LC and she told me that she is actually one (i knew she was very pro BFing but did not know this) We weighed Molly and she has lost weight since Wed so not good news. I am pumping 1 1/2 -2 hrly and still offering the breast as much as possible, When pumping i am lucky to get 10-20mls in total from both sides. She suggested i go to my GP and start on some Motilium so i have also done that. My GP was very for FF and told me too much pressure is put on BFing and i should switch over so i retorted that too much pressure is put on FFing and that i wanted to BF and wasnt going to formular feed. I Have another app with my MCHN on Mon day to follow up and re weigh Molly. One good thing that came out of my meeting with her today is that i have not attachment issues etc Molly is just frustrated at lack of milk so refuses breast after a suck or 2. I will be setting the alarm to pump through the night. I am determined to get back on track.

Thankyou all for your support i feel its the only place i have it apart from my MCHN everyone else around me is telling me to FF. (i did buy some just incase but dont think i will use it, i just did it to keep everyone off my back :) )

I am very stressed out but now i am getting help i think i will relax a little more.

Yay today she is taking the breast she still has only had 6 feeds in the last 24hours though :( . If i try to feed her when she isnt demanding it she refuses it full stop and its upsetting for us both. We have been in and out all day so expressing 2hrly has been very hard. I have done it every chance i've had though (prob every 3-4 hrs) and am hoping its enough to get us on track. I am scared about weighing her but hopefully it will be good news. I have given her 100mls of formula in total split into 3 bottles as top ups and all her other top ups have been EBM but if i am lucky i am able to express 30-40 mls. I had to use the formula as she was very unsettled after a couple of feeds from me and would not go back on the breast and expressing was resulting in nothing. She has still been quite unsettled so i guess only time will tell if my supply is the reason behind this. Well we are hanging in there! I'm hoping tonight she will take the breast with ease with no refusal. Wish me luck :)

Anyway enough about me how are all of you doing?

Hey Hoody - sorry to hear about your feeding issues. Failure to Thrive is not something any parent wants to hear, no wonder you are stressed! This is only going to put more pressure on you right when you need to be relaxed. Glad to hear your MCHN is really helping, it pays to have as many allies as you can. Good on you for telling your GP where to go - it is so easy for them to just take the easy option out. I am totally in the school of thought that says "whatever is BEST for baby" and sometimes that actually is formula feeding. But not until you are comletely satisfied that this is the BEST option for you and your bub. You are doing marvellously to hang in there and trying all the options. You have definitely NOT failed because you are trying your best.

That goes for you too Twinsister - I think you only fail if you give up all together and just give them cows milk! BF is best, but FF is not too far behind, and lets face it, in the "olden days" before formula, there was always a lady in the village who was lactating and bubs would get the milk from her (celebrities still use wet nurses), so it is nowhere near as "natural" as they say it should be.

Suse - thanks for your comments re my birth story :D

Twinsister - I tried looking up your birth story but couldn't find it?

As for us - DS still has bad days, but it just seems we are constantly adjusting to these changes. He stays up much longer now (2.5 hours) before getting grumpy, but then will only sleep for an hour before waking up and being a bit grumpy again. I think he is getting over-tired and I should put him down after 2 hours max. He is now waking at 5 am in the morning for a feed and will stay up for an hour before falling asleep again with me in the bed. I have tried re-introducing a dream-feed, but he is so sound asleep that he is just not interested. I will persevere though because while I didn't mind getting up at 6.30 with him (DH gets up for work then anyway) I certainly don't want to be getting up at 5! AND once daylight savings finishes, it will be 4 in the morning :(

Anyhoo, all in all things are good. Have a great weekend!

PS I have posted my birth story if anyone is interested.

We had our first swim class yesterday! DH came too which was great cos other dads were there. DS and DH looked so cute together, and Caden was quite content just floating around. It was no where near as scary as I thought it would be cos he is quite bouyant! (sp?). He had a great big 3 hour sleep afterwards and was a little bit grumpy but fairly well-behaved all night when we went out for dinner.

I think we have passed the 3 month hump and things are heaps better. I am now the one saying "things will get better" but thanks to both Hoody and Willow who kept drumming it into me - I finally believe you!

Have a good week guys - especially Hoody, I am thinking of you *hugs*

Hmmm Dragonbub, maybe you can return the favour and drum it into me?! Having a rough time at the moment, just soooooooo over these sleeping issues. Don't get me wrong, we have made a lot of progress but days like today where he just won't settle it feels like we take 2 steps forward, 8 backwards!!

I know it gets easier with time, but right now it's hard to see it. I try not to stress so much about his sleeping because in every other way he is just a delight, he is so happy, feeds so well, is so content it's just this one thing that feels like it gets in the way! I guess nothing is perfect though, is it?

Maybe we're just not over the 3 month hump yet - bring on 4 months I say!!

Hoody - thinking of you and hoping the feeding issues are resolving.


**ETA: Twinsister - keep forgetting to say welcome!!

Hi Ladies,
Well we are back from Townsville. Luckily just before the highway got flooded (so glad we didn't get stuck). The last couple of weeks have been pretty interesting for us. A few days before we left Jacob had a couple of nights where he went from four-hourly to be up every 1.5 and I could work out why. Well that became pretty obvious while we were away because he got his first tooth. I couldn't believe it, 2 days before he turned 3 months old. He has actually been pretty good with it. A little upset during the day, lots of drool and fairly irregular sleeping during the night. I got a bit teary though, because I feel like my little baby has disappeared now. He has also grownup so much over the last few weeks too. Just getting stronger and more vocal. Unfortunately the heat and humidity made him cranky and our fairly loose routine has gone out the window. He is still feeding about every three hours during the day but the nights now are all over the place and we have had the evening screaming sessions, which are more of a tantrum than crying. Hopefully now we are home we can get ourselves settled back again. I am going to start working on putting him in his cot while he is still a bit awake too, as we are still rocking him to sleep. I actually really enjoy that (love my cuddles), but it will make it easier in the long run if he can put himself too sleep.

I have tried to read up on everything that has happened with you all over the last few weeks. I hope you don't mind if I don't do personals as so much has happened. I will be back on track from now though!

Welcome Twinsister.

Hoody - I am thinking of you. I hope Molly is being a little kinder to you now!!

Hi Dragonbub, Willow and Suse

Hey Willow - so often I have heard women in my MOthers group say "he would be just perfect if he didn't ...", it could be dribble, spew, sleep better, feed better, not cry, etc. I even think Caden would be "perfect" if he didn't cry so loudly ( he is VERY loud) I mean, he is about the same grizzlyness as other babies, he is just more vocal! But really, I guess we get what we get, and it sounds like your lil man is thriving in all other ways. Definitley roll on the 4 months! As time goes on, they need less and less sleep during the day, so it wont be as much of an issue. Like you said to me - it DOES get better. My sis had a daughter from hell (lactose intolerant and reflux) and she was bad for 6 months! Eventually she got better, and now my sis is about to have her third!!! Her second bub was the same with the lactose and reflux, but there you go - back for more punishment :D

Hey June78 - welcome back. Luckily we are a slow thread so there isn't alot going on. Wow, our first tooth for our November bubs! Cause for celebration... :D

Hoody - hope things are getting better for you hun. I will remember to PM you my details so if you ever want to catch up, you can just call.

Well, bubs is getting cranky - ready for dinner and bed, so better go.

Whew it is hot!

Hi lovely ladies- i dont have time for personals but just thought i'd let you know that since friday Miss Molly has gained 170g so i am a very happy mummy today. I am still on the Motilium but i am cutting down and hope by the end of the week i will be off them. I am still expressing 3x a day and feeding as often as i can. Well i will try and do personals soon and give you a better update. :)

Yay Hoody! That's fantastic news - well done you, and well done Miss Molly! Good on you for persevering and for being so determined!!

Welcome back June 78 - congratulations on Jacob's first tooth. I know what you mean about babies growing up - Euan is doing things that he just couldn't do a couple of weeks ago (no teeth yet though), and I wonder what happened to the tiny little baby.

Dragonbub, Willow & Twinsister - hi - hope you are doing good?

I'm off to bed - I think we've just got monster to sleep and because he was up at 5:00 this morning I am absolutely knackered. He was Mr Insomnia today but oh so cute. Didn't grizzle much - just kept smiling and laughing at his poor tired mummy. Little devil...

Sweet dreams to all mums and babies tonight!

Just a quickie to say hi - woohoo Hoody! Soon your lil gal will be a big boomper I am sure :D Hope you are coping ok in the heat.

Suse - hi, thanks again for your comments re my birth story.

Everyone else - hope you are having a great week and bubs are taking it easy on you all.

*hugs*

June78- Welcome back and congrats on the tooth. Well done on your mini man for coping so well whilst geting it. Its scary how fast they grow up isnt it.

Dragonbub- i'm hoping i'll have a bomber baby sooner than later rather than a little miss petite its so much more stressful when they are underweight rather than a bit chunkier. Do PM me and when it cools down a little we can meet for a cuppa :)

Suse- i know what insomnia baby is like i too have one some days very frustrating but as you say how can you be mad they are just to darn cute.

Willow- How you going hun? thanks for all your support this last week :)

Well i am def alot happier after yesterdays weigh in result. Molly is settling down more and more each day so poor little devil must have been starving these last few weeks for her to have been so unsettled. I am still feeling a little guilty over not having her weighed b4 i did but as willow will understand when its no 2 everything is so much harder and you just dont have as much time to run back and forth to the clinic etc. We had a fantastic night last night as molly slept from 9-6 so a big woo hoo there. I will not hold my breath for another good one tonight but at least i can hope. I had a nice day today and for the first time since she was born i went and did some food shopping alone leaving both girls with DH. I never thought food shopping could be so relaxing its normally a chore with 2 in tow but i had a lovely stroll around the shops today and didnt forget anything. DD1 has been good but had the runs today so i'm hoping tomo she will be over that and a little happier. I'm sure she is just cutting her back molars. 4 teeth to go for her and they are all through.

Well i hope you are all doing ok and a bit cooler than we are its been stinking hot here the last few days- yuk. Well take care yummy mummy's and chat soon :)

where is everyone??????