Babies Born November 2007

[Hoody]

Hi Everyone-
Just a quick post before Molly has her feed (she is content with DH at the minute but it wont last long) We have had a rough weekend and start to this week so i havent had time to scratch my bottom let alone sit on computer. DD1 started with a cold on Saturday and we ended up at hospital with her having ANOTHER asthma attack (well at least thats what they think she has) She is home and doing much better however I now have her cold and poor little Molly has a runny nose and been very unsettled. I am hoping she is not going to get any worse as i dont think i'd cope with 2 sick kids and been unwell myself. I told DH that once you have kids something should kick in inside of you to stop you from getting ill as been a mum you dont have time. Last night Molly had a really good sleep 9.45-4.45 but i still had to get up to DD1 and then had Molly be very unsettled all day. It is really hard at the minute when Molly is unsettled as DD1 been unwell is ultra clingy too. Today i literally had hold of one of them from 6am til 9.30pm. Its 10pm and i am sitting for the 1st time all day with a cuppa having 10 mins to myself, i havent even managed a shower yet. This last few days have really made me think that maybe we should have waited a little longer before having DD2 so DD1 would have been a bit older. I feel guilty more than anything cos DD1 isnt well so i want to give her all of my attention but it is impossible. I say this but i wouldnt swap Molly for the world and in reality i know that in a month or 2 things will become easier (well i can hope )
Well Molly is starting to fuss so it's time to get my boobies out again. Take care

[Willow]

Hoody - sounds like you are having an awful week but once DD1 is feeling better I'm sure you'll be feeling better too! Sounds like Molly is doing some great sleeps so when DD1 settles down you can take advantage of that! Don't worry so much about questioning the age gap - my DD is much older than your DD1 and I still find it hard, so even if you had of waited, you'd still be feeling guilty like me! I hope you are all feeling better soon.

Sass - we're in the Penrith area and our ob did our circ for us (he's a surgeon but only does the babies of his obstetric patients). I have a friend in your area who had her little boy done and her dr came very highly recommended by friends and family, she was very pleased with how everything went. I will get his details for you and PM them to you. I think he's in Menai - is that right? Is that near you?

Things are going pretty well here. Took DS into the city yesterday for a farewell lunch for a friend of mine and he was a very good boy Left DD at home with her Nan, no way I was taking a toddler into the city at xmas time! He slept quite a bit in his pram but was still pretty tired so I put him down at about 6pm and he slept till 11.30 - 5.5 hours, his longest sleep yet!

Am so tired because we've had such a busy week with appts every day so i've missed out on having a nap most days. DH is out shopping for my xmas present, DS is in bed with DD to follow shortly (she didn't have a day sleep today cause we were out again) and I'm going to be right behind her!

Having DS's 8 week needles next Monday - xmas eve poor little fella! It is actually a few days before he is 8 weeks but he's 8 weeks on boxing day and then we're going away so our GP thought this was the best plan. I was a bit funny about it at first but then I figured he was 10 days overdue (and our dates were spot on due to IVF) so it really shouldn't make any difference! Strange logic but it works for me!


***ETA: Sass - the doctors name is Dr Dilley, at Menai Medical Centre. It’s the medical centre in the Shopping Village and your GP that needs to give you the referral should know who you are talking about, he is very well known around the area apparently. He also practices at the childrens hospital and at Gymea or somewhere else in the shire.

[Dragonbub]

Hey Everyone,
June78 - Caden is def settled. He was pretty good on the day of the needles, good the next day, then not so good on the third day, but not sure if that was needles or not. He tends to have a good day, an average day, then a bad day. I guess I just need to get into his swing of things. Today was a bad day, grumpy all day and very clingy - I couldn't let go of him! Get some baby panadol if you haven't already, as this helps with the fever.

Thanks Willow for that info! Caden seems to be getting into more of a predictable routine. On his good days he pretty much follows the 2 hourly sleeps, an hour or so wake time and is quite cheerful until his hour is up then gets grumpy but goes down easily. On his bad days it is constant napping and awake and very clingy. The nights are getting better and I have dropped a feed which makes my boobies ache, but I get more sleep! Poor bubs has to contend with getting drowned when he finally wakes up for a feed

Well, Christmas is just around the corner. It is so lovely to have a first Christmas with a bub and I have gone a bit crazy and bought him heaps of clothes as he is in 000s now. He weighs almost 6 kilo! He put on 400 grams in one week and grew an inch ;D At least I know why he is grumpy - apparently they drink the equivalent of 20 litres of milk per day and my little man hasn't really had a growth spurt as such, it has just been a constant rapid growth. The doc said things should calm down soon.

Have a great Chrissy everyone!

[suse]

Hi everyone - I'm a very late arriver here!

Euan was born 28th November, 12 days late, 4.2kg, cute as a button, by emerg c/s (birth story is posted - it's a bit gory though in parts so not for after dinner reading...).

Today he has been settled baby after three days of screaming constantly. He has actually slept and been happy today, and has settled really easily. Must have worn himself out. Or he realised that mummy was going to feed him to the crocodiles if he kept up this kind of behaviour...

I'm still waiting for a 'routine' - he changes every three or four days. Today he's been falling asleep not long after each feed, and actually been feeding every three hours or so, although he was awake and alert for a couple of hours in between today which was nice. I've been mostly carrying him in the baby bjorn because it's better for my back and he likes to be constantly cuddled/carried upright until he is actually asleep - major velcro baby syndrome but we'll see how we go tonight. He actually fell asleep on my chest after the last feed and I put him down 10 minutes later - a first! He has been sleeping for 5 hours at night since about 1 week old, which is pretty unusual. It's not as good as it sounds because he either feeds constantly or cries the rest of the time - long sleep times but also long awake/grumpy times. Hopefully this will be the start of a more consistent pattern.

He's becoming much more alert and engaged and is looking me in the eyes much more often, and I think he actually smiled properly the other day. He didn't fart or poo immediately afterwards so I'm pretty sure it wasn't gas - LOL!

Hope you guys are all having good nights with your bubbas and it's nice to meet you all! I've been lurking for a little while but haven't had a chance to post yet!

[Willow]

Hey Suse - welcome!! I was hoping some more girls would come and join, it tends to be a bit quiet in here at times. I know everyone posts when they can but I'm a bit chatty!

Not such a good few days here. Logan has not been sleeping so well again

We even had a pretty bad night last night, after his usual big sleep of 4 hours he then woke 2.5 hourly but when I offered a feed he fussed and took hardly any which is stressing me out a bit. Our feeding has been going really well and he's averaging about 300g weight gain a week, I just want it to continue. DD did this at about 4 weeks, suddenly got very fussy at the breast and it escalated to the point where she pretty much wouldn't take it. We got some help from tresillian and got through it but I don't want to go there again, it is sooooo stressful.

So after not much sleep and a few tears this morning (you'll soon learn that i'm a crier! If I'm sad, angry, stressed, tired, happy - I cry! LOL) I'm determined to face a new day and try to get his sleeping sorted again.

We are having our 8 week needles tomorrow and I am going to talk to our GP and get a referral for a day stay at Tresillian. Can't hurt to get a bit of advice and a few pointers about where we might be going wrong. They were a great help to me with DD who after a lot of hard work became a brilliant sleeper at about 6-8 months and still is. 6 months sounds like forever, but when I've got friends and my SIL still having major sleeping issues with their 2 and 3 year olds, it puts things into perspective!

I find myself asking every day "why couldn't I get a good sleeper this time??" then feel instantly guilty because of everything we went through to have our precious boy - classic IVF mum guilt trip!!

I need to keep reminding myself that he is only 7 weeks old and there's still a lot we both need to learn and that eventually it will all come together and things will be easier.

Well I'd better go, he's stirring again, have already settled him twice this sleep **sigh**...keep your fingers crossed for me that he has a nice big feed when he wakes!!

[Hoody]

willow-Goodluck with the needles tomo i'm sure your little man will be a trooper for you. I am terrible taking my kids for theres i always get teary. I too am a 'cry baby' as my lovely family like to call me i cry if i am mad, tired, hurt, angry, happy basically some days yu only have to be nice to me and if i'm having a bad day i will cry so you are not alone. We are allowed to be emotional its bloody hard work with 2 a new born let alone a toddler in the equasion too

dragon bub-You must have some good booby milk for Caden to be growing so well. It must be nice to have dropped a night feed and your boobs will settle again so they wont ache for long

suse-welcome to the thread, i hope you are recovering well from your CS. i ill be sure to read your birth story when i finish this post.

Well we are doing reasonably well. I have a terrible chest infection and DD1 is still unwell. Molly has a cough and is very unsettled. i think she is wearing herself out in the day as last night she slept for 6.5hrs again had a feed then another 3 but again has hardly slept today and i cant put her down. I think i would prefer to feed 3 hrly at night and have her settled in day as i'm finding it very hard with a sick toddler. well i hope you all have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and that you all get spoilt. Enjoy your first one with your new bubs

well Molly is craying AGAIN so i best go have a cuddle

[Willow]

Hang in there Hoody!! Sucks that you are all sick for Christmas though. Hope you are all better before Tuesday!!

[Hoody]

Thanks willow we are just hanging on

Suse- wow what a birth story and i thought my emergency CS with DD1 was traumatic. I enjoyed reading it and think you did an amazing job you should be so proud of yourself

[Dragonbub]

Welcome Suse! I will also duck in and read your birth story as soon as I get the chance.

Hoody - sounds like things are a bit tough for you at the moment hun. There are advantages and disadvantages to having bubbas close together. You will get through the hard parts at the same time and when other people (like me) are just starting the hard part again with their second bubs, you will be in the clear with two bigger kiddies. I guess that is not much consolation at the moment, but hang in there, you are doing a great job and I just can't imagine the patience that it must take to deal with two bubbas at the moment.

Willow - we too have good days and bad days. Don't feel guilty about your IVF bub. Some people fall preg accidentally and wind up with the most perfect bubs in the whole world (eg my lil sis). They don't run around going "wow, I didn't want him, but geez he is perfect..." So don't feel guilty that you have tried so hard to have a baby, and get stuck with a bad-sleeper. It is like EVERYTHING has to be hard for some people. I guess you already know that it does get better, but I am sure it really DOES get better As for the Tresellian stay, over here in WA we have Ngala, which sounds like the same thing. I am booked in for the 31st of December. If it helped you before, then go for it! A little bit of sanity just goes a long way, and as parents I think we need all the help we can get.

As for us...good days and bad days. DH had a bit of a mini-breakdown last night, which I found really hard. He said he is so worried about me and PND and worried about Caden and he is not really enjoying being a dad because it is so hard just waiting for bubs to cry. I tried to rally for him and told him all the good things, but really I felt like a fraud because I agree with him entirely! I do really believe that things get better, it is just when? When does it get better? When he is 6 months old? 12 months? I mean, I love him to the ends of the earth, but I just can't help feeling so desperate all the time and there is a knot in my stomach that is constant.

Well, enough of a whinge, back to the grind stone. I agree with you Willow and Hoody - a good cry always helps! But really, I am sick of crying, almost everyday I feel like crying, and I didn't even cry at my Grandmas funeral!

Sorry, there I go again, spoiling the mood. *hugs* to everyone and I sincerely hope you all have a great Chrissy,

[Hoody]

Dragonbub- Huge hugs to you and your DH. Your DH will come around i promise. With DD1 my DH was very much the same then one day when she was about 4 months old he came home from work in the best mood picked her up and said to me "omg i just realised how much i love her" he said he never doubted that he did love her but it was such a huge adjustment period and things are always tough in the beginning. For him it was overwhelming in the beginning and in his eyes all she did was sleep, ***** and cry (ok well that is true but ykwim). He is very similar with Molly and i have had comments from family that he doesnt seem to 'like' her which is sad but i know in time he will be just as smitten as he is with DD1. If things continue and you are both still struggling maybe in the new year some family couselling would help. I hope that tomorrow you both enjoy your day. Maybe we can catch up sooner than later too if you like.

[Willow]

Aw Dragonbub, your poor DH. I know I keep saying this and you still can't see it yet, but it DOES get sooooo much better. Just like Hoody said, the Dad's tend to come around when bub is a bit older and a bit more interactive and doing more than just cry, poo and sleep (or not sleep as the case may be!).

DS was an absolute trooper with his needles and slept like a log the whole day and night! We had him out and about yesterday and he was so good, slept and settled really well. Had a hard time settling him to sleep for the night last night but we had about 20 people over so with all the noise, lights etc it wasn't any wonder

Had him weighed again and the little porker has hit 6kg!

He has slept well again today actually, did a 3 hour sleep before this one. I called the tresillian parents line again today (I know, I'm a shocker!! Need constant reassurance I do ) and she told me that while going for the day stay is always a great idea that she didn't think DS was a bad sleeper at all and that I'm doing all the right things (don't know how many times I need to hear that!) and that I shouldn't expect to see any huge improvements with his waking during sleeps for about a month. At about 12 weeks they are much more able to self settle and she said that if I stay consistent things should really improve from there. She also said that the peak period for a newborn to be unsettled was between about 6 to 9 weeks (so watch out Hoody! LOL) which rings true for us, DS has only been a bit unsettled again since about 6.5 weeks.

I really can't complain too much because he hardly ever cries and is such a happy boy when he's awake.

So, feeling good about things again - I swear its like being on a rollercoaster! One day we're up, the next we're down!

I'm going away tomorrow with DD and DS (poor DH has to work ) to stay at my parent's place on the north coast for about a week. I'll be back around the 5th January.

I hope you are all enjoying the christmas holidays and hope you all have a fantastic new year!

[Hoody]

I am watching out Willow, PMSL. With DD1 she got really unsettled at 10 weeks and i had her screaming for hrs on end for about 2 weeks. The thought of it scares me. I really hope Molly doesnt get too unsettled.

Enjoy your trip away and make the most of your parents been around.

[Dragonbub]

So it really does get better? That's good! I am going down south to spend a few days with my sis to give DH a break. I think he needs some good sleep and to recharge his batteries, that way he will have more patience with Caden when he gets back (or realise how much better life is without a bub and divorce us LOL). It will be a good break for me too as my sis will be able to help out a fair bit.

Sorry to be a wet blanket, I am sure you have your problems as well. I guess being a new mum makes it harder as I didn't expect to be landed with an extremely grumpy baby!

I am going to organise a chiropractor for Caden. Apparently that has helped lots of collicy babies. I just hope it helps us. But still, Caden is 10 weeks today, and is just around the corner from that magic 3 month mark, so hopefully his colic will ease off a bit soon.

Hoody - yeah would be good to catch up soon. I will PM you in the New Year and perhaps we could grab a cuppa in the city or something?

Willow - Glad to hear you are doing "all the right things". I agree, the good day and bad day rollercoaster is very frustrating. I guess you have to just keep on doing and trying everything and not let the bad times affect your confidence (which is really hard).

Well, 42 degrees here today! We have no aircon either, so VERY grumpy baby.

Will chat after the weekend cos I will be away from the computer,

Have a great week everyone

[june78]

Willow - Its funny that you were told that the babies get more unsettled during the 6-9 week period. We have noticed a big difference in his temperament during the days now. I am not sure if that is me not catching him before he gets overtired or not, but it is certainly becoming a lot more difficult getting him to sleep. Plus over the last few days he is only feeding for really short times, like 5 minutes. Not sure what is going on there, will see how long it lasts. Have a good break on the coast.

Dragonbub - I have a friend who went to a Chiropractor for her really unsettled little boy and the change was huge after just one session. Good luck! Have a good break!

Hoody - Hope you guys are starting to feel a bit better, enjoy your break too.

Suse - Welcome to the thread. Don't worry about a routine appearing because no sooner do you think you have one than it changes anyway. Oh and I am sure that was definitely a smile. I know some people will tell you they don't smile until they are about 6-8 weeks old but we definitely got smiles here around the 3 week mark.

We had a horror few days at the end of last week after I started the mini-pill. Jacob screamed after each feed and he was awake all the time. He went from 3-4 hourly at night to every 1.5-2hours. Looking around on the forums I discovered that the mini-pill can make some babies irritable or can reduce your supply temporarily. Apparently they get used to it, but I couldn't stand the anguish in his eyes and have stopped taking it now. (hmm, not sure about contraception now).

Hope you all enjoyed your very first Christmas with your news babies. Its pretty special

[Hoody]

June- its true they say crying in NB's peak during this time. Funny enough my DD was 6 weeks old yesterday and we have had the worst day today! She literally cried for hours. Poor thing though had a slight temp so i gave her some panadol as after a bath it hadnt gone down and now she is sleeping. Thats interesting about the mini pill i never knew that. At the moment we are not using contraception but saying that we have only DTD twice. I am tossing up between the mirena iud and the pill.

Willow- i'm on that roller coaster and we are on a downer today- hopefully we will be up again tomo I have to say i love reading your posts you remind me of me! I hope you have a good time away as well and cant wait to hear all about it.

Dragonbub- It does get better as we keep saying but it takes time and at times can feel like it will always be this tough. I am pleased you are going away for a break hopefully it will do you all some good and you can go home refreshed to a refreshed DH. How on earth did you cope with the weather yesterday. You said 42 is what it got to but when i checked on the net mid arvo it had peaked at 44.5. This is our 1st summer with air con and i dont know how we managed without b4. I look forward to hearing from you when you come home

Suse- how are you coping?

Everyone else your all been very quiet- must be busy. I hope you all had lovely Christmases and i look forward to hearing how you are doing.

[Hoody]

Hello

Its very quiet in here i love reading an hearing how you are all doing and there is nothing new to read since i last posted. (i know some of you are away )

Well we are having a rough couple of days at the moment but are coping (jsut ) It has been ok as Dh is not yet back at work so i have had lots of help with both girls. DD1 has been very good and has even wee'd on the potty so i think we are starting to TT even though i didnt want to start just yet. DD2 on the other hand has been very unsettled. She has been good at night but i am finding it nearly impossible to settle her during the day. I have my very own 'velcro baby' this weekend and its not very fun. DH tried to let me sleep in this morning but all i could hear was her crying. In the end i got up to see to her but it made no diff she just wasnt very happy. I guess we are jsut having a bad week hopefully when DH goes back to work she will change back to my happy girl. Well thats enough from me for today. Take care and i would love to hear from those of you who are not away if you have the time

[suse]

Aww Hoody, I hear you at the moment! You poor thing. Big hugs.

I had a similar thing last night - DP is back to work tomorrow so last night was his last night off. Euan just wouldn't settle and DP told me to go to bed, that he'd bring him in once he'd settled him. I woke at 6:30 and found DP asleep on the couch, and Euan asleep in the pram - apparently once DP got him to sleep he was too tired to try to get him into the cot so I got a good night's sleep. I really felt for DP though - but gee I needed the sleep! And then I slept more on the couch because Euan went straight back to sleep after a feed. Not quite sure when it's going to end but he so far hasn't cried ONCE today, apart from when he's had a nappy change. So we are guaranteed demon baby tonight for sure!! Perhaps he is being lovely baby today because he realised that mummy was going to crack last night and feed him to the crocodiles - or he has just worn himself out after two days of constant eating and crying.

My DP finds it pretty hard too sometimes - he says he can't wait until he can rationalise with him (LOL!). But they do have a few nice moments together which is great, and he is slowly becoming interactive baby which makes such a difference. We live for the good moments right? Everyone I know says the first few months are really hard - but I don't think anyone really understands what that means until it happens. I know that I didn't!

Hugs to all and hope you are all having good days!

[suse]

OMG, OMG - we just got back from pub - Euan didn't wake up the entire time we were there - I got to eat dinner without a baby attached to my boob!!! We just got home and he's just waking up now, so better go feed the monster!