Babies Born October 2007 #21

[YoYo]

SO OVER IT!

I am getting pretty fed up with the boob feeding. All this fussing, and pulling and yanking....driving me NUTS! It seems he hardly feeds for long at all. One feed today totalled 8 minutes from both boobs and that was with all the fussy goo gaa in between....I think I'm ready to pack it in! Doesn't help that I got a blocked duct last night and it's pretty sore still!

Max will be 5 months next Wednesday so I am going to get him weighed and see if he is still gaining weight OK on what 'seems' to be less bb milk. If he IS then I know that he is feeding OK...if not, then I'm going to put him onto some food and start mixing it with formula to get him onto that too.

Anyone have any suggestions on getting off bb onto formula. I feel kind of bad, but am so desperate to do it at the same time. Tough!

Maybe all this fussing does mean he is more hungry....after all, he WAS sleeping through the night for ages, and now we are up at least once a night (not that bad I know!) The night time feed is the only one he does 'properly'

All this hard stuff....it's a good thing they make them so CUTE!

To answer some questions. I have never wrapped Max (only in hospital - plus I was carp at it!), he was in a sleeping bag as soon as we got home. Glad I did that coz he is used to it now!

Favourite thing to do with Max is take him for a walk with the dog. So relaxing and I get to pamper my pooch at the same time Plus I like playing on the back lawn after his 4pm feed. He gets his 'free willy' time!

Take care all

[ninja_turtle]

julia - i'm in exactly the same boat as you. it seems we go through a bit of the same stuff at the same time.

jj is fussbag central at the moment. i'm not sure if it's the hormones, the antibiotics for my feet, or just him that's causing it but man I'm so over it.

i love BF when it works. when i have heaps of supply, when he feeds every 3 hours and everything is normal.

at the moment he is doing about 11 feeds and i'm exhausted. he's not happy with the boob but refused that first formula i tried. i'm going to get some other sample ones next time i'm at the chemist because i reckon we're coming to the end of the road.

on the cross-over thing, i read somewhere that mixing EBM with formula mix to trick the baby into is one way, and probably what i will try if he rejects more.

he had two lots of baby rice today and STILL wanted boob. i'm sure it's a double-edged sword.... he feels bad because of my antibiotics, wants more milk to feel better but it's the very thing making him feel bad.... (i think)

about wrapping - mr wriggles won't have it. like saffi, i'm doing long suits and sheet w/ bunny rug (both folded in half). he's sleeping pretty well with it so that's that. he's lost interest int he dummy but then the 4m+ ones are nothing like my nipple so i'm not surprised. these dummies look like hippo nipples

[~Trish~]

Julia - You are doing such a fantastic job with Max! Apparently 4 months of age is a very common time for bubs to get fussy when BF'ing. My first DS Joel became extremely fussy around then and I ended up topping him up with formula and by 6 months he weaned off breastmilk and went straight to the bottle. I wish I had known that it was a phase that would pass, but I had no support back then. My friend's bub is 6 weeks older than Kieran and she went through the same problem as you when he was 4 months-ish and she stuck it out and he is feeding like a champ again. It is so stressful to go through though so you just do what you've got to do to keep sane . You could always post in the breastfeeding support area to get some advice.

Viv - You deserve a medal, you have been doing it tough with James. I really admire your perseverance, you are a fantastic mum! I promise you it will all get easier very soon . Why are you on anti-biotics? Have you been unwell? Hope you don't mind me asking!

Misskate - So good to hear from you! I've been wondering where you have been. Glad you and Lachlan are doing well.

Willow - L sounds like he did so well with his needles. I hate getting them done though!

Saffi - Yay to L for doing big sleeps today! Hope you've made the most of the free time!!

Tiff - I still wrap Kieran. If he so much as gets one hand out he won't sleep. So annoying!!

Rebecca - Glad Caitlyn's eye is OK. What a fantastic sleep she did last night! Hope she has another great night for you.

Becky - Yay for Chelsea having a good night last night! How did your mum cope with the two kids? Hope you all get better soon

Leah, Amber & Ange - Do you find the Ergo easy to put on by yourself? I tried one on today and loved it, but I'm worried it will be hard to put on by myself. Thanks for all your help BTW!

[Willow]

Just wanted to second what Trish said about the fussy phases of B'feeding. I fed my DD till she was 16 months (we weaned because I'd lost my second baby and was in hospital sick and devastated, but still feel guilty about that!) and I can promise you fussy stages will come and GO! We had a pretty bad one a few weeks back where he refused the breast for about 11 hours straight. Next day he was fine.

The other thing is Julia, as they get older, they get more and more efficient at feeding. Max could be feeding for 8 mins and be getting 150-200mls of breast milk. There's no way for you to know how much he's taking. Both my babies have been fast, efficient feeders. I remember getting ourselves into all sorts of trouble with DD because I was positive she wasn't feeding for long enough so would try to put her back on, she'd get upset, wouldn't feed and around and around we'd go. It wasn't until an LC watched her feed and told me she was very efficient and fast, a no nonsense kind of feeder, that I relaxed. In the end she was done in about 5 mins flat. If Max is gaining weight and seems happy and content generally, then I'd say you're doing a perfect job

At the end of the day, you have to be happy. If you feel like your time is up, then it's up. But if you're just worried he is not getting enough or like Viv, you've hit a rough patch of constant feeding/fussing/whatever, I found most of the time it passed, it never lasted long.

Viv - if you're on anti'bs and are ovulating/have had AF come to visit, then massive chance that's why jj is fussing. How long are you on the antib's for? Some babies become fussy every month due to hormonal changes - one of my best friends girls is like that (she has twins) but its just for a day or two and then she's back to normal.

So if you want to, stick with it! We're all here to support you.

[YoYo]

What can I say....You all ROCK

[ninja_turtle]

trish - i'm on antibiotics because i had two major wedge resections done to my big toes (3 stitches each). it all started from when i was walking with the stroller in the beginning and bashed my toes on the brake because:

1) bit of a gumby from tiredness and not seeing past my belly in the early days
2) my stride was long... brake was black etc

i also ran over my toes, or kicked the big fat wheels when someone else was pushing. consequently the trauma caused ingrown nails right down the sides (not just corner). i put it off for as long as i could (can't look after baby incapacitated). anyhoo, had the surgery last week and the antibiotics was to cover me for infection because they were nasty, deep, faint-worthy cuts. wooo. gag.

i hate antibiotics. bleh. so does james. i'm using tea tree oil on the wound now (not telling Dr because they're so pro-meds). boy, this is boring.

anyways.... that's why.

james is asleep. what a little angel (when asleep, heh). he likes his fingers now instead of dummy.

*prays today is less draining feed-wise than yesterday*

[~Trish~]

Gaaahhh Viv! Oh that sounds so painful! Sorry, I don't take injury stories very well, I would never make a dr, I can't even HEAR about people's injuries, let alone LOOK at them lol! Man that must have hurt so much... I'm guessing you have lovely long legs and that probably makes you more susceptible to stroller injuries. I hope you aren't in too much pain now, do you have to keep off your feet?

So anyway, regarding Ergo's...I am now a stockist! Hee hee! I know I sell pre-loved stuff, but DH really wants me to sell some new things too and he rang the distributor yesterday and I have 6 carriers on their way! Obviously I will be keeping one myself . Hopefully they sell well and I can keep ordering them, it would be great to have something constant to sell rather than one off things all the time.

So I am meant to be starting up the biz this week, but I have been doing more prep than actually having customers (I'm just leaving the answering machine on). I think I will get into the full swing of it after the long weekend. By then I will have the shop all tidy and clean and ready to go. I have NO idea when I will find the time to update the website, but I suppose I will just work it out. I feel a bit nervous and stressed about it, but I think if I just take my time I will be OK. I really need something else to do other than feeding/playing/putting to bed all day!