There are many issues that you will encounter as a new parent. We have put together this list of useful articles and threads in order to assist you with some common questions or issues you may have, and to provide you with bit of extra support that we all need as new parents:
Please contact the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) or a Lactation Consultant if you are concerned that you may have breastfeeding and/or supply problems, and before the introduction of solids.
After a crappy morning we managed to get out and meet everyone at Cindy's. It was a mad house full of kids but it was great! Louis decided to draw on Cindy's wall with a crayon which was certainly not a highlight - naughty boy...He did manage to fall asleep on the way home and Dylan napped but is now wide awake again!
Cindy - thanks for having us - I hope it doesn't take too long to clean...
Oh no Kristie!
Milo has done that at our place, although on the upside we discoverd that the previous owners used wash and wear paint, so it came off with minimal fuss.
cindy thanks for having us today,was really good to see everyone and to meet ajp,kristend and kimbaz.was certainly busy with all those kiddies.i would have helped tidy up except the time crept up on me and it was a mad dash to get home to the boys,both babies traveled really well coming home.harry was very hungry though when we walked in the door,traffic was good too.
just dropped corey off to footy training and have bathed and fed the babies.going to see if i can get my nail fixed at the shop tonight.might take james to the footy tomorrow night to see the demons play.,grant doesnt want to go without al......what a sook.
as for gussy boy,in the past with all of gussys procedures hirsty has usually been busy after his ops and gets on some time later to let us know so i hope that the reason she hasnt been in is because no news is good news.
missy,i wonder if she lives near you,if so i think it would be good for you 2 to catch up,she seems soooooo nice.
ok must dash harry is calling.
nikki
Nikki I know she lives in Syd some where but not sure where. Im just hoping all is ok with Gus thats all. We have only had one post from her and that was on the day Gus was in hospital. I just hope all is ok and she is just busy!!
Well what a day!! It was great, i love having a fullhouse and full it was!!!
Nikki - dont be silly about cleaning up, you already di that with my kitchen, you and tracey. I'm glad the bubs travelled well, poor harry was out of sorts a bit today with his feeds wasnt he. What a great sleeper though!
Kristie - dont worry about the crayon, thats what wall were invented for werent they?? Gee dylan is looking like louis!
well Kim has only just left and its 7.30, we had a good gass bag. That chelsea is lots of fun!
Must get going and organise some take away, tori has only just woken up from her nap, she managed 3 hours so im thinking that we will be having a late one tonight.
Thanks again girls for coming i just love it when we all catch up, oh and nikki - you tell grant he is a sook but al will definately be there for the next night or sunday game!
Hi guys, I am really sorry I haven't been able to post since last week. I apologise for not getting on to reassure you we are doing ok.
We've got the MRI results back. It's been a bit scary. We consulted Gussy's Neurosurgeon yesterday. He thinks that what looked like possibly being a slow growing tumour is in fact just a misshapen hypothalamus. His posterior pituitary doesn't look right either, but we're not yet sure what that means and whether there's any connection between it (and his misshapen hypothalamus) to the frequent and voluminous vomits and his food refusal.
The MRI confirmed there has been no change in the shape of his hypothalamus since the last MRI - it is no worse or better in shape. This rules out concerns of a fast growing tumour on the hypothalamic region of his brain, however it does not necessarily rule out a slow growing tumour. His spine all looked ok in the MRI. We are now waiting for the appropriate specialists (neurosurgeon, gastroenterologist and endocrinologist) to interpret and discuss the scans with each other.
The MRI was with dye contrast and was done under general anaesthetic which is the reason he had to be admitted to hospital. As well as the MRI Gus also had to get a new NG (feeding) tube passed as the metal tip on the tube can interfere with the MRI equipment so couldn't be inside him while the MRI was done.
We had a particularly horrible time in hospital. Gussy cried and fought with all his strength to try to stop them from touching him. He gave the anaesthetist a challenging time prior to the start of the MRI with all his fighting. Eventually he worked out the only way to get her to back off was to vomit. So he vomited at the start of the anaesthetising and then promptly inhaled it. Blahhhh it was not a good thing to do! Although he's small, Gussy is incredibly strong willed!
The MRI itself only took a couple of hours plus half an hour in recovery, (but Gussy had to remain in hospital for the whole day til they sorted out some post anaesthetic NG tube issues). Poor little lamb was really sad and scared going into the MRI because DH and I weren't allowed to stay with him during the MRI. We seemed to have to wait a very looong time to be allowed to see him once the MRI was over. Poor wee man didn't know any of the nurses in recovery so was pretty distraught by the time they called us to join him. It was awful.
From excessive crying and vomiting he managed to burst capillaries all over his face. Then after being taken back up the the kids ward he had a little while to settle down before we had to pass his new NG (feeding) tube. I wish he didn't have to have the tubes passed. It makes him gag and dry wretch and usually he can't help vomiting as the tube passes the back of his throat. He's a very brave little boy. Since February I've been passing the tubes myself, but I am required by the hospital to do it in their presence unless it's an emergency type situation where we can't easily get to the hospital. He fights the process so much that we need four nurses to hold him down while I pass the tube. It's such a hard thing to do - be the cause of my beautiful boy's fear, pain, discomfort and then expect him to trust me and want me to comfort him once it's all over. Aghhh the things I have had to learn to do in my role as a mother, are not things I'd ever have expected.
The burst capillaries over Gus's face caused a bit of a stir in the kids ward. They presented as a similar rash to the first signs of meningococcal - so that meant we had a much longer hospital stay than planned while that risk was eliminated. It just turned out to be burst capillaries, thank goodness.
This MRI experience was soo much more traumatic for Gussy than the one earlier in the year. In fact it was completely disproportionate to what he needed to have done. I think it's probably because Gussy's had so much done to him in the past that he's now so much more aware and afraid of medical procedures. He understands most things we talk about and so anticipates things and therefore gets far more scared than he did previously. Things that earlier in year might have just gone over his head now seem to really freak him out. Poor little lamb...
Now the reason I've been off line for the past week is that we've had to send our computer away for fixing and have only had a work computer which has a firewall preventing access to Belly Belly (amongst numerous other sites that are deemed non-work related). I am really sorry to have worried you all. Will now spend some time catching up on all your happenings over the past week. I now need to go and flush Gussy's tube. He's hooked up to his nightime feeding pump as we speak.
Well what a day, thanks again Cindy for having us all.
I am so sorry again for Jordans poor behaviour. He was asleep before we got on the freeway, poor little tacker.
His head looks better, its still bruised but not as eggy anymore. Jamie went and had his hair cut tonight at our friends so we cant hide it with hair anymore He looks so spunky with his shorter hair. He still has heaps of curls.
Cindy hope your take aways are nice. 3 hrs is a great sleep for Tori. I hope she doesnt keep you up too late. Charlotte is getting such a big girl she is gorgeous. I cant beleive how excited Tori gets over Barney she is just gorgeous.
Krisite Louis is just a darling. He is such a spunk and such a good behaved little boy, apart from the drawing on the walls LOL. Dylan is turning into a little Louis, you are going to have 2 heart breakers there I think. Was just to catch up again, cant wait to hear about your xmas shopping.
Nikki You are a darling, thanks for cooking the lunch for us. I am sooooo sorry that Jordan beat up on Chantelle today. I am so embarassed. They were so lovely together the last time, Jordan was just feral today. Harry is such a darling little man. Glad you were able to get your nail fixed, its awful to have one broken.
Missy hope you are all well. What is Callum up to? Does he have any new tricks or words?
Rachel LOL at discovering you have wash and wear paint. I havent invested in crayons yet so havent had the drawing on walls yet. Hope you can make it to the next catch up. It will be at my house so not too far for you.
Kirsty wow you certainly sounds as though you have had a rough week. You are such a stong lady and a great mum, hats off to you. I certainly dont know if I could cope with everything you have been thru. Poor Gus, what a lot to go thru at such a young age. He certainly is a brave little boy. I really hope that the scans come back ok. Take care.
Well off to bed shortly trying to get an early night as tomorrow i have a work party so will be a late night. Jamie is taking Jordan to maccas for tea with a friend and her kids so that should be exciting. He loves maccas (like his mummy).
Have my u/s tomorrow so will see how that goes. I am hoping that I might be near ovulation and they might be able to tell if I have or am about to? We will see. Will try and get some BD in over the next couple days just in case
Have a great night, catch up over the weekend
Last edited by deancey; June 28th, 2007 at 09:30 PM.
: had to add stuff
Kristy, its sounds promising thats its likle not to be a tumour.
Tracey, I sure hope so, I am over Milo being sick and/or potentially contagious every time! Let me know in advance when it will be and I will book a day off work.
Well, had some promising news about my cousin. He had an MRI and some dort of test where they pass radioactive dye through your blood. Theres no sign of any more cancer, so they think they got it all when they did his initial op to remove the lump, which is when he was diagnosed.
So he has chemo for 8 weeks, and they're very hopeful that that will be the end of it. I hope so!
Kristy - What can I say...there's a brighter side to life, and hopefully you'll all find it soon. He's a fighter, and you are a brave mummy too being there through thick and thin. I'm not sure how I'd handle the situation if I were in your shoes, but I'm sure I'd be in there wanting to know everything and getting answers too. Keep strong!
Oh Kristy, Wow is all I can say. What you and Your little boy Gus have been through. Oh my Gosh. Ive had to print out your Post as I wanted to sit with a coffee and read it proberly. Little Gus is such a brave little man, evern if he screams, vomit, cried, kicked etc. For a little child/infant to have to go what he did without his parents (when you couldnt be there for him in the MRI) is brave enough. You know I winge and complan about Callum having a cold/ run/ etc and feel so sorry for him and myself, then there is kids and parents out there like you and Gus going through what you have been through for all of his little life, and its nothing compared to You. I think alot of parents dont relise that we are very lucky and should think more and read more as well on children that do have life problems/disease/etc. I know im not going to forget what I have read here this morning and Im just sorry you and Gus, (and all other parents/kids with other problems like this and worse) had to go through it. Life is hard enough with out health problems. Ill be keeping you and Of cause Gus in my at night. I really hope he will be ok and they can do some thing to fix it. You must be a strong lady cause id sux big time if Callum had to go through that. Well done Kristy and Little Darling Gus!!!
deancey all is great there, Callum being tippical boy and trashing the place. The latest words are Widdoooed = Wiggles, duddles= bubbles, dis=this. But he is loveing balls. Always has but more so now. He has 2 that he throws around the place. He has the biggest throw too. He is going great. He has a bit of a croop cough but isnt unwell so that is good.
Rach that is great news about you cousin. that all will be ok but im sure it will be.
Well better go as I can spell some thing nasty....lol.
Kirsty - so glad to hear everything is realatively alright, you and gussy and your hubby area mean team getting through all this areant you! I had a brother who was severely disabled and he was on ng feeding for a while and then they ended up having to do peg feeding for some reason but i can remeber it being so hard for mum not being able to have any rest coz the tubes were always coming out etc and the pumps and things beeping all the time. I know we deal with what we are given and make the most of it but gee you seem to be doing well!
Lastnight i gave charlotte a bottle of formula to make sure she will drink it so i can give mum some incase i havent expressed enough for the days i work and the little thing loved it, she had been feeding on me for ages and still managed to take 100mls! I think my supply drops off at the end of the day so if thats the case i might even just start giving her a bottle after the boob at night. She slept from 10pm till 7am!! She can dothat without the formula too but she was much more settled and didnt need the dummy lastnight.
I think i will end up bottle feeding but i really want to get to 6 months of breast feeding and get her over winter while she can get all the nice antibodies etc from me!
I am going to stay home the next few days and really make sure i am stretchign her out 3 hourly atleast and see if that helps my milk supply at night. Should i express after she has been fed (on the same side)? Do you think that might get my milk happening more?
Stretching out her feeds will probably cause more harm that good to your supply, just based on the demand/supply rule, but maybe post in the proff. suppt area to Barb (ABA) cos she might have some ideas for you.
I think its pretty normal for milk supply to be at its lowest in the evening.
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Babies Born October - December 2005 #11
He looks so spunky with his shorter hair. He still has heaps of curls.
Wow is all I can say. What you and Your little boy Gus have been through. Oh my Gosh. Ive had to print out your Post as I wanted to sit with a coffee and read it proberly. Little Gus is such a brave little man, evern if he screams, vomit, cried, kicked etc. For a little child/infant to have to go what he did without his parents (when you couldnt be there for him in the MRI) is brave enough. You know I winge and complan about Callum having a cold/ run/ etc and feel so sorry for him and myself, then there is kids and parents out there like you and Gus going through what you have been through for all of his little life, and its nothing compared to You. I think alot of parents dont relise that we are very lucky and should think more and read more as well on children that do have life problems/disease/etc. I know im not going to forget what I have read here this morning and Im just sorry you and Gus, (and all other parents/kids with other problems like this and worse) had to go through it. Life is hard enough with out health problems. Ill be keeping you and Of cause Gus in my
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