Babies Born September 2007 #27

[Isadora]

Oh Renee you poor thing, keep up with the cranberry juice!

[MamaPan]

Oh Renee hon what a few days you are having. Drink lots of cranberry my dear. You sound run down, any way your mum can take rory and you can have a few hours to yourself?
Hayley - OMG my heart sank reading your post. Am glad Maddie is OK and you are too... how scary. I am lucky N hasnt had any reactions yet to anything i have made him, perhaps i am little too adventurous on the foods... bummer she didnt like the rice pud it sounded delish to me!
MD - how you doing today> when is DH back?
Clare - thanks so much for what you wrote you gave me a real boost. Sorry if I was whingeing yest... i feel a lot better today. DH will be home tomorrow. (YAY!)
Noni - must admit i had a bit of a double take at the oil up the bum comment too, but it does make sense. How do you get it up there?? Can you believe what we talka bout???
I had a great time with mum here, i gave in and she helped me alot which was great and she had a wonderful time with Noah as well. This morning she played with him from 6.30 andi slept til 8.30 - she even put him back to bed so i was happy!! Last night we made HEAPS of roast vegies for dinner.. (still passover so so bloody limiting what we can eat til tomorrow night) - i pureed up a few loads for Noah today - one is eggplant, courgette, tomato and capsicum abd the other is root vegies.. both wish roasted garlic. he is a fan of the first one (it is delicious) as i just gave it to him for lunch and i will do the other one tonight... he has had so much sleep today - 40 mins in the mroning, then 2.5 hrs over lunch time and now he is asleep again... before this his RECORD day nap was 1.5 hrs.. i think it is this cold and recovery from teething.. would love it if it was the new him!!! he now has both top teeth - they are huge! he looks sooooo cute, but all grown up! mum also hung out a few loads of washing for me etc, amazing how the small things really help. also i had hired an exersaucer for him from a toy lib (it has to go back this week, i have had it for 5 wks and they wont let me extend!!) - mum LOVED it and i must say N loves it - anyway she bought himone before she left... it is a super duper version and i cant wait to see him init!
anyway better go - few things to do before N wakes up...
hope you are all havinga good weekend and sorry agin for the vent/complaints yest.

xxx

[Artechim]

Haley, that must have been scary. If W gets very upset he gets a blotchy rash on his face. Isn't M FF? I would think that if she was allergic to dairy that she would have a reaction to formula as that is cows milk? Not sure, MD might know?

Pregpan, I also admire you, I have had a hard week alone and I didn't even have to juggle work. Is it N having a problem with leaking at night? Have you tried moving up a size in nappies? W is only 8.5kg but is in toddler for 10-15kg and after this box I am moving him to walker for 13-18kg because they are getting tight around his legs again and also leaked the other night.

MD, I was also going to suggest a chiro or similar to have a look at E. Could it be anything to do with her T-itis neck thing? Glad to hear you are feeling a bit better today.

Cas, we had a bath seat which was good but I have just started sitting him on a non-slip mat because he can kick his legs around more (and has better access to play with his doodle )

I stayed up all night last night and settled W instead of feeding him. I got him to stay asleep for 3.5 hours, then 2 hours, 2 hours then he woke every hour after that but it was an improvement. I am doing surprisingly well for no sleep, except I nearly cried when DH wouldn't stop so I could pick up a caste sheep today lol

[MamaPan]

wow arte - i admire your tenacity - i feel like i should stay up and settle N not feed him but i am too lazy and i just feed him most of the time.. thanks for the tip re the sizing of nappy, i think we will go up a size too. i have been putting a snuggler over the top of the other nappy (i use babylove ecobots) on someone elses recommendation but i must say it isnt making much of a difference!
Thanks also for your kind words, you ladies have brought tears to my eyes.
I just found out DH will come home tonight - he wont get home in time to help get N to bed but i will get to see him around 8.30. cant wait i am sooooo happy!
My mum bought us a bath seat today... i will tell you how it goes! I usually shower N but i have decided to do the bath as well as i think he will find it fun. Plus showering with a 9.5kg chubba aint easy!

[AnyDream]

RE the leaking nappies - I remember with DD1 you use to be able to buy these absorbent inner pad thingys - designed for overnight use in terry flat nappies. They sold them at the supermarket with nappy stuff. It's like a pad that you put inside the usual nappy. I haven't looked for them this time so I have no idea if you can still get them or not...just an idea. I usually have to change E anyway cos we have a 3am poo-er here

Pregpan, glad your DH is home tonight - bonus! Mine will be home later in the week, prolly not fully functional for a couple of days afterwards though. Is the toy library you go to in Rivett? That's the only one I know about. Wasn't sure what an exersaucer was so googled it LOL. Loooks like fun.

Arte, is your DH back now or is he going away again? It's exhausting isn't it? I asked the physio about the torticollis but that's nearly gone and it wouldn't explain the clicking. I hope you catch up on some sleep, I don't understand what you wanted to pick up today (caste sheep? What? Some funny NZ thing to decorate your front lawn LOL?)!

Haley I wondered the same thing as Arte about the dairy? Is it not possibly just the food chemicals (like the tasty cheese, or anything else you might have used for flavoring?). Anyway I reckon if in doubt hold back on every ingredient that was in the cauli cheese for a couple of months then try each ingredient individually again in a tiny quantity early in the day, for a few days in a row. If you think it was a genuine allergic reaction (instead of a food sensitivity) you could talk to your GP about a referral to a dietician.

Renee, bugger the cranberry juice, get some cranberry capsules. The juice has plenty of sugar in it and I'm not sure that's actually helpful, kwim?

Cally, the fruit purees are in the tinned fruit aisle in the the little twin-pack plastic tubs. YOu can keep them in the cupboard until you open them. There's a strawberry one that I'd give a miss for a while but the rest are good.

Clare, we have the non-slip bath mat and I keep one hand on E the entire time she is in the bath. I read the stats on bath drownings so I'm completely paranoid now. We were thinking of a seat but I wasn't satisfied that she couldn't slip out and I figure better that she learns to sit up in the bath anyway. **MD's hot tip of the month** DH went to Clarks Rubber and bought a stadium seat (its like a flat piece of dense foam with a handle) so I kneel on that next to the bath - saves the knees. V comfy.

Well we got out of the house today!!!!!!!!!! Had a stomp through Pialligo, there are nurseries and cafes. E had a play on the slippery dip and the see-saw and loved both, she was cracking right up on the see-saw (it was one with the springs in the middle). She had a hold of the handles and her feet on the footpegs and when H stopped bouncing at the other end, she kept going LOL!

[MamaPan]

OMG MD that is soooo funny, when i dropped mum at the airport i was considering stopping at pialligo for coffee!
i also bought some of the purees you are talking about - but i got the apple and strawberry ones by mistake... i thought this may be better than really runny baby ones so i will go get some plain apple or others too, great for in the bag for when he NEEDS to eat and we are out!
The toy library i go to is NOah's Ark in Rivett - itis great and this is where i got the exersaucer from... i am returning it this week so if you rush in you can get it LOL! I also just joined another one called meg's toy box which is in ****son, it is more 'community' - had good toys too - lots for babies and older too - it is v cheap (i think it was $12 for the yr membership and then the toys are about 50 cents a fortnight) - this one didnt have as many of the larger items for babies like the exersaucer but heaps when they are older and lots of smaller toys for babies. i think they are the only toy libs incanberra - well they are all i have found.

[AnyDream]

That's funny Pregpan, I had a moment this afternoon where I saw a lady holding a baby that looked the same age as E, and I stopped and did a double take in case it was Noah! (I think I'd recognise his spunky hair anywhere LOL). We really must meet for a coffee one day, when you're not too busy!

I will have to check the toy library out, the one at Rivett is probably handier for me, I don't go much further north than Ainslie too often. Toy libraries are best with the bigger toys IMO - with the small toys you've always got to count the bits when you get them so you don't get the blame for someone else losing parts LOL!

[Artechim]

MD, lol a cast sheep is one that has fallen and for some reason they can't get back up. It was on a hill and trying to stand but kept falling back over. If you put them back on their feet they are fine. DH is back from his conference and thankfully isn't going away anywhere in the near future.

Pregpan, your toy library sounds cheap. I joined our one and was just going to do the casual membership but they guilted me into doing the full membership so I have to do fundraising and desk duty.

JaZmum, are you there? How is H? I was wondering if there is any gluten intolerance in your family? It can be transferred via breastmilk.

Ozstar, how is everything going?

Tried to settle without feeding again last night but he wouldn't do it so fed every hour again.

[*noni*e*]

hello all gosh lots of posts since i was on last!!
lol i see my oil trick is causing a little stir lol.. idk health nurse said it works and it does... i just use johnsons baby oil and its kinda squirty?? i just squirt a lil bit in lol like not from up close or anything and not much just so it kinda seaps in...
sounds like all the bubbies are making us tired atm!!! and dp i must add is ****ting me up the wall!!!
sorry no time for personals got that christening to go to this morning and now that dp dosnt have soccer due to weather the three of us all need to get ready uggg

[Cassius2]

Hi Girls!

Well we had our first kinda decent nights sleep last night. Leila woke up only once at 3am. i tried to resettle her for 40mins. but i caved in around 3.40 and fed her. she popped back to sleep and then woke at 6.50am. still not the 12 hours that she used to do before our wedding, but hey, thems the breaks! LOL!

My friend is currently helping her friend out in a delivery room somewhere in Syd today, and part of me is really excited for them and the other part that thinks back to those first 6 weeks is relieved!

Thanks for the shower tips guys. I think I will go and buy the non-slip mat. I saw one in Ikea. i have those non-slip decals but they are not really cutting it and leila just wants to dive bomb in there and 'pick' them up....egad.

Pregpan: if you cant complain in here where do we complain?! LOL! this forum is great for us mums to let it all out!!
you've inspired me to go to the local toy library. i was dubious about my ability to be so organised as to hire and then have to return in time, but I guess it is a good idea as we live in a very narrow vic. terrace and her things are just overflowing everywhere.

MD: I used to love going out to pialligo for my plants! it's much cheaper than yarralumla and alot more variety. that said, the cafe at the yarralumla nursery is really good for mums groups. we headed out there a few times as the bubs can roll around on the grass and we could also take our dog as they have a doggie menu. but i guess it is best in summer...i have to say that i am NOT missing the cold canberra winters!! LOL! except that everyone here is rugged up and it's well above 15! I love it!
that's so funny about the 3am poo! Leila does the same. so annoying. so not only are you zombie like trying to get them to sleep but you are also trying to negotiate an environmental disaster!
heading off to clarks rubber as we speak!! Lol! (actually i dont know where one is here yet...wish we had a fyshwick in melbourne...the one stop suburb!).

Woo Hoo to all the men coming home this week! big relief for you all! my DH will start commuting to wollongong in july and i am a bit nervous about the whole thing, so will be picking brains when the time comes!

Renee: geez girl you are in the wars! yep, the ol' cranberry should do the trick. also a bout of ural can help with the infection. man, it never rains, it always pours! the joys of being women!

anyway lovelies, had better dash as a million things to do and not enough hours in the day...

smiles to you all!

[AnyDream]

Well ladies another Hellish night at the MD household culminating in E *not sleeping at all for 4 hours* plus extra getups before that. Man I feel like a bomb has gone off or something. She's really snotty so I'm taking her to the dr and I will be demanding a script for the no-longer-available-without-a-script-Dimetapp, so at least she can breathe around her dummy. I've also got one of those wee collector bags thingies on her to check her bladder as well (thanks for the inspiration Renee haha).

ETA - *update* Well it seems I didn't need to pay $75 to see the dr for Dimetapp, it's 'doctors recommendation' until 1 Sept and a script needed after that. However, she reassured me that there's nothing wrong with E's neck/back, her wee was ok, no chest/ear/throat infection. Suggested I use some baby Vicks (which I bought) and you should have heard the pharmacist wax lyrical about how dumb it is to put the Dimetapp on script (apparently the US formulation has an ingredient that was removed from use in Australia eons ago - figures!). LOL. Anyway the dr was very sympathetic about the whole sleep thing and is going to do another referral to QE2 as apparently a GP's referral curries more weight than the MACH ones. Anyway my precious little treasure's now asleep so I'm going to have some lunch then go to bed myself. Not much of a life, really.

[Isadora]

MD - You poor love, hope the doc can give you some answers. Are you going to talk to the doc about her being in pain? I wonder if thats what it is that is upsetting her sleep? If only they could talk, but its all trial and error at this stage I guess. I really dont know if it was an allergic reaction, and I was also wondering as she is on formula and never had a prob. However I'll use your process of elimination idea because she was truely that upset that DP went to call the ambos. Also she was arching her back and screaming as if to say she had a tummy pain. I really dont know?? Love your hot tip of the month lmao.

Clare - When did you get married? Glad you got a decent night of sleep. I too am glad the first 6 weeks are over and done with lol!

Noni - Enjoy the christening.

Arte - Aww the poor sheepy. I havent heard of a cast sheep either and I just tested DP and he knew! Sorry that you are having a bad time in the sleep department as well.

Pregpan - You have inspired me to take advantage of the toy library! I will go check it out this week. I am so glad that you had a relaxing time with your mum, its so nice just to have a sleep in every once in awhile!

Hi to everyone else I have missed hope you are all well.

I am in a funny mood today. We went out for a work function last night for DP, which was great, but the a lot of the talk revolved around 'when are you two going to get married' & 'get a ring on her finger' etc etc. I got a bit depressed, as much as I love my DP and want to marry him, I cant shake the thought of I am only 22, is this what my life has come to? Married with kids. & I love Maddie to bits of course, but I had grand plans, well we had grand plans to go travelling. In fact we had our house for sale and then I found out I was pregnant. I kind of feel like I have been robbed of that and that I havent lived as a young person should iykwim. I asked DP how would he feel if I got the contraceptive implant which covers you for 3 yrs so we could travel o/seas as a small family of 3...but he was hoping we'd have another baby when Maddie is 2 and a 1/2. And then after everyone saying why dont you get married, you get the wow 22 with a baby thats so young, at 22 I was doing this and that... Oh I dont know, just feeling so confused but it feels good to let it all out.

[Isadora]

OMG Maddie is 7 months today...time is flying by

[Cally]

MD - oh you poor thing, when does DH get back? He's good at sleep deprivation isn't he? Can he take over for 2 nights so you can get a chance to catch up? Fingers crossed the GP referral gets you in there quicksmart!! How is H coping with everything, is she disturbed by E in the middle of the night?

Hayley - I never did the big travel around the world thing and neither did DH. And we didn't get maried until 29. So any travelling we do we will be old and decrepit - you can still travel when the kids are old enough to look after themselves and you will have 10 years on us!!

Clare - luckily our days of the 3am poo are behind us, that's one thing I'm hoping doesn't return!

Well we've tried yogurt and it's really not a hit. Tried it with plum yesterday and apple today. Will give it another shot in a few days. Certainly makes a mess when she waves the spoon around!!

Arte - do they have a sleep school over there you can go to? Have you spoken to the nurse about it?

[MamaPan]

hi everyone
MD you poor thing, it sounds like HELL at your place right now! I feel foryou.
Hayley - big hug, you certainly dont want to live life with regrets but whatever order things happen in your life it will be right for you and your fam. you need to do what your gut says not worry what other people like DPs workmates think. you are young so so many opps ahead of you, in fact they are ahead of us all no matter what age we are if we want them to happen. DH and I went to live oseas when we were 26 - if it is what you want there is nithing to stop you doing that with a little family. my cousins just moved to london with their 2 year old (they are 38ish)... and as for travelling the world with little ones, personally i think this would be a wonderful experience for them at any age. we are planning to move back oseas ina year or 2.
gotta go, N waking - will come back later

[Artechim]

MD, hope your DH is back soon to help. At least with our very frequent wakings he is only awake for a few minutes, I really feel sorry for you being up for 4 hours at night time. From what I read they have made the cough syrups with antihistamines in them the ones that will need a doctors script. They use the drowsy side effect of old style antihistamines and market it as the night time formula lol. I gave BIL the night time cold and flu pill when he had allergies (cat) at our house and it worked a treat. The concern is that bubs get overdosed with it and get too drowsy etc. There is a table of the affected syrups on the TGA website.

Cally, no sleep schools here. We don't have any nurse, there is an organisation called Plunket that does child health checks but they haven't returned my calls and from their website I think they will just suggest controlled crying anyway. I haven't bothered much with them because my cousin got told off for feeding her baby finger foods too early at 9-10 months so they won't be impressed with W only eating finger foods.

Haley, I had the exact same feeling when I found out I was preg. We had planned to sell the house and travel for a while then come back to NZ last year and then there was a baby on the way and it was all out the window. I felt very ripped off that I didn't get a chance to do what I wanted but I wouldn't change it now. We are planning a trip overseas next year but can't agree on a destination lol. DH wants Canada but I have heard it is similar to NZ scenery-wise and I don't want to go all that way to spend the whole trip comparing it to here. As for getting married, it doesn't change anything - just means a whole heap of bumming around at the bank etc trying to get your name changed on everything.

Noni, hope you have fun at the christening

Will is back in his bath seat. He was o.k for a couple of nights and then decided he should stand up in the bath. He grabs DH arms or the side of the bath to pull himself up and won't stay sitting and it is too slippery and dangerous for him to be doing that so it is back in the seat for him.

[Artechim]

MD, I have been racking my little brain trying to come up with reasons that E is waking at night (coming from someone who can't even get their own kid to sleep lol):

-Did it start around the time of solids? Maybe stop solids for a couple of days to see if she is getting a sore tum?
-Have you started eating anything new lately? Before solids if I ate sugar things then approx 4 hours later W would be grizzly and spewy, it seemed to take that long to get into his system and cause a tummy upset.
-You said she is a 3am pooer, could it be wind related? Have you tried that fart potion of Sheries? I can't remember the name, maybe Infants friend?
-Is she swaddled? Maybe she wants the opposite of what you are currently doing?
-Was she doing it before the cot was moved to her own room? Would it be worth a shot putting back in yours?

Feel free to shoot them down, just trying to brainstorm in case I stumble across something you haven't thought of yet.

ETA: Have added a pic to the gallery of what happens when you leave the dog out of the family photo, hope it gives you a giggle

[Leemar]

Hi Girls,

MD-. Sorry about Miss E not sleeping. I know this is probally a stupid question but is she hungry or thirsty maybe or I wonder if its growing pains.

Well we are all sick with the flu and I feel like a mac truck has hit me. Oh well no rest for the wicked. Better go Jordy is distroying the office.

Talk to all soon.