Babies Born ~ July 2013 #1

tasha - so glad to hear sleep school was useful, hopefully your little one & you can get some more sleep. it's amazing how much better you feel when you get a 4/5 hour block. : )

we are going well, both boobs in working order now so I'm not having to express & bottle feed atm. although now my left had a graze, so we'll see how I go this week. had mchn appt tues, he's still putting on required weight & seems to be trucking along nicely. I am loving the after feed cuddles & him staring up at me with his confused, frowny face... too cute. Xx

is there anything better than cuddling a newborn post bath? clean, sleepy & all wrapped up tight. : )

Marley screams the house down when I take her out of the bath! So she's usually quietly sobbing once she's dressed and wrapped. Poor little chicken.

Hi Girls

Sorry I have been a bit MIA. Life with a newborn is hectic as you all know and even though I get on to read, its rare to find the time to post properly.

Jack is the sweetest baby and I am totally in love with him. He is sleeping in his own room in his tetra bed in his cot. He didn't really love the bassinet and seems to love the quiet of his room. He sleeps better during the day in there also. He was in our room in a bassinet but he was so noisy and we all seem to keep each other awake. I have a video monitor and can see and hear him and we have the sensor mats under his tetra bed. Monday was his first sleep over and it was so weird. I was constantly watching the monitor and had a sleepless night. Jack however slept like an angel. Its so weird being without him, but I am slowly getting used to it. I am sleeping a lot better now. His barnyard noises kept me awake and I think I used to get up to him to early without letting him settle himself back to sleep. With the monitor I can see and hear him babbling but then he goes back to sleep. Previously I would have gotten up to him. I didn't think that he would be in his room so early but it seems to be working for all of us.

Jack is formula fed now. BF didn't really work for us and he is happy and thriving. He is having his week 5 wonder week this week and has been awake a bit more than usual. Not crying or anything, just awake. He is not really a big crier. Just when he needs something.

Baby group has been really good. Its nice to meet with other mums who have newborns. There is a little boy born one day before Jack and one after.

I cant believe I have a 5 week old son. It feels like he has been here forever and not just 5 weeks. We are in a pretty good routine although its a loose one. He feeds every 4 hours although sometimes its 3 and sometimes its 5. Whenever he wants to feed is fine by me. He has a bath at 7pm, feed around 8pm and is usually in bed by 9pm. I go to bed then as I know I have to be up again soon. Some nights I get up at 12am and 4am and other nights its 1.30am and then 6.00am. The 4am feeds are the worse as it takes 45 minutes till I am back to bed and then if he is awake at 7am it feels like I just crawled back into bed. Last night he fed at 11.30pm and I got to bed at 12.15am. He went straight back to sleep. I heard him again I rolled over and thought he was unsettled only to check the time and its 3.30am, time for his next feed lol. I must have crashed.

So far we have been lucky with his health. A few babies at baby group already have had colds and our midwife said its normal to have 10 cold in the first year. And she said although its not pleasant its part of them building their immune system. At least his is over a month old now and if need be can use panadol.

I hope everyone is enjoying motherhood. Its better than I thought it would be. I have more patience than I thought I would have and am managing to get up twice a night and still function the next day. Not too sure how long its going to last for though lol.

Must go. Bubba needs to got to bed x

Tasha, how are things going now? Is the angel wrap still working it's magic?

Andie, so glad you have the BF sorted out! After bath cuddles are pretty special! But then all cuddles are, aren't they?? :)

Vic, sorry BF didn't work out for you, but as long as he's happy and thriving, and you're happy too, that is the main thing. Is DH loving being able to share the feeding now?

Emily is such a little darling. She has fitted in to our lives as though she has always been here. I can't believe how laid back and easy going she is. I guess being #3 she has to be! I have both my boys home from school with coughs (again!) - arghhh, hoping Emily can avoid it! Or at the worse, hope it's a very mild case. I don't think we could handle another hospital stay. My Mum has just been over to give her a bath :) She's had her last few baths in the big bath. She loves it! Lots of room to kick her legs. We only bath her every few days, unless she has a mega poo explosion lol. We're using half disposables/half cloth, and she's already outgrown the newborn huggies and is wearing the infant size! She is wearing a mix of 0000 and 000 clothes, depending on the brand. It's crazy how different the sizings are.

vic - yep, know the feeling. i keep up with bb regularly but rarely find the time to post anything also. in between feeding, settling, changing nappies, sleeping & trying to squeeze in a shower & food for myself- doesn't leave much free time. im glad you are enjoying motherhood so much, jack sounds like such a little champ! his feeding/sleeping sounds similar to my little guy, feeding every 4 hours (give or take an hour) and sleeping 4 hour blocks usually. although yesterday he did a couple of 3 hour blocks & then treated me to an overnight nap of 12.30pm-5.30am. thankyou little guy... :)

peeks - you are 100% correct, all cuddles are pretty special ;)! i had some lovely ones this morning while cuddling him off to sleep, he's got the cutest little face & i love the way his forehead wrinkles when he is struggling to open his eyes/stay awake. emily sounds like she is doing really well, hopefully she can avoid getting the cold/coughs this time. we bathe our little guy every 2-3 days too, we've been putting a couple drops of olive oil in his bath bc his skin is a bit dry atm. wonder if i could try coconut oil? might smell nicer?! my little guy is still in newborn huggies (but he's only 3 weeks tomorrow) & still in 00000's. i think over the next week he might graduate in to 0000's though.

Tasha - hope you're going ok & managing to squeeze in some sleep somewhere. :hug:

would love to hear how the other ladies & babies are going - caz, nire, cinder?

afm - things are going ok here, nipples are getting a bit sore again. im desperately hoping that its a 2 steps forward, one step back thing bc i don't think i can keep going if things get worse again. i think bc he was a bit snuffly and having trouble breathing he wasn't opening his mouth wide enough and just nibbling, rather than gulping like he usually does & this has caused my nipples to get cracked & raw again. we dropped a couple of drops of cooled boiled water up his nose (as directed by mchn) and 2 seconds later he sneezed & out came a massive blob of snot... i was so relieved for him i may have shed a tear... :redface:. he is having a little bit more awake time now, and likes to lay on the floor and look at some bright toys/pillows etc. after a feed. its quite handy bc gives me time to go to the loo, get a drink - or simply just to put my boobs away! xx

It's been so quiet here, I hope everyone is okay!

Andie, how is the night sleeping going? Been getting more longer stretches? We also used olive oil in the bath here. Emily had such dry skin for the first couple of weeks. Makes them so slippery though, doesn't it? Coconut oil would work too, and yes, it would smell lovely :) I love coconut scent. Hope your nipples/BF is going okay.

I've given up on BF. I'm still expressing - pumping for 20 mins 5-6 times per 24hrs gives me enough milk for Emily's 7 bottles. She feeds every 3hrs during the day, with 1 or 2 longer stretches over night. She cat naps during the day, but makes up for it at night time by settling quickly and sleeping for longer. I caught up with my doula this week, it was so nice to see her again and to talk over the labour/birth. She was amazing, I don't think I'd have had a successful VBAC if it weren't for her help and support.

Tasha, I have been following your self settling thread, I haven't posted there as I don't really have much more to add and you've been given so many suggestions already. I hope things are going okay for you. I really do understand your frustrations as it reminds me so much of my time with DS1 as a newborn. It's seriously hard work when you have a baby that doesn't settle or sleep well :( Keep posting/venting. We're all here for you.

Sorry I haven't been online for a few days. I mean no offence when I write this, but I cant take hearing about everybody's sleeping babies that just go down in 10 minutes. It is really making me feel worse and worse :(. Again, I mean no offence to any of you, a friend just had a baby and I go into FB just before and the first thing I see is about how much he sleeps and he's such an angel. Just breaks me down. What an I doing wrong? So I will be offline for a while I think.

Tasha, you are not doing anything at all wrong. Please don't ever feel like this is your fault. All babies are different, some sleep and unfortunately, some don't. I take no offense at all to your post as I know exactly how you feel. I felt very much the same with my DS1. I am sorry if any of my posts have upset you :( Take care of yourself x

tasha - massive hugs :hug:. you're not doing anything wrong, you're trying everything you can to care for your little marley. sleep deprivation is horrid. some of the spats dh & I have had at 2-3am in the morning prove that... :redface:. I really hope things improve for you soon & pop back in when you feel up to it and let us know how you are going. xx

peeks - it has been quiet in here.. :). bf has taken another step back, my nips are so grazed, red & sore again. I don't know what im doing wrong, if anything. my little guy has a few white peaks in his mouth, which I thought were teeth (eek!), but mchn thinks their cyst things which apparently come and go. sure look & feel like teeth and im guessing its the reason bf is still hurting me so much :cry:. I am going to a bf drop in centre for an hour tomorrow to get some more tips/check latch etc. what I really need is some sort of numbing cream, but im haven't heard of anything like that which is suitable for bf'ing. on a more positive note, night sleeping is going a bit better. ive found that if I feed him every 3-4 hours during the day (which is waking up for now... finally!), then have his last feed at around 11.30pm, in bed by 12.30, he will do a bigger stretch overnight. i'm jealous of your pumping abilities...! might have another try tonight, see if I can get half a feed so at least I can rest one nip for a little bit.

afm - going ok, this bf'ing thing is wearing me down. crying at every other feed from the pain and im not sure how much longer I can keep going. I really want to bf though, so im doing everything I can to keep it up. I just wish my nipples would toughen up & it would stop hurting so much. its so lovely when I get a feed that doesn't hurt. other than that, things are going well. mchn visit yesterday & he has put on 400 grams in 2 weeks, so at least he is getting enough. I think I would be devastated if I was going through all this & he wasn't putting on weight. anyway, better go. might give this pumping thing another go. hope everyone is going well. xx

Andie, how did the bf drop in centre go? Are you getting a good latch? Has your little man been checked for a tongue tie? I only ask as I had so much trouble with Emily and I knew nothing about tongue tie until my MW mentioned it. I'm only pumping but I'm still having problems. Not sure if it's thrush or what. I've been slack with putting the coconut oil and/or marcalan on my nips, and now one is cracked again. The night before last I had sharp, shooting stabbing pains in one breast, I ended up getting out of bed and having some nurofen plus so I could get some sleep! Haven't needed pain killers for weeks. Despite your BF probs sounds like he's getting enough milk with 400g gain in 2 weeks :) Just sucks it's so painful at the moment.

We're still not getting much sleep during the day. Between feeding, changing, settling, expressing, cuddling, there isn't a lot of time for anything else to get done around here. You should see my kitchen at the moment :redface: Lucky these little people are so cute, huh? :lol: After 2 boys I am loving having a little girl. I've been dressing her up in pretty dresses over the top of her wondersuits lol. I thought she had plenty of clothes, but I still manage to come home with something every time I visit any one of the big department stores ;)

hey peeks - drop in centre went well. my latch is perfect apparently, so she thinks I have some sort of infection/inflammation again (staf, thrush etc) bc my nipples are quite pink. so im back on the medicated ointment & and 5 minutes of sunlight per day if I can get it. it was a relief to find a reason for the pain bc I wasn't confident about continuing if it was just part and parcel of breastfeeding. I think the ointment has made a difference already & im not needing to pump/rest each boob. I actually asked in hospital about tongue tie bc I had heard that it causes a painful latch, but he doesn't have it apparently. are your nipples pink at all? is marcalan for sore/cracked nipples, or is it for thrush? our poor boobs... it will get better though... :crossfingers:. I bet you are loving having a little girl... I always notice that there are double the amount of cute clothes for girls than boys. maybe I will have a girl next, if I am lucky enough to have another. how is it having 2 boys to care for as well as a baby? I have days where I cant keep my eyes open, I often wonder how I would cope with another child/children?!

Hi Girls

Sorry to hear about the sore boobs.

Sorry to hear Tasha that things are not going so well for you still. I hope you can get some support IRL.

I feel mean for posting how great Jack is doing. He goes down around 8pm, wakes around 4am then around 6.30am. He has been doing that the last 10 days. I feel really lucky to have such a good baby. He doesn't sleep much through the day, but I just strap him on and carry on. We are starting to get more in a day time routine now that the night one seems to be sorted. I cant wait until the 4am feed is dropped though. I don't want to wake him earlier and I figure its best to let him decide when to wake and feed. Babygroup is going really well and its our last one next Wednesday :( We have decided to still meet once a week which I am glad to do. Its nice to swap ideas and get helpful tips of the more experienced mums. I cant believe he is 7 weeks old already.

Hi to everyone else.

Hey all , sorry Iv been distant , just had so much going on.
Love reading about all your babies ,and how they Are going and how different they all are .

Tasha won't say much as so many people already have, but your baby is normal all out babies are normal . Every baby even at the same age will be doing something different as you will notice from this thread and any other thread . There is no such thing as normally a " good baby " in saying that its like saying all other babies who don't sleep through or who cry or do not settle ect are bad babies :/ and my baby is definitely not a bad baby :) she is a normal happy 6 week old and her waking is very normal
You have had some amazing advise on the other thread .. I do hope things pick up for you soon ..if you have a sling or carrier they are wonderful , I pop DD in there most of the day and its wonderful for times they are not settled or upset etc
I have a close carrier and a ergo , highly recommend them ..

DD2 is amazing , so beautiful . Wakes at night every 2-3 hours sometimes more sometimes less .. She will go back to sleep straight away after a feed except from about 4 she is unsettled and wants to sleep on me :) which is fine by me :)
I want to spend as much time as possible with my girls :)..

We are breastfeeding well , have had no problems in that area once again with this baby and I will so happy and lucky that I have had two babies who fed so well ...

I am loving the smiles and playing with her :) it's so beautiful . Love seeing my two girls together as well , the way they look at each other is amazing ..

I am so clucky for more already ha ha ..

Keep posting everyone , it's great to hear how everyone is going and their beautiful babies :) hope you are all well

Hi girls!
Have been reading along and think of you all often. Tasha hon I'm sorry you are still having a tough time, I hope that you have the support you need and I hope that things improve soon xx

I can't believe our little Mr Man is already 7 weeks old. Its gone so fast. He had his immunisations yesterday after a false start last week (he had to go to hospital with a fever). I had my all clear from the Obs this morning and cried as I left. I am beyond grateful for how well she cared for me and my bub.

Breastfeeding is going well no problems to report thank goodness. He is a pretty cruisy baby only cracking it at nappy change time lol. Bit like his mum hates having his clothes off.

Our first mother's group is tomorrow. Looking forward to it.

Anyway girls, better run as its lunch time for little man. Take care, I'll try and pop in again soon xox

nire, glad BF is going well :) Time does go sooo fast, doesn't it?? Emily was 2 months old on Sunday! Have fun at Mother's group tomorrow, hope you form some lasting friendships for you and Logan :)

Cinder, glad everything is going well there too. It's lovely to read about your DDs interacting together :)

Vic, Jack sounds like he's doing really well, getting some decent stretches of sleep overnight sure does make all the difference.

Andie, the marcalan is for sore/cracked nipples. It's just a lanolin cream. I've been alternating with marcalan, coconut oil & daktarin. I think my thrush is in my milk ducts now as the pain is sooo unbelievably bad. It radiates from my nipple into my breast - sharp, stabbing, shooting pains. I have my 8 week checkup tomorrow so I'll see if there's anything else they can give me. How is the BF going for you now? Has the ointment cleared up the painful latch? I def agree that when you have a boy, you notice all the cute girl clothes!

I am having quite a hard time with DS2 at the moment. He's so angry, I wish I knew what was going on for him. I don't think it's entirely because of the changes a new baby has brought on.. he definitely was no angel prior to her arrival! I am working on some different strategies to try help him deal with his anger, but it's early days still. Wish us luck :) With my boys being older, they are quite independent. They can shower/dress/toilet/etc themselves. And they are at school for a large chunk of each day too. The hardest part of the day is probably the 30-60 mins when they first get home, as they are quite hyped up. The sudden change in the noise level usually wakes Emily if she's not already awake, and then they both want my attention, and I'm trying to sort Emily out as well. Apart from that it's usually smooth sailing!

Emily is doing really well. I am constantly amazed at how different she is to my boys when they were this age. She is still not sleeping that much during the day, but she's usually happy enough to sit back and watch the world go by. She loves hanging out in her rocker by the window so she can see outside. She's always full of smiles and is starting to make cute little noises :) She is getting her needles tomorrow morning when we go for our check-up. I am hoping they don't upset her (and our routine!) too much. We have my niece's birthday party in the afternoon!

We had our 8 week check up with the GP, and our 6-8 week visit with the child health nurse today. Both appointments went well. They said Emily is doing great despite her rocky start with being hospitalised. She weighs 4885 grams, and length is 58.5cm :) She was fine with the needles, only squawked for a few seconds! I had a pap smear - it was a bit ouchie :o But at least it's over and done with for another couple of years. I have previously had abnormal cells removed (twice, as they didn't get them all the first time), so I am always careful about keeping on top of check ups.

Birthday party was good. Emily just chilled in her pram!

Glad all went well with your check-ups Peek. What a little trooper Miss E is not to be troubled by her needles. Its great you could both enjoy the party :)

We had a shocking day yesterday. Logan was refusing to sleep and was screaming through all his feeds. I cried a few times too :'( Thankfully all seems ok today. Do you think it was something I ate?

nire, sorry you had a bad day, glad it seems to have been a one of! Could be any number of things, or could be nothing at all. I find it hard to pin point the reasoning behind Emily's unsettled behaviour. My DH has been wondering if she is teething early, but I don't think she is. I guess sometimes our babies just don't feel 100% and crying is their only way to let it out.

Forgot to mention in my last post that I got a script for my thrush. Just one tablet?! Hopefully it works (it hasn't yet). I did read it can take 24-48hrs, or 3-5days in really bad cases. It's been 48hrs so far, and not much improvement yet. I was very close to tears last night because of the pain. I was even considering giving up pumping milk for Emily so I could go back to the doctor and get stronger pain killers. It hurts the most for the few hours straight after pumping, I'm down to pumping that side only twice per day, but even that is hard!

Does anyone have special plans for Father's Day? I know there are a few Dads who will be celebrating for the first time! :) It's DH and my anniversary on Sunday too, so poor DH has to share his day with me ;) He thinks he should get a bigger/better present for having 3 children now. I told him Emily IS his present! :lol:

hi ladies, hope you're all well. :)

just checking in quickly before my little guy wakes. things are going well, although my little champion sleeper has decided he doesn't like his 3 hr naps during the day anymore and instead would like to have 40-50 minute naps, get up and & be cuddled for 30 minutes, then put back in his bed for another 40-50 sleep. he has also decided that 4 hours in between feeds is too long, and feeding 3 hourly during the day. so I am not getting much time in between feeding, settling & sleeping atm... I miss my 3 hour blocks! although, night time he still gives me 4-5 hours. he even did 5.5 hours last night & I woke up feeling amazing. so cant complain. he had a really unsettled day on fathers day, poor dh took him in the morning for me bc I just couldn't cope, I was that tired. I cried a couple of times that day from sheer exhaustion & shock I think bc its the first time he has really been unsettled. waking every 15-20 minutes, I think it was the decaf coffee I had. I have had it 3 other times & every time he seems to react to it. odd, but there you go. so no more decaf for me. he is growing so quickly, put 455 grams on in 2 weeks & now weighs 3.6 kgs... he is 6 weeks tomorrow.

vic - glad to hear & jack are still going so well, you two sound like you are enjoying each other a lot. its nice. :)

cinder - its funny you say you're clucky for more, I was just talking to my sister in law about that yesterday! must be the hormones, but I feel like I want another one asap.

nire - I have my last ob appt next week, I think it will be a bit emotional for me too. I tried so long to have a baby and I feel like there's no words to express my gratitude to everyone that helped me along the way. my little guy cracks it when I take his clothes off/change his nappy too... maybe its a boy thing?! how was mothers group?

peeks - how are your poor boobs & the pain? if your tablet didn't work, you could try the ointment I got prescribed. its called kenacomb. you have to wash off before feeds, but it has definitely made a difference for me. im back on it again as my nipples started to get a bit pink/stingy again. glad your checkup went well, and good girl for getting your pap done. hate those. your little Emily sounds like a placid one? mine doesn't really like the rocker, but will happily sit on his playmate staring & occasional cooing at his caterpillar toy. too cute.

oh, geez... been trying to get little guy to sleep for over an hour now. he's due to be fed in an hour & been up for 2 hours now. it's going to be a tough day. : (

Massive hugs Andie.
Hope you can do something nice for yourself today, even if it's just drinking a cuppa while it's still hot!

thanks, nire. ive re-heated my tea twice already... might switch to water... xx

he's been asleep for 2 hrs now, last feed was 4 hrs ago - would you girls wake for a feed, or leave him? his changing sleep/feed patterns over these past few days have got me second guessing myself... :-/

Personally I'd leave him to wake up on his own. Logan can go up to five or six hours between feeds sometimes (and then he'll compensate by two or three close together! )

Do whatever you feel comfy with.

Andie - I would leave him to wake up for a feed. Its frustrating when they change their feed/sleep pattern.

Jack is having a rough day too. Wednesday afternoons/Thursday mornings are a nightmare for us. We go to baby group Wednesday morning and he doesn't sleep during the morning and I find with all the stimulation he get so overtired in the evening its a nightmare. I am almost at the point of giving it up. The hour and a half at baby group makes hours of work for me in the afternoon/evening and flows into Thursday morning.

Jack is also constipated. He has not pooped since Saturday :o I have given him colxl drops but it doesn't seem to me helping. I have changed the formula he is on as my GP says the S26 Gold can be a bit rich so he is on plain S26 since yesterday.

So its been a rough 24 hours. He was up for a couple of hours last night and I ended up giving him a second bottle. Must have been a hungry day I guess.

Our 6 week check up went well, even if it was done at 8w+5 lol. He weighs 5.71kg and is 59cm long. His head is 40cm. My GP says that he is pretty average.

I have him booked in for the Chiro tomorrow as the girls at baby group all swear by it. I am hoping it will help him poop and sleep better during the day.

Apart from that I am still in love with the little guy. Boo to going back to work in November :(

thanks, ladies. don't know why I'm suddenly questioning myself today. I've just been going with it since he was born & its been going well, now I seem to be worrying. maybe my hormones are having a bad day?! He woke after a 2.5 hrs anyway, then fed, had a burp/pat, then fell asleep on my chest! all up he was only awake for 45mins... maybe growth spurt? he is 6 weeks tomoz.

vic - my little guy is a bit gassy, screws his face up & wakes himself up trying to squeeze a fart/poo out. he seems to be transitioning to doing a big poo every 2-3 days rather than lots of little ones every day. hopefully jack pops one out soon. xx

Andie -your in a wonder week, thats why your ds is all out of whack. Weeks 5 and 8, 12 etc are wonder weeks. Google them if your not aware of them :)

Thanks vic, I have read about the wonder weeks. Hoping this is what it is & not just his new routine! And I forgot, he was 6 weeks yesterday, not tomorrow... : )

Hope everyone has a good night tonight. Xx

We have poop :clap: finally...

The chiro went well. DS hips were out of alignement and thinks he can fix his constipation issues. He goes back twice more and should be good. Jack is now peacefully sleeping :)

Tasha - not sure if your stalking but if your dd is still unsettled, can i suggest the chiro? All the girls at baby group who had unsettled bubs have been and all have success stories.

yay for poop! jack must feel a lot better after that. ; )

I might have to give the chiro a go if my little guy doesn't find his sleep mojo again... still struggling with day time atm. I'm doing the same things but he seems to have trouble going to sleep, and I put him down & he wakes up straight away if not 30 mins later. : (

Same here Andie. Too many naps not enough sleeps during the day. I know they are awake a lot more during the day and all the girls at baby group are saying the same thing. I have discovered the joys of the pram. I bought it inside (from the car) and he has been sleeping for 2 hour blocks in it :) If I see him stirring I give it a quick few pushes and he goes back into another sleep cycle. DH loves it too as Jack wont settle for him. But he crashes in the pram.

Plus I can move it around the house with me. And out to the clothesline. He is a much happier baby when he has proper sleeps.

oh, wow. did not see that coming - he ended up having a couple if 2 hr naps yesterday & for the first time was unsettled at night! fed at 11pm, didnt get him to sleep until nearly 1am. up again at 2am, bed at 3am. up at 5am fed & down at 6am, up at 6.30am, down again at 7am. Up at 9am. So. Tired. I have SIL & her husband coming for lunch today too. :-/

vic - mine sleeps well in the pram too, unfortunately my place is tiny & I live in a very hilly area with no footpaths otherwise I would gladly pop him in there & go for a walk. Im thinking of investing in a hammock, swing thing bc my back is getting quite sore swaying, patting, rocking & just holding him until he sleeps. I have a vibrating chair thing dh's parents bought for us but he doesn't really like that.

Hi :) Nice to see lots of chatter in here! Not much to report, same old, same old! Been feeling a little like groundhog day lately :doh:

Tasha, been thinking of you and Marley, hoping things are getting a little easier for you. Hi to everyone else! Hope Mums and bubs are all well :)

Hey ladies :)
All good here , just popping in to say hi and I hope you are all well ..
Will try post more soon ...

Hi :) I think my thrush/breast pain is finally all good. I don't want to speak too soon but it's been about a week with no pain! Yay! I'm expressing 3-4 times per day, and do both sides each pumping session. Previously I was pumping more often but only one side at a time. At least doing it this way I don't have to wash the pump so often! haha. Emily takes anywhere between 60ml - 120ml per feed, 6-7 feeds per day. She's consistently sleeping around 6-8 hours over night. But day sleeps are still quite bad! Cat naps for 20 mins here and there. Quite grizzly lately, she cries with real tears and everything! She's gone from pooing each nappy change, to going once or twice every couple of days. It worried DH at first (he thought she was constipated from me having the nurofen plus), but DR Google assures me it's all normal for this age as their little bodies adjust :)

My pap smear came back abnormal and I need to go back for another in 12 months time. I've already had a couple of surgeries to have abnormal cells removed so I'm hoping it's nothing to worry about. I am still a little ouchie down below, mainly just when going to the toilet. The pushing sensation hurts a little (sorry for TMI). DH and I have resumed DTD.

Emily smiles a lot, and is starting to coo and make cute little noises. If I copy her, she talks back. It's very sweet :) She has her fists in her mouth most of the time, and has just started looking at her hands. A couple of times it's looked like she's reaching for the toys on her play gym, but could just be flukes!

Added a couple of new photos - https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums.../albums/emily/

I obviously need a bit more sleep, turned up to first session of mothers group today... turns out first session was actually yesterday. Sigh...

Had 6 week OB appt last week & little guys first vaccinations. All good & I only cried a little when they jabbed him. : (

I'll come back later when I'm on my computer, just wanted to check in... still reading just not getting much time to post as little guy is still doing 30 min naps during day. Yawn... : )

Sorry to hear that you missed your first mothers group. How annoying to get ready and get out of the house only to discover it was yesterday. You poor thing. And the needles are so sad, but you know its the best thing for them.

Jack has started sleeping through the night. Hurray!!!! Since Friday night last week we have only been up one night for a bottle. I think he was cold and not hungry as he was sleepy drinking it and not that interested. Last night I rugged his up even more and slept from 8.00pm till 6.30am this morning. I woke up a few times to check on him, but he was fast asleep. He babbled about 5.45am but fell asleep again but come 6.30am he was ready to get up. Fine by me :)

I hope everyone is well xxx

peeks - meant to say last post that I hope your next pap is ok. xx

vic - so jealous of your sleeping baby atm. mines been sick this week & sleep is 2-3 hr blocks atm. although he did do a 9.30-5am last night.

afm - struggle town atm. our household had been sick with cold/flu. everyone is shattered tired & dh & I have zero energy for our little guy. It's been a rough week. to top it off my nips are cracked & sore again, back to pumping one boob & only managed 20 mls last pump. lucky he only drank half of the 60 mls I pumped previously. sorry to whinge, I'm just tired. mum is over to help for an hour or two, she's just cracked it a bit though bc I told her not to suck her finger & put it in my babies mouth. Eww. : (

Thanks Andie :) Sorry to see you missed your first mother's group! Did you make it there this week? We have the 30min cat naps here too, finding it hard to keep her occupied between bottles as she seems to be awake for far too long. How are your nipples going now? I hope they have come good and feeding is going okay. Eww to the finger in the baby's mouth! I had my SIL suck on DS1's bottle when he was a newborn to test the temperature, then put it straight into his mouth - I was so angry!

Vic, sounds like Jack is doing really well! Yay for the big sleeps over night. Is he still loving the carrier during the day?

Emily is 3 months old today. We had our 3-4 month clinic appointment and she weighs almost 5.5kg :) Still trucking along at around the 50th percentile. Such a petite little bubba compared to my boys who were right at the top of the chart!

Hope everyone is doing well.