Babies Born ~ March 1st-15th 2010 #2

[Cass72]

Good to hear. Take care of yourself.

[LilsJula]

QB - Look after yourself!! Remember there is light at the end of the tunnel - the time passes so quickly (feels like forever when you are in it!).

Roxxie - Yay - a laugh - how exciting!

Stacey - Yes would need lotto for more and no way I am going back into that birthing suite!!

PollyA - Glad the new cot was great for bubs and he slept well. I agree re the who thought toddler would be waking more than newborn - but they do say they regress with newborn and then get back on track - here's hoping! It is really hard getting out with two - don't be down on yourself. Sometimes it is 11am and all I have been trying to do all morning is get out of the house. This is made harder but your DD having a 2 hour nap. Life has become easier for me as I have just dropped my day sleep for my 26mth old - so I don't have to worry about his sleep now. He just has a quiet time but that can be anytime. All I can say is I guess it gets easier! (I hope too!!!)

[lou76]

Hi everyone,

Just a really quick one from me to say 'Hello' and to let off a bit of steam. We seem to have been majorly busy over the past week or so and I haven't even been able to sit to read the posts, so I apologise for no personals.

Well, we are still suffering from one health problem to another in our family. My 2y.o DS has just had grommets put in on monday, so hopefully he will have a good year this year. We worked out that he had 9 known ear infections last year, and has 3 already this year, so we desperate to get it fixed. On Tuesday Sophie went to the Child Health Nurse (she's now 5.05kg, 57cm long and head is 37.5cm) and was told that she had one leg shorter than the other (by about 3mm) and that we need to go back to our Paed, and that her head is favouring to the left and that she needs to see a osteopath. So, we then went to see the Paed again on wed (who made a spot for us so we wouldn't have to wait weeks and worry!) and he thinks her legs and head are fine (Yah, but no thanks to the silly CHN for the worry!!) but is sending us for a hip ultrasound tomorrow just to be sure. He told me not to worry about her head as most children tend to favour one side (anyone else noticed this with their bubs??) but I am still going to the osteopath just to be sure. Now this morning she has woken with Conjunctivitis, which is going around DS's childcare. I was intending on taking her to the immunisation clinic today for her 8wk jabs but will now have to make an appointment at drs for next week. On top of all that she is suffering terrible cradle cap, has ANOTHER hormonal rash on her face and has really dry skin on her shoulders. I seem to be lathering her is cream/oil constantly. And in true form, DH has been complaining that he is feeling off again and thinks he is coming down with the flu again (third time since Sophie was born!!) I went to Medicare the other day with some of our dr's reciepts, etc. and hit their $500 cash limit so they had to take one receipt off to bring in next time - it is rediculous how much money we have spent at drs/hosp/pathology/etc.

Sorry to vent, particularly when I haven't been on here very much lately, but it is just so frustrating!!!


And on a better note (not!) my inlaws arrive next thurs for 10 days. Won't that be just lovely??

Will try and make some time to sit down and read personals and reply over the weekend. Hope everyone is keeping well xx

[roxxie]

Lou - what oil/creams are you using on Sophies skin? A nurse told me this week that baby oil can actually cause rashes and to only use oils that you can eat (vegetable, nut, etc). Not sure if you were already doing that. Also the only cream I use on Lacie is sorbolene as its so plain and unfragranced, sometimes they can react really strongly to the slightest fragrance, thats what I've noticed with Lacie. As for favouring one side, Lacie has always favoured the side away from her fracture, although lately she has switched to the other side. I think its quite normal for them to have a favourite side!

[lizh]

Hi

Going well here. Everything has been so much easier this time around. The baby however seems to have some sort of reflux and vomits *all* the time. I have minimised the problem by keeping her upright as much as possible and using bibs all the time...

Liz

[Jandals]

Wow you guys have been chatty. It's hard to keep up I should be going to bed now but I feel like I need some time on my own in the evenings so usually end up staying up way too late and paying for it in the morning. Plus it's often the only chance I get to reply here!

I had a slightly more successful shopping day today - managed to get a few tops and a cute little pair of ballet flats. No luck finding pants or skirts yet but I will keep trying! I also got myself along to the sports shop yesterday and purchased a pair of running shoes A rather big deal as I have never been a runner but have full intentions of completing this Couch 2 5K program. I just need to find a bra that will contain my big wobbly boobies. It's no easy task and I think I'm going to have to end up going to a specialized store and spending about $90 . But when I'm looking all fit and hot I'm sure it will have been worth it .

The kids are finally starting to get better. Toby is still really snuffly in the mornings and struggles to breathe through his nose which really ****es him off, so I've been using the saline drops and the aspirator. He HATES it but I've got the hang of it now and after a few seconds of discomfort he can breathe so much better. I will be so pleased to get everyone well again.

On a happy note - I'm off to a day spa on Sunday for an hour long massage, a spa pedicure, sauna, steam room and hydro-therapy pool treatments . It's a bit of a long and boring story as to how it's come about but it's not going to cost me a cent and I'm soooooooo looking forward to it. My back and shoulders are killing me so I'm hoping it will loosen things up a bit. Only downer is I'll have to don my togs and let me tell you, that will not be a pretty sight! I'm a bit anxious about leaving Toby as I'll be away for about 4-5 hrs because the day spa is on the Gold Coast (about an hr drive). I've been expressing and will get some formula just in case he's extra hungry that day and I haven't left enough EBM. My worst nightmare is being away and Toby being starving with no milk! I think DH is quite looking forward to having both the kids on his own, especially to have some time with Toby as he's such a mummy's boy. I'm hoping Toby will settle okay for DH as I'll be away in the morning and that seems to be his most happy and settled time of day.

Bree - We tried DD on a bottle when she was only a couple of weeks old and she took it easily. We then made the mistake of thinking she would take it anytime and didn't try again for a few weeks but which time she flatly refused. To be honest we didn't try too hard as we didn't really need her to take it, it just would have been nice for me to have the option of a break sometimes but it wasn't to be. Toby takes a bottle happily (well I hope he still will! Must try before Sunday) but he really loves his milk so I don't think he'd care what it was coming out of! Unfortunately I think some babies just flatly refuse. Sorry I don't have any suggestions for you.

Cass - Toby has been watching us eat from time to time. I'm hoping to be able to hold him out until at least 6 mths before I introduce solids but I guess I'll have to see how he goes. It's pretty amazing that they are already so interested! It's really freaking me out how quickly he's growing up - I feel like I have to savour every moment or I'm going to miss something.

Polly - I've taken your advice and I'm on the look out for a buddy to do the Bridge to Brisbane with. Do you think 3 mths is a reasonable length of time to get from SERIOUSLY unfit to completing it? I'm scared at how hard the first few weeks will be but I can see how stoked I would be if I managed to run 5 km. And I have some awesome glow-in-the dark runners (apparently they are for triathalons. A little beyond what I need but they look so good I couldn't resist ) so I'll be looking pretty damn styley as I crawl along on my first attempt!
Glad the co-sleeper cot is working for you. I would love one but they are a little out of our budget at the moment and I don't think it would actually fit in our room which is pretty much all king-sized bed. I'm thinking that when my sister leaves next week and we have our spare bed back DH may have to spend some nights in there to give my back and neck a break.

QB - Hope you're feeling better today. Remember it's totally normal to have crappy days but you'll know within yourself if the PND is on it's way back. It must be really hard work with 3 kids - I can barely keep up with two! And I hear ya with AF. She has graced me with her presence again - she obviously missed me so much that after only a week she had to return. Agggghhhhhhhh.

Lou - DD had grommets put in at about 2 yrs old and they made a huge difference. No more ear infections while they stayed in and once they came out the frequency dropped right down. Unfortunately she now seems to get tonsillitis fairly often. I'm hoping she will grow out of it and we won't have to get them removed. It's so horrible watching wee ones go under a GA. Sending you well and healthy vibes.

Roxxie/Lou - I use Apricot Kernal oil on Toby. It's a really nice smooth oil and seems to absorb quickly. We just used olive oil on DD and it was fine too. I try not to use anything much on their skin as I find it's so easy to dry it out. Even the Aroma Baby products I have can give Toby dry skin so I just wash him with water most of the time and give him a massage with the oil after a bath.

How often are you all bathing the babies? We have been doing every second/third day with bum washes in between but I'm thinking of making it every day purely to help with the evening routine. It works for us to bath the kids together and them put them to bed. DD loves having Toby in with her and he really enjoys it too and comes out totally chillaxed

Well done if you've reached the end of my novel! Sorry if I've missed anyone but I've written more than enough Definitely now time for bed.

[Cass72]

The kids are finally starting to get better. Toby is still really snuffly in the mornings and struggles to breathe through his nose which really ****es him off, so I've been using the saline drops and the aspirator. He HATES it but I've got the hang of it now and after a few seconds of discomfort he can breathe so much better. I will be so pleased to get everyone well again.

Robert's been snuffly in the mornings too. We gave up on the drops I found the spray worked better and I didn't use the aspirator (that just made him scream). I bought some vicks baby balsam today. I haven't used it on his skin (because its from 3 months) but I'm going to put some on the sheets up near his head so he can smell it. It's actually quite a nice smell. It has essential oils, lavender and rosemary.

How often are you all bathing the babies? We have been doing every second/third day with bum washes in between but I'm thinking of making it every day purely to help with the evening routine. It works for us to bath the kids together and them put them to bed. DD loves having Toby in with her and he really enjoys it too and comes out totally chillaxed

We give Robert a bath (or shower) every evening as a part of his bedtime routine. It's bath, feed, swaddle, bed. We are finding that he self-settles. Tonight I didn't think he would because when I put him in bed he was all wide-eyed but I haven't heard a peep out of him since 645 and it's just about 930 now (hope I haven't jinxed myself!)

He told me not to worry about her head as most children tend to favour one side (anyone else noticed this with their bubs??) but I am still going to the osteopath just to be sure.

The CHN asked me about this and I quite honestly couldn't answer (am I a bad mum???). I usually rotate which end I put Robert in the cot as a rule because he seems to prefer to face out of the cot across the room.

Bree - We tried DD on a bottle when she was only a couple of weeks old and she took it easily. We then made the mistake of thinking she would take it anytime and didn't try again for a few weeks but which time she flatly refused.

DH tried Robert with the bottle and he took it but wasn't overly keen. I think it was mainly because I was in the room. I would love it if he did take to it to give me a longer sleep, but to be honest I think I would be awake anyway so I can't see the point.

Well on that note, I'm going to go and snuggle up on the couch with my lovely husband - he just made me a hot milo.

[CinderToriella]

Hi Ladies

I love being a mum soo mum, i dont care how much sleep i dont get or how much walking around the house bouncing Hannah or the crying or the no showers i dont care about anything except those beautiful looks i get and how she smiles when she sees me or how when she is upset she doent want anyone but me..

I am so in love with my litte girl- yeah we have bad days bad nights , but so what? they are babies small little ppl who are learning how life works , they dont know anythiong yet and its up to us to teach them and guide then and help them to know and learn..No one said it would be easy and we would have perfect days and nights with nothing going wrong.babies cry they scream they are un settled and i love it lol I would put up with never sleeping again as those smiles and looks and coos ,those little arms and legs kicking away with pure joy ,they all make up for it ..

Sorry about raving on but i am just really happy being a mum and i love every moment of it good or bad ..I havent been on BB much coz one i was having health probs and 2 iv just been spending every moment i can with Hannah

She is just so different now changing every day , she tries to sit up all the time and gets so annoyed when she cant,she rolls onto one side ,she holds onto her toys ,yeah she still gets me up pretty much every two hours at night for a feed but i dont mind,she will stop in her own time, she is slowly becoming a better sleeper, and i believe that all babies do everything when they are ready and i dont go by what 'books' say they are only a guide IMO anyway.

In regards to the hormonal skin, Hannah had that for weeks really bad pimples and red skin..we used a bar of baby soap and washed her skin gently each night when she had her bath and then put on some sorbolene cream, it worked and its gone and she has not had it back since..Often creams will make it worse, depending on what cream it is..
I use oatmeal creaM and wash now ,oatmeal is great for sensitive skin prone to skin conditions .u can buy a couple of different brands now.

With the babies staring at u eating food the cuties lol, I dont think its coz they want the food IMO Hannah watches when i eat but she watches everything i do, i think its just everything is so new to them and they take it all in, i mean she stares at our dog like she wants to eat her bahahahahhaha

I make sure she gets her naps during the day or she is very grumy at night , i also put Hannah in her pram Cass, its easy as i wheel her around with me outside for washing bathroom door for showers (when i can) and then i just take her out to the shops very good hey

So who has there AF ? and if u do are u breastfeeding? I havent had any sign of it yet pls stay away
Did anyone have stitches at birth? and if u did does DTD hurt for u?
How often are u going to the HCN?

OHHHHH I LOVE BEING A MUMMY

[CinderToriella]

Juts wanted to add i was not having a dig at anyone who is ahving a hard time atm, as iv had really hard times earlier on as well but i guess im saying it does get better and it does settle and get easier each day

[queen bee]

For some reason I seem to be getting my email notification intermitantly. I have just read all your posts and will reply latter.

I just want to to post the name of Tobi's "funny breathing sound"; the pead suspects that Tobi has Congenital Laryngeal Stridor or Stridor for short. Basically as the name suggests his larynx has not fully developed which causes it to collapse during breathing making a very noisy sound.

Coupled with reflux and being very alert make Tobi a hard baby to settle.

We had needles yesterday, which he was upset about but I was prepared for it. In hindsight I should have had DS1 looked after....next time. The good news is he slept OK last night. Went to bed 8.30pm woke up around 2.30am and is still asleep!

Better go do the shopping while DH is home.

[LilsJula]

Lou - Re creams - a health nurse told me to use olive oil on Soph with dry skin and it worked brilliantly! Hormonal rash - just leave. Re favouring a side - my son did - as he positioned himself to lookout of door - so learnt to change ends of the cot...have done this with Soph from the beginning. I believe it is very common. Hope DS is happier soon and good luck with in laws.

Liz - I keep Soph upright for feeds and have her cot, bouncers etc propped up. Really works!!

Jandals - Yay re shopping success...glad Toby is improving. Wow - enjoy the spa!!!! I bath Soph every night too - like Cass!

Cass - The vicks baby balm is good as I used it with my son. What also worked really well were plug in vapour scents...can't remember the name but got from the chemist. Like plugs with smelly scents and these little pads you put in each night. They helped my son when he was little...just remembered them.

QB - Will the larynx develop as it should? Is it painful? At least u know now...how the reflux and settling going?

Shell - Glad you are loving it!!!! It is the best, I agree! I am BF but no AF. With son didn't come back until I was at 3 feeds a day around 12mths! I went to health nurse at 1 week and 7 weeks and not due back until 6mths. With my son I went at 4mths too. The ladies local aren't wonderful...I would go more often if they were lovely and helpful.

Soph going well. Awake for 90mins in day. Goes to sleep on me very easiy but won't stay asleep in cot...v frustrating but toddler's noise doesn't help. She will be a catnapper i think! Pram not working either. The new electric swing great. She slept 4 two hrs in there last night!!!!

Soph feeding every 2.5-3hrs now in the day and getting 1 good 5-7 hr stretch overnight.

She nearly self settled in her rocker yesterday morning. She has given up trying to find her thumb and is sucking her pointer. She put herself to sleep but woke ten mins later.

Met a friend 4 coffee yesterday and we had a number 3 poo explosion. OMG!!!! My DS spared me that experience!!!!

Weighed Soph at the chemist on Thursday. 11 wks = 5.7kg.

Toddler finally on the improve...here's hoping he doesn't catch anything else soon.

[Jandals]

Just a quick one to say I'm dreading leaving Toby tomorrow I'm so excited to be getting out and being pampered, but I just can't help thinking that he's too little for me to be away that long. I have full confidence in DH and know Toby will be well looked after but what if he just wants his Mummy?

Don't you just love the mother guilt

I've got to try and get to bed now and have some sleep or I'll be snoring on the massage table tomorrow

[CinderToriella]

Naawww Jandals u will have such a great time and come home to your little man all refreshed and ready to go

I know how u feel though i know i am not ready to leaveHannah yet but u and he will be ok

[queen bee]

LJ- I meant to say that the stridor and reflux should hopefully rectify themselves by 12 months, it's not painful but I think it does bother him a bit. Sometimes he wakes himself up because it can get so loud. I also prop Tobi up as much as possible. Tobi is great at doing no.3 as he only poos every 2-3 days but it is so much worse when you aren't home.

Did anyone else notice more spew and poo after the 2 month needles? I think Tobi might be in the 13% who poo out the Rotavirus vaccine(the oral one).

Jandals- It's amazing how guilty you can get, but it means you're a good mum because you care. Have a wonderful time, it sounds lovely.

shell- yay for you, sounds like you have a very healthy outlook on it all.

BTW- My boof is 6050g at 9 weeks!

[LilsJula]

Jandals - How was the spa?

QB - My son was a boof too - 6.5kg at 8weeks (born 3.4kg) but the weight gain did slow. Soph was 5.2kg at 9 weeks. Soph had a reaction to the rotovirus. She had terrible tummy pains on the Wednesday and Thursday (needle on Tuesday) and then Thursday night a poo-a-thon started until Saturday. After the pooing stopped she was back to her happy self but she was miserable for the week! Oh and what a terrible smell - not the normal baby poo smell.

Soph had a shocker last night. Went down beautifully at 7.30 after a 7pm feed. Seems to waking first at 12.30ish now (not the two to three am which was wonderful). But she was really restless all morning! Up every hour or so. I think she had a tummy ache - but not sure. She seems happy now but must be tired. Poor thing too - she is trying so desperately to suck her thumb but just can't co-ordinate it and she gets really cranky. My son was an expert by 8weeks. Anyone else have a child who sucks their thumb - how long until they mastered it??

[CinderToriella]

Hey LJ, Hannah has not got to the thumb yet but her hands are in her mouth most of the day lol... she gets her fingers in and has put her thumb in a couple of times but cant get it quite right yet

Hannah had a weird night last night, she had a great day and was very tired early so bathed her ,gave her a massage and feed, she was in bed at about 630, she slept for an hour or so and woke up , gave her a top up soothed her she fell asleep on me put her down and she started kicking her legs and arms and looking around like she was scared or something this happened all night ,she would sleep in her cot for a little bit but then wake up the same way, i eneded up sleeping with her in my arms on the lounge as this was the only way she would settle and sleep, she would sometimes wake up open her eyes but then fall back to sleep?
Anyone know whats happening with that? or has anyone has simular ?
We used th wrap her up but she was always trying to kick out of it and get free so we put her ina sleeping bag which she loved being able to move around and have her amrs out, but last night we had to wrap her , which helped a bit but she still woke up all stressed when she was in her cot.

there is sooooo much washing to do its not funny coz of all the wet raining days, i am really tired and want to have a nap but i keep thinking no u need to do the washing lol

[queen bee]

We had a really good weekend, Tobi slept really well, YAY! I kept thinking who is this child? He has totally sworn off the dummy (bummer) and has start to suck his finger but is still unco. If this settled baby sticks around we may be able to cancel sleep school, but better not count my chickens just yet.

Sorry to hear that your bubs had unsettled nights, not sure what that's about, full moon or something?

[Jandals]

QB - Glad to hear Tobi settled for you last night. DD had silent reflux and it was such hard work. She didn't sleep well until the paed put her on Pepti Jr, which is a short-chain peptide formula, at 8 mths. I don't think anything would have helped her sleep as she was in pain a lot of the time. Poor thing. Luckily it was all only temporary and she's now a healthy and very energetic 4 year old!

shell - Hope Hannah has had a better day than night. I wonder if she's going through some developmental growth and that's what unsettled her. I know that it's common with slightly older kids to get very unsettled as they reach developmental milestones, especially if they have lots happening all at once. Don't know if it's the same for babies
Flag the washing! You should totally get sleep when you can.

Cass - I'm using the baby balsam on Toby. I know it said from 3 mths but it works really well and I think it's nicer than suctioning his nose all the time. He's had no reaction to it so I'm guessing it's okay.

Re. sleep - Toby's a shocker during the day. Only cat-naps for 20-40 mins at a time unless he's on me. He slept in his swing today which gave me some time to cook dinner and get some washing done but most days it's a struggle to get anything done. At night he's still waking at least twice and often seems to be unsettled from about 5am. I wonder if it's because I feed him lying down and don't burp him properly cause I'm so sleepy.

Gotta run. Back soon.