Babies born~April 16th-30th 2010 #1

Hi everyone! Golly, it has been a long time since I posted. Somewhere in the past few weeks I just got incredibly busy and haven't kept up with things. I've read a few posts, but not all of them so apologies if I overlook anything major.

Eme is 12 weeks today! Can't believe it myself.... She's doing pretty well, probably not as strong as her sister was at the same age, but that's the premmie thing (Maranui, I hear you!). And she is absolutely gorgeous - a smiley ginger-haired bub who just loves being around people. Sleep/feeding doing much better than last time but she's still feeding 9pm, 3am, 6am at night. The reflux is much better thanks to the wonder-drug-the-price-of-gold! I stupidly started back with my uni work a few weeks ago and ended up crash and burning last week with a mammoth super-flu, despite having the vaccine in April. Slowly making my way back to a functioning adult and will try to take things a little easier now (easy to say... DH is on day 1 of a 14 day stint in the NT).

Maranui - you make me laugh! I also had moments of wondering if everything was ok with my half of the premmie twins when I couldn't get a smile on demand. Eme is around 5kg now, so doing well but not as chubbalicious as Louis yet. She has good neck/head control but I think she's probably a little behind in that area as well. It has been a bit hard to give her the floor time she needs as her big sister gets a little out of control sometimes. I haven't been brave enough to put her in the big cot yet, with the reflux I've been paranoid that she'll choke so she's still in the bassinette near our bed. Ah, parenthood, hey?

HC - Oh no, that man of yours. Last I read your Dad was here, but DH wanted a divorce? Doesn't he know I've been hoping for a Hollywood ending? Any update?

Kirley - good luck with the diet, I'm sympathetic to how difficult it will be when you are sleep deprived and already so busy. I hope it works for both of you!

Tan - Don't know how you cope with your DH away so often. How was your DS's 2nd? DD's is next month and I'm trying to think of something fun but low-labour to do. How is DS going with toilet training? DD started off well but we are now having a few accidents each day and I'm not sure if I'm expecting too much from her at this age. Hope your little man is doing well after his op.

Hi Bella, Shona and Ayapi!

Hey Majella, nice to hear from you ;)
Glad to hear all is well with you and Eme!! wow 12weeks has gone quick...i suppose william is 9 this week also....I cannot believe how fast time goes once they are here!!
William is getting baptised on July 4th... when we first organised it we had six weeks - now i'm realising it's like less than two weeks away!! and all i've done is buy his outfit and send out invites...eek!

Ahh yes my diet will be soo hard!! Missing my milk and sugar for my cuppas - can't quite get the taste of black tea yet :S just tastes like weird water lol!!
Have gone 24hours on it so far...lol and i wanted ice-cream last night cuz John and I have started a ritual while watching Good News Weeks :(...thankfully he didn't have any either!!
It helps that my cousin is also on this diet but stricter...because he has actual food allergies to most things (he's exactly like my mum only worse)....so my auntie and I are swapping any receipes we do have so that we might get something different.

Yesterday was such a long day!! I was soo tired last night...William is doing great at night - usually asleep by 6ish, wakes up anywhere between 1-2 for a feed then goes back to sleep till 6. then he went back to sleep yesterday about 7.30 till ten and went back down for a sleep at 11.30. I thought great today is going to be good....nope he had other ideas! He only slept for an hour and then wouldn' tgo back to sleep and didn't just want to lie by himself anywhere either....
then because hed had some sleep he didn't go to bed until 8pm!!! *sigh* and in that time DH was out at boxing training and indoor soccer so i had a screaming baby and trying to make dinner. He wouldn't drink cuz he had a tummy ache and wouldn't sleep cuz he was hungry....eventually he did a poop then he felt much better and had some food then finally went to sleep!!
Then cuz he was sooo tired...yay for me he slept until 6am!! 10HOURS SLEEP FOR US!! whoohoo. he was restless for dummy and bassinette rocking from 4am, though so not quite a sleep through, but he didn't actually wake till 6.
So far today he went back to sleep at 7.30 again and is still asleep at 9...so hoping i still have another hour....it seems we have this sleep down pat which is great!!

Anyway going to go and prehaps tidy up a little while he's still sleeping.
Hope everyone is well.
HC hope you had a good flight back from Sydney!!

Hi everyone!
So lovely to hear from you Majella and find out how Louis BB twinie is tracking. Though sad to hear you have been crook. My brain is definitely missing adult stimulation so doing some study theoretically sounds appealing. However Louis still isnt quite predictable enough for me to have the nerding time I need when studying. I take it WAY TO SERIOUSLY! Mind you, that might have changed now that I have other priorities. I am entertaining myself by attempting very complex recipes with long lead in times and very complex combinations. Thanks Masterchef! LOL. Bad TV and Bad for my waistline. Sigh.

Kirley - that diet sounds really hard! Cutting back on biscuits is hard enough for me right now. It's interesting as its the opposite of what Sue Cox, the ABA LC, told me. She said eat as wide a variety of food as I can, and that my breast milk will not be affected at all as it gets so processed much by my body. Though she did say garlic made the milk slightly sweeter and bubs liked it. Just as well as we had a huge black dahl last night. Scoff. Yummo! It's funny how you get so much conflicting advice in motherhood isnt it.

Hope everyone else is tracking well. We had a lovely weekend with some great friends staying. Louis was great but was a little overstimulated at the end of the day so we had a couple of episodes of breast refusal :( Weird this morning also. He has been in his cot since 9. I walk past and sometimes he is wide awake and sometimes asleep (at 10 minute intervals). No crying, so I figure either way he is resting and I will leave him there....bizarre. He is overdue a feed now for an hour, so if he grizzles I am going to grab him. My boobs ache!

Also weird. I have my last mothers group today. I am hoping we carry on but change to the morning instead of 1pm. I dont give a toss about what I wear now lol! Remember the first one! Trackpants for this one I think - though they are yummymummy ones I got especially for wearing outside the house. They are designed to look like I have just been with my personal trainer.....whatever!

L is also technically an infant now instead of a newborn! I shall give him a weigh today and see if he is even chubbier. I don't think these breast refusal episodes are an indication he isnt getting enough milk lol! I expressed last night after he refused the breast. I got 150ml from one and 90 from the other (with some still left!) and he usually drains each breast every feed. What a guts! Takes after his mother not his father I am afraid. Sigh.

Love and hugs to you all.

xx

Yes i have also heard that a wide variety is good - however because my mum has lots of food allergies, they could just be coming through in this way.....plus if you actually look beyond what the health professionals say into all the natural remedies and things - you'll find that we really shouldnt eat alot that we do...ie. diary - cows milk protein has never been good for babies even via breast milk....and that we dont require alot of diary to combat osteoperosis, it actually increases the risk as does the rest of our diets. No other mammal on the earth eats milk products from another mammal or at all after they are weaned from their mother....and humans really should be the same. And just all other things like that....
So the diet is hard cuz i have to give up mainly processed sugar *sigh* that is for me for thrush (and temporarily for William cuz he has oral thrush).....and all the other stuff that our bodies dont actually really need anyway.
And i have to eat alot of garlic!! So i guess William is getting very sweet milk atm.

hi all

apologies, no chance to read through, just thought i'd let you know we're still alive :) just back from week in sydney after having dad & friend staying for a week before that, hopefully will find some sense of normality and routine (???) this week and will find time to pop on again soon. Had a well behaved bub in sydney but got all gassy on the day we came home just in time to drive Dad mad..ahahahaha... finally got his birth cert through too, to find DH is apparently English...not good for an irishman, but i found it hugely amusing..

hope you're all well and promise to BBL
hugs HC xx

Hello everyone

I hope everyone is doing well.

Majella, great to hear from you and also cant believe that Eme is 12 weeks, it really does go to fast. You sound like super mum with 2 kids as well as trying to study. What are you studying? I am looking at study as i think i will go crazy being at home with the kids without that mental stimulation i just need to make a decision on what. Goodluck with it all.

Kirley, how is the diet going, that must be quite hard, i hope it really make a difference for yours and Wills sake.

HC, good to hear from you, glad that you had a good time away.

Maranui, how much did Louis weigh?

Hello to everyone else?

Well we are doing pretty good, we definitely don't have any set routine and some days Taz sleeps alot during the day and other times not but is generally pretty content. He seems to feed quite regularly during the day as well and cluster feeds from 5 till about 6-6:30ish so i am trying to prepare dinner earlier in the day. DP has been working alot so i have been doing it on my own (Tan i dont know how you do it with DF away so much) and this week he has been on night shift so we have been trying to be out of the house most of the day. Taz is still being a good sleeper at night with generally just the one wake up sometimes 2. We are having some small problems with wind and he has been really gassy the last week and now he has not done a poo since Monday afternoon, i know they can stop pooing for a number of days so i am not to worried. He is stacking on the weight, i weight him yesterday he is now 6.3kg and approx 61cm. He has put on 2 kg in 7 weeks.
Well got to run now as DD is not well and has just woken up.

Hello to everyone to everyone else and hope you are all doing well.

Hi everyone. We are having a great time and loving spending time with our families. We have moved between relo's every week and Elliot has certainly noticed the moves and has been unsettled for a full day each time.

The Colief drops seem to be working wonders and we are getting some nights with 9 hours between feeds, hooray! Long may it continue!

Keeping track of how everyone is travelling but no time to respond. Looks like we may be staying an extra 3 weeks, not ready to come home just yet :)

Hi everyone!

Bella Mia - Louis was 6.4 kg on Tuesday which was 300gm up on the previous week so I am expecting 6.5 next Tues. CHUBSTER! Not so much that he is off the scales, but its the rate of gain. He is now pretty much in the 50th percentile I think - a long way from the 10th he started on.

SL - great to hear you are going well! Not tempted to not come back are you? As one immigrant to another I can imagine how hard the pull of family can be with a little one compared to the other opportunities that the lucky country Australia offers. Hard!

AFM - going well. Louis is beautiful all day and most nights with the absolute exception of from 4-7pm when he is an absolute horror who cannot be settled, refuses to eat and generally is a ****ace. It's such a shame we suffer the witching hour or otherwise I would have to say he is turning into the dream bubby. Sigh. I am hoping he grows out of it, but friends say they dont always. It's compounded by the fact that DH has to work late quite often which means I do the full time by myself. Not complaining though - often think of Tan and it stops me moping around! :)

My big "problem" at the moment is work. My boss came around and asked me to come back early. Not only that, he wants me to apply for his job. It's a job I could do pretty easily but its just not the right time in my life to be taking on more responsibility. And it would have to be full time. But it kind of sucks to think I might work for someone who, to be arrogantly honest, wouldn't do it as well as I would. Sigh. I guess this is the beginning of that working mother guilt and anxiety......still trying to decide what to do. A big part of me wants to go back, but I suspect its because a little ego stroke is just what I need right now.....

Anyone else facing this dilemma about work and motherhood??

hi everyone

Sneaking on here quick while DP is outside with the kids (i am meant to be cleaning up).

SL, good to hear you are having a great time, it is hard being away from family.

Maranui, I hear you on the work front it has just happened to be that with both my kids (2 separate jobs) the bosses position has come up, which i was the most qualified for and i had to hum and har over it and i really wanted to apply, it is hard to make that decision but in the end i let them both go as it really wasnt the right time for me and decided that there will be other opportunities down the track and i could not get the time back with the kids. I did go for a visit into work the other day and i now actually dont want to go back so i am re-thinking my career choices and trying decide what i want to do.

I know that doesnt really help, goodluck with what you decide, could you go for the job but delay the start date.

Anyway got to run, the troops are coming back in now one screaming (tantrum).

Just a quick drop by whilst paying my rent online at the oldies..

Cooper is giving me HELL at the moment and I am really on sturggle street. This whole juggling act is nigh on impossible with his tantrums and mood swings. I am starting to wonder if it's a delayed reaction to Archer's arrival, or if it's daddy going back to work, the fact that he is dropping his day time nap (i really don't think he is ready for that) or if there is somethine "wrong" with him.... He really has me at wit's end - I find my self not yelling at him but screaming sometimes and I am really disliking the parent I am becoming *sigh* Thankfully Archer is a dream, such a cruisey little lad but often misses out because I am dealing with Coop.... had a few moments where I have locked myself in the bathroom and had a good ol cry and cursed Wayne for working away! Must go... the above mentioned nightmare is tearing mum's house apart... til next week girls x

Tan: so sorry to hear that you are having a hard time. I would imagine that with all the change in his life, Cooper is struggling to adapt. I hope that everything gets better for you, I have no idea how you do it!

Maranui: Good luck on the work decision making. I left my Emergency Department job which I loved and am now working from home doing telephone triage as it fits in with a baby. I had a really hard time in the beginning wondering whether sacrificing the job I loved was the right thing to do, but I have accepted that for now I have chosen a baby over a career and my time has to be allocated to him for now. I don't really enjoy the job but it is convenient and the hours suit, which for now is what I have to accept, although it really doesn't inspire me and I feel that for now I am wasting my skills. I worked really hard to get through Uni and then worked through a postgraduate qualification to move upward and then stepped off the career ladder. I completely understand where you are coming from and it's a decision only you can make, although I would say that i'm with Bella Mia in that your career will always be waiting and opportunities will arise in the future, but that this time we have to nutrure and watch our children grow is time we cannot get back. For me, I would hate to turn around and see that Elliot has grown up without me, it means more to me than any job. For now baing a mummy is the job I have chosen and I don't regret it for a minute. Good luck with making your decision.

Kirley: hope the diet is going well. as the lactase enzyme drops are working wonders for Elliot so it would appear this has been the cause of his wind issues. It has been such a relief to find something that works, I hope you do to.

Does anyone have an suggestions for how I can get William to like tummy time *sigh*....he does either one of two things....
1)lies with his head turned to the right and whinges until he can get his hand in his mouth then he will just lie there
2)cry continually after like two minutes even with his hand in his mouth...the cry gets louder and louder the more I leave him there

No matter what I try he seems to still not like it nor will he lift or turn his head. Even when I lie him with his face on the other side he drags his face across so he can lay on his left cheek. I've tried the rolled up nappy suggestion we had a while ago, i've put a pillow under most of his body so his head just drops and he has to either hold it or have his neck dropped - he chooses faceplant!
I've tried showing him photos (cuz he loves staring at photos on the wall) and putting them in front of him to get his eyes to follow it and move his head - no luck
i've tried talking, singing, clicking, clapping all to get his attention the opposite way he is facing - no luck
I've tried his monkey mobile from his change table that he absolutely loves, i show it too him and turn it on, then bring it round in front of him so to get him to lift his head - no luck....

I really don't know what else to try. Any suggestions? To get him some neck strength i've been sitting him up quite a bit and supporting him front and back at chest level and letting his head bobble round a bit until he steadies it himself. He can hold it quite well - until it drops then he just stays there and doesn't want to pick it up.

Hi Kirley,

My DS1 was the same as your DS, he never liked tummy time until he started rolling over himself at 5 months. I was really worried about him being delayed with rolling over, crawling and the likes because of it, but he did everything right on average anyway. Now DS2 doesn't like tummy time either and I decided to not push it or stress about it. I just try every now and then, but when he starts to complain I stop and I do the same thing as you do with sitting him up. Robin Barker says in her book 'Baby love' that tummy time isn't as important as it is made out to be. HTH.

Hey Kirley

Louis hates tummy time too and has to head off to a specialist physio because of his crappy neck control so we cant avoid it like Robin Barker suggests. Mores the pity. DH also had crappy neck control too according to MIL so I can expect some delays here. Sigh.

We do about 5-10 minutes every playtime - so it is about 30mins per day. This is what we do following discussion with the health nurse:

Tummy on mummy - with lots of cheesy songs about how tummy time is fun with him lying on my tummy while I am on the couch - this is my fav (he hates them all!) lol.
Tummy on the fit ball - this is great for getting them to arch their backs. Just pop him on his tum on a large adult ball but remember to hold on! For some reason this gets the best results.
Tummy on the lazy-susan - this is a lamaze toy that is like a lazy susan on a play mat. He can swivel it around and look at different things - google "Lamaze spin and explore" and you will find an image of it.
And finally, the dreaded tummy on the floor with mum or dad lying down facing him with LOTS of cheering and encouragement.

I also try and carry him on his tummy whenever I remember (which isn't often).

Good luck!

PS. Shocking time at our house this weekend. L is in a growth spurt and is VERY GRUMPY! But he slept from 7pm-4am last night so I can forgive him. I got 6 hours straight sleep!

Kirley: Elliot too hates tummy time so we have given up to just lying him on the play mat. We lay back with him on our chest and he raises his head to make eye contact or carry him around on your forearm, I have an arm between the legs up under his bappy and the other under his armpits and carry him around looking at the floor, again he has to support his own head. Can also try laying him over your knee with him being far enough over that he has to support his own head.

Maranui: we too seem to have had a crap couple of days but still sleeping at night thankfully. Good for you having 6 hours straight sleep, well done Louis!

Hey guys

Still very grumpy at our place. I think its a slightly delayed 12 week wonder week from Louis. He is very cranky!

Anyway - I wanted to ask - is anyone still swaddling? We are as it seems to be a big sleep cue and he doesnt seem to not like it. However, I have noticed he seems to be moving about the cot in his sleep a bit more so I am wondering when to stop. Any of the experienced mums out there have a idea?

xx

Maranui, I stopped swaddling not long after getting home and then restarted when he started not sleeping but i did it so that William's arms are free -
to do it you lie a wrap out long ways and fold the top down so that it's a fold long enough to just hold his hand and forearm underneath it.
place baby in middle of wrap so that his head is on top of the fold.
Put one up underneath that fold close to his head and hold it there while you grab the top right hand corner of blanket.
Bring that corner down next to baby's leg so that that side of the blanket forms a triangle
Grab the corner that sticks out and wrap it around baby and tuck tightly underneath baby's bottom or whereever it ends up.
Repeat for the other side.

I then wrap him in another blanket the way they show you in hospital so that it holds it better while they sleep. That's probably a good way to do it to get him used to his arms being free to move around a bit. then i would just remove one arm completely at a time as he gets older in age. You can do the wrap as tightly or as loose as you want also....the looser it is the easier baby can move their arms around and get their arms out of the blanket. I use a stretchy cotton knitted blanket for William that way i can do the wrap tight but he can still move quite freely.

AFM: Tummy time: One of my friends suggested getting a breast feeding pillow and proping him up on it so that his weight is on his knees on the couch or floor or wherever rather than tummy and his hands are up on the pillow. Then the angle that he is at he has no choice but to hold his head up and he can look around. He quite enjoys it that way - so for anyone else thats having trouble there is an idea that seems to be working for us!

Diet - Sunday i really felt the lack of sugar - really tired and exhausted, plus william being awake a majority of the day does not help my cause much.....Getting only about 2hours of broken sleep a day for him....very frustrating....i don't know why he keeps waking up!! But at night I am getting very used to him sleeping almost 12hours straight every night!! Boobs are very full & sore come the morning! I think the sleep at night is helping me get thru during the day - however I have noticed due to the withdrawls from sugar not only am i tired but I also get very frustrated and angry easily at him especially when trying to put him to sleep during the day....hopefully it will pass soon.....
but on the withdrawl topic i noticed a significant difference in William yesterday - I can't pinpoint what it was but he was just very clingy and irratible i think so i'm wondering if maybe the lack of me eating sugar is affecting him also....and i can't really see why not because all thru my pregnancy i ate biscuits and cakes and slices etc.... and even up until now; i love anything full of sugar!! so i figure that obviously wouldve went to him and now he's not getting any....so hopefully it will pass very soon.

He also has been drinking for 5minutes (remember i have a 40minute feeder!!) and then pulling on my nipple or slipping on his attaching and pulling off altogether and needing a burp; however his ability to burp seems to have disappeared :S he doesn't do them for like two hours!! and he refuses to feed then...so i'm left with a hungry, tired bub who won't feed!! *sigh* that is also what he was doing yesterday heaps (although its been building up over the last few days)....so this morning i expressed my super huge boobs and gave it to him in a bottle and he had no problems with drinking in one go and burping alot after....so we will see....

neway off to go get ready - i'm going to get my hair cut and dyed and foiled today and eyebrow wax yay!! I haven't had it dyed since before my wedding nearly two years ago; nor have i had it cut in about 15months haha.... looking forward to it... Aunty Sarah (my little sister) is gladly looking after William. She's getting him lots this week...This morning; tomorrow morning while I brave Big W toy sale (guna buy christmas presents and first birthday presents i think....haha do you think it's too early for that??) and then saturday arvo while i clean the house for william's baptism on Sunday....having a bbq afterwards here....

Neway baby calls again...Will be back soon i'm sure...

Hope you are all well!!

Soooo excited, my first niece was born yesterday, baby girl 4lb 12oz or 2.108kg. Full term but my sister had a terrible pregnancy and so baby is healthy but thin. Not met her yet, can't wait! Had home birth, went round to see her in labour as she had been going 36 hours and only 1cm with constant vomiting, thought she was a sure fire admission and c-section. Gave her a pep talk and some of the breathing techniques I learnt for my labour, having lower back pain so got her down on all fours and into the birth pool. Low and behold 2 hours she was fully dilated and pushing, yay. So proud of her achievement, all natural and a gorgeous baby girl (no name yet).