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

Maranui - While I wish only good days on you it is reassuring to know I am not the only one bursting into tears.. I have had a super horrible day as DH went away last night and Ethan just cried all night.. I was lucky if he slept for any more than 1/2 an hour between feeds and has been like that all day.. I think it is wind but he has been pretty good up until now.. I am so exhausted and just want to sleep but as soon as I put him down he screams, so I am at the computer with him in the Hugabub with my eyes hanging out of my head.. My parents are arriving at 6.00 and DH will be home about 7.00 and at this rate I will hand him to his grandmother and collapse into bed.. It's not his fault but I still feel the need to plead with him to please be quiet and go to sleep.. I take my hats off to you ladies who have very unsettled babies regularly,..
Tan - I hope that Archer is recovering well.. hopefully he will have a quick recovery and be back to putting weight on in no time..
Shonalouise - I'm jealous of your good night.. Amen on the whirlwind..
Kellie - I'll swap babies.. lol.. Mine is nearly 6kg at a month old.. I have RSI from trying to pick him up and burp him.. I may as well not hired a capsule as I really can't lift him out very well anymore.. Didn't last long.. There are so many clothes that were 000's that he hasn't even got to wear because they don't fit...
Kirley - In the first week Ethan had mouth thrush.. You can get Daktarin oral Gel from the chemist for his mouth and ask about a treatment for you.. If they offer Nilstat instead ask for the Daktarin cause apparently a lot of thrush doesn't respond to Nilstat anymore..
Bellamia - great news that your BP is coming under control.. I don't know how I would cope if I had to spend that long just waiting at the hospital with a newborn let alone a toddler as well.. You go super woman...
Ayapi - Great to hear that Milly is putting on weight.. It canh be so worrying..
HC - How is that scar going.. i hope that it is healing well..
AFM - Tough day and night.. I can't complain too much though.. Comparatively my boy has been pretty good.. You ladies whose hubbies have been away for more than one night.. I am in awe.. My IVF clinic rang to see how we went and to ask about our baby and it was during this conversation that my nurse pointed out to me that while I was thinking my angel was 10lbs 1oz at birth he was actually 10lbs 12ozs.. OMG that nearly 11lbs.. I finally freaked out about his size... I got on the scales and weighed him while holding him and he was 5.7kg.. He looks 3 months old.. lol.. Well here's to hoping we all get some good sleep tonight and Hello to anyone i've missed...

:leap: We are home :leap:

Archer is recovering well but we have some obsticles ahead of us will do a big post when I have had a touch more sleep - he slept for 6.5 hours last night but that is thanks to the panadol and him having a 'virgin' stomach again - I was awake watching him sleep, may take awhile for the panic to settle I think!

LIL I did wonder the other day when you mentioned he was 10lb 1oz at birth because I remember you saying in your first post that he was 4.8something kgs and A was 4.72 and 10 7! Blame the baby brain!

Tan - glad to hear you guys are home, and I can understand why you hovered with the poor little might going through so much. Fingers crossed for the next wee while. Was DH able to come home to support you?

xx to you over the next while. Take care of yourself if you can too.

no he's not a lazy feeder.... the LC said that apparently that is normal....in hospital they kept telling me to wake up but when i went to the LC she watched him and said that no babies have that slower sucking pattern after letdown and it helps them digest their food better. He has anywhere from 15-30minutes per side per feed. Plus i think he likes that speed because last night he missed one side at a feed and the next feed i was super full and my flow was way to quick for him then, he refused to stay attached and kept spitting out and choking on the milk.... so i guess both things combined make my feeds that long *sigh*

Kirley - I hope your feeds get more manageable as William gets used to the flow.. we've gone from 20mins each side to about 20-30mins total as my flow has got faster & that makes it easier to get him back down within an hr. A friend said it can eventually get down to 10-15 all up :-)

Tan - so pleased to hear Archer is on the mend & you can start enjoying your little boy without all the worry..

Lil - wow what a big boy. hope you had an easier day & night yesterday.

Shona - sorry to hear about the difficulty settling, I'm glad you've found what works at night - we're the same, dark & quiet & no talking/kisses/play at night. I'm with you on the not wanting to go down - Shea was going down easily but past cpl days wants be held all the time & wakes up if put in hammock (in day & evening anyway, thankfully he's ok at his 2 middle of the night feeds). It's been a curse having DH home thru it as he gets frustrated & thinks we've 'spoilt' him (he's 2 wks old!!!) & that he's just fussing to be held, i thought it was all due to hurting from gas from ab's - but i also read some of the wonder wks this morning & while i think a lot of his crying has been wind/gas, it seems he's prob at the first cranky development stage - altho it's around wk 4-6, it's based on conception date so prems have the stages later & Shea being 2 wks overdue is due it at wk3 i.e. now.. hopefully DH will listen & accept it's temporary & we just need to hold him more for next few days..

Bellamia - glad you're surviving love. don't know how you guys manage every night alone - days are fine but on evenings DH not home (eg text when on his way home on thurs 'meeting mate for a few beers' - stayed at mates & came home 6am fri) i find it's about 9 or 10pm before i can eat dinner as he won't settle!! reassuring to know it's possible to cope if i get over it & kick DH out.. finding everything harder since bub & crying about it all the time.. i almost think it'd be less painful not having him around than here but not available..

Maranui - sorry you're housebound.. can you take him out in a sling maybe?? that's what i was doing when going to hospital etc - haven't tried pushchair yet..

Majella - how's it going out there???

Kellie - 5kg wow!! great to hear he's feeding well... i though Shea was a chubba at 4.1 kg at 2 weeks after he gained 340g last wk :)

Ayapi - glad Milly has picked up on the formula & that you're healing from CS & driving again. Yes, it's frustrating they didn't check. Last wk the iv ab's made little difference and wound started weeping thurs so i insisted a doc check me out, she suggested starting back on oral abs too at dbl dose, saw improvement immediately and had last hospital sesh on friday. oral ones unfortunately cause constipation (me and bub..sigh) so lots of farting happening with our poor lil man & his sore tummy :( I'm hoping to stop oral ones soon tho bit scared of stopping & it not fully healing so gonna keep on for cpl more days and see how it goes, looking a thousand times better tho..

Question re nappies.. Shea is very precious about being wet or dirty and fusses as soon as he's done anything - he'll even stop mid-feed.. he'll often wake mid sleep etc and we are getting thru so many disposables (i'm going to wash & trial our mcns hopefully this wk) & outfits too as he wets thru everything! often he'll wake for a feed and grumble so i change him then boob change time he'll fill his nappy so another change then i'll just settle him & he'll either wet or mess again & wake self up & complain etc - can go thru 4nappies or more in one feed cycle! anyone had the same?? help!!! i opened a 36 bag yesterday and is half empty already..

well, i have a sore arm as shea is sleepimg in one arm while i type 1 handed so i'm going to try transfer him to hammock so i can shower & brush teeth & start day :rolleyes:

Can't help you on the nappy thing HC, sorry - will is usually pretty good unless it's totally full. I usually change him in the middle of every feed (so every three hours) and he seems fine with that arrangement.
As for wetting clothes- are you remembering to 'point him south' :)

We are going thru the cuddles to sleep and wont go down to sleep. He just keeps wanting to be held. So you're not alone in that! We love cuddles with him, but like today we are just soo tired and want to sleep and yet he wont unless we cuddle him!

Hi everyone!

Quick post from me to tell you all I have my first mothers group this afternoon and I am PATHETICALLY nervous about me and Louis making a good impression. WHAT A DORK! Shows how little I have been getting out and about recently. I have makeup on for the second time only since I had Louis (first was a party on Sat night) and I have spent more time thinking about his outfit than I did my own wedding dress. I could only admit that to you guys!

Logistics is a nightmare. The little boy is awake (lying in his cot) but not hungry (its been 4 hours!). I wanted him to feed 30mins ago before we hit the road. LOL! He has other views! ;)

I have rung DH 3 times this morning to consult him on the big issues. Brown pants or beige (DH didnt know the difference lol!), pram and walk, or carseat and drive, Baby Bjorn or just pram etc etc etc. Poor long suffering man.

Will let you know how this pathetic adventure goes! See I have a perspective on things when our poor old Tan has been through the mill this week....

xxxxx

lol Maranui I did the same thing the first time i took William to church... haha took ages to plan his outfit - unfortunately i didn't have many to choose from, however by last week i had a few more cute boyish outfits that i could pick from and i think i tried nearly everyone on to see what fit lol.
Good luck xxx

BAHAHAHAHAHA Maranui! and Kirley... I do remember being like that with Cooper when he was a newbie! And than you come to realise that if they are dressed and their outfit doesn't A) have spew on it (mmmm hope them days are over) B) have poo or wee on it or C) you haven't dropped beetroot on it while feeding yourself, him, hanging out washing, painting your toenails, vachuming the floor and logging onto BB all at once (cause thats what us mummas do best) than you're right to leave the house :lol: Looking forward to hearing of your adventure Maranui..

I will get 5 mintues on day soon I hope to do a real post... what the hell is "me" time again?????

Hi everyone

I know you have all been waiting anxiously to know how my mothers group went ;)

It was really good. A nice bunch of woman (about ten). Louis was one of the youngest but they were all March babies. Nice to see a different range of shapes and sizes of bubbies. Also pleasing to see that Louis was not the smallest, in fact, he was a good size for being the youngest in the room. I did a sneaky weigh while I was there and he was 5.3kg! Wahooo!

So Louis behaved well enough. Of course, he woke just as we arrived and was cuddly and awake, then a little grizzly and awake for most of the 2 hours. Funnily enough no one commented on the beige pants through I am sure they were noticed lol!!! I am pleased I went with them rather than the brown even if DH didnt have a view ;)

He slept on the walk home in the pram and then the fun began! When we got home he was so seriously overtired. He had a small feed and then I put him down. He work ten minutes later STARVING! But he was so overtired that he refused the breast. This began 3 hours of trying to feed and him pushing away. It culiminated in DH coming home and forcefeeding him some EBM from a bottle while I expressed my now rock hard boobs. He took 120 mls then finally feel asleep......for eight hours!!!!!!!!!

When he work at 4am he feed beautifully but is back to being very anti Mr Righty today. I suspect its going to be a long one!

But it was a small price to pay to get out and about. I will be interested to hear whether any of the other mums had the problem as all the babies were wide awake through the session.

Anyway - a very ego-centric post (again!!!!). Hope everyone is well. Tan - hope Archer is going well post surgery.

Love to the rest of you!

xx

Maranui i'm glad your group went well :) I'm really too tired to write anything but just thought i'd pop in and see how you are all doing...William is at 5.1kg today (but that includes nappy and suit) so hes really just shy of it. yay...chubba bubba...got his first origin jersey today for those of you who have facebook there is a pic up there :) so cute!
neway i've come down with the flu it seems.. as well as a cough...hoping bub doesn't get the cough cuz i dont want it to turn into pertusis (whooping cough)....talk later....

Glad to hear that most seem to be having the same fun and games as us. We have had a hellish few days, awake and crying, feeding or asleep. No happy awake time and it has been taking its toll! Thankfully we have had a little happy awake time today for the first time in days, phew!

Six week check yesterday, now 4.35kg now been told perhaps I should try and stretch out between feeds with dummy as 350g in 9 days is a little much. Will keep going as I have and demand feeding as didn't agree with the advice. Little man decided not to lift his head for the child health nurse (does it heaps at home!) so more tummy time ordered which he still hates. Swing collected on Tuesday and he is asleep in it currently, such a big load off to have somewhere for him to be that is not in our arms! Bassinet is still a no go during the day for some reason :( Also has a granuloma in his belly button which needs to be frozen off with silver nitrate, does not sound pleasant!

Out of interest, does everyone offer both boobs each feed? I am still only doing one per feed and he doesn't empty it and I know that he is getting heaps of milk from just the one. Just wondered what the general concensus was, I have yet to have a one boob feed where he is still hungry afterwards. Some people have advised offer both and some offer one, confusing.

Anyone found anyone good remedies for wind problems? Elliots seems to be getting worse and is incredibly frustrating, I am going to start an elimination diet and see what helps. Brauers colic relief doesn't seem to help and neither did Infacol and he gets so distressed it's heartbreaking. They use a different remedy in the UK which is a naturally occuring enzyme to help them break down the lactose in milk as their immature gut cannot do it very well which causes it to ferment and produce gas. Apparently more common in oversupply, which sounds about right. If it works I am bringing back a caseful!

Hope everyone is well, better get back to my whirlwind life!

Shona - i didnt' think breast fed babies could be overfed!! William put on 550g in a week and both the LC and the Health Nurse said thats alot but its great! Why would they not want bub to put on as much weight as he can? strange to me... then this week William put on about 300g, so it will fluctuate according to growth spurts but even out in general i wouldve thought.

As for boobs... i also was only offering one boob per feed and William was getting plenty and i was still quite full... Most ppl said to drain one boob per feed and then next feed the other... When i went to the LC she said that i should offer both that way i'm not extremely lopsided... and express off the excess just so i'm comfortable (not so i'm draining it cuz it will just produce more)... so to start with i put him on one side for 20mins, then took him off and burped and then offered him the other side to which he'd take about 10-15mins, so then next time i'd offer that one first... after the feed i'd express for about five minutes each side (got about 50ml of milk usually) just to be comfortable - didn't need to do it every feed though... and just froze those little bits of milk in an ice-cube tray for a later date....
now sometimes he still only takes one side but he usually takes both... doesnt' quite drain either side but i'm not hugely engorged like i was either.

hope that helps....as for wind... was on infants friend but havent' given that to him in over a week - just burping more i think so therefore it doesnt get to wind point.
crappy day here - mummy had a huge teary :( so very tired and sick and really hate it! gota go, hes awake and grumpy again

Kirley: thanks for info, sorry to hear that you are not very well, have to say that in my current state that would probably be enough to tip me right over the edge! Hope you get well soon x I too am trying to burp Elliot regularly but he still ends up with terrible tummy pain and wind, we are trying to exercise it out by cycling his legs and helping him to pass it but doesn't seem to be terribly successful. Heat pack seems to be most effective thus far.

i found that cycling his legs didn't work either... instead we just held his legs up to his chest like when you change his nappy.... if we couldn't be bothered holding them up we would just put pillows and blankets to hold it there... that seemed to work for him? worth a try....

Shona - Benjamin is the same at the moment; he hardly sleeps during the day and at night he grunts and grunts to the point that I can't sleep. I remember DS1 going through the same thing and he doesn't do it anymore, lol, but I can't remember when it stopped. We are using Infants Friend too, but doesn't seem to do much. I second Kirley on the 'knees to the chest' method; works for 20 minutes or so...

Thanks guys, we are doing the lifting of the legs too and taking the nappy off seems to help too although I may get poo spray sometime soon! Woke him up at 3am this morning and he couldn't go back to sleep was quite upset so had to feed him, that seems to help him pass it too.

Hey guys

Kirley/SL - Sounds like everyone is having wind problems. I still have them with Louis as he seems to be struggling with the flow again (after being really good in week 7 and early part of 8). I found pumping his leg while he sucks my finger (yes you need 3 arms) while he lay on a hard surface (dining table) works at getting him to move some wind if its an extreme situation. Otherwise I just persevere with the old fashioned over the shoulder until he give me three burps (seems to be three thats the magic number). Am still using infacol. It doesn't seem to make it hugely better but it is far worse without it (if you get what I mean).

My boobs are all over the show with timing and frequency. Because he sometimes rejects the right breast due to fast flow, the left is far bigger and filled with milk. I start on one, but usually after multiple let downs and a face full of milk, a change of scene to the other breast has him feeding better. Probably not that good for my breasts (they rarely get a full drain), but its the only way to get him to take a big feed.

For those at 6/7 weeks, I noticed a change in L's sleeping at the end of week 7. He definitely started to sleep for shorter bursts during the day, and longer bursts at night. We are now doing something like a 45 min morning sleep, a 3 hour afternoon sleep, a 45 minute later afternoon sleep, then 5 hours and 4 hours. But who knows whether this is start of something.

Was suppose to go to a breastfeeding association coffee morning this morning, however have a painter here and L was v grumpy yesterday as we have visitors and lots of cuddles. He finally went to sleep on me in the lazyboy for 2.5 hours at 3pm yesterday. I got freezing cold as the evening came and the house got dark - but I dared not move lol! Today is thankfully going much better.

Hope the rest of you are travelling well.
xx