thread: Babies born~December 1st-15th 2009 #1

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  1. #1
    Registered User

    Nov 2008
    Perth
    2,377

    Hi Tilda, yes it was ouchy so watch out LOL! Maybe it was just me, I didn't really feel like DTD to be honest but poor DH was getting a bit ancy, he kept asking me like a little boy ha ha. Thanks for the tip on the nappies, I'll google that and have a squizy. Can you put them in the wash with everything else even though there's poopey on them? That thought grosses me out hence why I've been using sposies. Yum for the blueberry pancakes, I'm hungry now! LOL

    Forgot to mention earlier, I had a bit of a meltdown last night, not sure why. I had a nice long hot shower and when getting dressed looked up in the mirror and just went yuk! I came downstairs and burst into tears, DH was like what's wrong! I just suddenly felt disgusted in my body and that I look so fat and horrible - I have 7 kgs to lose and I still have this gut that makes me look 4 months pregnant only wobbly, my thighs are horrible and I hate my arms, then I went on to cry about the ability or lack thereof to breastfeed Amelia and how I'm such a failure having to have a c-section and now I can't give her enough milk so have to give her formula bla bla bla. He just turned around and said, I think you're being too hard on yourself Alison, you've just had a baby. Then I was like, but that was 7 weeks ago, how come other people at mothers group look thin! Basically he couldn't win, I just had to let it out and then I felt better. I just want my body back I kept saying.......I still feel that way this morning. Mind you, I did manage to express 50 ml this morning which is really good for me. Fingers crossed the fenugreek is working, in the meantime it's a BF/FF mix for Amelia!

    God I rambled again.

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Dec 2007
    Perth
    350

    Heee...hello my lovelies!

    Alison - glad you are expressing a bit more this morning I could only express 20 mils per 20 minute session, it was very depressing and sooo time consuming, I felt I was forever expressing, washing & sterilising the equipment on top of all the formula bottles, plus it was so hard to have to sit still for so long when Michael needed my attention. Anyhoo, I've stopped expressing, just stopped a few days ago. Please don't get too upset over your body...I see the same thing when I look in the mirror too...massive big bum (with such hideous stretch marks on it!!), huge thighs, wibbly-wobbly belly, jelly arms and a thick waist. I'm not getting too done up about it, I still have nearly 10kg to lose to get back to pre-preg weight - it'll happen in its own time. The girls at Mothers Group all seem much thinner too, but I think they were probably thinner to start with. For now, maybe just get some nice lose clothes that hide the yucky bits till they go away? I'm living in leggings and dresses/big t-shirt things atm And I've had meltdowns too...had a big one Wed night, said some awful things which I felt at the time but dont' feel now. I blame it on hormones, perhaps with me stopping the expressing, I'm not sure. I think we all get the meltdowns, its not nice, but I think its normal to some degree... And yes, formula makes for lovely long sleeps. But that could have been because he wasn't getting much from BF before, so he would sleep less and feed more often. MIL prognosis really depends on how she handles the chemo, 1 in 6 don't make it. Then she's got the marrow transplant which is v risky in itself...its hard to say atm. Ugh, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. DTD!!! Gees, brave girl! DH has been hinting at it too, esp since my mum will be here soon...but, TBH, its the last thing on my mind. I dunno..see how it goes. I'm still keen to meet up too...I haven't ventured out in the car with him on my own yet so it would be good to get some practise! Maybe all the Perth girls could catch up one day...what do we all reckon??

    Rose - I read back on some of the earlier posts...sorry to hear you were diagnosed with PND...there were a few times I thought i was heading that way myself. Do you feel better on the antedepressants? I'm not sure what they do...do you just not feel sad anymore? Thats great Liam is sleeping a bit more, that would make such a difference to you.

    Willow - Ahh yes, my poor nipple!! The crack was sooo deep, I can't believe the stupid MW didn't pick up on it...I didn't know any better and thought it was normal. Pfft.

    Tilda - Oh my goodness, I would have been in tears too! But she's ok, so dont' stress!!! Poor little mite! So, you don't wrap Matilda any more? How about everyone else? I still wrap Michael most of the time, tho I've noticed he likes sleeping with at least 1 arm out now.

    Ok, thats enough for today, I'm meant to be doing the housework...my mum comes tonight and we haven't given the house a good clean since we came home from hosp! Nearly finished tho...

    Have a lovely Sunday girls

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Aug 2008
    Adelaide
    1,488

    Hi everyone! I've been reading up on all of your posts but haven't had a chance or felt much like posting myself.

    My mum spent New Year's in hospital. She had a clot in her neck from the pic line they put in for her chemo. She's home now, but it'll be 3 months before it resolves. She had a blood transfusion and her second lot of chemo last week which perked her up for a couple of days, but is back to feeling sick of herself. I really wish I could help her out more, but I'm so busy with Amelia. I took Amelia to see her last week while I helped take her Christmas tree down, but Amelia was really unsettled and Mum got grumpy and said some mean things. So now I'm reluctant to visit as its too stressful if Amelia isn't her happy self.

    On top of that, we're back to having a lot of wind pain to deal with. I stopped using the Infant's Friend as Amelia seemed to spew a lot more with it. She was feeding so often during the last heatwave, and I was drinking so much water, that we really built up my supply. She's back to feeding every 3 hours now so the last few days I've been engorged before every feed. It's settled a bit today. But Amelia was screaming in pain in the evenings. She also had really watery/frothy poos. I did some research and found out that oversupply can lead to a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance which can cause a lot of wind. Yesterday I tried doing 2 feeds in a row from the same breast (she's only ever fed from one side per feed) to help her get more hindmilk and that seems to have made some difference. Amelia was also gulping and choking a lot because I had such a fast flow but expressing a bit before each feed has taken care of that.

    I've also started 'wearing' Amelia around home. Keeping her upright makes her more comfortable when her tummy hurts. I'm using a hug-a-bub wrap and I LOVE it! It is truly hands free. I was using a bubba moe sling, but she would squirm so much and bury her face in the fabric. Plus I never felt comfortable enough to take my hands away.

    Amelia is also sleeping in our bed now. With her wind pain, she's most comfortable on her tummy so either I or DH will sleep with her on our chest. I didn't sleep well the first couple of nights with her - I was too scared she'd roll off or I'd roll over onto her. But now I sleep really well. I also wake when she starts to stir which is much easier for early morning feeds. When she was in her bassinet in our room I'd still only wake once she was already crying. Now she feeds around 11pm and then sleeps until 5am almost every night. The only thing I'm worried about is getting her out of our bed. She hates being wrapped but wakes herself up if she isn't - unless she's with us. I'm not sure how I'm going to teach her to settle herself to sleep. She still seems so young for that, but I don't want to leave it so long that she develops habits that are difficult to break.

    Between the baby wearing and the cosleeping, my grandmother and mum think I'm spoiling her. But I feel like a better mum for it. Whenever she was unsettled, I used to get so frustrated with her, even though I could see she was in pain. I felt like such a horrible mum and felt so distant from her. Carrying her allows me to get things done and I'm right there to give her what she needs without her commanding ALL of my attention. I feel bonded with her now and can be sympathetic when I see her in pain and am patient enough to rock and cuddle her until it passes. So it really is best to follow your instincts when it comes to your child.

    Had our postnatal checkup with my GP today. Amelia now weighs 4.9kg and is 56cm long. That means she's gained 200g (from her birthweight) and grown 1cm per week. As for me, my tear hasn't completely healed. I go back to have it checked again in 2 weeks, but if it still isn't healed it might need another stitch. DH took the news that there's no chance of DTD for another 2 weeks pretty well. I'm not sure that I had his full attention at the time.

    Sorry for the essay, but a lot has been going on. I won't get to persies as Amelia is stirring for her next feed. But I have been reading all your posts and think a is in order. Don't beat yourselves up ladies....we are all fantastic mothers for doing the best we can.

    A quick question for those using cloth: What kind of covers are you using? I have some baby beehinds and a couple Itti Bitti Super Whispherers to use with prefolds, but they don't fit Amelia very well. They gap around her legs. Any suggestions would be great as I'm keen to get her out of sposies.

  4. #4
    Platinum Member. 2010 RAK Recipient

    Mar 2009
    Brussels, Belgium
    537

    Hey girls!

    Posting a quickie from my phone so if I miss anyone it is because I can't type with two Windows open like i usually do and replu To everything!

    Eva is sleeping on my tummy as she is having some tummy pain so Im taking the opportunity to post. My parents just left tis morning which is why I hVe not been on at all! They were gaga over Eva and my mother was on the verge of tears this morning when she left for the airport ... So hard not having the whole family around but I have a trip planned to NYC in April to see the friends and famy I miss so much.

    Carmey - I feel like a a cow. I have about 16-18 kilos to lose ( I gained 8 getting off the pill before getting pregnant)...I also gained 2 kilos since giving birth...all this talk about bf melting off the weight is crap as far as my jiggly butt is concrned

    but DH bought me an eliptical machine so I have been trying to get on it during evas naps and I start seeing my trainer again this week. I also did my yoga video at home twice this last week but man, I feel that I have a looooooong way to go to get back to my body. Being this mushy is even making me reconsider having more than two children

    Alison, don't get down, same thing happenned to me a few days back...hormones fat and pimply skin are just depressing. You'll lose the weight. Just be patient and you seem to be running around active and doing stuff ( more than I can say for myself at the moment ) so just try not to get down about it. We dtd and it hurt! I needed lots of lubrication which I read is totaly normal since bf dries you out a bit...does the sexiness ever stop??? Between the pain and jiggly everything I have to say I have been avoiding dtd a bit which is so unlike me. DH sees what's up and is being nice about it, very cuddly but not putting presssure on me...I think the pain is more from lax perenium muscles than anything so try keeping up your kegels...

    Beany, So glad to see you back! Don't feel bad about the bf, as long as your litle man is healthy and happy you are doing the right thing. Lord knows breastfeeding is much harder than it is made out to be! I am so sorry to hear about your mil - I know nothing I can say will change the situation but I am thinking of you and your family and hope she recovers fast!

    Hannah, I had the exact same frothy poo thing! It is a hindmilk problem! Keep feeding her twice in a row on the same side and it will clear up in abut a week or so...I had the exact same thng with Eva! Also for any gassy babies, DH got me some organic fennel infusion tea and I have to say it works wonders!!! Eva has sme gas but way less and she can tolerate it better, she just whines and squirms a bit instead of screaming at the top of her lungs in pain, so try to find that! The only thing is sye went from being constipated to having poonamis!!! I have three bodysuits the past week covered in poo up to the neck! But I would rather have that than gas and constpation any day! I also got glycerin suppositories when she was having the hindmilk problem which helped her poo during that awful period but only used them when she was in a lot of pain and had not gone for a few days...

    Rose, good luck getting Liam into a Sched...eva is a catnapper too...it is turing since you feel like you have no time between feedings, but e a has started giving me one longer afternoon nap where I try to do as much as possible...I hope he settles down a bit soon.

    Willow, hope Harry does the same!

    Tilda, I am also still hvering between cosleeping and putting her in her bed, but it depends on how she is...some gassy nights sheis so restless that I have to put her to sleep on me then put her in her bed or next to me.

    She's up, gotta go but ill come back and finish persies in bit!

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Nov 2008
    Perth
    220

    Hi everyone

    Hannah - the best covers I've found so far are Thirsties and Rikki Motherease, since they both have leg gussets which hold in poosplosions well The HAB is awesome, isn't it? I can't wear mine at the moment because it's too hot here (combine that with the hot flushes that I'm still having = unfun). I have a Bubba Moe sling as well, though Liam's not too fond of it.

    beany - I think a Perth catchup is a great idea And yes, I definitely feel better on the antidepressants - I'm eating and sleeping better (both of which were a huge problem) and I don't have the massive anxiety that I had. Overall, I just feel like I can cope better with everything.

    Alison - I think we're all in the same boat with weight. BFing helps to lose weight for some people, but others only lose weight when they wean. I guess it just depends on your chemistry and hormones. I lost a good chunk of weight in the first few weeks postpartum, but I don't think I've lost much since then. It'll come off eventually, though, especially when the weather cools down and I can walk every day again.

    Liam's napping right now (hooray) - he's gotten a lot better at taking naps during the day. Basically, I put him down as soon as he starts exhibiting tired signs. Sometimes it takes a lot of settling to get him to go to sleep, but he will eventually drop off. He's a much happier baby for it, too. He's still waking 3-4 times at night for a feed, but he's gotten so fast at feeding now (5-10 minutes is all he takes, thanks to my fast flow and his super suck) that each feed doesn't take too long and I'm getting more sleep. Though I keep not helping myself by getting up after the feed he has at 6-6.30 and doing washing and bits of housework.

    I'm over the hot weather in Perth right now. Very happy that it's supposed to cool down a bit for the next few days. Especially since I have running around to do this week - managed to schedule my first appointment with my rheumatologist for ages today, and then I have my six week check up with my OB tomorrow (even though it's actually seven weeks). Gosh, I can't believe that Liam is seven weeks old tomorrow.

  6. #6
    Registered User

    Mar 2009
    Sydney
    428

    Hi All,

    Hope everyone is going well.

    Rose_Red- Glad to hear the anti-depressants are making you feel much better. Don't stress to much about the weight it will come off eventually. Can Liam give Jett some fast feeding tips?

    Brussels Great to hear from you.Hope you enjoyed having your parents with you. Wow well done on getting back into the exercise. I haven't even thought about it yet.
    The only exercise I have been getting is the walking around I do at the shops hehehe.

    Hannah- Sending lots of get well wishes to your mum. I hope Amelia's wind issues improve. Have you tried Gripe Water? I think it is similar to Infants Friend. I have been using that and it seems to help Jett bring up his pains.

    Beany- Sending lots of get well wishes you MIL's way too. Don't beat yourself up for stopping the expressing it can be time consuming.
    Just remember a Happy Mummy = Happy Baby.

    Alison- Have you noticed any increase with the fenugreek?

    Tilda- How is Matilda's eye? Don't beat yourself up over it, it was an accident, hope all is good with it.

    Willow- I have also noticed the nappies are getting a little small time to go up a size.

    I hope all you Perth girls have managed to stay in Air Con and out of the heat.

    Well what a day I had yesterday. Jett woke at 4am and was unsettled all day. He had little cat naps throughout the day and ate constantly. The most he slept at once through the day was an hour. I think he would have had a maximum of 4hrs sleep throughout the whole day. I finally got him settled last night at midnight and he then slept til 5am had a feed went back down til 8am then we went to Medicare and the Clinic and then he fed at 11am and has been asleep since so a much better day today. Don't know what the problem was yesterday but I was exhausted and had a few breakdowns as I felt terrible cause I couldn't help Jett.

    At the clinic today we had Jett weighed and he has put on 500g in 6days. The clinic advised that I am overfeeding him. I had been topping him up with formula but she has told me to stop that. She said when he is crying it is more than likely a sleep and settling issue not hungry. My little Man is 5wks old today and he weighs 5.2kg.
    I feel terrible that I have been over feeding him. I guess it is all about learning.

    Hopefully things will improve now that I know Jett isn't hungry all the time. I thought I didn't have enough milk.

    We have our follow up appt with the Pediatrician tomorrow. To have Jett checked out.

    Sorry if I have missed anyone.

    to everyone.

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Nov 2008
    Perth
    2,377

    Hi Lani - re what the health nurse said, Amelia gets formula top ups and when she's full she stops sucking or falls asleep, I'm sure they don't keep eating for the sake of it. Just be mindful that they are very anti formula half the time so might just be saying that so you don't use it? My health nurse is old school and doesn't have a problem with formula top ups, she said if baby is hungry they're hungry, especially while going through a growth spurt, maybe that's what Jett is having? Ask the paed tomorrow, I'm sure you're doing fine! As for the fenugreek, I think it's working although I'm finding it hard to remember to take them 3 times a day, you have to have them with food and half the time I don't eat lunch ha ha! Must be stricter as I think they are definitely doing something!

    Hi Rose & BS - great to hear from you. Sounds like you have some fast flow there Rose, wish I had more of it! And BS you don't look like you need to lose that much weight, are you sure, you look great to me! I too feel like a cow, sux!

    Hi Hannah - I'm really to sorry to hear about your mum, I hope she's feeling better soon. Must be hard to watch her going through that too. I'm not surprised she's cranky, think I would be too. Fingers crossed she gets better soon mate. I'm sure Amelia puts a smile on her face.

    AFM - got another 6 hours out of Amelia last night, 2 nights in a row wahoo! She went to bed at 9.30 pm and woke at 3.30 am, fed and went back down until 7.30 am! She's also had a sleep this morning, a nice change from the last week where she's been catnapping all day and then waking every 3 hours again at night! I'm sure it will all change again soon so won't get too excited.

    Oops, gotta run, time for her lunch!
    Last edited by Alison1973; January 19th, 2010 at 01:38 PM.

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Mar 2009
    283

    Beany - you must be so stoked to have your mum here with you. She'll be such a great support. We all need a bit of mothering ourselves.

    Alison - hope you're feeling better after your melt down. I know how you feel. But don't worry, we'll come good! After all we haven't really started exercising because of the CS. And it has been so hot in Perth even if you wanted to exercise.

    Hannah - great to see you back. You've had so much going on. So sorry to hear things are up and down with you mum. Big hopes that she gets well soon and can enjoy Amelia. The hug-a-bub sounds great. I was looking at it at the shops yesterday. Looks as though it distributes weight realy well. Do you feel like it drags on your shoulders at all? I'm wondering if even my shoulders might cope?? I've decided not to worry about "spoling" Matilda. They're only little right now.

    Brussels - its hard being away from family and friends isn't it. I know how you feel. Hobart is a good eight hours and two plane trips away from Perth. Your mum looked totally in-love with Eva in the photos. It would have been a really difficult goodbye.

    Rose - Try and resist the urge to do housework at 6aItm!! I wish Matilda only took 10 minutes to feed. She's so on and off that it takes forever sometimes.

    Lani - Matilda's eye is fine now thank god!! The doctor just laughed when I told him about it today at her vaccinations. Weid how they have unsettled days for no apparent reason. Glad Jett is giving you some respite today! Don't worry about overfeeding Jett, it won't have done any harm and its great news your supply is fine. Its hard to tell the difference somtimes between a tired cry and a hungry cry.

    Sorry if I missed anyone and hello to those who are checking in.

    AFM - I'm an aunty for the first time!! My sister-in-law had her baby girl on the weekend. And I think I'm related to a future olympic basketballer. She was 4kg and 58cm long!! That's 4cm longer than Matilda at 5 weeks old!! Poor Matilda will have a cousin that towers over her LOL. And my SIL only took gas!! I haven't spoken to her yet but apparently it was all pretty full on. Matilda had her first set of vaccinations today. I'd spent all morning trying to get her to sleep and then had to take her to the doctor 2 hours after she finally settled. She woke up at being *****ed, squealed and went straight back to sleep. baby's sleep patterns really mystify me. Anyway, better wake M up for her feed. Its been hours and hours - can't work this girl out sometimes

  9. #9
    Registered User

    Aug 2008
    Adelaide
    1,488

    BS - Glad you enjoyed having your family around. After reading your post I looked up fennel tea. Apparently fennel can also increase supply, which I don't want to do. I did find out that tea can be made from caraway seeds which also help with gas. Will have to try to get my hands on some. I'm glad Eva is doing so well now.

    Rose - Glad that you and Liam are both sleeping better. Woohoo for efficient feeding. At least he's making up for waking you 3-4 times a night.

    Lani - The infant's friend has turned me off using medications to help. We had a horrendous night on Friday after I gave her some. It has a laxative effect which really unsettled her. Feeding her 2 times in a row on one side to give her more hindmilk seems to be helping, and my supply is starting to settle down again.

    I'm glad Jett had a better day yesterday. It's so hard when they're unsettled and we can't do anything, isn't it? Don't feel bad about overfeeding. I agree with Alison, babies don't eat if they're not hungry. But they do like to suck when they're unsettled. Amelia looks for boob when she's about the spew lol. But 500g in 6 days seems like a lot so he might not need the formula. Talk to the paediatrician about it and keep an eye on his weight gain over the next couple of weeks. It could just be a growth spurt.

    Alison - I'd be cranky if I was dealing with bowel cancer too. The other day was hard since she and Amelia were both so unhappy - I didn't know who to comfort first.

    Try not to worry about your weight too much. I now think my initial weight loss was due to a loss in appetite for a couple weeks after the birth. My weight hasn't changed for the last 5 weeks. My mum told me that the weight will melt off after several months of BFing. Besides, its been so hot in Perth. Hopefully once it cools down and you have a chance to get more active you'll feel better.

    Tilda
    - Thats what I love about the hug-a-bub, it doesn't drag on the shoulders at all, as long as you make sure it is really tight. It comes with a DVD to show you how to tie it properly. Because bub is pressed so close to your body, their weight isn't entirely held by the shoulders. There is also a fair amount of support at the hips. Next time you're at the shops ask if you can try it with Matilda to see if it does work for you.

    Congrats on becoming an aunty! 58cm! Wow! Amelia is 7 weeks and is still only 56cm. You might be right about her being a basketballer.

  10. #10
    Registered User

    Jul 2009
    Riding it out...
    4,959

    Hi girls just a quick one I'll do perssies later had a day where Harry doesn't want to be put down and whenever he's awake he wants to eat, I'm guessing another growth spurt.

    Question for those with the Hug a Bubs, are they easy to use? Can you get them in and out without too much stuffing around? I think they look great just wondering how user friendly they are?

  11. #11
    Registered User

    Aug 2008
    Adelaide
    1,488

    Hi willow - I love my hug-a-bub! It was a bit daunting when I saw how much fabric is used, but the DVD explains how to put it on and get bubs in. Getting bubs in and out is fairly easy. The only thing is that the fabric stretches so if you take bubs out you need to tighten it again before you put them back in.

  12. #12
    Registered User

    Nov 2008
    Perth
    2,377

    Hi Girls - I didn't get on much yesterday as was out most of the day. I did a stupid thing though, had a friend pop in unexpectedly which made me late for an appointment so in my rush to get out I forgot to shut Amelia's door (I was going to go back and do something) before getting in the car and drove out and hit the garage wall, put a nice scratch and dent in my 6 month old car door! I burst into tears as it frightened me. It's not that bad really but still, could do with being without a car while it's at the panelbeaters!!! grrr. Amelia has been great though, she's sleeping 6 hours for the last 3 in a row and after her 4.00 am feed she goes back to sleep for another 3-4 hours, it's great and also more settled in the day, perhaps last week was a growth spurt as she was so unsettled last week and wouldn't sleep at all in the day! She's in her rocker at the moment and she's all excited and has started kicking her legs so the thing rocks, so cool! Gosh they change quickly don't they!

    Now sorry for no persies, I need to vent girls. Will try and cut the story down.....we have DH's mates funeral this Friday (he passed away from a heart attack at aged 33 a few weeks ago), anyway, there's this girl who they used to be friends with, she lives in the UK now, well she used to be in love with DH (not the other way around) and she even used to send him text messages while he was with me in the beginning until he told her he was with me and to leave him alone. Well, he contacted her to let her know about their mate as they were in touch still and he wasn't sure she'd heard (go figure considering it was on Facebook but anyway). Get this, she's flying back for the funeral and DH being the Mr Niceguy that he is has offered to pick her up from the airport at 1.00 am on Friday morning and his mum offered her to stay at their house (he daren't ask me)! Now, call me jealous but this girl had the hots for him and hello why can't one of the single guys without a 7 week old baby get up at 1.00 am and go pick her up. The airport is 45 minutes from our house as it is!!!! I'm so angry at him right now and he doesn't get it. He just said I'm jealous and being stupid as he loves me not her. I tried to explain it's not a trust thing it's just weird after not seeing her for 5 years why he has to play the good samaritan when there's other mates who know her who don't have a 7 week old baby at home! He said I could come to the airport with him, yeah right, I'm going to wake Amelia up at midnight to take her to the airport to pick up someone I've never met who also had the hots for you, WTF!!!!

    Anyway sorry, probably sounds immature but it's really bothering me and I'm so unhappy about it but he just doesn't get it. I told him girls don't think like guys......I've seen her FB messages to him as he shows me and she says some weird stuff and ends her messages with xx's....my male mates don't do that!

    Sorry girls, had to get that out!

    On a happier note, Amelia has her 6 week (at 7 weeks) paed check this arvo so looking forward to that. Will check back in later with the results. Hope everyone is having a great day so far. Thanks for listening to me, what would I do without you all. xx