Babies born~July 16th-31st 2009 #1

[alz]

Hi everyone,
Hope you are all doing well and are getting some sleep.

Well on the b/f front things are just getting worse. Even though I am on motilium I am slowly drying up. Have done everything the lactation consultant told me to do but nothing is working. I am supposed to be expressing an hour after each feed but have to admit I am not good at this. I have a toddler and an unsettled newborn, by the time everyone is sorted I need a rest. Anyway am doing it as often as I can. I was really upset about my supply yesterday but am feeling better today. I will b/f until I completely run out and then just full time bottle feed. For all of you who are struggling with sore nipples etc, I am feeling for you. Hang in there. It will be worth it in the end.

Dry skin - Daniella has that too. Yes perfectly normal. I am using some Johnsons naturals moisturiser. Used it with my first as well and it is nicer than sorbolene. Ella loves it when I rub her back with it. It really settles her.

I too will be doing a birth anouncement card for friends and family. Not too over the top. The birth of a bubba is so special so I want to share it with everyone.

Anyway, better go Ella is almost due a feed. Have a great night everyone.

[lilprecious75]

Good Evening Ladies!!

DS#1 is asleep and DS#2 WAS asleep!
Which brings me to my big question for tonight...

How often do all your babies poop in a given day?

Jeremy has hardly slept all day long...
total of 2hrs 45 mins in the last twelve hours

and it is mainly because he poops EVERY time he feeds.

I do remember that James pooped every feed as well and perhaps that is why James was such a bad sleeper and Jeremy is seemingly turning into a bad sleeper.

What do people think about this???

Should I alter my diet and see if anything changes? Or is his gut just seriously active? I feed him and he falls asleep but then as soon as I put him in bed, with in about 15 minutes, he wakes up crying and does his poo and sometimes a big burp as well (though only if I forget to burp him which I did tonight)!

I'm just wondering if I should do a semi-elimination diet. I know Dr Sears has a SERIOUS elimination diet (which I went on for about two weeks when James was about 14 months old) but I am not sure I want to go that strict again. When I am on that diet I can only eat turkey, rice, pears, zuchinni, and sweet potato (if I remember correctly).

So what do you all think? Any thoughts, comments, ideas would be greatly appreciated! I would love to write more but Jeremy is still crying (DH is doing the nappy change) so I need to go see if everything is okay.

[Fleur]

Hi everyone... wow, it got busy here! Congratulations to you all on the arrival of your little ones.

alz, sorry to hear of your supply problems. I had supply issues with DS1, he was fully ff after 8 weeks. DS2 I fed for 14 months. I don't have any supply issues atm but I do worry about it. I think the best you can do is all you can do to... we are giving them a great start As for wind, I think pretty much what you mentioned, cabbage... I have some Brauers colic relief, I haven't used it yet but am thinking about trying it soon!

lilprecious, we had the same thing with Arleas clothes! We had to sort through what fit her & get rid of a bit. Thankfully we had an idea she would be bigg-ish, so we didn't have too much 0000 stuff. Dry skin.. I am using the Gaia products. Arlea had very dry skin due to being so overcooked, she is still peeling. I think the best cure is time, in the meantime a bathoil or moisturiser. Poos... I think for BF babies anything goes really. A doesn't do it much, she doesn't have any problems like constipation, just doesn't need to. I do think anywhere from 3-5 a day is normal. A usually has one every 24-30 hours though. That diet does sound very strict! Is it to identify what gives bub wind?

Sagres glad to hear the BF & sleeping is going well for you! Those LCs are great aren't they... I had serious attachment issues with DD1 & it totally killed BF for us. It's so good to get it sorted early.

Leesa i can't believe your bub was born with teeth! In answer...nope none of mine ever were. I imagine this is fairly rare? Lol at your DF talking about number 3 already! Nice that he's obviously enjoying it Birth announcement cards... I am planning on it. I had already started designing them before she arrived, thinking a headstart would be good. So far I have done nothing more - there is just no time! But yes I am planning on it. I am going to make it a combination announcement / thankyou card.

AFM...still expressing, I have plenty of milk, the freezer is filling up. I am being very careful as I am so worried about my supply (having lost it with DS1) - BUT I am spending about 7-10 hours a day expressing I am sick to death of it! Can't wait to get her back on the breast. I am determined to stick with it though... I know from past experience a bit of effort now does pay off in the long run .. it does get easier.. but OHH it's so hard right now!
My fluid has all gone I think, I lost 12kg in a week and I feel pretty good - apart from sleep deprived! The time spent expressing when I could be sleeping and she is getting harder & harder to settle to sleep too.
Dh goes back to work tomorrow & I'm a bit worried how I will manage all the expressing without another set of hands to help feed & settle her. I need to be doing more skin-to-skin but there's just no time! Well, we will see how we go I guess.

Wishing you all a good night & some sleep!

[lilprecious75]

UGH!
I have the beginnings of mastitis in my right BB and I'm NOT happy! Who knew that my champion feeder would be the one I would have this problem with?? Both the GP and the chemist assured me that there is no way to know what caused it. I could have picked up something during the few days when my nipples were grazed, or it could be due to the fact that I'm co-sleeping and sleeping almost exclusively on my right side (though I do alternate breasts for feeds), or it could be that Jeremy isn't emptying the right BB enough when he feeds. Who knows...

So I have a prescription for antibiotics which I will fill at lunchtime tomorrow if I'm still running the fever. Both the GP and the chemist wanted to give it 24 hours to see if it will resolve itself as it is minor at this point.

I hate having fevers - so far this one is only giving me the chills and I hate feeling cold all the time. I just gave Jeremy a BIG feed while we got James ready for bed and tucked in and I think he did a good job of emptying the right BB because I really had to work to wake him so he could take the left BB which was quite full as with my trip to the GP (which is thankfully around the corner from our house) he went 4.5 hours between feeds which is VERY long for him.

So DS#1, DS#2 and DH are all asleep in the bedroom (we all four still sleep in one room) and I just took a long, VERY hot bath and put a hot, wet cloth on my right BB. I also tried to hand express both BB's and I could get milk out of the left BB and nothing from the right BB so I hope that means he drained it well.

I certainly hope no one else in the group ends up with mastitis because it isn't fun. I would go to bed right now (there is never anything good on TV on a Monday night anyway) except for the fact that I'm starving even though I just ate dinner two hours ago. So I'm off to fix myself something to eat (have no idea what yet) and then if Jeremy is still asleep I might catch some shut eye. Oh, except I should stay up until 10pm for my next dose of Panadol so I guess I will go to bed after the next feed.

In other news, the elimination diet I mentioned in my previous post is one that Dr Sears developed to help parents determine if foods are creating the sleep problems. The foods on the list are the blandest and least allergenic foods known to man. But I forgot to add that you can have olive oil as well for fat. I think I mentioned I went on the diet for two weeks with DS#1 when he was about 14 months old and I actually liked it even though it was so strict. He continued to wake the same number of times though even at the end of two weeks so we stopped. Turns out he finally started sleeping almost all the way through the night (he occassionally wakes for a drink or to have the covers put back over him) when he turned THREE! I'm really hoping Jeremy doesn't follow in his footsteps!

I hope everyone is well, babies are thriving, and some of us are getting at least a little bit of sleep. I'll check back later...

[Sagres]

Lilprecious - Alannah has pretty flaky skin as well, the midwife said it was pretty normal. I don't have a moisturiser for her yet but might get one today. Just using sorbeline so far.
On the poop front, A poops every feed also, I guess I just assumed this was normal? Actually I read in Baby Love the other day that 1-2 nappy changes per feed was all good. So sounds like Jeremy is fine and I don't think there is any need for the elimination diet. I tend to do a nappy change after a feed but leave it for 5-10 minutes to catch those after feed poops. DH forgets to wait and ends up changing her butt twice - he will learn!
Hope the mastitis clears us soon, I have heard it is very unpleasant.

Leesa - teeth already Wow I didn't know that could happen, I've learnt something new today!

Alz - sorry your supply is not playing ball, that must be frustrating. Are you going to try BFing and supplementing with formula or fully FF? I know people who have low supply and have done both for awhile then eventually got back to fully BFing. But come to think of it they didn't have toddlers so they had more time for assing around with expressing and BFing and formula etc.

jasp - wow, you are doing a great job with the expressing - you are a superwoman! Hope you can get her back on the breast soon so you have a bit more time! How did you go without DH? My DH went back to work yesterday and I did pretty well but I had visitors (great grandma) and didn't get all my washing done.

AFM - still going pretty well. I still have one nipple that is cracked and taking awhile to heal but as our attachment is better now it isn't hurting as much during feeds. She was a bit of a ratbag last night, being very stop-start with her feeds and restless sleeping so I think I'll be needing a nap today. DH told me last night he didn't think he was getting much more sleep than I was.....what the? He doesn't even wake up at all for most feeds, and when he does it is for a few minutes when I'm changing her, not the hour+ for the feeding and settling. Hmmmm
Alannah is getting much more alert and squirmy every day and I love her funny facial expressions. She has a cute little stroppy face that she pulls when I am taking her nappy off or when she is trying to attach and it is going wrong and we have to try lots of times. She looks so grumpy but I can't take it very seriously because it is very cute.

[alz]

Evening all,

Lilprecious - sorry to hear about the mastitus. Hoping that the antibiotics kick in and you are feeling heaps better soon. Can't relate but I have heard its awful. Take it easy and relax when you can (easier said than done I know).

Sagres - glad to hear that attachment is getting better and you aren't in so much pain.

Well my princess is doing well. She is a pretty good baby most of the time which is so different to my son. Ethan was in day care today (he goes 2 days a week when I would have been at work) so we had a relaxing day. I slept all morning which was lovely. Taking Daniella back to the paed tomorrow so hoping that goes well. Hopefully she has gained some weight. CHN said he might tell me to stop breastfeeding and go just with formula if she isn't gaining enough weight. I don't want to yet. Sagres - to answer your question I am formula feeding as well and have been since day 4 under medical advice (that is how low my supply is). I am planning on doing both for a while. If it starts to affect Ethan too much I am going to put Ella on the bottle completely. I don't want him to resent his little sister.

I am coming down with something. My right gland is very sore and swollen as is the right side of my throat. If I'm not feeling better by Thursday will go to the doc. Hubby is being helpful and settling Ella after her night feeds so I can get some rest and hopefully get better soon.

Better go Ella is due for a feed and I want to go to bed.
Night all.

[lilprecious75]

Hi

Hope everything is going well for all of you.
The mastitis is clearing slowly and I'm hoping the fever will break sometime tonight.
So sorry to read about some of you who are struggling with supply issues. I struggled with breast feeding with my first son (attachment problems) and now the mastitis with Jeremy but my supply has always been good. I hope the situation improves for those of you who are struggling.

Anyone getting any sleep?? Jeremy's longest sleeps are usually only 2.5 or 3 hours long which I know is normal but I do hope the length of his sleep improves in the weeks to come.

[Sagres]

Sagres - to answer your question I am formula feeding as well and have been since day 4 under medical advice (that is how low my supply is). I am planning on doing both for a while. If it starts to affect Ethan too much I am going to put Ella on the bottle completely. I don't want him to resent his little sister.

Oh gosh, you are having a rough time of it aren't you, I didn't realise it that low from the start. Sorry it is going this way, I think you are doing a great job and Ella is lucky to have such a great mum