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

[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

[lilprecious75]

Hi All!

Well day sleeps are a disaster at the moment. For some reason he struggles to go to sleep during the day. It doesn't help that he poops constantly which wakes him up and we have to start the settling all over again. SIGH!!

How are the other babies doing with day sleeps???

[lilprecious75]

Hi again,

Well I have just spent a majority of the day trying to settle Jeremy to sleep! Finally at 4pm I got him settled and he is still asleep - the big question will be whether he can sleep beyond the one hour mark.

So far today he has only slept from 9am until 10am and from 2pm until 2:45pm!

I know part of the problem is his gut - he has had lots of wind today and has pooped more times then I can remember now. So if he can manage not to poop for a couple of hours maybe, just maybe, he will get some sleep.

Anyone else in the group having a similar sort of problem? Or is my son the exception?

I'm excited about tomorrow. The hospital where both of my boys were born holds a mothers group every Thursday morning from 10:30am until 12:30pm. I attended for the full 4 months with my first son but they don't have childcare for older children so I won't be able to go for as long this time around.

Last week I didn't attend because my parents were leaving to head back to the states and I wanted to spend every spare second that I could with them. This week and next week are the last two Thursdays my MIL is going to be here and will be able to look after my first son for me. So I'll leave James at home with her and Jeremy and I will have a day out together.

I have a Hug-a-Bub front carrier that I bought when James was about 9 months old and only used with him for a few months so I'm super excited to use it with Jeremy tomorrow. I'll have to test it out with him sometime this evening when he is awake. I am expecting tonight to be somewhat rough with Jeremy since I know that when babies get over tired they then struggle to sleep.

Anyone in this group using cloth nappies? I just used my last disposable this afternoon and I'm seriously going to try to stick to full time cloth from now on. I have a small pack of Huggies for emergency purposes only but I bought the infant size since Jeremy weighs nearly 5kg already but he has chicken legs and a scrawny butt so they don't fit him properly yet! OH well - good excuse to keep using my lovely cloth nappies.

I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday. My DH worked from home again for most of the day today (he just left for the office about 5 minutes ago) as our hot water tank has a serious leak and we are desperately trying to find SOMEONE who is #1: willing to fix it for us and #2: can do it for a reasonable price. So far we are not having luck with this as he has called at least a dozen people so far and no one has been able to help us.

[Fleur]

Hi everyone.. lets see how much I can type before she wakes

Sagres LOL at your DH... I think they really don't realise how much it takes it out of you when you are not just waking but fully awake & alert for some time...there's a big difference! Today ended up being my first day alone, I have had the other kids home every day so far this week... so today is the day!... I don't expect to get much done as long as I can express I'll be happy

alz, hope you are feeling better. It's no good being sick when there is so much else to deal with

lilprecious, re day sleeps... Arlea has also been a bit up & down through the day, she will go to sleep in our arms & then wakes as soon as we put her down. Having said that... this morning I can't get her to wake! She grizzled a bit an hour ago & then fell asleep again as soon as I picked her up. I think we might be in for an 'awake' day

AFM.. no progress re bfing but my expressing time has decreased. I worked it out & it has dropped to 1/2 hr - 45 min a time so more like 4-41/2 hrs a day now (still feels like heaps!) but the fluid draining from my breasts means the milk is flowing much more efficiently. Saw the LC yesterday, no more appts now, there is nothing more to do but try & get as much skin as possible & be patient
I have set my goals, of course the ideal would be to be fully bfing & continue for 18mths+ but I have plan A, B, C etc ! and at the very least I want her to have 2-3 months of breastmilk (more if I can keep it up) so at the moment I am comitted to continuing as we are for 2-3 months. That's 2-3 months I have then (at least) of trying to get her back on the breast...the LC said she has seen babies who just all of a sudden magically went on! so I am hoping for that, & she did say they were babies who got a lot of skinto skin so that's the plan.
She has been much more settled the last couple of nights, from about 9 or 9:30 to 1-1;30 and then until 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning. So I have only had to get up & feed & pump once overnight, still tired but much more manageable. Both nights she has had a late bath so I am going to keep that up & see if that might be the key

Hope you are all well & getting some sleep

[linda76]

Hi everyone,

I?m a first time poster and first time mum to Marea Grace who was born 27 July 2009 at 4:50am at only 5 pounds 7 ounces. Was all prepared for a vaginal birth but Marea had an erratic heart rate which showed she was in some distress so had to have an emergency caeser...a bit of a shock to say the least...

It warms my heart to hear everyone?s experiences here. I don?t feel so alone.

I have a good support network but there are just some things i am ashamed to say. Some days I am in tears all day and I don?t really know why. She is a good baby, even sleeps about 5 hours from 2am each night. My real challenge is weaning her off formula top ups with the help of the CHN. I didn?t get to start breastfeeding until the day before i came home as she was in the incubator and being tube fed until then, so she can?t settle without formula now. I breastfeed every feed, but she screams afterwards and will not settle until she gets her formula. It?s taken me two weeks to wean her off 2 formula top ups so far!

I feel like i am only just starting to get to know her and some days I miss the time i used to have alone with my husband. I miss just getting into the car and going to do what i need to do as i run my own business. I have never relied on anyone before, but now i have to ask everyone for help. I can?t drive yet which makes it hard too. I guess what it might come down to is that i was used to being in control, now i am 100% at her disposal. Very selfish i know, but it?s getting better. Only bursting into tears maybe twice a day now!

Did anyone go through anything like this?

[Fleur]

Hi Linda & welcome to BB Congratulations on the arrival of Marea!

big hugs to you the first few weeks are so hard especially after the labour you've had & feeding problems. Hang in there, it does get better I promise!

Yep have had some tears here too I think it's pretty normal to a certain extent. It is a big adjustment & rarely does everything go exactly to plan. Loss of independence is a biggie for me too.
As I said, I think it's normal to a certain extent & a few tears can be a good way to let off a bit of tension, but if it becomes overwhelming & you feel like it's all getting too much it's a good idea to find someone to talk to, GP, health nurse, counsellor...anybody ( & the girls on here are great to talk to!)

Just wanted to welcome you Will get back later to see what everyone else is doing

[Sagres]

Welcome linda and congratulations on the arrival of your little girl. She was born just 20 minutes after my Alannah. I have had a pretty good dose of baby blues also, but it is getting better. Similar to you I feel like I shouldn't be feeling that way because my little girl is pretty cruisy and sleeps well. Some times the tears correlate with how much sleep I've had, this morning I was very close to tears just because I had only had 4 hours sleep (2x 2 hours blocks) and I was going back to bed about 40 minutes before the alarm was going to go off. But as I said it is getting better...