Babies Born~July 1st-15th 2009 #1

[Calluna]

Add us to the list please :d
Isaac was born @ 4:49am on July 1st after an approx 8 hr labor.
Was 3 weeks early (due the 19th) and weighed 3614 grams.
He now weighs about 5kgs and is in the middle of another growth spurt I think.
Is it normal for a 7 week old to only spend about an hour a day awake (if that) other than when hes feeding? Everything I read says to interact with him, but how can I do that when he sleeps all the time? I take every second I can get to do so, is this normal or should I be concerned?

Been pretty busy lately, don't get online much and am becoming a one-handed typing pro! lol.

Hopefully I'll be back online soon,
Hope everyone's doing well.
xo

[Fleur]

Morning all...
I am typing while I express, so no personals today ...

Welcome, Heva5

Good tips on colds, Pre! I thought Arlea might be coming down with a cold & sent DH to the chemist for saline drops, I used them with the others. He came back with a pack that had saline spray & a little bulb that you can use to suction their noses, very clever, I haven't seen anything like it before.
I am still spotting, don't remember spotting this long before but from what I am reading I guess it's normal!

I think I might have a blocked duct.. have had some sore spots before which I got rid of with massage but this is a big lump under my armpit, very sore. I am massaging but doesn't seem to be helping much, I'll have to get the heat packs on it....hopefully that helps or it's off to the drs.

TBH... I am feeling very down the last few days... all our BF attempts are going backwards. She hasn't even attempted sucking for over a week now. She just yells anytime I offer the breast. I have eased off offering it as it is so stressful for us both. I still offer it but not every feed, not if she is really hungry. Still trying to do lots of skin to skin but can't see that it's doing anything either. The LCs I have seen quoted fantastic success rates with getting babies back on the breast,... but had no further advice for me last week and now I don't know what to do cause it seems like we are getting further & further away from BFing. I am going to call them today, and the ABA... but I am starting to lose hope & have shed a few tears over the idea that we might never BF.
I really enjoyed BFing DS2 - I fed him for 14mths - didn't realise how much I had enjoyed it & wanted to repeat it - until now. I feel very depressed at the idea of not being able to BF. And there's no 'good' reason - just that stupid oedema! Its gone & we are left like this.Plus I want her to have breast milk for as long as I can even if it is EBM but I don't know how long I can keep up this expressing. She is sleeping very well at night, from about 8:30-9:30 she will wake once between 2 &3am & have about 50ml then go back to sleep until 5-6am. Last night she was back asleep in 15min- then I sat up & expressed for another 40 min
It is so time consuming - but that is ok - what is really frustrating is I am supposed to be pumping every 3 hrs but she has been a bit unsettled lately & between feeding, settling & cuddling, I end up running behind with my pumping. And forget trying to do anything else!
Wow...sorry for such a big rant... I guess i needed to vent
thanks if you made it through all that!

Sorry for the lack of personals, will try & get back later.
Hope everyone is well

[ss_storm]

welcome heather & congrats on your little man!
Jasp i hope that Arlea gets the hang of bfing soon, you must be exhausted! but even if she doesnt you have given her a fantastic start and you should be very proud of what you have done for her

just burping atm ( just had a milk explosion out the nose! LOL) so no persies from me either, have been a bit slack lately so thought i would jump on say hi.

Going to a funeral today...our next door neighbour, a lovely elderly man, passed away on Thursday night... so i am praying that Hayley behaves herself!! she has been a bit whingy the last few days and eating heaps so i think she is getting ready for her 6 week growth spurt!

[sloane]

preagainpan - don't worry about having the fatty - my little piglet was 5.8kg at his 6 week appt he put on 1.5kg in 4 weeks

jas - vent away! i have no idea how you're doing it. it's probably no consolation, but at least you know that if it doesn't work you have done absolutely everything you could.

heva5 - hi & welcome!

tinsel - great news on amelia's sleeping!

LF - thanks for the tip on expressing, i might give it a go. i'd love to be able to express some 'emergency' milk & it'd be great to get it under control before we get to things like solids in case i want to mix cereal or something with EBM (not that i'm thinking too far ahead or anything ). good luck for your 6 week appt

bek - corey is a bit funny from 4 or 5 onwards - he grunts & squeals (wind?) and doesn't always sleep very well...it must be tough with miss e awake & ready for action at that time!
ss_storm - i hope hayley behaves for you

afm, we've had a couple of unsettled days in a row now & corey was back to feeding every 1.5-2 hrs last night & at 2 this morning i was threatening formula he's also started crying between 4-5 in the afternoon - it's like his witching hour! so weird. he'll be in the middle of a feed & then just crack it. then he'll calm down for his bath, which he seems to love. sometimes he's fine afterwards but yesterday he cried/screamed for another hour after his bath. i hope this is a very brief phase!! i don't know how anyone copes whose baby screams for hours on end. i start losing all confidence in my mothering ability & wonder what i'm doing wrong, even though i know i've fed him, changed his nappy, cuddled him, checked if he's hot/cold etc!

[Fleur]

afm, we've had a couple of unsettled days in a row now & corey was back to feeding every 1.5-2 hrs last night & at 2 this morning i was threatening formula he's also started crying between 4-5 in the afternoon - it's like his witching hour! so weird. he'll be in the middle of a feed & then just crack it. then he'll calm down for his bath, which he seems to love. sometimes he's fine afterwards but yesterday he cried/screamed for another hour after his bath. i hope this is a very brief phase!! i don't know how anyone copes whose baby screams for hours on end. i start losing all confidence in my mothering ability & wonder what i'm doing wrong, even though i know i've fed him, changed his nappy, cuddled him, checked if he's hot/cold etc!

Same here, only ours is between 7pm & 9pm, after which she settles for the night. And yesterday morning she went from 8:30-9:30 am hope that was a one-off!
even thought she is number 4 for me, it is so hard to deal with when they are crying like that & nothing seems to settle them. All your instincts are to 'make it better' but nothing works & all we can do is wait it out.
Sarah, it will get better!

[jesscook08]

hi everyone just a quick note anton is much better now no more coughing yeah. anton has an appointment with the health nurse today luckey for me she's doing a house visit

[MamaPan]

yep we have the witching hour fromabout 6-9pm when he generally settles for the night. i think it is their brains processing everything from the day and i do notice it is more full on when we have had a busy day. i get through it with a sling (though Jacob isnt a v cuddly bub), feeds and trying to talk v calmly to him. i think the electric swing would be handy too - just need to get DH to set it up for me. it doesnt help that this is prime time with DS1, until about 8 - maybe that's why J is unsettled - all the toddler action... anyway it is normal and it will pass - that's the mantra that gets me through. Big hugs Sloane - i know how hard it is, but you are doing so well and i think it is just an emotional thing with them - and they cry to communicate. i find if i think of it in these ways i feel better about it all
Jasp - i dont know how you are managing it with all the expressing, have you got the double pumpsorted yet? you are doing an amazing jobw ith her. i hope she does learn to bf, it is so special. but whatever happens you really are giving it such a shot. i dont know how you cope at all with 4 (and i think i want 4 kids LOL) i find it hard with the 2 of them. i hope the blocked duct clears soon. i find the aspirator (ie snot sucker) excellent - i never got the hang of that or the saline with DS1, i think i was too soft and when he cried when i used it i stopped... butr this time around it has been fabulous! i reallynotice the difference.
Jess - glad anton is doing better.
welcome heva.
better go - all is well here. the mastitis is clearing up, having a relaxed/quietday and i think i will be feeling more myself soon.

[Miss E]

Wow it has been a busy morning here! Great to hear from everyone!

I just wanted to pop in a say a quick hello. Welcome Heva, good to have you with us.

for you Jasp, it must be so tiring all the expressing, especially with the other kids running around. You're doing a fabulous job, so try not to let the bf get you down too much. Just a thought, have you tried using a nipple shield to introduce her to the breast, it might be a good middle step to go from the bottle to the nipple because it's a lot easier to attach to. I've been using one since Ash was about 2 weeks when my nipples had been butchered. I am planning on trying to wean him from it (just a little hesitant to start properly because I'm scared of ending up back where I was), but one of the tips I've been given is to not try and start the feed directly on the nipple, but instead start with the shield when he is really hungry and not in the mood to muck around and then after five or ten minutes try and get him to attach to the nipple. The few times I have tried doing this I have been able to get him to attach, but when I try at the beginning of the feed it's a disaster. I don't know, but I thought that maybe this tip I was given could help in going from the bottle to the breast too ...

Storm, hope Hayley is well behaved at the funeral today and you get to say goodbye to your neighbour in peace.

I feel for you Sloane, the unexplained crying is so hard, hopefully this phase will pass quickly for you.

It's good to hear Anton is better Jess, it must be such a relief for you.

Glad to hear the mastitis is clearing up preg, my blocked duct is still hanging in there, just. The lump is there before I start feeding, but after a few minutes of feeding and massaging it's gone, so I'm taking this as a sign that it's almost over and done with.

AFM, we've had a lovely morning. I decided to get dressed before DH went to work this morning (normally leave it until after I've gotten Ash back to sleep after his first feed of the day). We went for a great walk, the first one I've done for exercise, and then up to the shops to get some stuff for dinner. It's so nice to get out about early in the day and the weather here is just gorgeous today! Anyway, now that we've passed the six week mark and the OB has given me the all clear I've decided it's time to start working on getting rid of this mummy tummy, so am hoping that we can't start the day everyday with a good walk.

[jesscook08]

hi im giving away a 5 year old any takers???? only kidding she just got back from being out with her dad and is now screaming down thde house because dad went back out and took our older son who will be 4 on sunday with him. anyone would think she was the baby of the house.
very glad anton is better just hope he has put on weight this week we will find out later this afternoon when the maternal health nurse comes over. she is a great nurse she was fantasic when i was in labour as she is also the midwife that delivered anton and she is doing a house visit on her way home from work mind you i can see her house from my driveway

[BekZ]

Hello Ladies,

Preg - Thanks for the cold tips Eva still has her cold and was coughing quite a bit last night. As per your request in the other thread I will pm you that recipe.It may take a me couple of day though.

Tinsel - Hugs hun, your poor nipples. I bet my doctor gives me the contraception talk too lol!! I have no idea what I want to do in regards to contraception.

Jasp - Hugs to you too. You've done such an amazing job and I can completely understand your disappointment. I had problems breastfeeding DD1 and I ended up hating bfing her with a passion and I almost started to resent her. She ended up on formula at 6 weeks old and we were heaps happier but I did carry a large amount of guilt around for ages. I thoroughly recommend using the Saline and extraction bulb too.

Heva - Congrates hon. I was wondering how you've been.
Jess - Great news about Anton.
Miss E - I am taking your advice and trying to express in between feeds a couple of times per day just to get my supply up. It seems to be working, plus if Miss E is really unhappy late at night I just give her the expressed milk as a top up. Great to hear you are getting out and about. I am thinking about getting walking too, I have 3 pregnancies worth of fat to remove lol.

Miss E did her usual wide awake thing at 4 am this morning. She was happy just to be in her basinette so I just left her there, turned off the night light and she was back asleep with in minutes!!!!

Best go.. I have some much to do before picking up DD1 from kindy

[jesscook08]

Anton has put on over 300g in 7 days despit being sick he now weighs 10 pound 11 or 4.85k very happy with that.

bekz just notice all yr kids were born on the 9th how did u manage that??? lol

[Ryatha]

Its great to hear how everyone is going. I feel for you all with your witching hours. DD1 cried every afternoon from 3-7 and was totally unconsolable I used to either cuddle her or pop her in her rocker and sing songs to her. So far Grace is doing well and is happy with a top up from the breast and it settles her very quickly. We end up feeding from about 7-9 really really frequently but then she sleeps well til 1.30.

must go again with out personals - sorry! DD1 had her op today and is very clingy...

[lovelycate]

my god it's been busy here! I'll give some personals a go, but there's no way I'll be able to do everyone, so apologies in advance...

Jasp - have you tried the 'baby crawl'? You probably have, but it was something we tried early on with Zac - it was great fun. There's info on the ABA website. I liked the suggestion re trying the nipple shields - might be a good transition or compromise for you both? The other thing I thought of was a suggestion I heard re double pumping - use an old bra or a tight (stretchy) singlet to hold both pumps in place so that you can do it hands free.

Heva5 - hi! only an hour awake per day sounds unusual, but I really wouldn't know - my bubs isn't a big fan of sleeping during the day anyway... I would suggest asking your MCHN about it.

Sarah - Zac does the same sometimes - will be feeding and suddenly gets all sad and then goes off his nut :-) So hard to know what to do and you feel so bad don't you?

Tinsel - I feel for you re the cracked nipples - I had a horror one in the first couple of weeks and ended up getting nipple thrush as well as having vasospasm. Definitely leave trying attachment until that first feeding frenzy is over and you can both be a bit more relaxed.

LotusFlower - can I ask how you co-sleep? We co-sleep too, but I sometimes worry that we're doing it wrong, IYKWIM.

AFM - we have been working hard on reducing the amount of formula and building up my milk supply. I thought we were going really well, although Zac had been pretty grizzly for most of the last week. However, we had our visit with the MCHN on Monday and he had lost weight. Previous visit he was 4.54kg and she expected he would have been over 5kg, but he had actually lost 180g :-( DH and I feel terrible that we had been starving our boy. So, we're back to comping, and my gorgeous boy is much happier I don't really mind as long as he's happy and healthy, it's just disappointing that I can't satisfy his needs on my own, and the whole experience leaves me feeling pretty unconfident in my ability to recognise when he's hungry or just unhappy etc.

My dad has been here for the last week and a half, and it has been fantastic. He's done lots of little jobs around the house, done all the dishes every day, done laundry, walked Zac around and around the house in his pram, made cups of tea... it has been really really nice.

Had my six week check with the obst yesterday - everything's good. I'm still getting an occasional bit of spotting too. He asked about contraception too, but I said that we're happy to take our chances (it took more than four years to get pregnant with Zac, and we'd love to have more). The obs gave me a debrief on my labour and why we ended up having a c-section. I said that I was still pretty unhappy with how I badly I managed the pain during my labour and felt that I had been 'soft.' He was really surprised and told me that I had managed well :-)

oh yes, and Zac had his first real chunder yesterday - he'd previously burped up little bits of liquid, but yesterday he and I both ended up wearing curds and whey

[Fleur]

Expressing again ....

Cate don't feel bad about having to comp... there are degrees of successful BF, it's not all just babies who are BF only (don't we know that!) & he is still getting your milk at least, that is good for him no matter what, kwim? You're doing great ; )
Breast crawl... yes we've tried that & a shield also. we have a different LC coming tomorrow to see us, fingers crossed.. PS oh & congrats on the first chunder lol it's priceless isn't it!

Ryatha to DD1 hope she feels better soon.

Jess wtg on the weight gain!! glad Anton is feeling better.

Bek thats great that Miss E decided to put herself back to sleep! sometimes they do surprise us.

MissE, glad you had such a lovely morning! I have been thinking a walk might be what we need here too...
I have tried the shield. I had some success using them short term with ds2... but not this time She is more receptive to that than the nipple alone, but still doesn't quite get 'on' with the shield. I am going to kep trying it though, I agree it might be a stepping stone hopefully.

Pre, so good to hear the mastitis is clearing up & you are feeling better

Sarah big hugs to you I was thinking of you this evening...

SS Storm I hope Hayley was good for you today? Funerals can be a bit stressful at the best of times...

AFM... thanks to everyone for your support, sometimes it's just what you (I) need
We had a much more settled day today, and NO witching hour tonight! Not sure how we managed to escape that but I'm not complaining. She has been extremely good today...I just wish I knew why! lol.
We have another LC coming in the morning, will see what she says. TBH I'm almost getting tired of trying... I can see me ending up just expressing for as long as I can manage it .... but I would much rather BF. Where's that magic pill? lol.

Hope you all are well.

[LotusFlower]

cate - As for the cosleeping, I don't think there is a right or wrong way really. As long as you're following the safety guidelines, you're good to go I reckon.
What we do though is, Oliver goes to sleep for the night in his cradle, which is right next to the bed. Whenever he wakes up for the first time (generally around 2 or 3am) he comes into bed with us. I generally have him in a sleeping bag, and he goes ontop of our doona. Otherwise, he goes under the doona, but I kind of tuck it under him/ my arm around him, so there's no chance of it covering his face. The only thing I find bad about it at the moment is, that I tend to fall asleep while he's feeding, so he only gets one side. Then he's awake sooner wanting the other side. I find it really helpful though when he gets windy at night. Laying on his belly really seems to help him with his wind pains, and thogh I'd never put him to sleep on his belly in the cradle, I don't feel nervous having him sleep on his belly on my chest.

Bekz - Good luck with the new LC!

[*The_Mrs.*]

Oh I miss my baby buddies! How are you ladies?

AFM- Sophie has finally reached 7lbs 11 oz and 20 in. long. She sleeps six hours through the night. She has a little thrush right now that we are dealing with but other than that she is great.

[BekZ]

Jess - It is freaky how my girls are all born on the 9th!! I don't know how I managed it though. Great weight gain for Anton.

Ryatha - :hugs: for your DD1 I hope she recovers quickly.
Jasp - How did you go with the LC?
Lovelycate - :hugs: regarding Zac's weight loss. I've been in your position and you just feel so guilty. Keep up the good work

Jess - R - Good to hear from you, I am glad Sofie is doing well.

AFM - Miss Eva slept a whole 6 hours last night and then resettled herself back to sleep yey!! I had her weighed today and she is 4.6kgs and 57cms. I think she has put on 300gm in 2 weeks. Best go..have a great weekend

[leckert]

Hi all,

Been reading but not posting for a while - trying to do some uni work and Blake's not always co-operating and trying not get too distracted by BB.

Not even going to try and do personals - just let you all know how Blake's been going.

Blake seems to have his good days and a few not-so good nights. He finally stopped complaining all Monday mornings 2 weeks ago (scream the place down and not sleep for long at all). For some reason it just seemed to be Monday mornings, when DH came home early (that goodness he had a great boss), he'd settle down usually after I was at my wits ends and ready to kill something (DS would have that really high pitched crying).
Now we seem to have unsettled evenings any time from 4 to 12 midnight with frequent feedings (BF), basically attached to me nearly the whole time or sleeping for 1/2 hour and I was a morning person not a night owl before DS birth - so I'm not really wanting to be awake. Sometimes though just to throw us off, he'll settle really well and sleep for 4 - 6 hours at a time just when we'd decide to start staying up expecting him to wake in 1/4 hour or so. (He decided Wed to go to sleep at 7pm and slept through to 1am basically even through getting in & out of the car twice during that time - so 6 hours between feeds)
Have had a couple of bouts of gunky eyes (just started another bout today). Also had a nasty nappy rash that got so red and raw, we had to visit the GP (found one for DS - mine was too far away) for antibiotics.
I'm hearing people on the wind issues - DS had days & nights where he can't sleep because of it. I've gotten a close carrier sling to help me get things done when that happens and to make things easier when going out. Had to go car shopping with/for DH the other day (he wrote his car off the other week) just as my sling arrived - DS slept the whole time (well nearly, except for 5 min when he complained just before he was going to get out anyway) - was soooooo impressed with DS. He likes the sling most of the time as well. We're also trying the infants friend drops which sometimes works. Have also tried bicycling his legs and pushing his legs up into his tummy to help get the gas out. Also tried (not often) a little bit of tummy massage on him as well. He doesn't like burping for me (will do it for DH most of the time)

Had our 6 week check up Wednesday - all good, is now 4.9kg from 3.17kg at birth (and 3.57kg at 2 weeks) so DS put on 1.33kg in 4 weeks - not bad for a BF boy! gone from the 25 percentile to the 50 percentile. (the amount he eats, I'm not surprised nor is DH)