Babies born~June 1st-15th 2010 #1

[Visitor8]

I am pretty lucky in regard to Ashtons naps. He just goes down with a bottle and straight to sleep.

However in this house, youngest goes first. So if Elijah starts when Ashton wants me, Ashton waits. Same with the older boys, if Ash wants something they wait. The way I see it is Elijah doesn't understand why he's being left to cry, where Ashton understands a lot more. I will tell him to help me with bubby which helps. Or else I tell him that bubby needs mumma and he has to wait. Helps being super multitasker because I can walk and feed lol the other day I slept in the arvo, woke up with 10 minutes until school pick up! So ended up walking down the street, feeding Elijah with one arm, and dragging a tantruming Ashton with the other lol musta been a sight!! But we made it in time

Don't stress about it hun, just go with it. You'll work out ways to deal with things as they come up. Just remember to breath when you're feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes it helps to sit and refocus for 5 minutes.

[Mrs McAwesome]

Hi guys..

I want to see if it is ok if i stay in this thread rather than the May 15-31st one. Milly is only about 14 hours older than SAK's little girl and i would much rather stay with you guys if that is ok.

Livielou... - oh my gosh Eadie is just so beautiful. I know i am not meant to look at other baby girls and think that but gosh she is a stunner.

Missymoo- you never fail to amaze me in your awesomness. i am struggling with 1 i have so much respect and am in awe of you doing it with 4.

SAK - I hope you are feeling more positive and physically better. I think of you a lot and am sending you happy thoughts.

SEPH- how are you going? I love your updates on FB Archie is so adorable. We should meet up for coffee.. I went to donny on Saturday OHMIGOD it is almost better than chaddy. And the mothercare store Did you know they have 50% off all their clothes at the moment.... i soooo could have spend a fortune.

ok so i am now typing with a baby on my boob so if there are any spelling mistakes thats why..lol

Entreat - I love your attitude. Post the pics up seriously i wanna see them. I am gonna post the delivery pics (of my head end) but you can see lots of blood still on her and my leg..lol

Kangaskippy - how are you going with 3 little boys. It sounds like you are doing brilliantly.

To the others Welcome Can't wait to get to know you better

[entreat]

So the in-laws are here. MIL is already doing all of my washing. Weird. I feel a bit lost as she keeps telling me to sit down & watch telly. I think I'll cut vegies for dinner. Whoa... she just made our bed too! awesome!

Jack was brilliant last night. We had a couple of visitors yesterday, and he slept through half of it. He slept from 4pm to 9pm, then had a really fussy feed (red faced screaming, I assume he had gas. ), and then slept from 9 until 3am! I couldn't believe it. I honestly thought he would only sleep 3 hours max, because he was so huffy when he went to sleep. Amazing! I wish it was something I was doing so I could make it happen every night, but he's choosing to sleep longer at night on his own. We're also encouraging him to self-settle, which means ignoring those little tired squarks that come from him after a 40min sleep cycle. He drifts off again after 5 mins (unless he needs changing).

I'll put my C/S photos on photobucket. I know too many of my friends will freak out if they see my guts open on a table! Princesses!

Mrs H - I'd be offended if you left us. You're always welcome with your belly-buddies.

[smamfa]

Morning!

Mrs Hendo - TOTALLY just stay in this thread hun! I mean, it is not like *I* would sneak illegally into a thread or anything <whistles innocently>... and you are only 1 day out, not like TWO days or anything crazy like that <whistles innocently again>...

Feu - hello again! I am the same as you, wondering what is going to happen when dh goes back to work with 2 small ones... i'm sure it will all work itself out, but i am also sure that i am going to get even less sleep and be quite wiped out. At the moment ds1 is spending a lot of time with his dad, and this is great, but i also miss him actually! He also has picked up quite a case of separation anxiety over me disappearing to hospital for a while, and getting him to go down to sleep has become a bit of a nightmare... Loving having a little bub again though, i am much more relaxed and able to just purely enjoy the smallness of him much more this time.

entreat - i have the SOS book too, but i never followed it particularly strictly last time, but it gave me some ideas. there are some parts of it i don't agree with and wouldn't implement, but there is a stash of useful stuff in there too. the 40-min sleep cycle thing doesn't generally kick in until bub is a bit bigger/older from what i can remember. my ds1 used to catnap for 40 min for ages (thankfully only during the day not at night), but he didn't start that until he was a bit older (couple of months old maybe, if my dodgy memory can be trusted). I was doing everything 'right', putting him down to sleep awake and without any sleep aids etc, but he used to wake 40 min on the dot - it was v frustrating as I had to go through many settle/sleep cycles in the day. In the end he just grew out of it i think!

elky - oh, i'm sure it is not v funny for you but you really made me giggle at your milk hitting X in the head. And I am totally impressed that you can collect milk for storage so easily expressing was always such a stressor for me in the beginning.

livvielou - hope you are settling in at home and feeling much better.

seph - yeah Z's eyes do that roll back in his head thing too - v spooky!!

missymoo - you post great posts! i am now one-finger-typing and feeding so bbl!

[Persephone1]

I'll bbl when I get a minute but wanted to say that Mrs Hendo, I'd be offended if you left this thread! STAY! And Smamfa, you can stay too!

Archie's after the boob, again. Apparently this weekend we've been having a growth-spurt, so he's hardly left the boob. *sigh*

[entreat]

Photos!
Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket

and this is my favourite photo:
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...n/IMG_6463.jpg

[klee]

hi again ladies, sorry to have popped in the other week and then gone MIA. i'm sorry for no personals, but i'll definitely try and read up in next few days so i get to know you all. we've been having issues with DS1 since dad went back to work and the fact that DS2 likes the boobie a little too much, and we've just moved, so its all a bit much for DS1, i feel so sorry for him. he's also been sick so i'm quickly learning how to juggle, not too successfully mind you, but remain calm and we'llget there eventually. sorry having trouble with my keyboard. we are co-sleeping which is great cause i'm getting enough sleep, dp has been banished tods1's room but i think deep down he loves it. wow on all your little ones weight gain this one has only managed 200 grams but getting weighed again on fri so hoping its more. sorry for the me post will read up and post personals later in week

[starangelk]

Hi everyone

Entreat - WOW, AWESOME photos! I have some from my CS but only about 3 of the actual op and none as good as that. They asked me about photos and I just said whatever so I didn't end up with many. I also have the SOS book. While I am a totally routine and regulated person, that book is way too much for me even.....it doesn't work for me with the strict routine. That said, I took a heap of good things from it about putting X down awake and about sleep aides vs comforters etc etc.

Mrs Hendo - if you go to the other thread I will come and stalk you and lure you back in here anyway

Smamfa - Hiya!! When is your DH going back to work? That is awesome that you are able to enjoy the little moments more with this little one. I think I am worried about that, I spend so much time worrying about missing out on her being tiny and growing so quickly that I should stop worrying and start enjoying!

Klee - hope all is going well and lovely to hear from you.

Seph - X does the eye rolls into the back of her head as well. Very freaky!

Missymoo - hiya hiya

Sorry if I have missed anyone!! Last night something scary happened. X sort of cluster feeds at nighttime of her own accord. We had some friends over for dinner (I know, I am CRAZY cooking for other people!) and I probably wasn't paying as much attention as to how long she was feeding for because I was feeding her and chatting at the same time. Anyway, she was fussy on the last feed and she is never fussy. She kept pulling off and crying and then latching herself back on and going to sleep and so on and so on. When she woke herself back up I got up to put her to bed and she did this weird cough thing and about 20 seconds later she did this massive spew and it came out her nose and mouth at the same time! It went EVERYWHERE, the splash sounded massive. I was so worried she couldn't breathe so just sat her up and patted her quickly. She didn't even cry, she was fine after a minute of so of coughing and spluttering. It was horrible horrible horrible and I felt so sad and upset for her. Then I didn't know whether to feed her again or not and she was wide awake. So I just sat up with her for a while and she was very placid then started making hungry looks and I fed her again, burped her and put her to bed. She slept in 2 lots of 4 hour stints so obviously was totally fine but I on the other hand am scarred by the experience!

[Persephone1]

Hi again Ladies,

Entreat, the photos are fantastic! I'm so glad you got some done. We obviously didn't have any at Archie's birth because it all happened so dramatically, and apparently vacuum delivery is not so photogenic (especially accompanied by a screaming woman and third-degree tearing).

Livvielou, glad you're doing okay, although I have to say FAR OUT you've been through the wringer. Eadie is be-autiful though! I hope you're recovering well both physically and emotionally.

Mrs Hendo and Smamfa, glad you're both staying here, it wouldn't be the same without you both!

To all the Mummas doing it with more than one baby/toddler, I take my hat off to you. DH is home for another two weeks (including this week), and I'm already freaking out about how I'm going to manage everything on my own. I don't want DH to go to work every day with too little sleep, so I'm going to have to take over some of the night-time nappy changes from him.

MissyMoo, thank you so much for the advice about night-feeding and settling. DH and I have tended to chat away to each other and to Archie during the 2am feed, and I can see that he expects some eye-contact and conversation. I noticed that when I stayed really quiet and minimised the touching/rocking/eye-contact, he settled much quicker. I'm still getting used to it though - I can't help talking to him, even at 2am! We've also taken your advice about changing the nappy then feeding on one boob. One of the MWs at the hospital told me to feed on one boob, change the nappy then feed on the other boob, and when we did this Archie just became unsettled from the nappy change, and spewed up the second part of the meal. Most of the time, Archie is pretty happy with one boob only.

So...having said all that, Archie seems to be having a growth spurt and hasn't stopped cluster-feeding for the last two days. I was awake for almost 2 hours last night, by the time he'd drained both boobs and had a much-needed nappy change. It's been a crazy couple of days, made even crazier with my ILs visiting. Unlike Entreat, my ILs are not so helpful around the house with my MIL refusing to hand Archie back to me when he needed a feed and sitting on the couch all weekend waiting for cuddles. My FIL made a vague comment about me "feeding everytime he looks hungry" as if this was a bad thing to do. I think they think I'm some paranoid, naive first-time mother who needs to be told how to parent. Fair enough I probably am all those things, but they also know that DH and I have made some really well-informed decisions about parenting, and we intend on continuing to do so. It's not like demand-feeding a two-week old is a new-age thing either

My MIL also discovered that we're co-sleeping and is NOT happy, so she spent half the weekend mentioning the dangers of co-sleeping and asking us when we're going to buy a cot. I understand that co-sleeping can be a bit confronting for some people because it's not mainstream, but DH and I made a conscientious decision to do it, and it's working well for us, so I wish she'd shut up and leave us to our own parenting decisions. The ILs are coming back for a two-week visit in October so I've told DH that they have to pull their weight around the house, and can't expect to be spending every day of that with me - I will go mental after two days. It's also been a bit of an anxious time for me this past weekend because I don't like being out of control of my surrounds, and having the ILs visit makes me realise that Archie is not "mine" and I can only control so much of the interactions and relationships he has with other people. This includes some of the crap gifts we've been given for him

Mrs Hendo, I'm gonna head to MotherCare tomorrow to check out that sale! And yes, we should catch up! Is there anyone else in Melbourne that wants to catch up too?

Last night something scary happened. X sort of cluster feeds at nighttime of her own accord. We had some friends over for dinner (I know, I am CRAZY cooking for other people!) and I probably wasn't paying as much attention as to how long she was feeding for because I was feeding her and chatting at the same time. Anyway, she was fussy on the last feed and she is never fussy. She kept pulling off and crying and then latching herself back on and going to sleep and so on and so on. When she woke herself back up I got up to put her to bed and she did this weird cough thing and about 20 seconds later she did this massive spew and it came out her nose and mouth at the same time! It went EVERYWHERE, the splash sounded massive. I was so worried she couldn't breathe so just sat her up and patted her quickly. She didn't even cry, she was fine after a minute of so of coughing and spluttering. It was horrible horrible horrible and I felt so sad and upset for her. Then I didn't know whether to feed her again or not and she was wide awake. So I just sat up with her for a while and she was very placid then started making hungry looks and I fed her again, burped her and put her to bed. She slept in 2 lots of 4 hour stints so obviously was totally fine but I on the other hand am scarred by the experience!

Been there, done that, and I feel your pain! Archie has had some power spews that make a sound on impact, but he looks straight at me afterwards with an "I'm still hungry" look, then latches back on for more. It's seemingly more devastating for the Mummas than for the babies! He wasn't fussed by the vomit either. From talking to my Mum and my Doula, there doesn't seem to be any particular reason for it, although Archie did bring up an entire feed when he had some really bad hiccups. Apparently I would bring up an entire feed when I was a baby, but it only becomes a problem if it happens at every feed and/or baby isn't putting on enough weight. That said, I really hate watching him do it, and it is really awful knowing how long you've been feeding for only to watch it come back up afterwards.

We're still using sposies here, but have tried the newborn BBH a couple of times - with a few leakages unfortunately. I'm going to wait until DH is back at work before we really get into the clothies so that I can get some sort of order going with the laundry.

Oh, and can anyone tell me how they're going with the post-birth bleeding? TMI warning: I've had some variable bleeding but most days (two weeks post-birth) it's like a medium-heavy period. But the last couple of days it's been lots of clots but very little "flow." Is this normal? I haven't had any pain although the occasionaly twinge in my belly when I'm bfing.

AND...I'm back to my pre-birth weight. I was about 5-8kg overweight when I fell pregnant, and it seems I'm now 5-8kg overweight but with a little soft pot-belly. I'm quite happy that it's only taken 2 weeks to lose the kilos but will hopefully keep losing it now that I'm bfing! Glad that bfing is a natural weight-loss program!

Okay, better go. Hope everyone is doing well!

[Mrs McAwesome]

Just a quick rely to seph now bbl mat just got home and Milly is soooooo unsettled today. Re bleeding. Milly is 4 weeks old today and I have only just stopped bleeding. I still get a slight reddish discharge happening but period like bleeding just stopped about 2 days ago.

[entreat]

We're still using sposies here, but have tried the newborn BBH a couple of times - with a few leakages unfortunately. I'm going to wait until DH is back at work before we really get into the clothies so that I can get some sort of order going with the laundry.

Us too. I really liked the cotton & bamboo fitteds, but the AIO's are no where near absorbant enough & we were changing clothes with the nappies. And then there's me forgetting the waterproof covers on the fitteds in a moment of baby-brain. And Jack got a fairly bad nappy rash as soon as we'd left hossy, so mum said we should put him in sposies until it's cleared up.

Is anyone using flushable liners? How have they found them? I used them, but mum thinks they're so coarse & rough, that may have given him the rash (or made it worse).

[starangelk]

I am using flushable liners!! Also using a combo of prefolds and MCN's. We started a couple of days after getting home from the hospital but keep disposables in our nappy bag so when we are out and she needs changing, X gets a disposable. My DH is super super supportive of the whole cloth nappy thing so we figured we would just get started as soon as we got home. It is only one load of nappies in the morning as soon as she is awake and her nappy is first changed. The flushable liners are awesome, they catch everything! They are also good to use as a bit of a wipe prior to using the actual wipes. We haven't had any leaks at all............mostly using prefolds with covers/baby beehinds petites and thirsties with covers. We actually prefer the cloth over the disposable because we can make them fit her better. She has had nappy rash but it was virtually nothing and I just used moo goo for a day and it cleared right up.

I am about 3kgs over my pre pregnancy weight right now. I am not so worried about the scales, I am worried about this pudgy little belly I have! I am really surprised by it actually.........I have never had a belly before so it is strange for me to have a soft weird looking ball on me. I am keen to get into the situps but apparently I need to wait because of the CS. So I am just hoping this breastfeeding does the job for me! Hee hee. But on a serious note, I highly doubt that my tummy skin is ever going to be the same again. I got MASSIVE towards the end of my pregnancy and despite all the creams etc I put on my skin, I just don't think it is going to be my friend ever again.

Sorry for no personals

[Visitor8]

Just a quick one with a couple of things so please don't think I am ignoring you

Cara as if we wouldn't want you here! I wouldn't move to a different belly buddy group either LOL I wouldn't care!

My bleeding stopped abotu a week ago, but it can go for up to 6 weeks I think?

For those of you who are using MCN, I am too We've been in them from birth, using the packet of disposables from the hospital for going out, but as of about a week ago it's full time cloth I have one NB magicall with the pocket and booster. LOVE it! Mostly we use Sustainable Hemp Products lushies. They are so so so soft and squishy and last Elijah ALL night. Also been using Whizz Kidz in the newborn snap setting. I have a few bubblebubs and auriels which I've been using but much prefer the lushies with woolies. He looks SO cute in his woolies too <3

[smamfa]

Missymoo I wish I could do your trick of feeding at night and then popping them back to sleep, but Zach does his typical poo-with-every-feed thing, so changing him becomes a necessity, although he is becoming easier to settle afterwards. It is quite amusing actually - he will pause in his feeding, his little eyes will widen and look all intent, and then he will make little grunting noises and then... SQUELCH!!! A baby poo-plosion!

Today my ds's were tag-teaming me... Zach wouldn't settle for his dad while ds1 was sleeping, and then when bubba finally went down ds1 got up and he chucked a real wobbly when he asked where I was and his dad said I was having a sleep... so no nap today boo!

starangelk - Zach did a big spew this morning too, all over the bed!

I must say - I am loving having my body back again!!! Although it doesn't appear to be exactly the same body I left here 9 months ago... <looks at body suspiciously>... but it is great not sharing it anymore. I am not one of those people who misses being pregnant haha, I am very happy not to be pregnant anymore! Wow on people's weight loss - sounding good! I lost 10kg in 10 days (having a baby = the ultimate weight loss scheme!!!), but as i put on 16kg with the pregnancy i still have around 6 to go (and then the 6 or so kg I had kicking around prior to the preg over my fighting weight... hmmm, so probably about 12 all up i'd like to lose - I hope the rest falls off as easily as the first 10 lol!)

[smamfa]

And entreat, i just checked out your photos - they are amazing!! I love the 'prayer feet', and you're right, the look on Jack's dad's face is just lovely

[entreat]

Thanks! I sent them to my OB today. I hope he likes them too.

And on the weight loss: I didn't put any weight on in the 3rd tri (thanks to not eating chocolate at work, plus going to the gym), so my weight gain for the pg was ~11kg. I weighed myself on the bathroom scales this morning, and they say I'm 2kg lighter than my conception weight. Admittedly, they aren't the scales I used to use (I used the gym ones), but I think thats a pretty good effort. Maybe breastfeeding is the key that I've been missing from my diet!

[Kangaskippy]

Hi ladies, so sorry I haven't been in to catch up with everyone...I usually just use FB and have been keeping up with some of you and your gorgeous baby pictures on there !!

Luke is having a few bad days of not waning to sleep and boobying lots, so I am guessing he is having a growth spurt...his gained about 970gms in 2wks which I think is ok...lol...

be back in later to catch up, in the middle of retouching my roots! lol, priorities!!!

[starangelk]

Quick one from me - Smamfa - I am totally with you on not missing being pregnant! I am totally loving having my body back to myself but like you am still looking for my pre-pregnancy body. I am sure it will be around somewhere, maybe I need to send it an invitation to meet me