Babies born~November 16-31st 2009 #1

I stopped the drugs the same night I has her cos it made me so sleepy the day after she was born had mu cathader out that sucked after a week I felt like I'd never had it done I was walking to the nursery 10times a day from the day after she was born,they say as long as you can turn without pain to check blind spots and emergency brake without pain you can drive

Alison I have no idea why she sleeps so long but she is 10weeks old on Friday so I think that factors in slightly though she's 2w1d corrected

hi there everyone

i'm the straggler from belly buddies- my original edd was dh's birthday- nov 28 so thats why i joined that due group, got dates changed on dating scans so im now due 15 dec- but i love the nov girls so much i had to stay- and they kept me!!!

so hopefully ill be here soon

had 10 min ouchy bh's all night but ammounted to nothing.... hopefully soon x

xox madame

Hi Madame! You go girl, we're all waiting here for you, any day now, any day lovely girl. xx

oh i hope so ali x

Hello ladies! Can I please join?

My darling son, Michael James was born via c-section on 29th November ( went into labour but had posterior cervix, bub not engaged, and running a temperature - similar to Alison's story).

This our first baby and I'm trying to breastfeed, but having a bit of trouble. Just had the lactation consultant out this morning and I'm a bit upset atm. He is losing weight, and not feeding "effectively". :cry: The LC said that basically he doesn't have the energy to suck properly because he hasn't been getting enough milk. It breaks my heart and I spent the whole time she was here in tears. I have quite badly cracked nipples so feeding hurts, which isn't helping either. We tried nipple shields but he just doesn't like them and doesn't have the strength to suck enough to get the milk. So, she has given me a 24 hour plan to try and get him back on track - they will come back tomorrow to weigh him again. I need to try to feed him, give him some expressed milk and give the rest as formula - DH has just gone out now to get the formula. I need to stop putting pressure on myself to breastfeed...if he needs to get put on formula then so be it...its not the end of the world. I think I'm starting to feel a bit better about that, but its taking time.

I'm so upset, and stressed, and tired...I feel like I'm on my own - my mum lives in UK and my MIL has leukaemia and is in hospital, I just feel like I don't have anyone to show me what to do :( DH is wonderful but I'm trying (not very succesfully) to not burden him since he has enough to deal with with the situation with his mum. I spoke to my sis and she is going to speak to my mum to see if she can come over here earlier (she was originally going to come in February).

Sorry this is a bit of a selfish whingey post...I just need someone to talk to, and to hear how others are coping - because atm I feel like I'm not. :(

Huge :hug: for you beany xxxx

I had a horrible experience with DS and it put me off bfing for ages - I didn't even try it with DD1 because of the horrible memories.

However, when I had DD2, I was expressing straight away and had formula top ups and then my milk came in, and since then I have been full time bfing - which I hadn't done before :D

Please don't be discouraged - DD2 is losing weight too, so we are feeding as much as we can, she's woken up a bit in the last few days and is awake a lot more, so I'm feeding a lot more - so hopefully this does the trick.

Please try not to feel too bad - we all do what we can as mothers, but some things are out of our control unfortunately. xxxx

Hi Beany - don't be upset, :hug: you're not alone, I'm here for you remember and we'll catch up after Chrissy and have a good whinge/yarn - we practically have twins remember with our almost identical birthing stories! LOL Don't beat yourself up about formula feeding mate honest, it's so not worth it - I had a friend visit who had to formula feed as her bub was born with a cleft palate and he is now a thriving 9 month old! My sister couldn't BF because of mastitis and her kids are strong teens now. I have plenty of milk during the day but it depletes at night so I've been comp feeding the 2.00 am feed to get Amelia through and I felt guilty the first night but the health nurse just visited me and told me not to worry about it and it's fine. You do what you have to for Michael and what's best for you. I'm going to try expressing for the night feeds but if I have to continue the formula so be it, I've decided I'm not going to cry about it anymore or stress about it anymore as it really does not matter.

I hope that's made you feel better, we do the best we can with what we have and we can't do any more than that! There's far too much pressure on breast feeding these days and some of these nurses are too pushy if you ask me. I've been lucky with mine, although I have friends with lots of horror stories. Cheer up mate, you'll get there, we're all on a learning curve at the moment. I'd kill for a decent night's sleep! I struggle with Amelia sleeping and eating during the day but then I'm up during the night as she seems to always be hungry, thanks to my lack of milk in the evenings I think, either that or I'm not feeding long enough........she falls asleep after 10/15 minutes so what can you do!!!!!!!!

If only they came with instructions...........

Awww Beany! Don't be so hard on yourself, you are doing the very best you can for Michael and I bet he just adores you for it!

I am also a first timer, we were due on the same day and my little man was born the day before yours, he has also lost weight, we too like Arimeh were doing breast and formula feeds, breast breast breast and then top ups of formula, then dropped back to breast when my milk came in, no lack of supply, Cruz is a great feeder and LURVES the boobie but then I got put on antibiotics, Cruz got diarrhoea from them and I am assuming that's why he has lost so much weight so I am breastfeeding and formula feeding again - Cruz was 3970 at birth, 3670 when we left hospital which the paed's were happy with and on Sunday he was down to 3260 :( Weighing in again tomorrow, fingers crossed he has gained!

I know how you feel, I feel just horrible as well, we just have to do what's best for our little one's, try not to feel guilty about it, it's not your fault, I bet we're not the only ones! I can understand how you feel alone, both of my parents have passed away and DH's family are around but there's sooo much drama in the very large family that we try to steer clear, you have me on Facebook hun, if you want to chat, just send me a message, I don't care if you want to scream, cry or talk about a funny looking caterpillar you saw this afternoon, just don't be shy and know you are a fantastic Mummy, you are not alone and everything WILL BE OK!! I hope your Mum can come over sooner for you! Awww big hugs honey, chin up and best wishes for tomorrow xox

This is my fourth and I still stress bout these things there was a patch when she was in hosp I was in tears cos with hunter I used to get 1lt a day and I wasn't getting 50ml a feed but I kept at it and she now bf,,just keep trying and if it doesn't work it's not the end of the world

serenity weighs the same as Cruz does now we finally are normal baby size lol

Hi Beany and welcome! Congratulations on your little boy and I look forward to hearing more about him. Like everyone else said, dont beat yourself up about the feeding as you can only do what your body will let you. We did comp feeding too like most ppl and now we are back to just bfing. Also I know what you mean with not having anyone to show you things, my mum and I dont talk and my mil is not here either so its just me and dh. We are not even in our hometown as we got moved for work lol...It can be pretty lonely but im getting there and so will you.

Hi everyone else!

afm, V is getting a bit more settled and dh is getting better at settling her thank god. Im expressing a little bit to store in the freezer for if he needs it seeing as he has no boobs.

Am a bit cranky at him tho he is on hols but has been doing homework anyway and went on a work function on Tues and not doing anything to help. I hope its only temporary because he has to get this thing done but its actually harder with him here atm...grrrr...

Hello ladies!

Yay! I found you all!! I'm crashing too!

Archie Edward was born 5th Dec but was due 23rd Nov. We had a home/water birth and i had a PPH and almost needed to be transferred for a blood transfusion so have taken a while to feel better. Still very tired and pale but Archie is an awesome little bub and lets mummy sleep! We are BFing at the mo and have had a few issues due to too much milk and poor baby freaking out during let down (i get about 4 let downs per feed per boob!) So i tried expressing most of the milk out first and that seems to be helping. I can't believe how messy he is now my milk is in! Poo, Wee, Spat out milk going in all directions!

Looking forward to sharing the good and not so good times with you all! There are a few Perth ladies here so maybe we can catch up!!!

Kymmy x

Hi Kymmy - yay you found us! You sound like you're doing well and feeling much better, so glad. Catching up is a fantastic idea, definitely!!!!!!!!!!!

I had a much better night, the 3 hourly feeding routine worked well last night, fed at 9.00 pm, 12.00 am, 3.00 am and 6.00 am and she went back to sleep straight away on all feeds and I didn't even comp feed last night yay! Getting an expresser tomorrow to express between feeds as I have a fair bit of milk too so might as well bottle it so DH can do the odd feed for a rest for me!

I have my sister in law coming over this arvo, I've had visitors all week and am a bit knackered, haven't even had time for an arvo nap but I feel bad saying no to people. I really want to decorate the tree that's been sitting there for a week too! Can't wait for the weekend so DH can spend some time with us, he's still working for another week and then taking 4 weeks off!

Yay how you guys can make next perth BB get together it was at faulkner park belmont today next one in a month check the WA section down the bottom of main page under general chatter i think

Hi everyone....

My DD was born on 21st November at 5:35pm after a pretty uneventful labour....hard labour was from about 4pm so had her out pretty quick with no tears or complications which was a relief.....I had big blood loss and big tears and placenta retention with my DS so it was sooooo good not to have stitches this time around.....

I'm currently breastfeeding at the moment with a nipple shield as I have very flat nipples - sorry TMI! It seems to be going alright at the moment, but I'm such a OCD with things I hate not knowing how much she is going....DS was bottle fed after about a week so I could keep a track of how he was going....but she seems to be putting on good weight so I'll keep going for as long as I can with it....

Looking forward to getting to know everyone in this group!!

welcome Jd's mum..im BF too i know what you mean when she was in hosp i would get them to bottle feed her ebm so i could make sure she had enuf lol

:hello:Hi, joining too even though Mr I was born 12th Nov - he came a week early! but the Belly Buddies group clicked so I want to keep up with you all.

Not much to report though, Mr I is pretty cuisey, although he thinks that any time awake without a nipple in his mouth is time wasted. He feeds, chucks up, then looks for more.

Will write more when I don't have a baby on my lap.

Oh yeah & check out the new avatar!

Hello girls,

Welcome JDsMum, SnowyLove and Kymmy81! :hello:

Thanks for your kind words girls, I do feel a lot better now. I have decided to express as much as I can - but I usually only get between 20-30mls at a time (is that normal? Doesn't seem very much), and give the rest as formula. I actually gave the nipple shields another go and he seemed to take them quite well this time, not sure how much milk he got, but my nipples were still a bit sore even with them on so I might give the BF a rest for a while and let them heal, while expressing as much as poss, then maybe I can try BF again later. I had a good long chat on the phone with my mum and she helped a lot - she had trouble feeding too, so it was great to speak to her about it. I told her not to worry about coming over earlier, as I am feeling more on top of things now and I think I'd rather have her around when DH has gone back to work. So there we go...things are going much better for me atm :)

Alison - Oh you're so lucky to have so much milk! So, do you wake Amelia up? Or does she wake up every 3 hours on her own? I have to wake Michael up sometimes and he doesn't like it! Gets very crankypants, but then so would I!! :lol:

Arimeh - Thats great you are full time BF! Especially after your previous experience. Hopefully when bub#2 comes along it might be a bit easier for me too!

Heavenly - Wow! 1L a day! That sounds like a lot! Yeah, I'll keep trying...if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. At least I gave it a shot.

nattyfred - Gosh, I shouldn't complain! Tho it is nice to know that I'm not the only one "on my own"! Still finding it really hard, I'm always second-guessing myself if what I am doing is right, or if there are things I should be doing that I"m not. But I guess, if our bubs are healthy and happy, then we must be doing something right, hey? Thats gotta be a confidence boost!

AliciaMrsH - Oh my goodness, I thought Michael's weight loss was a lot! How did your weigh-in go? I hope he's put lots of weight on :crossfingers: Oh I'm so sorry to hear about your parents - I feel silly for complaining about my situation :redface:. But you're doing so well, they would be proud :)

JDsMum - Congrats on the great birth story! You must be so happy! I'm the same - I get frustrated not knowing how much, if any, milk he's getting from me when he BF. I must say, I do like that aobut the expressing & formula, I can keep an eye on exactly what he's eating. I guess its a personality thing, I'm pretty OCD about things too!

SnowyLove - Glad to hear your Mr I is a cruisey baby :) How often do you feed him?

I have a few stupid questions I'd like to ask everyone:

1) What does everyone do all day?? I always wonder if I'm just not planning my days effectively or what, because by the end of the day I'm exhausted, and haven't done the little niggly jobs around the house that I"ve been meaning to, haven't gone out anywhere, didn't manage a nap, barely had time to eat....just wondering if this is normal? Like, I'm lucky if I get showered before 11am. I'm not complaining, just wondering if its normal!
2) Anyone dared to venture out yet? We took Michael to the shops in his pram last week (I was so excited to push a pram - something I've dreamed of since I was a little girl!), he was ok for about an hour, then he started screaming while we were waiting for a prescription for his eyedrops (he has some form of conjunctivitis) so we were stuck! Then he screamed blue murder all the way home in the car, maybe cos it was so hot, I'm not sure, but it really scared me to see him like that.
3) Are you demand feeding, or just waiting till he/she wakes up?

Sorry for all the questions - tho I'm sure there will be lots more coming!:redface:

Beanybub - I have no idea how often I'm feeding. I think that's part of the reason I think he's cruisey, with The Duke I wrote down when I fed & changed him when he was new, but this time i never look at the clock except during the night & that's just habit. So I guess I'm more relaxed about this parenting thing, and we're lucky that there aren't any concerns that would require more attenion to be paid. In answer to question 3, we're demand feeding when he wakes up!

Hi all

yes 1lt is alot but I didn't know that so this time when I started and was getting 10ml a boob I was freaking but kept going 3hr day and 4hr night and it got better

beanybub completly normal I take serenity to the gym Creche almost everyday that's my me time and I sit at home and relax alot more than I should so my house Is the same just have to get ur own rythym

Hi Beany (aka my birth story twin LOL)!

Re your questions, completely normal, I am exactly the same...............don't put pressure on yourself to get housework etc done, it's not possible at the moment so I've discovered. Even though Amelia just sleeps and feeds during the day in between I'm knackered and just sit on the couch and get on BB or FB ha ha. I have to wake Amelia every 3 hours to feed and after 10 mins she falls asleep, earlier today I got her to feed for 40 minutes but that was after her restless night and morning. We took her to the shops today too but she also got cranky and started bawling, bawled all the way home in the car then went to sleep. She was definitely overtired! About to go to MIL's for dinner and I'm so bloomin tired after last night, I don't plan on staying long and I'm hoping they don't all pass her from one person to the next as I don't want to disturb her tonight, she needs to catch up on sleep!

Hi Snowylove and Kymmy - all my BB friends are joining, yay!!!

Hi Heavenly - you off on a girls night tonight? Have fun if so. :)

Hi JD's mum - wow you sound like a birthing machine hee hee. Half your luck, I had a c-section like Beany and missed out on the natural birth, I call it uneventful but in an eventful way LOL.

Have a great Saturday night all, lots of sleep for us all...............I HOPE!

Oh my goodness ladies I just spent so long writing the longest post with lots of personals and then dropped the laptop, computer froze and I lost the lot on restart, grrrr, lucky it actually worked after the fall though I suppose! I'll keep it short and sweet this time!

Beany - Sooooo happy you're feeling better! How did Michael's weigh in go? Have you tried Lansinoh for your nipples?? On day 2 & 3 my nipples were cracked and bleeding and soooo sore, I started using Lansinoh and also rubbed breastmilk into my nipples and air dried them like the midwives told me to and after 3 days or so they got better and don't hurt anywhere near as much! Breastfeeding is even enjoyable now! I tried the nipple shields but Cruz hated the texture and kept spitting them out, which I am actually relieved about now as we didn't need them after all! Maybe try the Lansinoh before you stop completely?? I am not sure but I wonder if you stop completely to give them time to heal whether they'll just hurt just as bad when you start back up and they'll need to get used to it all over again?? Not sure! Best of luck though anyway and I'm so glad all isgoing better for you now hun - Huge hugs!! As for your questions, I'll quickly run through our daily routine. DH is back at work now so he leaves at 5:30am, Cruz wakes up at 6:30am and we spend the morning feeding, changing, playing, bathing, napping etc and then he goes down for a big sleep around 12ish until around 3ish, while he's asleep I get my housework done, chat on the phone etc while constantly checking in on him asleep in his swing in the loungeroom, DH gets home around 4ish, take Cruz while I have some "me time" have a shower etc - Then we spend the afternoon together, get dinner done and relax for the night, we demand feed but Cruz seems to have his own routine happening.. He goes to sleep around 7-8, wakes around 10pm, we feed, burp and change, then we all go to bed, Cruz sleeps next to our bed in his hammock, he wakes around 2am for about 40 mins for a feed, burp, change then wakes again around 6-7am which works out perfectly for just after DH is heads off to work and we start our day again - We have been on lots of outing, have only spent about 2 full days at home since we got home, generally just down the shops or over to friends/family homes etc... Not ever really out for longer than 4 hours at a time maximum though - I find that because Gary is so hands on with him and loves being involved, as well as Cruz sleeping so well and I don't feel the need to rest much in the afternoon that I am able to get my housework done etc - Hoping I stay this lucky though, but I am sure he will go through an unsettled period as he re-estblishes his routines... I really am so glad all is going well with you guys hun, you're a wonderful Mummy! xox

Alison! So glad Amelia has settled in so well! Love the pic of her on Paul's chest!! I have one the same of Cruz on Gary in hospital, isn't it gorgeous to see these big tough men turn to absolute mush over their tiny baby?! Is your holiday home finished now?! When's the first family trip down?! How exciting Amelia will get to enjoy her Daddy's hard work! Makes it all the more special!!

Welcome JD's Mum! So glad you had a better experience 2nd time round!!

Kymmy! Congrats on Archie's arrival!! He kept you waiting the cheeky little man didn't he?! Can't wait to hear about your homebirth!! BTW I am still loving your Wedding Pics - You really are the hottest pregnant bride ever - You soooo suit being pregnant, just gorgeous - So jealous!!

Natty! Did you get my message on FB? We have the same maiden name and went to the same high school as well! Just a few years apart! And have mutual friends as you already know - small world, so bizarre! DH thinks he may have met your DH sometime as well, he was poasted to Townsville in 3/4 cav, not sure if your DH ever worked with them?? V is sooo cute! Hope you guys are all doing well down there!!

Mel! Eden & Cruz have the same birthday! How are you enjoying Tas now?? Hope you've all settled in well and are loving it!!

Madame! Almost time! Best wishes to you hun! Can't wait to hear the good news!! xox

Mon - WOW!! 1 litre?! That's crazy!! Cruz would drown himself if I could make that much lol

Snowy! Cruz is exactly the same as little I - Very much a comfort sucker!! Love your new avvy! Will have to get mine redone as well!

Well, Cruz's "re-weigh in" couldn't have gone better! He has put on 1 whole kg in a week and now weighs 4.27kg! YAAAAAY! I am sooooo relieved! We're going to continue what we're doing, primarily breastfeeding but formula feeding extra also - It works really well for us, he hasn't shown any confusion to my nipple whatsoever and still absoutely LOVES boobie, latches on perfectly and is a great feeder, the formula is an added top up, conveniet and gives my boobies a little rest, plus it settles him for sleep like my breast milk doesn't, I mean he falls asleep on my boob but as soon as I go to move him, he wakes, smells me and just wants more boobie, with the formula, Daddy can feed him and he's out cold haha - It works well for us but I have to admit I do feel a little guilty about it and a little like a lazy Mum sometimes :( But for now, we'll keep it up while it's working for us!

Forgot to add details of my birth also - Short version, waters broke at 8am on Friday 27th, bloody show immediately followed, contractions started at 8:30am, we live an hour from my hospital and wanted to get there ASAP so DH came home from work and we got to hospital around 12, laboured in a room until about 3pm, contractions were coming every 2.5 mins, went to birthing suite, contractions got shy and started coming further apart! Blood pressure got to 155/99, Ob diagnosed me with pre-eclampsia and said we couldn't wait for things to happen naturally so asked me to go on synto drip, I finally obliged around 11:30pm, no one could get a vein for canular so I became a pin cushion for locals and they had about 10 shots before just putting it in my elbow, once synto started pumping around 2am wow things got VERY intense VERY fast!! Can't even remember anything more than a 30sec break between contractions, but was still only 4cm dilated at 4:30am so asked for epidural, no other pain meds at all, straight for the big guns - Aaaah relief! Then started getting ouchy again at 6am, was breathing through contractions again, was very painful, by 6:30am I was 10cm! Waited a while for him to move further down, started pushing at 7:50 and Cruz Elijah Larry was born at 8:08am on Saturday the 28th of November 2009 weighing 3970grams/8lb12oz, 53cms long, HC 36cm, peacefully looking at us without a peep! Apgars, 9,9,10 - Lots of happy tears from Mum & Dad though!! I didn't tear but got a 3cm vertical graze on my labia which HURTS like CRAZY! This was from Cruz coming out with his fist planted into his cheek! They said I didn't need stitches which I was thrilled about at the time but I am now still in so much pain from it, I went to my GP and he said it should have been stitched, it's quite deep and if it was him, he would have out 4 or more stitches into it to help it heal faster but there's not much they can do now but wait for it to heal naturally which I am not liking :( It's very uncomfortable to walk, sit, pee etc - I mean bearable most of the time but sometimes not... Can't wait to be healed and normal again!! That's the short version of the story anyway.... There's more to it but I'll write a proper birth story before it all fades away!! Still can't believe he's finally here!

Apologies for the mammoth post!! Am trying to rush through now to get to Cruz for a feed so sorry if it seems a bit all over the place!

Hope all Mums & Bubs are well and happy!!

xox

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome wishes....it's good to speak to other mum's that are at the same stage as yourself with the same issues!!

I am on FB if anyone wants to become friends - I'm under Shayna Delaforce and in my profile pic I'm wearing a white shirt and have my hair and make up done for my wedding....it would be great to be friends with other new mum's and to see some pics as well!!!

Beanybub - My days seem to disappear as well sometimes.....If I'm not organised before Simon leaves for work then I dont usually get to shower until later on in the day when Abbey is asleep and safely locked away from JD so he cant terrorise her while I'm in there....it's always a rush though.....I thought it was hard work with only 1 to look after but now having JD being 2.5 years old as well it's really tough!!

When I express I seem to get about 50mls out of the right side and only about 30mls on the left side....my sister though breastfed her 3 really well but could never get much out expressing so I'm hoping Abbey is getting more when she is actually feeding from me cause the nurses said that that isnt really enough milk to give her when I express....I'm using nipple shields and they are the best thing for me. I was completely useless breastfeeding JD cause of my flat nipples and I was never offered a shield at the hospital I had him in so I gave up really easily....this time around I will keep using the shield and fingers crossed my milk supply lasts for a while so she can get a good run with it....

I have been going out a little bit but usually only with someone else to make it easier!! Abbey is a pretty good baby though so once mum goes back to work and JD is in kindy I will go out those days on my own....if I dont get out soon noone will be getting Christmas presents at this rate....totally unorganised....

Alison - Dont know about birthing machine!!! I dont think I'll be going back again....the pain is so intense and I'm a sook!!! I know the end result is worth it though...and now we have one of each I'm pretty happy....although ask me in a year or so and I may have changed my mind!!!

Alicia - Wow!!! Cruz seems like a good baby (and loooove the name!!) and you are super organised by the sounds!! Great birth story too! I will need to write mine down somewhere as well before I forget all the details!

Hope everyone had a good night.....mum has taken JD to the beach for the day so I should really use this time to get housework etc done but I'm sure I'll end up sitting on the lounge and wasting the day away and regret it tonight when the house looks like a tip!!!

Speak soon
Shayna

Hi guys - quick pop in whilst DD1 is sleeping, DS is busy making a dinosaur out of cardboard stuff - and DD2 is chilling in her rocker (hiccuping actually)

Snowy - :hug: I'm glad you are in this group. I miss hanging out with you - how is *L* doing with being a big brother? Aricyn is very impressed with Eden I think, keeps telling her people her name etc and wanted to hold her last night, and then stroked her face and told me how cute she was.. hahahaha!!!!! Can you believe I'm bfing? I can't - really.. haha!!! Who woulda thunk it ;)

Re: expressing - I was getting around 30-40ml a time with DD2 and it wasn't enough to satisfy her - she was taking up to 130ml per feed - little piggy!!! But she seems to be doing fine without top ups needed so I guess its true that bub will get more out than a pump can.

Eek gotta go - no longer chillin - now screamin.

hi girls :)

just thought id pop in and say hi :)

everyone sounds very busy with there new arrivals :)

ella is doing great too... oh so cute :) love her so much!!!

mum and dad are still here doing all my house work which is great... not looking faward to having to get back into all that myself on wednesday when they go home again.

taecare girls.

Hello Ladies..

How are you all??
I find it really hard to find time to post as Archie has been attached to me constantly over the last few days! Lucky we've been co-sleeping so i can get some sleep! During the day he always wants the boob (even if he doesn't want to drink it he likes to have it in his mouth!) And he likes to sleep in my arms so i am getting nothing done! Yesterday it was 2:45pm before i even got to have my morning shower! Lucky it was a Sunday...
Is anyone else having this problem? I spoke to my midwife today and she said it takes about 4 weeks to establish a breast feeding routine. I did wonder whether it was the coffee that i'd been having every morning upsetting his tummy so this morning i didn't have one and he has been alot better today but who knows!? I suppose we'll find out over the next few days..

I had good intentions to do persies but i have to go as Archie is squeaking!!! I'll come back later on.

Kymmy x

Hi Kymmy - I had that at the hospital and the first few days at home, Amelia likes to comfort feed I think and the health nurse agreed. Personally I don't want to demand feed as I want a life so I have been trying to establish a routine with 3-4 hourly feeds, sometimes I have to wake Amelia to do this but my friend did this and had her baby sleeping through by 9 weeks so it will be worth it in the end. Last night it worked a treat and I feel so much better today for only getting up twice instead of all night up and down every hour or so! Some times she appears to want a feed but it's usually just to comfort suck so out comes the dummy and that works great too. As soon as she's asleep which usually only takes a few minutes the dummy falls out and stays out. Everyone has their own way of doing things but all this works best for me. No point us both being tired and unable to function and doing all this allows me more freedom to go about my business and when I'm a happier person so is Amelia. :) I've heard the routine will not be properly established until about 6-8 weeks so I'm also not putting too much pressure on myself to get it working the same every day, I take it as it comes. I have good days and bad days. Looking forward to more good days.

AFM - had the pregnancy aqua class girls around with their bubs today, was lovely, Amelia was the youngest. We put the 4 girls and 1 boy on a rug and took a pic, was so cute although Amelia was the only one who kept rolling to her side, she doesn't like being on her back all that much ha ha! Will post the pic on FB when the girls send me a copy, DH took my camera today so couldn't take one of my own. It's nice to get together with everyone else though to talk out issues and the like, makes you realise you are very normal. Although did have a great night with Amelia last night so can't complain today! I can't believe the amount of us using a nipple shield from time to time, what a great invention that is!

Hi everyone...

Kymmy81 - I have the same problem with Abbey sometimes....I seem to be feeding her constantly and sometimes I'm sure she's just sucking for the hell of it....I have a dummy for her which she will take sometimes depending on her mood I think so that's a plus but during the night she wont really take it so she uses me as one until she drops off to sleep...some days I feel like all I do is sit on the lounge with her and poor JD is left to his own devices, I think he must be bored out of his head the poor fella....

Alison - Sounds like you have a good routine going on there!!! I need to try something like that to see if it works....Abbey seems to like sleeping on the boomerang pillow I feed her on instead of her bassinet though so sometimes I'm so pooped I just let her sleep on there at the other end of the lounge instead of putting her to bed properly as at least I know I'll probably get a longer period of sleep doing that, although saying that I'm paranoid she will put her face into the pillow that I check her a fair bit so it probably doesn't work out that much different in the end....bad habit I know though.....

AFM - Had a pretty shocking night with her and her having bad wind...she was up nearly every hour during the night and would only settle after a suck on me...god you feel so tired sometimes dont you?? I hope I'm not the only one in a zombie like state most of the time...maybe it's my chocolate habit that's causing the wind?
Still persisting with the breastfeeding most of the time....expressed this afternoon as missed a feed this morning as she had a bottle at Playgroup and I got 100ml out of my right side but only about 25ml out of my left....how does that happen?? I wonder if when she is feeding on my left side if she is only getting that much out too?? I hate all this guessing stuff!!!

Other than that, just another hot Monday and praying for some sleep tonight....

Hope everyone is doing OK

Shayna

Hi girls,

Sorry I havent posted in so long. Like others have said, my days seems to get away from me and I dont even bother showering some days :redface: Just stay in my pj's all day...oops!

Its so nice to know that Im not the only one going through the same things. My DP and I never knew how hard parenting was! Mostly the lack of sleep is whats hardest.

Trent has had lots of wind and I think he suffers from reflux too. Again, so hard to know what to look for. He often cranes his neck back after a feed and we were thinking, What a clever boy!!! But after mentioning it to the MHCN, she was saying thats his way of stretching out his tummy due to reflux and wants to relieve wind. So now we let him be so he can get rid of it. We feel so helpless when he is crying in lots of pain. We have been using infacol for a few weeks now. It seemed to be helping initially but he's had a few bad nights lately. I also think what I eat affects him alot. Had my work chrissy lunch yesterday with different things and he was very unsettled last night.

I am only b/f about a third of what he needs. After b/f for 1hr (30 mins each side) he is still hungry so we then top him up with formula (he has up to 100mls of it) after b/f. Im hoping to b/f until New Years eve in which he will be 8 weeks and then may give it away. Feeds take so long and no wonder I dont get much done! He sleeps anywhere from 2-4 hrs at a time. Makes no difference with the formula. I was initially only giving him formula for those middle of the night feeds but he was still not sleeping any longer. Since my boobs are so big :redface: if we are out and he is due for a feed, we give him formula instead so thats not helping my supply but I try not to do that very often but sometimes it cant be helped. With such large breasts I only feel comfortable b/f on my chair at home with my pillow so hard to do it elsewhere. I get cramps in my hands holding my breasts while feeding they are so heavy :redface:

Alison - sounds like you have things under control. I am demand feeding when Trent wakes up. Have been told they are too young to have a routine so have been going with that. If Im lucky, I get maybe 3hrs sleep in a row :dance:

Shayna - I can totally understand how you are feeling! I feel like a zombie most of the time too. Im the same if I express, get different amounts from each breast. I dont bother with the pump anymore. If we are out when its feeding time, I cant express so Trent gets formula. I was expressing all the time and was getting anywhere between 60-100 mls at a time but that was without any b/f at all so Im sure thats different.

Kymmy - I have found that if I eat some things Trent gets an upset tummy but its hard to know WHAT it was. Unless you eat and drink the same thing everyday (BORING!) then how can you narrow it down :wall:

Billykat - make the most of your parents doing the housework! But like others have said, it comes second to the baby and your wellbeing. My mum was coming over once a week and staying the night so I could sleep to give me a break and do housework but that is stopping as of this week. I think as long as DP and I are fed, our clothes are washed and Trent's bottles are sterilised, the rest can wait!

Alicia - wow, cruz sounds like a big boy! Trent was born 3.8kgs, lost weight in hospital and at his 4 week check up weighed in at 4.2kgs. As for feeding, you have to do whats best for you. As much as they drum it into us that BREAST IS BEST, its not always that simple. You may not have enough milk, you are EXHAUSTED so cant function properly. Thats why I was using formula at night as I needed sleep and Trent would drink a bottle alot quicker than he breastfeds and at 2 or 3am, all you are thinking about is getting the job done so you can go back to bed to get some more sleep! I know that sounds lazy but you have to think of yourself too.

Beany - most of our outings say like shopping are all planned around Trent's feeds. When he's been fed, we quickly go out and do as much as we can which is usually about 2hrs, before he is crying to be fed. Obviously if we are out for longer then we have to give him a bottle but thats not very often. I stay home most of the time or people come over to visit me as I like our routine and want to b/f as long as possible and as I said above, I feel most comfortable b/f at home.

Hello to all the other girls. I will try and pop in here more often if I can. I read most of your posts but then just run out of time to post a message myself :doh:

Take care girls and its so nice to exchange information with others whom are at the same stage as me :D My g/f's have school aged kids so I dont have many people to talk to about stuff. Started mothersgroup last week so am HOPING I make some new friends there :D

Night all!

Tania

Hi everyone :D

Today was my first day of being home alone with the three monsters!!! 3 under 3 is very ... um.. hard work!!! LOL

Alison - I hope your baby is a baby that agrees with your routine, otherwise you could have a very unsettled baby on your hands.. LOL... I got lucky with DS - he was a perfect 4 hourly feeder and only woke once overnight for a feed - perfect!!! But he set that routine himself. Whereas DD1 - omg - she fed every 2 hours for the first 4-5 months!!!! And it was only after that she went to 3 hourly feeds. BUT - she still only woke up once a night for a feed too - so it wasn't all bad. We are demand feeding with DD2 cos it would take longer to settle her if she was hungry than it does just to feed her... plus I usually have another pooey bum to change - or being hounded for something by one of the other kids - so doing what takes the least amount of time is what is in my best interests at the moment.. LOL... oh, and about still having a life? Umm.. your bub IS your life - you will never be the same again (not that its a bad thing, but it is a scary thing to come to terms with)... what I would give for a sleep in... or sleep through.... or a morning out with DH with a nice coffee and muffin in peace!!! LOL... hell, I think I would settle for doing a pee on the toilet by myself!!!!! :lol:

MissMagpie - reflux symptoms can vary but they are usually ones like, they pull off whilst feeding, they pull up their legs to their belly after a feed, you can't usually put them down for longer than 5 minutes, and they wake up crying, they make disgusting looking faces when burping (acid coming up) etc etc - if they vomit as well its reflux, if they don't vomit, its silent reflux. DD1 had silent reflux, so no actual vomiting, but all the symptoms - plus the screaming and crying - arghh.. much hell. If you think his symptoms fit in with any of those listed, get him to a doc - or even better a homeopath, thats what fixed DD1. Plus we took her to a paed chiropractor, that was awesome for her.

Parenting definitely is a hard job - but you do get rid of them in about 18 years time... lol... just kiddin...

Ahh well, suppose I had better get off the computer and clean up the lounge room, have a shower (I shower at night when DH is home just in case a child wakes up and needs comforting), get meat out for dinner, pay some bills online, fold the washing.. arghhh.. its neverending!!!!!

Hope everyone has a relatively "good" night with their bubbas!!! :D

Hey all hope everyone is well

I'm so happy serenity is back to waking once at night and she's staying awake more during the day which is nice....

I can't beleive how close Xmas is at the beginning of the year I started getting clucky and bow here we are lol

just wondering what everyone is thinking on vaccination, I got the first ones done but due to her size I think I might delay the rest and cut a few out not sure yet am going to talk to the gp

I've never used a nipple sheild is it just a plastic nipple thing lol

serenity is also a comfort sucker mally is the only one who wasn't

Hi Girls....I hope I didn't paint the wrong picture before, I'm not against demand feeding, it just doesn't work for me, tried it for the first week and I got NO sleep at all, Amelia was constantly feeding and the lactation consultant told me that it's most probably comfort eating as my milk flows so she was getting plenty from her feed. I only feed for 10-15 minutes on average (sometimes longer) and she's full. So the nurse suggested trying something a little different so the 3-4 hourly routine is giving me much more of a break in between and my boobs a rest as I have a strong sucker on my hands and my nipples were being caned. Everyone has a different way of doing things I guess. I know my life will never be the same, what I mean is that I can still go to the shops if I need to and not have to worry about whipping out my boobs in the middle of the shops, something I'm not comfortable with ha ha. I'm not strict on my routine with Amelia, some days it goes out the window and I realise she's only very young, I'm just trying to start somewhere and I'm feeling quite relaxed about it to be honest - my aqua class friends told me today that they can't believe how relaxed I look....I said, don't worry, I have my moments of insanity and crying ha ha - don't we all! Like you all I have bad nights where she's up every hour and a half wanting comfort or a feed, it's all about being patient I guess.....................it's hard work for sure but I just keep telling myself the sleepless nights won't last forever...............I HOPE!

Hi Heavenly - yes the nipple shields are just like a plastic teet - very similar to that on a bottle and it just goes over your nipple, they are a godsend for cracked nipples!

I know what u mean Alison serenity is full after a 5-10 min feed too so I guess o have a routine demand feed thing cos I know she won't be hungry for awhile so if she wants to suck I know it's for comfort but I don't put a time on it so it's when I know she's hungry which can get tricky with the warm weather cos sometimes they do just need a quick drink

Hi there....

Tania - I'm the same with b/feeding.....my boobs are absolutely massive (which I totally hate....) so I dont like b/feeding in public either....if I can go to a mothers room in a cubicle or something then that's fine, but it's still a pain cause like you at home I'm surrounded by pillows which prop her up to reach my boob and without that it's really uncomfortable to hold her on and hold my boob up as well plus deal with getting the nipple shield on and her not knocking it off with her crazy hands etc....quite a nightmare really...but will persist at home....

AFM - Had a pretty good night last night, only woke twice for feeds and her wind seems to be not as bad....will lay off the chocolate for the moment to see if that makes a difference...it's going to be hard!

Have a great day everyone...

Count me in as another big breasted gal. I think I'm like an H cup at the moment! I've fed in public once or twice and it was tough. Otherwise I've only been going to places with parent's rooms or to friends houses. I also have a cushion I drag around in the stroller to help with feeding in the parent's rooms. I'm managing. I was caught out at a cafe though and ended up in a deserted dog walker's spot - the cemetery in Newtown so I could feed and feel better about it!!

Yup I'm another big breasted gal too!!!! Poor thing nearly suffocates I think.. LOL... I currently hold her in the football hold at home, with 3 pillows surrounding us. I have bfed her during an osteo appointment though - had no choice cos she was screaming - so luckily my osteo had spare pillows and I just fed her and continued the treatment.. LOL... and it is hard managing the pillows not moving, her squirming, her hands flying, holding the nipple shield, plus holding my boob back so she can breathe.. arghhh.. I'm sure it will become easier in time (even though DH keeps on saying stuff about her being on the bottle so he can do a night feed - ahhh well.. )

Not a bad night here, she fed at 8.30, then was up at 1am, and then 5.30am - then 8am. So not too bad. Would be nice if the other kids slept through though ;)

So Alison - don't listen to my stories about kids not sleeping through, or else it will do your head in.. DS is nearly 3 and still doesn't sleep through... DD1 is up and down all night too.. LOL

Hang in there girls - bf does get easier as bubs gets older & with subsequent babies. I'm *only* an E cup ATM (& that's the biggest I got with DS1 so hopefully this time is the same) and I'm feeding in the supermarket already with Mr I in the sling - I never did that with the Duke! I think I started feeding in cafes when he was about 3 or 4 months (and renewed my Iced Coffee addiction, 'cause I didn't want to spill hot coffee on him)

I think you are all legends perservering through!

I'm tired today - Mr I is again having 1 1/2 to 2 hrs awake during the night - last night from 1am. No idea what he wants - I feed him, burp him, change him, wrap him, but he won't settle. We had a week and a half where he didn't do it, before then a week of awake at 3am to 4am. I can't blame chocolate 'cuase I actually went all day yesterday without it. DH & I disagree about having air blowing over us - DH loves it as does DS1, but I think Mr I is taking after me and hates it (that's my excuse for turning the fan off last night anyway). I have to make myself go to bed earlier & stop playing on the internet when the boys are asleep.

Alison - the sleepless nights don't last forever DS1 now sleeps through (plus for about the last 6 months I've made DH get up ;))

I'd better get some work done before Mr I wakes - I'm working (very few hrs though) from home doing my Dad's accounts plus my floors need to be washed - quite a bit of baby spew residue.

with my first i was very self concious about bf in public now i do it while browsing in kmart just put my hand over my boob lol

Hi Heavenly - absolutely! For example this morning she seemed hungry still so I didn't make her wait the 3 hours I gave her a bit more, it's all about being flexible isn't it. I just can't do demand feeding completely or she'd be on my boob all day and I'd never get anything done. It was stressing me out, I'm much more relaxed having a bit of a routine at least. :D

As for big breasted gals, ha ha I'm the opposite, I'm only a C cup now - I was an A/B before I was pregnant and my boobs didn't really grow until my milk came in! So I have what you girls probably have normally but when feeding, sad huh LOL! It's funny how we're never happy, I was looking forward to having decent sized boobs for once in my life and I didn't really happen, although they're definitely bigger than normal now and considering they're not biggens I've not had problem with my milk coming in. The lactation consultant told me sometimes smaller boobs are better as they contain only milk no fat......she was probably just trying to make me feel better ha ha. I get a little embarrassed getting them out in public though, I think it's just because I'm used to them being on the small side so have always been a bit conscious of it, I only have small aerolas and nipples too - I guess they're in proportion to the size....the nurses were like, you only have small aerolas, I'm like, yeah, because I'm a B/C cup, hello!!!!!!! Never happy are we....and to think my oldest sister had a breast reduction a few years ago, go figure! LOL

Heavenly, have you got smoke at your place? Are they burning off again here in Perth? It bloomin stinks out here. I just took Amelia for a walk around the block in the pram and had to come back cause I couldn't breathe!!!!!

Ha. Funny comments about areola. I remember being told to shove the whole thing in bub's mouth - not just nipple and I raised my hand in class and asked "What if my areola are the same size as his head?:lol:" HA. HA. Pretty close to true. I still have inches hanging out even with a proper latch!

Hi Tecopa - HA HA you're funny! I bet they had no idea what to say then! LOL :ROFL: