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belfie - its nice when kids are good at the shops hey! its my biggest fear, tho so far its been pretty good. just waiting for the newborn sleepyness to start wearing off lol
btw keep meaning to ask... is ur name just bella or is it actually isabella??
actually just Bella... my mum was SO ahead of her time. I swear everytime I go to doctors now they ask if Bella is my child.... lol.:
And belfie is my personal nickname from a long time back... to the extent that once I got gastro & was suddenly vomiting at 2am... and I heard hubby wake up and exclaim "oh no belfie!"...so cute.
you know this lady at the bank today asked me if Xander was wearing a dress?!??! I'm like... what the? He was in the seat of my P&T wearing a blue "train the dragon" hoodie. I really couldn't figure that out.
belfie & buzzie - yeah that makes sense. Also makes heaps of sense for them to get you to sign the form before the surgery too.. I reallyt couldn't remember what I wanted, but anyway its done now which is good in a way as I'm going to Perth when Isaac is 7 weeks old, one week before the next jab.
Belfie - haha I think the bank lady is on drugs
Isaac and I went for our first walk together today, finally had a beautiful sunny day when I have some energy! Also put him in a sling for the first time too! He went straight to sleep and looked so comfy :) I'm going to have to take him to the doctors soon though, he has these jerky twitching movements that happen in both arms and legs at the same time when he is asleep. The doctor at the hospital hadn't seen it before, and they did some blood tests but nothing showed up. We monitored it in hospital and he only does it in deep sleep. The movements seemed to stop, but only for a couple of days, and now its happening a couple of times a day. I think I need a referral for a scan to see if it's anything to worry about. Also he has to get a referal to get his tongue tie fixed, so I'll probably go on Friday or Monday when mum is back.
Ladies, just a couple of things... when you put your bubs down for a nap/sleep do they cry? G never goes to sleep without crying first.
And during his feeds, sometimes he wriggles around so much we struggle to burp him. This kid just wont relax. Maybe he has reflux? I don't know... he just seems to be upset all the time. I thought it was the hernia, and then the infection and then the immunisations, now what?
Man, this is just so hard at the moment. 10 weeks old and no progress... it's so hard.
Connie - do u put him down when he's awake? I always wait till Isabella is asleep in my arms before putting her in her bed.
Sounds like he has trouble settling DS had issues self settling. I saw a sleep specialist (not sleep school) and she was brilliant! Definately worth seeing someone. Ask ur GP if they can refer u to someone good.
Actually ur in malvern yeh? The lady I saw works at monash medical centre - if u want her details I can give them too u. I spent 18minths trying to figure out DSs issues and saw endless ppl , she diagnosed him in 5 mins and handed me a piece of paper about it and I swear word for word it was everything I had gone thru with him! I was blown away.
Bec - oh no poor issac is tongue tied too. Poor thing, hope his surgery goes well!
So glad ur first night alone was good. U will get the hang of it very quickly and it will get easy once u get ur own lite routines happening. I used to LOVE the quiet when I was alone with DS. Can't wait to have my own place again!
Belfie - I love the name Bella. I call DD that :)
How stupid about the dress with Xander lol some ppl are just nutty!
Hi ladies,
Connie - sounds like you are not having an easy time of it! Pearl usually lets out a squark or some sort when I put her down to sleep because I pretty much always put her down awake I can usually tell if she is going to go to sleep though because it is half hearted and does not last very long (not more than 3 mins - I find timing her crying puts it into perspective - it always feels longer than it is!) She is also wriggling more while feeding but not as much as George sounds like he is! Not sure about that one. I'm with Buzzie on the sleep specialist - get as much help as you need - you don't have to struggle on alone. Also I was reading today about how some babies are unsettled for the first three months and then settle down - my sister's bub cried every evening from 6-12 weeks then just stopped so hopefully George will find his feet and calm down for you - the three month mark is not that far off for you.
Buzzie - make sure you get the rock you want I found dropping really obvious hints worked for me! - com'on Rob!!
Belfie - maybe the nut job in the bank was just looking for an excuse to have a chat - babies seem to be people magnets and sometimes they just want an opening - or am I being too nice? I think you are totally entitled to get more help from DH under the circumstances - you are trying to get to know a brand new bub, manage a toddler AND do bookwork - enough already!!!
Apes - how was your mother's group? Sounds liek Isla is doing really well - 6 hours is a great stretch to get at night (as long as you can sleep!)
Dory - have you been to the pead yet - how did you and HB get on?
Kirsten - I hope all 4 rugrats are behaving for you and you are feeling alright - any luck with the help?
AFM - I have been feeling really down today - teary and lonely all day - I don't really like this town - we have lived here 2 years and I have really tried to make friends and get out but people here have all lived here for generations and don't seem to need any new friends - for some reason I thought this would improve once I had the baby but even the babies massage group I go to on Thursdays has very slim pickings in the friends dept. I know I am lucky Pearl and DH are both really good but for some reason today I am just flat and needed to vent.
Oh geez I just lost a long post. No fair at 4am!!
Most important bit - Connie, get some help, talk to your nurse, have you thought of trying a mother baby unit? They CSM be great. Trust ur gut instinct u think s'thing not right with G.
Bec - hugs ur doing great.
Chuckie - big hug 4 u 2.
Us =!scary poosplosion today while out! Eep!
Oops duplicate post. Might as well update it lol. Annika had done quite a spit up in her bassinet and woke herself up... So I'm giving her another feed *sigh* (if she falls asleep I'll take it)!
Connie in answer to your questions, I always TRY to be in the habit of putting my babies down awake. I do think they don't learn to self settle as well otherwise. And my DS is generally a great little sleeper. So saying babies always like to surprise, there's definitely times I've cuddled, walked, rocked, done anything to get them to sleep... But sometimes I was sure this wide awake looking baby would not sleep on his own but then he did!! Depends how desperate you are at the time as to how much chance you give them to try getting to sleep on their own. Annika generally starts grunting, squirming and hiccuping, in which case we try a burp, quick cuddle and down again, or a bassinet rock. Basically we try to calm/distract her then give her the chance to sleep. I'm starting to feel I know when that will or won't work for her. And if she's really worked up I don't persevere with trying the self settle. At about 8 mths my DS'ssleeping patterns worsened, and quite a few ppl said haha finally you have a normal baby!!! I thought no way, and read up again on sleeping habits, changed his routine and got him back to sleeping well. I wasn't going to accept it.
My point for you is that you can accept it, or you can trust your gut and seek more help/solutions. And sone ppl will make u feel silly for doing so, but just ignore them. If it all feels too hard then neither you or baby are happy and IMO it's worth doing something about. I also think babies get into habits like anyone, and poor little George hasn't had the easiest of starts. Some help at somewhere like a mother baby unit, or a sleep consultant might help him learn to sleep a bit better AND to check him out for stuff like reflux. I've known a few ppl go to some of the priv hossie mother baby units out this way and they found them awesome. there's one at Jessie Mac and another at Mitcham priv. Also, we went to an early parenting class at Mitcham priv when DS was about 7 weeks and we learnt so much useful stuff, I actually think that really helped us. I honestly think we probably would have accidentally stuffed up his sleep withou it as he was just going thru a colicky stage, it helped us to see that, ride it out and still stick to some good habits while we could.
I think most ppl looking back on tough times with babies realized they were trying to tough it out more than they should. It's a smart thing to do to get help and enable yourself to really enjoy your baby. I know I wish I'd tried harder to get to a lactation clinic with DS than I did, that's why I did the whole thing this time of engaging one beforehand.
Ok I'll stop soap-boxing now
Chuckie - hugs on the feeling crap. I wasn't gonna say anything on my last post but I had some not so good days lately just feel so hormonal and horrible. I want to cry but almost feel too all over the place to get my head around things. I find getting out to the park or something a BIG help, but only whilst I'm out. I think I just get depressed sitting around at home.
Apes – My mothers group doesn’t start until next month which is a bummer, but there is a mothers group that has started here on BB so im going to check that out next week, just a little shy at meeting people at first though lol.
Buzzie – I might have to ring the hospital, will they still have the information? And also which area of the hossie do I ring?
Connie – im sorry to hear about George, its frustrating when they don’t sleep good during the night. He will get better as time goes on. How is he during the day? As for your questions, Blake will cry if we put him in his bassinet without nursing him to sleep and as for the struggling while trying to burp him, Blake is the same also and I really think he has reflux as he vomits pretty bad off this formula, which I thought was better then the S26 gold. The midwives said after being 8 weeks old, this should settle, but its hard to burp him cause he struggles a lot to.
Bec – I cant remember signing a form for hep B but the immunisation form in his record book is signed saying he got it done. Maybe I did sign forms but really cannot remember at all. I hope you Enjoy your night together. As for the twitches, Blake does this in his sleep to, I have to wrap him tightly so he doesn’t wake himself up. Wow Isaac is tongue tie to, at least your getting it done early. Both our babies, poor things
Chuckie – big hugs babe. I now the feeling of being lonely and teary and it sucks. If you ever feel down jst jump on here and let your emotions out, trust me it helps
Well might have to try a different brand of formula again, just not sure. Blake has been vomiting at least twice a day and its not just a little amount of vomit its pretty much a whole bottle worth. I feel so sorry for him. It doesn’t seem to bother him though, I mean he doesn’t seem to be in pan after vomiting. I just get so sad seeing him vomit so much up. I have put his bottles up to 15mls now, which could be the problem. He demolishs the 100mls though but 150mls seems to much. I don’t get it.
I also have the flu which is annoying. Its hard to look after Blake when all I want to do is curl up in a ball and die lol. My head feels like its going to exploded. Blake must know that mummy is sick and wants to sleep as he has been awake ALL DAY and has been the biggest sook. Argghhhh give me strength.
For some reason I wasn't getting email notifications... blah.
Belfie - I so agree with what you said about trusting your gut and getting help and possibly toughing it out longer than you need to. We are a case in point. We just toughed it out with Hannah, and just thought she was a fussy baby. Well she was, but there is a reason, and it wasn't us going bonkers or being precious.
Connie go seek help sweetie - who cares if they cluck and say oh nothing to worry about first time mum! That's awesome if they do.
Chuckie, Buzzie - I know what you mean, I felt so isolated in the begining of this journey when everyone else in here, except possibly Deana and Blake, were saying just how much they loved being a mum. In all honesty, I was at my wits end, was crying all the time, almost as much as Hannah was. I loved Hannah, but it was so hard. Now, not so much for me. But don't tough it out, if you're worried go seek help or get out and about to make things seem a bit more normal.
AFM - Paed appointment yesterday. Hannah has still not regained her birth weight, and she is a month old. We are on a much more intense routine of comp feeds after BF during the day and BF only at night and I have meds to help with my supply. The paed said her lack of weight gain is really serious but thinks it an issue with my supply rather than anything wrong with Hannah. So all of the fussing and inconsolable crying, inability to settle and constant feeding, she was hungry and I was so stuck on wanting to EBM, that I only comp fed her last week once per day. It wouldn't have really helped. Am still going to try and stick it out with BF if the meds help with my supply, but will see what happens at our review in 2 weeks. You were right Chuckie - remember you told me that?
Belfie - too funny. We had a poo nami of our own when we were out on Monday. Went through 2 of the 3 layers of clothes and was all over Miss H. Luckily we were prepared with all the stuff we needed. Oh and Hannah has twice in the last 24 hours settled on her own without being feed or nursed to sleep since the new regime of comp feeds started. Yay. And this arvo, I thought no way will this bright eyed baby sleep - and with some pats and shushhing and a couple of rocks in the pram - she was out to it and making Happy Hannah sounds. I can't believe how "easy" by comparison the past 24 hours have been. I feel miserable my little baby girl was depending on me and I let her be hungry for so long. But I can't change the past and I am doing something about it now.
Hello to everyone else. I am going to nap! Yay.
Deana - feel better soon. Hannah is just like Blake and George with the struggling when being burped. She struggles when on the BF too and pulls away from the nipple - ouchies for me. She regurgitates more with the formula too, but she's only on 90 mls each feed.
Deanna have you tried Nan HA gold? It's supposed to be good for reflux babies and is hypo allegenic. We are using that one for Hanah's comp feeds but the Paed said it's a matter of how babies react to each formula that is the key. It's just a bugger buying it and then tossing it if it's not the one. The cans are so big and buying the indiv sachets is soooo expensive.
Deana - just ring the midwives at the labour ward. It's law to keep records for 7 yrs.
hi guys, sorry i have been MIA and I havent had time to read everyones posts yet.
I have mastitis -got it last night. My left breast was really sore then I got a real bad headache and fever then my breast went red - like a mild sunburn. So I went to an afterhours doc and now on the antibiotics. Plus Chloe is waking every 2-3 hours through the night and is awake from 7 - 11:30 every morning so I am stuffed! Please tell me this is normal!
OoooH fuzzy OUCH! that's so Painful. Hope it clears soon! Lots of hot showers and expressing. Nothing more painful then trying to keep feeding with that.
It's definatly normal with her sleeping. Isabella is up 2-3 hours also and starts the day at 6.30am .. She stays awake for a bit and sometimes will have a good morning sleep.. The last few days she's been awake most of the day but one big sleep in the arvo.
Babies will keep changing with age so I'm sure it wont last..
oh no fuzzy.. I hope it gets better very soon. I was just about to post a VERY similar post myself, to see if anyone knows if this is normal: my right boob is absolutely painful, and has been all day mainly right at the very side near my armpit. Very sore to put pressure on. I also have a headache coming on, and feel a bit like I'm getting the flu, bit sore and feel very warm. I so hope its not mastitis, what do you think? Should I go to th dr or will it just go away? Oh and can you still feed Chloe from both sides?
Also Isaac is the same, waking up every 2-3 hours at night, but lucky I do manage to get two or three hours sleep at 6 or 7am but by evening I am exhausted. His sleep seems to be starting to get more regular now though so I'll just try to have more daytime naps. I've asked midwife and LC abvout it, they both said it was normal at his age to feed so often. Maybe give ABA a call and ask them about it? I haven't used the freecall number yet so I'm not sure what they are like sorry. I hope Chloe gives you some more sleep soon.
Deanna - I've been meaning to ask you about Blakes tongue tie, have you had it fixed yet and if you have did it hurt him? I'm thinking I might put it off for a while as its only small and not affecting his feeding or anything.
Bec - do you have a red patch on your breast? that is another tell-tale sign. I would go to the doc and get it checked out. Left untreated mastitis can be really bad and you can end up in hospital with it! Its a nasty nasty bug. Yep I feed from both sides. I feed mostly from the sore breast first to clear it and if she is still hungry - then from the other one. I have to express a bit off the other one when it gets too full.
Speaking of expressing - I got 150 mls out of one breast in 10 mins this morning - STOKED! Probably explains why Chloe has put on 1.4kg in a month (little chubba!)
Chuckie - You have all of us as friends! I know we cant meet for coffee or anything but at least we are here to listen and chat. I hope you are feeling better today.
Connie - does George make retching sounds? A friends baby had reflux and he made the most terrible noises. Chloe only wriggles when I am trying to burp her if she is overtired. When she gets overtired it is really hard to get her to sleep. She very rarely goes down without a bit of a cry or a winge. Most of the time I have to put her down mostly asleep.
Dory - I am sure your paed appt will go well. You sound like you are really getting on top of things now which is fantastic. Yay for happy noises!!
Buzzie - good to know it is normal for Chloe to be up all the time! Would be nice to have a few more 4 or 5 hour stints though
hi everyone else - hope you are getting some sleep at least! And lots of cuddles. Has anyone elses DH dared to utter the sentence 'man I am just so tired, I really need sleep' BAH
Fuzzy - so so normal but if you are worried, make a call or see a middi or dr. The only reason I say that is everyone kept telling me Hannah was "normal" and initially I agreed but after a while I knew something was up. But Hannah was also crying/screaming inconsolably a fair bit and feeding loads and loads day after day. Every baby will do their own thing, but you have a gut feeling about how they are going. Trust your instincts.
Buzzy - have you been shopping again?
Fuzzy - hope the antibiotics clear up that mastitis. Poor blossom.
Deana & Bec - Hannah also has a tongue tie. I am going to ask about it at our next paed appointment. At hossy the paed said it was slight and might resolve itself, but didn't give a time frame. I wonder if it also affects her ability to BF.
Bec - get it treated ASAP - it's an infection. Antibiotics should clear it up quick smart. Nice photo of Isaac too.
Chuckie - how are you going?
Hmm let's see.... I also want to say hello to .....
Connie - how is your brave little man doing? Has that infection resolved?
Apes - how are you?
Kirsten - have you had your appointment yet?
Belife - how are you going?
Catherine - were you really true to your word? have you really gone and never to come back?
Wite - how are you and little Harlow going?
AFM - I still can not beleive how much my life has turned around since Hannah is actually getting enough nourishment. yay. I am so completely besotted with my pimply little girl.
Dory - I could have told you that you're not bonkers or precious! I'm really pleased you've got some answers, but sorry that you've had to go through such a hard time :hug: and poor little Hannah Bear too. So saying, at least you can now give her comp feeds. The hardest thing about being a parent is the learning... cos it's so easy for it to leave you feeling miserable, and you SO shouldn't beat yourself up. I think I said earlier how my hubby reckons it's a vertical learning curve lol. GL with the meds to increase supply, have you tried raspberry leaf tea or tablets? I just take the tablets as I have some left from PG, and I've always found they seem to increase my supply after taking them for a few days. They helped more than fenugreek did which is the other herbal type remedy ppl tend to suggest. Given you're on meds, I dunno if these would help extra to that... but thought I'd suggest it.
Fuzzy -oooh you poor thing, sending big hugs & e-hot chocolate. Mastitis is no fun at all :(. As for your DH aaah... my DH has been informed in no uncertain terms that as long as I am doing night feeds he is NEVER EVER allowed to complain about his sleep or feeling tired. Not never ever. If he has had the luxury of 7 or 8 uninterrupted hours in bed, then that's it. So he rolled his eyes, commented that he remembered this from last time but has been dutifully toeing the line. I think he knows i'd kill him. So saying, he does get up if DS rouses (that's the deal - one child each lol)... and once he was commenting that he has more peaks & troughs in getting up... and i'm like... how can you peak over my "takes an hour to feed" in the middle of the night? even if you're up twice, it's only 10 or so minutes max!
Bec - feed from that side as much as possible, heat on it prior to feed, cold compress afterwards. Massage it as much as possible (even while feeding) and you can also try massaging in a hot shower (with the water on the sore spot). I've been lucky enough never to get mastitis, but I've always worked on sore spots like crazy and I think that helped me to avoid it. And yes, go see the doc. better safe than sorry. Re the tongue tie, why do they want to fix it if it's not causing a trouble? My Xander had a very small one but it didn't impact his feeding. I also have one (never knew until the LC was describing it by curling up her tongue and she exclaimed on seeing mine!!). I always thought they didn't snip it unless it's impacting feeding? :dunno:
Re burping, my goodness Annika seems to take yonks to burp too, I'm sure i'd forgotten it can take so long.And she squirms & grunts & writhes - poor little thing. Well after a hell day yesterday, started at 3am, and really hadn't got much better by midnight (I was a total zombie!). So today we decided to be more proactive using Infacol or Infant's Friend, and omg it has made SUCH a difference (and xander was at daycare so I got some sleep!!!!). Anyway, she is now sleeping sooo much better, less writhing, less grunting... just a happier child. And this afternoon she actually woke and was just happy and awake for a bit. I assumed she'd want a feed, and she just lay there next to my boob looking around quite calmly! So I put her in the bouncer for a bit (then had to move it after Xander was giving her bounces that were off the richter scale!) but it was so nice just having a calm awake baby. Hopefully there's light at the end of the tunnel for all of us as these babies come out of the colicky stages and feeding/digestion settles down!! And in the meantime, I love Infacol/Infant's Friend!
EDIT: just saw Dory's post... and lol I'm still laughing re you being besotted with your pimply little girl! By the way, how are the cats coping with the new arrival?
Also, is anyone else using all the stupid nicknames in the world? There was this stupid youtube video years ago about "beware ze milky pirate"... so cos Annika comes up from a feed with her face covered in milk... she's now the milky pirate... or the windy pirate, or the poopy pirate. Or Poopy Princess. Or Hairy Fairy (that's cos of the ear hair!). You'd think I would have called my son a pirate not my daughter huh.
Hi ladies,
Belfie - thanks very much for your sentiments - Ha ha - I can't wait for DH to see a REAL poosplosion - he thinks a little leak out the side is a "blow-out" and gets very excited about it.
Buzzie - thanks I am generally over this town but had a really bad day the other day - was feeling a LOT better the very next day though. I totally hear you on the bad days thing - bloody hormones! I do get out everyday (I have to to get the post) and have also been going for long(ish) walks in the evening when it is a bit cooler.
deana - the flu that totally sucks! it's hard enough to take care of newborn without the flu as well - i hope you feel better soon. sounds like working out how much formula to give is a bit of an art - i have heard there are special thick formulas availible for reflux bubs - maybe he needs something like that?
Dory - I am soo pleased you are now enjoying a new bub thanks to the feeding regime - I don't know how you managed for soo long - Pearl was a nightmare in hossie for the 4 nights she was hungry - I am just surprised they didn't pick up HB's issue sooner - good on you for getting her what she needed by asking until you found a solution - you are the best possible mum for her.
Fuzzy - sounds sore! hopefully the ab will kick in soon.
AFM - well it was just the one crap day here - kept crying for no real reason. It was all triggered last week when some ladies from town here were on their way to lunch and I was with them and they didn't ask me to join them - it was a bit rude of them but it just reminded me of all the people in this town who are basically not very friendly to new people anyway all better here now. Today was a much better day. Went to the baby massage class which is the mum's group (there are supposed to be 4 people but it seems only about 2 (including me) turn up each week) and afterwards the two of us and the nurse that runs the classes went out to lunch and I think I have made at least one possible good mate out of it so that is a real improvement. Pearl is still doing well - she is sleeping most nights now with just one feed in between about 11pm and 6am so that is great but in the evenings lately she has been a bit unsettled and I find myself giving her a few extra feeds - last night it felt like she feed all the time from 9pm-11pm. she still sleeps a lot during the day - she is only awake about 1-1.5hr at a time and she is growing really well - 3.95kg today - up from 3.35kg 2 weeks ago.
Also forgot to mention am on daktarin in the hope that the pain in between feeds keeping me awake at night is thrush and can be treated (I was under the impresssion it was severe let down pain but am hoping it is thrush and I can make it go away).
And I ordered a close carrier yesterday - we can hit the beach again with Lois(the dog) and Pearl if we have one.
Dory – I might give Nan gold a try next as im about to finish this can of nuture gold. Thanks
Buzzie – ill do that right now, thanks for reminding me lol
Sorry if I missed a lot im in a rush to feed this boy and go to the docs.
Ok now I can catch up on everyones updates lol
Fuzzy – Ouch for your breasts, poor thing. Its normal for your bubbas sleeping patterns at the moment, Blake doesn’t sleep at all during the day and if he does go down its only for 20 mins. It drives me crazy.
As for DP yes he has said that sentence saying how tired he is. I feel like punching him everytime he says that. We have been fighting everyday, cause im so tired and I just feel like I don’t get any help what so ever. Yes he changes his nappy maybe once a day, but I have bath him, Feed him, Wake up to him at night and change him then get out of bed like a zombie to warm up a bottle and feed him, not to mention try to keep my eyes opened all day as Blake doesn’t sleep during the day and DP complains that he is tired and how he has to work. Yes I understand he has to work but at least his job is a bloody 8 hour job, where he can come home and put his feet up, mine is a 24 hour job. There is no leaving my job. He should count himself bloody lucky that he goes to work just to get away from it. I would kill to trade positions with him for a day and see how he copes. That’s right he wouldn’t cope. GRRRRRRRRRR so angry. Im sick of fighting with him to help me out. He gets angry at me for being so cranky all the time. Not only do I have a baby to look after 24/7, but he cant even feed the dog or wash the bottles and stick them in the steriliser for me, or cook dinner or do a load of washing. I have to do everything. Sorry ill stop now, just not a happy chappy latterly. Just makes me think I maze well be a single mum with everything I do. It will save me all these fights.
Bec – I would recommend getting it done asap, as Isaac gets older the painful it will be. Blake didn’t feel it as the nerves reacted yet, he cried but the only reason he cried was cause the midwife had to hold his head still. As soon as he was given back to me and I put him straight on the boob he was fine.
Dory – When you breast feed, is Hannah lacthing properly? Does her jaw click when she sucks? What about dribbling? These are the 3 major concerns with a bad tounge tie baby. Blake had all this and needed to be done. Like I said to bec though, If its bad enough make sure you get it done sooner rather then later. Plus Hannah wont even know its done. Cant believe how common this is as Blake and also my sisters little one Ashley had it as well.
Chuckie – Awe, I know that feeling of crying all the time. Maybe talk to someone about it. Its always good to get help especially if your getting depression. There is nothing worse. Big hugs
Took Blake to see the nurse this morning and he is now weighing 4.36kgs (over 250grams in a week) and 56 cms. I asked her about the vomiting after every bottle and she said I need to stretch out the feeds to every 3 hours as feeding him every hour and a half of 100mls is to much for him. Its hard when he wants a feed though and I cant make him wait another hour and a half on top of that. I tried to stretch it out today and got it 2 and half hours with 150mls but he only drank 100 mls and I have wasted so much formula in the past week trying to make him drink 150 mls. I just don’t know what to do.
just quickly as I have a rotten headache and need to lay down for a while, thanks everyone I went to the dr and yes i do have mastitis, now on antibiotics which will hopefully make me feel normal again soon. Its so bad feeling crappy when I can't get more than 2 hours sleep at a time :(
re the tongue tie, the dr today said I probably don't need to worry about it as its only small and not affecting feeding so that's good.
Bec - good news about getting antibiotics and hope you'll feel better soon and good news about Isaacs tongue tie.
Deanna - oh blossom... is there anyone else who can help out? I know exactly how you feel about everything being on you and feeling like you don't get any help, although it seems DP could help out a bit more based on what you say. You can't keep going on like this, else you'll fall in a heap. Are you crying lots? Always a sign for me I am at the end of my tether. Even if someone could mind Blake while you got some sleep?
I can't give you advice about amount of formula... sorry. But I do know how hard it is to have a crying hungry baby. Seems you just can't win right now - try to bump him up to 150ml and he either doesn't take it or vomits, give him less and he's hungry and you get less sleep. This is not based on any knowledge whatsoever, but can you gradually increase the amount you offer and gradually increase the time between feeds? Sort of sneak up on it rather than one big move? I know it's hard in terms of mixing formula, but even though it feels like a waste it's OK to discard what he doesn't drink ( just think of it as being off food). God I so want to get a steriliser - after only 4 days of having bottle feeds during the day the whole washing and boiling drives me insane.
Hannah does lick sometimes, and sometimes dribbles but not the other one. The Paed did say it was mild and might self rectify... but you know how it is... a new mum worries about everything.
Chuckie - oh blossom. Big hugs. I agree with Deana, talk to someone, even if you have to call a helpline in the middle of the night. Don't do this alone. I tried talking to family and it just didn't help. I think they thought I was just being precious and making up how hard it was for me, as most of them didn't spend all day sat in a chair feeding and nursing and praying their child would sleep, and or stop crying. I only called people in those brief moments of quiet. But I agree - getting out really helped, as did getting some sleep when I could.
I am not sure when the problem with my supply developed. She was feeding well at hossy and only had one unsettled night ( a full 6 hours of crying mind you) which the middies put down to wind ( but I think back and wonder if that was the start of it all). I think I had a tummy bug when I got home from hossy - for at least a week and a bit I felt exceptionally tired, had the squirts and a bit nauseated and had absolutely no appetite whatsoever. I had to force food down. I think that might have been when the real trouble started but it was probably going to happen anyway. I just thought they way I felt was from being a new mum, nervous and sleep deprived. Oh and thanks for calling Hannah, Hannah Bear!
Belfie - oh sweet little Annika, milky pirate indeed. I am a big fan of pet names although Hannah Bear/Baby Bear has stuck and is the favourite. Of course there are others as the occasion demands. Hope you had a better day today - those are the sorts of days I had all the time with HB, so I know how you feel. Glad infacol worked. I got some but HB doesn't seem to need it for now and most times lets a ripper of a burp out, or farts like a trouper in her sleep. Fingers crossed.
Hope everyone else is doing ok. The lack of posting says that you're all really busy being Mum. Take care of yourselves. Thinking of you and your little ones. Can't you tell I am in a much better place these days? It's good to have my mojo back. DH and I still have a snipe at each other when we are tired but that's ok... some of them can even be funny.... afterwards.
I tried the hand pump expresser again today - at least I didn't make my nipple sore this time - but less than 10 mls - after 15 mins. Blimey! I read with jealousy whoever got 150mls!
Also today I am eagerly awaiting a text from some friends who were being induced with their IVF twin girls today. And they were trying for vaginal births. I just hope things work out, I have been really anxious for them. i even snuck up to the hossy today and hoped I might see them in the corridor ...walking walking walking... but no.
Hi mums and bubbas,
Bec, how awful you have mastitis. I've heard it sux :( Hope the antibiotics kick in soon.
Deana, Is there any reason your feeding Blake every 1.5 hours? Im feeding Isla (with S26) every 4 hours @ 180mls. She usually doesn't take the whole lot and leaves about 30mls or more but she doesn't seem to vomit that much. She is a pain to burp most times though. Sounds like thats why Blake was vomiting that much. Ah yes bloody Men! They think they have it soooo hard and we sit around at home all day doing nothing... ****es me off too hun. *hugs*
Chuckie, that's good you have made a friend out of mothers group. How rude and immature it was of those ladies! grrrrrr
Belfie, good to hear Annika is alot better after some Infacol. I used it with Bodie and I remember it did make a huge difference. Haven't had to use it with Isla but I do agree it's very hard to burp her sometimes. Hahaha love the nicknames! I seem to be calling Isla 'missy' or 'missy-moo' alot lol. It's funny how we come out with these silly names... I hardly even call her by her actual name!
Fuzzy, sorry to hear you have mastitis aswell :( Must feel awful especially when waking through the night.
Connie, how is your little champ going?
Hi Dory, Buzzie & everyone else ive missed.
We are going good here, ive come down with a cold that I caught from DS so not feeling the best. Isla seems to be sleeping alot during the day and the past few nights she's decided to stay awake after her 3am feed for ages. We've had some good nights where she's slept for 5 or 6 hours straight so that has been great.
Last weekend went to a wedding up north and my parents were up there so they stayed with us to mind the kids whilst DH & I went to the wedding for the night so that was nice. But mind you it felt pretty weird being without Isla.
Mothers group was good the other day, there were about 15 girls all up with there bubs so hoping to meet some new friends from around the area. We just had a nurse talk about most aspects of newborns ie, feeding, sleeping etc and then watched a video.
xo
Apes - good to hear that Isla is going well, but not so much about your cold. Poor blossom. You are so brave being away from Isla. I ran some errands yesterday alone and I agree it felt way weird being without Hannah. Hope you had a nice time at the wedding anyway. I am keen for mother's group but mine doesn't start til November and I have not found another one yet but DH has been home with me, so I haven't felt like I needed it. I couldn't have coped either before.
Beflie - cats have been great with Hannah. They even used to keep me company on my long all night vigils... that helped me stay a little sane... as at least I didn't feel so alone. Sometimes they run when she cries, but most of the time they are not too interested in her.
Hi Mummies!! I haven't forgotten about you all, I've just been a little slack checking in. We only have one night feed now and it's a really quick one so I don't wake up enough to play around on my phone anymore.
Sounds like lots of you are still finding your feet and that's Ok. It's not like that forever. I must have really easy babies... I don't remember any really difficult times. I actually thought the newborn period was the easiest time of parent hood - all they do is sleep, eat and poo!! But every baby is different.
Connie, I'm sorry to hear about George's infection. Poor little chap! I did see one of your questions. Mostly my babies don't cry when I put them down and I put them down awake but just about to fall asleep. There are times when they will cry when I put then down and in those instances (full on crying, not little whinges) I don't force it. I will help bub to sleep. Last thing I want to do is turn the cot or sleep into a negative experience. That's just us though. I do find that if they do start to try there us usually a problem, for us if everything else is taken care of it's usually wind. Once I get the wind up, they'll go down to sleep without an issue.
Fuzzy, hope that coccyx is getting better and remember to keep draining that breast. Chloe can tell there is a blockage and apparently it makes then want to feed constantly which is natures way of getting rid of that blockage.
Buzzie, poor little Isabella with that rash! We've never really had nappy rash with any of our girls, but I've read that true nappy rash is thrush! Yet in another book I read thrush in children before puberty is super rare. Weird.
Congrats again to Bec and Wite! Those hydrodiscs are the BEST!!
Dory, sorry to hear about Hannah's weight issue. I have a friend who had the same issue with her third child. At three months her baby was still in 0000! Her paed prescribed motilium and my friend ate crap loads of lac cookies and her daughter has been putting on 300+ grams a week since!
Deana, I'm not expert on formula either, but an hour and a half seems alot. I actually thought ff babies were meant to go longer between feeds than breast babies! I wouldn't even breastfeed my baby every hour and a half... Maybe with the odd exception. But if that's what you've been told to do...
Hi to everyone else!!
AFU - we are really well! Ava has been having 1 feed in the 12 hours over night for the last few weeks now. Except last week the day we did the drive for my friends engagement I let her continue to sleep and wake herself for feeds instead of waking her for feeds three hourly. I paid for it that night she woke every two hours. Man, did I feel sorry for myself! Thankfully that's been our only difficult time so far. Last Monday Ava was weighed again and she had put on 2.4kgs since birth. It's pretty good for a exclusively breastfed baby, but not in comparison to my first daughter! Ava is quite a bit bigger than when she was born. I can really see it. She's in quite a few 000 now! She smiles now when spoken to, but still only having two short awake periods during the day. Love my sweet little pie. :)
My biggest beautiful princess will be 3 on Sunday - so I've stayed up wrapping presents!! She's so excited... I love seeing her so excited. Such an awesome thing being a Mummy. Brooklyn is having a word explosion too at the moment! All very exciting. Yesterday she was really excited jumping up and down pointing out 'puppies!!! Puppies!! Ruff ruff!!' god, she is such a sweetheart - constantly make me laugh... They all do. It's amazing the rate they learn things, it really is. Feel so blessed with my three gorgeous girls. :)
Well I better hide these presents and get myself off to bed. Thinking of you all. X
eta- Chuckie, forgot to mention that blankets are fine as long as bub is right down the end of the cot so they can't wriggle under the blankets and the blankets just have to be tucked in under the mattress so they can't move and cover the face. We might not get as cold as you, but our cold nights usually a warm AIO suit (plus singlet and socks if it's super cold), flanelette wrap to swaddle and then a blanket over the top is sufficient. They will let you know if they are cold or too hot.
Howdy everyone! I am still here reading how everyone is going, but don't seem to find the time to post anything myself!
Deana- I lost it yesterday with DH as well. Feel totally taken for granted and like a single parent! Have cleared the air and we have decided to wean Sam so I will now have more hours in my day in which I can do housework! (Hmmm, not so sure it is a good thing, but will remove a lot of stress!)
Apes- we had the same problem with Sam the other week. We went for a long drive out to the dam to see the water flowing through the gates (sad I know, but so is the other half of Brisbane which was there!) Sam slept the whole time which was a good thing at the time, but that night, he thought it was party time. Was not fun at 11:30 begging him to go to sleep!
AFM- we had our 6 week check up with the Paed on Wednesday. Sam is 4.11kg and is catching up! The paed thought his double chin was cute! He is getting into a bit more of a routine now with waking up in the morning and being awake for a couple of hours and then going back down for a big sleep. He has had some really gugrly noises coming from his bowels and will sometimes scream in pain. Tried infants friend which didn't help, but found a nice warm bath did! I asked the paed and she said that between 6-8 weeks their guts get a bit noisy and windy and that they grow out of it pretty quickly. Hope so. Hate hearing my little guy in pain.
We are also going to wean him as well. He is on EBM atm and the time I am losing during the day with expressing is killing me! And having to keep an eye on the clock to make sure I am home within 6 hours is limiting my life, so will slowly space out the expressing so my body starts to decrease supply. Will still take a couple of weeks, but slow is good. Less chance of mastitis! Oh yeah, and sorry to all of you who have it. I had a blocked duct with DD and it was awful! My SIL had such a badly blocked duct with her first baby that it became an abcess and she had to have surgery to get it cleaned out. Took weeks to heal and she would get BM leak out of the wound! (ewwww) She perservered with the BF though and managed to continue until he was about 14 months! Her 2nd baby who is 10 weeks older than Sam has reflux. She took him to the paed last week who told her to start him on solids and he was hungry! She was feeding him every 3 hours and it was killing her! So at almost 4 months she is starting him on farex. I started DD at about the same stage as she was hungry all the time and it didn't do her any harm!
I have my first appointment with the psychologist on Tuesday to try and get on top of this PND. Really hoping she can help me deal with some of the head stuff going on. It doesn't help that when Sam was a week old my dad got diagnosed with cancer (melanoma) and is now facing major surgery and radiation therapy to treat it. My mum is barely holidng it together and she is usually the person I would go for to vern and unload and I don't feel right doing that, so hopefully she can listen to my cr@p!
Finally we have some nice weather here, so when DH gets home from swimming with the older kids, we might clean out the vege garden ready to plant for summer! I am looking forward to having my body back and losing all of this weight I put on and getting into some nice clothes! I am sick of everything being tight! I also have a gastric band which I can finally get some fill in and limit my food (was worried about doing it in case it affected my milk!)
OK, off to get dressed and play outside!
Kirsten
Dory, that's great your DH is still around helping you out with Hannah. My DH only had 2 weeks off work so I look forward to weekends when he is home.
Catherine, I forgot how fast newborns grow out of their 5 & 4 zero clothes. Isla is fitting into 3 zero clothes too. Happy Birthday to Rochelle! My big boy will be 3 on 27th December so not far off. Goes soooo quick doesn't it. So jealous on Ava's 1 feed a night!
Kirsten, I had no idea you have PND, so sorry to hear that hun. Did it just start with Sam or have you had it before? *hugs to you* Come in here and vent whenever your feeling down, we are all here to listen.
Had the worst night ever last night with Isla... swear she was awake every hour! Awake then sleep, awake then sleep. I did finally realise she did have a dirty nappy at 3am so I felt like bad mother of the year. Her poo's aren't very smelly so that's how I must of missed it.
DH & I are stuffed today! Nanna nap this afternoon hopefully.
ok now for a catch up!
fuzzy - wow that's an awesome amount to express in 10 minutes! well done
Belfie - haha love your silly nicknames :) The one I've been using is sweetie pie, and I have no idea why! I better start using Isaac's real name more often soon, I don't think he'll appreciate being called sweetie pie when he's older!
Chuckie - ooh I'm jealous about you being able to hit the beach soon! I wish I lived closer to the coast and not hours away. And I kind of know how you feel about the small town thing, I'm yet to make any friends here. Mums group is starting as soon as there are enough new mums to fill classes so I'm hoping that will help things along a bit. I miss my friends so much at the moment.
Dory - its great to hear Hannah is feeding better now, and I agree don't beat yourself up about everything you've been through. I admire you for being so strong with continuing the breastfeeding, and for wanting to do the best for Hannah.
Deana - hoping your DP starts to pull his weight soon. Was it you who asked about Blake falling asleep with a feed? Isaac almost always falls asleep feeding, and then we cuddle for a while before I put him down to sleep either in his bassinet-pram or on the floor, (or like now, on my lap) and always in the lounge room close to where I am so that I can read his cues before he cries, and either change/burp/feed/cuddle him when he starts to stir. he sleeps through all the normal household noises.. I don't make the room dark or anything either, just everything as it normally is. There are people who say doing this 'creates a rod for your back', but there's a lot of lovely articles on 'gentle/attachment parenting' here on BB to have a read of that proves the long-term benefits of closeness, so when someone criticises the way I choose to do things I just try not to get offended by it. That said though, anything that works for you can't be 'wrong'. Just do what you find works with Blake. Personally I don't find it a problem for Isaac to fall asleep before he is put down, and falling asleep at a feed seems to suit him.. He's starting to get himself into a feed/sleep/awake pattern now.
Apes - I hope your cold clears up soon, how annoying
Kirsten - so sorry to hear you have PND, i really hope the psychologist session helps, and you can always rant away in here too
ok better go and wash some more nappies.. yes I am clearly mental, using terry flat nappies with flannelette liners. Just because I don't have enough to do already haha
just a quick one as I'm trying to do more bl**dy bookkeeping. Annika has been super-colicky, my good friends Infacol & Infant's Friend seem to have stopped doing their magic and so we've got desperate & did a heap of googling, and I'm going to try modifying my diet to see if that helps. There's heaps of changes that apparently can help, particularly going off dairy & nuts (DS is allergic so I don't eat many anyway).... plus caffeine, spicy foods, gas-producing foods (broccoli etc). So I've started today, it's not too bad cos my DH can't eat dairy anyway - so there's soymilk here anyway. But, geez it better do us both good, cos I've got a killer headache! Guess it's caffeine withdrawal. Don't know if i will actually survive without caffeine & chocolate!!! Wish me luck!!! But she's just so uncomfortable, squirmy, grunty, unhappy - I want to do everything I can. DS had a bit of colic but I don't remember it being this bad :( poor windy little pirate princess.
Two other things - my heart nearly broke yesterday morning when my son was crying at the baby gate for cuddles... (I was changing Annika at the time) this is when I realised that she's being so windy & unsettled that he's really not getting enough attention. And secondly, took him to the playground, and oooooh he can do SO much more now. He drank water from my pump bottle (dopey mummy forgot his water) and climbed right up high on the equipment with total ease. All that time in my PG when i couldn't walk much and my mum took him to the playground (so I haven't been to the playground with him in about 4-5 months!!!!). I felt so sad realising how much I missed, but equally made me glad I won't have more. I don't want to miss that much of his development again (nor Annika's either).
phew, finally getting the chance to pop in and say hi. I've been reading everything, just haven't had much of a chance to update/reply.
Can't remember who said what so I'll do a general reply.
MCN's - we're using Baby Beehinds Magic-Alls AIO's with some flushable liners. LOVING them. The liners make the poo-nami's and poo-splosions so easy to deal with - you just flush most of the mess then rinse the nappy (that said, she did one the other day while I was changing her - I got poo-nami splash-back on my lips, totally grossed me out, but I remembered what someone said about it being easier to clean yourself than carpet so I took it). I'm doing a load of nappies every 2nd day.
Nicknames - lol we've got so many!! poppet, squeaky, snuffleufagus, boobie monster, princess... the list goes on!
PND - I really hope things look up for you ladies soon! I had shocking depression before I met DH (went through 2 types of meds at varying strengths before we found something that worked) so I can empathise with how all over the place you'd be feeling. Being sleep-deprived wouldn't be helping either - just remember, the housework can wait! Cat-nap when you can.
George - poor li'l guy! He's had such a rough start to life. Hopefully he won't have any probs after this, the little trooper. Hope you're feeling better too Connie!
mastitis - all I can say is ouch and I hope the anti-biotics help you!
Hi to everyone!
AFU - Had a bit of a shocking week here - full of grizzles, not settling, crying for the sake of hearing her own voice, feeding being unpredictable (anywhere from 2 hourly to 4 hourly in one day!) and all of that wonderful not sleeping. Had some horrid attachment issues that ended in cracked, bleeding nipples, toe-curling pain and me in tears. Couple of days on the shield and using Lansinoh after every feed and we're good as gold.
That said, things are settling down now. We're starting to get smiles!! I caved and got Lottie a couple of dummies - having a bub that wants to comfort suck for over an hour when you have sore nips is no fun! We've moved out of 00000 and into 0000. 60g shy of 4kg atm. We've also discovered that Lottie is a lot calmer and easier to settle when there is music on. Doesn't matter what it is.
well, that's my long update! Hope everything is starting to settle into some kind of pattern for you all! Lots of hugs for all!
eta - quick question, is anyone else still got blood loss? I've had what I'd call a really light period since she was born. How long should it last for? when does it stop? should I be worried that it's still going??
Just quickly Pantha- might want to keep an eye on the blood loss. I was still bleeding at my 6 week check up so the Ob did a scan and found a piece of placenta half the size of his little finger nail left behind. Had to do a D&C to get rid of it. It wasn't a lot of blood, but it was bright red which meant fresh bleeding. Good luck!
Pantha - the blood loss is normal. It can last 6 weeks c/sect usually finish earlier as they an suck some out in the mean time. I have very light bleeding still.
With DS I had it for 8 weeks after my c/sect but was told for it to be that long I prob had an infection and was on antibiotics.
They will ask u about it at ur 6week check up.
Hi everyone sorry just came on to read everything will post later when I'm on my computer.
- Kirsten we posted at the same time.
Soooo slack at posting here sorry girls, DP is still off work so I haven't been sitting online much, I been reading but just haven't had the proper time to sit & type because everytime I do, DP comes and talks to me & I lose concentration!
Harlow is going great ..She is sleeping really well, Last night she slept for almost 8 hours..I don't know if I should wake her up for a middle of the night feed or let her sleep through..She seems happy to sleep that long & she put on 120grams this week??
I cannot believe how much they change in their looks almost overnight, she has lost all her babyfat face & is starting to look more girly now, It is still so wierd having a babygirl after having a son and I am still getting used to putting her in pink..!
Hope everyone is well, no personals from me tonight sorry, just looked at the time & it is way past my bedtime!!
Pantha, I just had a look at the Baby Beehinds, very cute nappies! How many did you have to buy to be able to do a load every second day? Do you use any disposables or flats at all? I'm using terry flats with flanelette liners (cut from an old sheet), but unfortunately I have some disposables my mum bought, and they are far too tempting to use at night so I've been cheating a bit. The all in ones look like they'd be as easy to use as disposables, do you find they stay dry after wees? I might get 4 or 5 just for night time and for going out to start with. :)
Bec, I got a bulk pack of 26. Yes it cost me over $500 but they'll have paid for themselves in 6 months at this rate! I've got stacks of flats to use... but I haven't yet (I use them as burping cloths or as change mats!)That reminds me, you can get covers for flats from BBH too!
Our MCN's came with boosters, so we pop on a fresh nappy with a booster after her 9/10pm feed and usually don't have to change her 'til her 5/6am feed. (Unless it's a poo-splosion or she wets through - which she's done once). We use them full-time.
I do have some disposables, but don't really use them. That said, we're going away for 5 days at the end of November and I'm thinking of using Disposables then because I don't want to be lugging laundry powder on a plane!
We dry pail too. So we just rinse them off and pop them in an empty bucket. They actually recommend you DON'T use Napisan or any bleach on them as that would shorten the life of the nappy - sun bleaching is all they need.
Honestly, I love them!! And on hot days (like today was) she looks so damn adorable in a spunky coloured cloth nappy and a singlet - it almost feels like a crime to cover them up with clothes LOL
Good on you girls for using the cloth nappies! Dont know how you find the time/motivation.
Hi Catherine - glad to see you still lurcking and popping in to make me feel completely jealous of your brilliant little sleeper - LOL! No seriously, I love to hear your advice. Chloe is feeding more at the moment so perhaps clearing the blocked duct!
Sounds like most of us have gurgly, windy babies at the moment. Apparently normal for this stage. Gees Chloe is soooo noisy overnight- retching noises no matter how long I wind her for! And she has definately found her lungs. She never cried up until a few days ago and since then, well, she has kept us on our toes thats for sure. Not sleeping the best either. We put her to sleep at 8pm then she is up at 10, 1, 4 then 6 and stays awake.. Most nights! Occasionally she wakes even once more than this. So pretty tired. IS THIS NORMAL??! I make sure she is awake too - i.e. I ignore all the little noises and only pick her up once she starts to cry. She is always really hungry too. Maybe its a growth spurt..i dont know.
Blood loss - yep I am still getting a bit everyday. Really light (i am just using the microliner thingys) but it is a bright red looking blood. Hope that it is normal!
Bec – That’s good if bub doesn’t need to get his tongue tie cut. Lucky thing
Dory – Nope I don’t have anyone that can help or look after Blake, as everyone works or my sister has 2 kids and the youngest one which is 3 months old, is going through a bad time. So Hannah’s tongue tie isn’t bad either? That’s a good thing.
Apes – I was feeding Blake every 1.5 – 2 hours cause he always screamed like he wanted food and every bottle I gave him, he drank the whole thing. I have now topped up his bottles to 150mls and feeding every 3 hours, but he still only drinks 100 mls. Its hard to get him to drink the whole 150 mls.
Your mothers group sounds good, I hope mine is like that as well. I hope your cold clears up soon.
Kirsten – I sorry to hear about your PND, if you ever need to talk, just PM me. I saw my sister go through PND with both babies and I thought I was heading that way with Blake and there is nothing worse. I also had depression before I feel pregnant. It totally sucks, but always remember to talk to someone or even write everything down in a book, just get it off your chest and don’t let anything build up inside. If I could reach through the computer to give you big hugs, I would.
Pantha – I was getting the light spotting up until about a week ago. Some women do bleed longer then usual, so don’t stress to much.
I just noticed that my ticker is out. I tried to change it but it wont change hmmm strange. Blake is 1 month, 1 week and 4 days old. Its 2 days behind