Babies born~September 1st-15th 2009 #1

[Artechim]

Sanchez, hope the weigh-in went well yesterday

Janine, the swing is working for you, or at least your DH being home gives you a break.

BOB, feeding every 2 hours sounds exhausting! Hope he starts to space it out a bit soon. Good weight gain!

Kelly, we are six hours away, are you dropping by lol?

[Taurean]

I've returned to the world of the living - finally. What a crazy few days it has been. Emotionally and physically draining. Yesterday was a terrible day, was certain PND was knocking on my door but I have bounced back overnight and the best news of all...Izzy has put on a bit of weight She gained 40g in 3 days which the health nurse said was a nice gain and she was happy with our progress especially given all the stress I placed upon myself.

The past few days really are a blur and quite depressing to be honest. But we turned the corner last night and I decided to take charge (after getting some fab advice from some of the BB girls!) and let Izzy demand feed as much as she wanted. I also decided to express in between feeds and only when I had time. We had a good hour or so of skin on skin breast feeding in bed this morning which was fantastic for both of us. Everything just seemed so much better! Izzy's attachment was better, my supply seemed better and I just felt a lot happier. And to top it off, my first express for the day which was after a few feeds, was my best so far - 110ml all up. Woohoo! We are back in the game - I think!

I've read your posts but not sure where to start with persies so hopefully now we're heading in the right direction again, I might get a bit more time to pop on here and say hi!

Gotta run. Izzy has just done yet another poo (that's about 6 for today and I'm so happy about it - honestly!) and is ready for another feed. Big hugs to all of you and thanks again for all the support and advice xx

[Me+him+bub]

well done taurean! im proud of you for keeping it up, my milk has almost gone and i only feed once every morning and once a night so i actually envy you! also breast fed babies demand more feeds than bottle fed so you are doing very well!

[Sanchez]

Just popping in quickly - Miss V is certainly keeping me on my toes.....she just won't settle once i put her in the bassinette - i feel like i am sitting with her on my chest all day!

Art - I tried to find you on FB and couldn't....am going to have another look around. The weigh in went well - has put on 450g since birth so I am happy with that. Still paranoid about my milk supply though.

She slept for 7 hours night before last - of course i knew that wouldn't last....and low and behold it didn't!

I feel for you girls pumping and feeding......I guess though you just have to put in the hard yards now and it will pay off and you will be blessed with a good supply

Just popping in to say all is well - V certainly needs a bath - her hair is laquered with vomit as is the suit shes in, my shirt, DH's shirt.....would love her to keep her regurgitations to herself!!!!

[Pooley]

Hi everyone. Just checking in. Like everyone else I'm sure we are all very busy so don't have much time for personals. Frazer is doing well, was 250gms above his birth weight on Tuesday at over 4.5kg! Feeds were getting to be every 2 & bit hrs so we have upped his mls and he is averaging between 120 - 150mls a feed and we are now getting a solid 4-5hrs between so am pretty happy with that. Will enjoy having DH home for 1 more week and tonight am also enjoying my first alcoholic drink in about 11 months and DH is doing the night shift!!

Hoping everyone is doing well and getting as much sleep as possible.

[kellynz]

Quiet in here - all busy being mummies i guess
Art - we're off to Hawkes Bay for a few days, T's grandparents live down there, so we're quite looking forward to having a chnage of scene and some excited grandparents to do the nappy changing and baby minding duties By the way I never said thanks for attempting to be my birth announcer on BB - seems i got your number a little late as we had T before i checked the message!

Sanchez - 7 hours is impressive! Hope V gets into that habit soon for you.

Taurean - well done you for 110ml! That is a fantastic amount, and Izzy's weight gain is great news too.

Lily - thanks for letting me know about the shield experience, if it lets us feed our bub's how we want to then I agree we should just do it.

AFU - apart from one very difficult afternoon when T wouldn't sleep and just kept wanting to feed / or more like suck and cuddle we are doing really well. He is finally into 0000 clothes as of today and looking very cute if i do say so myself. We thought he was getting cradle cap earlier in the week, but a massage with oil and then some eco store baby shampoo once cleared it up. We are getting a bit of a pattern now with feeds, and after DH gives him a bottle of EBM about 10pm he only wakes once at night - yay. Only problem is he is so noisy when sleeping i'm awake half the night anyway! He does little cries which i think are most often sore tummy / trying to fill his nappy, if i go and check him he still has his eyes closed but making little faces and lots of noise. So this morning at 4am i gave up and woke him, although i suspect he wasnt far off waking anyway. Can't be far away from a full nights sleep i think. Infacol is really helping with the wind, and just being awake longer in the day gives him time to process his feed before laying down i think.
Have a good day mums x

[Janine1511]

Thought i'd quickly check in to let ya'll know how we're going. I've been reading everyones posts, i've just been slack the last few days! DF is home... yay!!!! I have him til Friday then he flies out again back to work So it's been good sharing the baby duties with someone else. Emily is being really good, she loves her new swing and it has given my arms a break from the nursing, she quite happily sits in it for half an hour or so at a time. She has been sleeping really well at night, and only wakes once for a feed so can't complain at all.

Emily has a doctors visit thursday and I have my checkup and papsmear not looking forward to that.

Am enjoying checking out the pics on Facebook of some of you ladies babies, so cute!

Hope everyone is doing well!

[PeanutBaby]

Hi All, it has certainly been quiet in here!

Just checking in with a quick one..

Lottie has gained 450g in the last week!! We are thrilled and things are picking up with my supply. She is now in 000 bonds and even then it seems her little legs can't stretch properly.

I must admit the first 2 weeks were very full-on especially with the feeding issues but as soon as week 3 started everything just "fell into place". I am thoroughly enjoying being a mum and could watch Charlotte all day every day! Her sleeping patterns are still wonderful (9pm - 4am last night then 5am to 8am. Fingers crossed it stays that way!

Can't believe she's 4 weeks old on Saturday.

Pooley - over 4.5kg!! That is fantastic.

Taurean - I am so jealous of your 120ml.. I'm still only pumping out 60ml total at the moment with my left breast doing very little at all. I got a new supply of herbs today so fingers crossed we see a bit more action on that side soon!

Kelly - poor baby with wind. It sounds like he is sleeping well though. Lottie is in her own room next door to ours so we don't really hear all the little squeaks to be honest (gosh am I a bad mum cause I sleep so heavily!).

Anyways, off to have a meal with my girlfriend at one of our local restaurants as DH is off to a work dinner. It will be Lottie's first time out for dinner and I hope she's good.. lol.. a 6pm dinner is so funny though, better get used to it!

[Taurean]

Hi Girls

Arrggghh, another selfish one from me - I'm so sorry!!! Izzy and I now both have thrush and it's hell. My boobs are so damn painful which is making breastfeeding a nightmare - like I needed any more issues in that department! We saw the lactation consultant yesterday who was amazing and picked up on it straight away. We have some over the counter drops and creams but need to see the gp tomorrow and hopefully get something stronger to clear it up quickly. I may also have staf (spelling?) on my nipples which will require antibiotics. Far out - I CAN'T WIN!!

Sorry, all I seem to do is moan lately. Yes, I'm feeling very sorry for myself. I actually had a briliant day yesterday and the appt with the lac consultant was so positive. She thinks my supply is fine (may have been the fenugreek and all the pumping which has helped) but little Isobel is just a lazy feeder but mainly as she just doesn't have enough strength to feed well off the boob! So I'm now feeding her 10-15 mins max on each boob then we top her up with 50-70ml of EBM (I now have a bit of a supply in the fridge!). We are also giving her a couple of bottles of formula a day. The lac consultant said once she plumps up a bit, she'll start sucking better and our breastfeeding should improve out of sight. Fingers crossed. On another positive note, Izzy gained 50g in two days! It does look like all the hard work is paying off.

I should just focus on the positives but I'm just flat today. I think just the sleep deprivation and the extreme pain tipped me over the edge again. There have been lots of tears again today - from me, not Isobel!! LOL.

Thanks for all your support girls. I'm really sorry I'm not being overly responsive lately but it's such a struggle to get on here. I have been reading your posts though on my iPhone while I feed and it's so nice to read how you are all going and how all your bubbies are.

Oooh, my sister's SIL has just texted me with the details of another treatment for thrush - she's and her 2 week old have it too! Sending DH off to the pharmacy now. And for me it's time to pump again...

xx

[Janine1511]

Taurean - Your not having a good run are you hun? Try to stay positive, it does sound like all your hard work is paying off though! Hope the thrush clears up quickly for you and Isobel. xx

PB - What an awesome weight gain!! glad to hear everything is working out for you you have a good sleeper there!

Kelly - Glad to hear the infacol is working... we'd be lost without infants friend, it completely took away Emily's tummy pains. Have fun in Hawkes Bay!

Pooley - Glad you enjoyed your drink, hope you had one for me!

Sanchez - I too have a bub that only wants to sleep on me... we have a good routine happening now though, I feed then we have a bit of a chat/play til she starts to get restless, then in the swing for half an hour where she looks at the mobile and checks out what's going on in the house... then she's so worn out by all that that all i have to do is bounce her on the fitball for 5 mins til she falls asleep. I wait til her breathing is even and her arms are limp so i know she's in a deep sleep then it's straight into the bassinette no fuss. I generally get 3 hours sleep out of her then. Once you work out what works best for her, you'll get into a routine... took me 5 weeks!!

Art - Hope you and Amelia are doing well!

No mail for me today, i'm waiting for my baby photos to be delivered

[Artechim]

Taurean, you are having such a run of bad luck in the feeding department! Hopefully the thrush clears up quickly and Izzy starts feeding better soon. I am sure that it will all fall into place all of a sudden. You are doing a really good job to keep going with it, loads of women would have just switched to formula by now.

Kelly, I haven't been to Hawkes bay. We are planning to do some more exploring of the North Island over the summer. DH is a southerner and I have been away from the NI for most of my grownup life.

Sanchez, I just remembered I changed my settings on FB so I don't come up in searches lol. There have been a couple of pic links posted, I will find them again. I have a velcro bub too. This time round I am just going with it - with DS I was getting stressed about never being able to do anything. This time I just pop her in the sling and get on with it. I am so aware this time that they don't stay little for very long.

Midwife appointment tomorrow, I can tell she has put on more weight because she looks so big now! She has great neck control and is standing on me weight-bearing. She is also starting to vocalise . We are doing a mix of cot and co-sleeping which seems to be working nicely. She is such a lovely easy care baby.

[sangie]

My turn to whinge too! I have mastitis and I feel like hell
Plus I'm being bridesmaid on Friday so I have to run around with final dress fittings and wedding rehearsal and I really really don't feel up to it.

On a good note my little man is thriving and has put on 610g in 10 days. He has also grown 2cm in length and his head has grown 2.5cm. So pretty happy with that!

Sorry for the selfish post. I'll catch up with you all properly next week after this wedding is over and hopefully my sore boobie will be better by then. Mastitis really sucks, I hope none of you get it.

[Janine1511]

Finally upload my maternity pics to the computer (i know, i'm so slack lol).. here's a link to a couple in case anyone is interested. I swear I felt humungous but looking back it's not that huge.

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/janin...aternityShoot#

hmm... hope that link works okay

[Taurean]

Hi Girls

I'm on antibiotics so hopefully the pain will be a thing of the past soon - woohoo! I was all over the place at the doctors so I didn't even think to ask her exactly what she thought it was (that only dawned on me as I drove home ) but I told her the LC suspected it was either thrush or staph and I also said I was worried about mastitis given I have been experiencing early symptoms of that too so it looks like the antibiotics are to take care of all three. I just hope they don't affect Izzy through my breast milk but I guess the doctor wouldn't have prescribed something that was dodgy for a breastfeeding mum.

So hopefully I'm on the mend now although I did notice one of my nipples was bleeding before a feed tonight. I'm going to ignore that for the moment as I think I may have overdone it on the lansinoh possibly contributing to the thrush. Doh again!!

Izzy is doing brilliantly beside the weight issues. Besides her wondersuits which are 0000, the poor little tike is still in 00000 and prem clothes! She has so many gorgeous 0000 outfits waiting for her once she fattens up. I guess I should just enjoy her why she is so tiny though. She is a very placid baby and is settling really well now - touch wood! She has quite a lot of awake time but is happy just staring at us and we have been blessed with several smiles already. So cute! The health nurse said she is one very alert baby and was surprised by the eye contact she makes already. She may not be thriving on the scales but she seems to be doing well in other departments

Janine - gorgeous maternity pics!! You weren't big at all!

Sangie - OMG, I feel your pain hon!! Have you got antibiotics? Gosh, being a bridesmaid with a newborn on the scene would be crazy enough let alone tackling mastitis too. Big hugs honey !!

Art - thanks for the supportive words. A few people around me have suggested I throw the towel in and switch to formula and to be honest, I thought I would have by now too but I'm just so determined to breastfeed. I didn't think I'd enjoy it so much (well, I'm not enjoying all this painful crap I'm going through!) so I will do what ever I can to get us back on track. Hopefully Iosbel starts to suck a little better soon so we can back down on the expressing. That's the most exhausting bit as I feel like I'm constanly on the couch with my boobs out!

PB - that's awesome news about Lottie's weight gain!! Yerhar!! Hang in there with the breast feeding and expressing. I know how hard it is and I'm sure we'll both get there How did you first meal out go? We took Izzy to our yacht club the other night and she slept the entire time even though the live band was super loud! It was so nice to get out of the house in the evening although it did take me an hour and a half to leave the house. LOL

Kelly -

Only problem is he is so noisy when sleeping i'm awake half the night anyway!

Ha ha! I know exactly how you feel! Izzy has done a few 5 hour stretches between feeds but I generally wake up at around the 3 hour mark and then listen to her gurgle and snort while I doze. It drives me nuts! We put her outside our bedroom door the other night but I found I still woke around the three hour mark anyway. Bugger!

Pooley - go Frazer! Whopper weight gain! That's fantastic! How was your first alcoholic beverage?! I've been enjoying the odd glass of red wine here and there - it's been so nice!

MHB - welcome hone and thanks for the kind words. Your post in my other post about Izzy's weight gain was great too. It's nice to know I'm not alone.

Sanchez - nice weight gain for V too!! Have you got a sling for her so you can at least have your hands free when she's being clingy? We have a Bubba Moe sling which our friends swear by but I'm still yet to get the hang of using it. It's so simple but I'm just a bit scared, she looks so tiny in there!

Nicola - how are you going hon? Coping ok now that your mum has gone back home?

BoB - how are you and Jackson going?

Izzy has settled so it's bed time for both of us.
xx

[Nicola]

Hi Everyone.

We ended up flying MIL up to help out as I wasnt ready to tackle the 3 on my own just yet. My boys are a handful!!! She flies back to Brisbane tonight. The latest from us is that we are moving back to Brisbane at the end of next week so we have a house to pack up and organise, we are going to rent it out. Also we wont need to drive back with the kids as my mum and MIL are flying up to pick the 3 kids up and fly back with them while me and DH do the 1300km drive on our own

Indigo is very squirmy and relfluxy but hoping it will pass she is still on a 3-4hr cycle including during the night where she doesnt actually fully wake up so she only drinks a bit then goes back to sleep. My supply is dwindling and will prob run out soon as Im not pumping that much. Indi is still tiny and Im guessing about 3.5kg now she is still in 0000 and prem clothes. We also had thrush..I had it on my nipple and Indigo on her girl bits...it freaked me out...mum was here and picked it straight away and I got some thrush cream from the chemist and it was gone within a few days.

I have had some bad days where I have no energy and feel mentally like a cabbage. But Im looking forward to moving and being back around family and support. Bye for now

[Janine1511]

Taurean - Glad to hear you're on the mend, isn't it wonderful when they start smiling?? Emily busts out some ripper smiles for us, usually around 10 a day and it's so cute!

Nicola - How exciting is it that you're moving! Must be a relief to know you'll be close to family to help you out, 1 is hard enough, I can't begin to imagine how tough 3 is! Brisbane isn't that bad anyway Which side of town are you moving to?

[Pooley]

Well,

Seems all the cuddles and settlings Frazer is getting from Daddy and all the rellies is turning him into a tummy sleeping baby!! Told you Janine. The last couple of nights he has snuffled and snorted and then wakes himself up inbetween feeds when on his back but last nite I was a bad Mummy and put him straight on his belly. Settled in seconds. Didn't hear boo from him after his 12.30am feed, waking at 3.45am for a bottle and then didn't wake till 7.45am and no wind or anything in between. Won't even sleep lying in his rocker anymore.

I have the angelcare montior so have some piece of mind kinda. But am cranky that I have to do what everyone tells u not to do. I would think twice about letting bubs settle on you or others on their belly as I think this is where he has got comfortable sleeping. I will continue to try and turn him after he has settled but he just seems to wake up for no reason on his side/back which is a pain during the night.

That's my whinge for the day.

Taurean- Enjoyed my beverages greatly the other night and went out last night for DH and I's 2nd Wedding Anniversary. Cracked open a bottle of Moet once we got home as this is a tradition we have started. Frazer was an angel at Grandma's (probably because he fed and then slept on her while we were gone!!) and we were only gone for about 2 hrs but baby steps I suppose. Sorry to hear about all the crap you're going through, u are sure giving breastfeeding a better go than I did!!

Got weighed again yesterday and he has gone from 4.5 to 4.885kg in a week. Obviously the formula is agreeing with him which is good. Is just about busting out of his 000 wondersuits but still fits in the cheap 000 target ones.

Sangie- I didn't get Frazer measured, are you suppose to??

[Artechim]

Well I guess there won't be any tummy time here - thought I would give it a go and she just rolled onto her back!

Pooley, I know quite a few mums of tummy sleepers. Frazer certainly wasn't a low birth weight, not prem, unless you and DH are smokers then he isn't in the high risk group for sids. And the angelcare monitor should give you some peace of mind.

Nicola, glad you are moving closer to family support. I don't know if I could manage with another one in between my two. My mind has felt like cabbage for a couple of years now lol

Janine, those pictures are beautiful! You so didn't look humungus!

Who is it that is moving to the US very soon?