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

[Nicola]

Hi

Janine your pictures are really cute.

We are trying to pack and clean up etc but its just not happening as I find it hard to just get dressed at the moment.

Indigo weighs 3.59kg as of friday so she is still tiny but has put on just over 1kg since she was born a month ago. Im only pumping 1 bottle of EBM a day so it will probably be gone soon.

I thought I would mention about the Angelcare Sensor Monitors - make sure you dont have a fan blowing near them as this will effect the alarm - they are so sensitive that they pick up on the slightest sense. I know this from when Wyatt was a baby I took him out of the bassinett and went away and then realised the monitor was still on but wondered why the alarm hadnt gone off.....the fan was blowing on it!!

[Artechim]

Janine, those photos are absolutely beautiful!

Nicola, I know what you mean about finding time to get dressed! The only reason I have time for a shower is that I have one with Amelia while DS is in the bath too lol.

Sanchez, I read your other thread and I don't have any advice if it is a supply problem, but Miss V is about the right age for a growth spurt where they just want to feed and feed for a few days. You may find that in a day or so she will just stop the constant feeding on her own accord and instead want to sleep heaps.

Not a lot happening here - I finally got some strawberry plants in the garden yesterday and then what happens? Snow!! It has been snowing for the last 7 hours. DH is hoping for a snow day tomorrow but I am guessing we will just get messy slush.

[Kosi]

Breathes a sigh of relief..... They have headed off.

Why is it, that they start to get better just before they leave. They still were a bit painful, but more tolerable last night!

Had a good night with Ava and sleep. Hoping it keeps up now!

Big hugs to you ladies and your bubba's! Will do personals next time.

[Sanchez]

Hi All

Have had a rough couple of days with Violet not sleeping longer than an hour and continuously wanting to feed. I was worried that my milk supply wouldn't be able to keep up ect - but some lovely BB ladies put my mind at ease and she has had a better day today.
I gave her a bottle of EBM last night as i was beside myself - by the end of the bottle she had the whole idea of how to suck on the teat. I am almost ashamed that i was so narrow minded before i had her with the comments i made such as "my baby will never use a pacifier" and "i won't give my baby a bottle before 3 months" Those things seem so ridiculous now!

Kosi - glad to hear the inlaws have left the reservation!

I wonder if anybody has any tips on how to start expressing some EBM to store. I am not sure how to get started without losing a feed IYKWIM. Should i try overnight when i tend you have fuller breasts and try and feed twice on one side and pump the other? Wonder if anyone else has a good routine?

Hope all is well x

[PeanutBaby]

I hear you Sanchez!! I was so judgemental of formula bubs and pacificers but lo and behold, Charlotte is having both and I couldn't be happier now the pressures off regarding feeding.

Happy Mum, Happy Bub!!

Not sure regarding storage as I have to use my EBM as I go..

[Pooley]

Sanchez and Peanut Baby - I have always been open minded about everything to do with becoming a mother. Maintaining this kind of attitude has helped me through the fact that we decided to formula feed because of post- labour problems I experienced. I honestly think it's the best way to be especially with so many differing opinions being thrown our way constantly.

Every baby is different. Our decision to formula feed, tummy sleep, use dummies, demand feed, they are all personal decisions that DH and I have made together regardless of peoples opinions or "the norm". I will never be one to pass judgement on others, parents simply do what they think is best for their baby. Then later we are faced with even harder decisions like immunisation etc. Never ends I guess.

P.S Frazer is my little heffer!! Today at 4 weeks 3 days he weighed in @ 5.24 kgs!! That is a gain of 690gms in 2 weeks!!

[Janine1511]

Sanchez and Peanut Baby - I have always been open minded about everything to do with becoming a mother. Maintaining this kind of attitude has helped me through the fact that we decided to formula feed because of post- labour problems I experienced. I honestly think it's the best way to be especially with so many differing opinions being thrown our way constantly.

Every baby is different. Our decision to formula feed, tummy sleep, use dummies, demand feed, they are all personal decisions that DH and I have made together regardless of peoples opinions or "the norm". I will never be one to pass judgement on others, parents simply do what they think is best for their baby. Then later we are faced with even harder decisions like immunisation etc. Never ends I guess.

P.S Frazer is my little heffer!! Today at 4 weeks 3 days he weighed in @ 5.24 kgs!! That is a gain of 690gms in 2 weeks!!

Pooley - I'm the same... I had my "ideal" ways which would be natural birth with just gas, BF to 12 months, no dummy, back sleep but went into it thiking that if any of those didn't happen or didn't work for us then so be it. I got my natural birth with gas, but I was BEGGING for everything else lol, she tummy sleeps and I may have to kick the BFing sooner than I had hoped as i'm having dramas with it. Haven;t gotten the dummy out but would if needed.

[Pooley]

Sanchez and Peanut Baby - I have always been open minded about everything to do with becoming a mother. Maintaining this kind of attitude has helped me through the fact that we decided to formula feed because of post- labour problems I experienced. I honestly think it's the best way to be especially with so many differing opinions being thrown our way constantly.

Every baby is different. Our decision to formula feed, tummy sleep, use dummies, demand feed, they are all personal decisions that DH and I have made together regardless of peoples opinions or "the norm". I will never be one to pass judgement on others, parents simply do what they think is best for their baby. Then later we are faced with even harder decisions like immunisation etc. Never ends I guess.

P.S Frazer is my little heffer!! Today at 4 weeks 3 days he weighed in @ 5.24 kgs!! That is a gain of 690gms in 2 weeks!! Think I have a little michilin man on my hands....

[Taurean]

Hi Girls

Finally a chance to post again!! Things have been mad in our camp.

Breast issues still continue unfortunately but I do think this time we are getting somewhere. I have finished my antibiotics but I'm back on thrush treatment as it didn't clear up completely and I'm taking Inner Health Plus as well to try to increase my good bacteria levels. Isobel is now having the powder in a bottle once a day too as well as the Nilstat drops 4 times a day. I'm still taking pain killers/nurofen for the pain but I'm slowly weaning off them too. Oh, did I mention that I'm now sporting a cracked nipple (Izzy drew blood from it on the weekend - ewww and OUCH!) and have constipation from the antibiotics so have wound up with some nice rhoids on my butt. Fabulous!!

To top things off, Izzy had an absolute shocker of a day on Monday - much like what you've been experiencing with Violet, Sanchez!! The poor little thing was so out of sorts and just wouldn't settle after her 4.30am feed. She only cat napped for 45 mins and pretty much cried the rest of the day and would only calm down for a bit if I held her. It was so sad and tiring. My DH came home early from work to give me a break thankfully and she finally settled into a good sleep at 6.30pm (after a decent feed of EBM) and I had a few hours catch up sleep as well. She ended up having a good night and a great day yesterday so we went to a work function with DH last night. She slept for 5 hours last night so I thought she was back to normal but then it started again this morning after her 4am feed. To cut a long story short, I ended up taking her to the doctors at midday and they think she has colic. The doc told us to get onto the Brauers Colic Relief straight away so hopefully we'll see an improvement within the next 24 hours. Far out - what next?! I guess I should be grateful that it's not a daily thing (well not yet anyway) and she is settled in the evenings (she's asleep now so I'm off to bed very soon!) but just clingy and upset during the day. I will have to master our sling ASAP!!

Pooley - congrats on Frazer's weight gain!! I'm thinking formula might be the best option for us. I may have the supply but all these issues are really getting me down. Maybe formula is the answer to all our problems.

Art - good to hear you guys are doing well. I admire you mum's looking after a toddler and a newborn. I really don't know how you all do it!

Sangie - I hope your mastitis buggers off soon! You poor thing. Sore boobies are awful, especially when you're trying to breastfeed as well. I hope your DD is on the mend soon too. Poor little tacker.

Janine - are you ok hon? What bf issues are you having? Can I help at all?

PB - my BF/weight gain issue buddy (LOL), can you tell me what you're doing? Are you expressing and feeding Lottie from the bottle full time? How many formula comps does she have? How much are you expressing? It makes me feel so much better knowing I'm not alone.

Kosi - woohoo that the IL's have gone! I'm dreading mine coming over. Terrible, I know, but my MIL is going to drive me nuts. Must keep reminding myself that she means well. How's Ava going now? Sleeping well still or was it a once off?!

Sanchez - LOL! Yes, we do what we can to help our little babies! I was never against bottles or dummies and have found both to be a godsend! Izzy loves her dummy but doesn't need it all the time. She often self settles (well that was before the day time spack-attacks that started this week!) and is often content just checking out the world but when she wants a comfort suck, the dummy has been great. The bottles have also been fab to get that yummy EBM into her. She took to it really well and I don't think the bottle or the dummy has caused nipple confusion as she still loves the boobies! At least I know I can hand her over to others for feeding if need be. Bottles and dummies were introduced for a reason

As for expressing, you will generally get a decent amount in the morning, first thing. I often express straight after a feed which will give me a nice top-up bottle for Izzy but if I want a full bottle to give her that night, I express inbetween two feeds in the morning. I got about 170ml at 8.30 yesterday morning and 150 at 10.30 this morning. It takes me about 15 mins to get that. Your supply generally dwindles throughout the day and by 6pm ish it's not so great. I expressed around 7pm tonight and got 70mls. It normally goes up a bit again after 9pm. Remember that your boobs are always producing milk so you will always get something regardless of whether they are engorged or not or if V has just fed. But I do find that early morning express is a winner.

Oh, and for freezing, I'm starting that soon. I have special 'baby food' ice trays with lids which hold 25ml in a cube which makes it easy for preparing a bottle. The past couple of weeks I've just been using everything I express though as we were doing top ups after every feed. Now I'm just trying maybe one top up a day and 2 full EBM feeds a day (one in the morning if she's unsettled after her first big morning feed and one in the evening. That means I can express again at those times and know I'll get plenty. Hope that helps.

OK, I have to go to bed. Who know what the night has instore for us...nigh night!