Hi all, We had the best night ever last night. Charlotte's pretty much been in a good routine from the word go but last night we have her 180ml at 9.30pm, she went down at 10 and slept through until 4am. Up 20 mins then back to sleep until 8am. Fingers crossed this will be her pattern for a while until we can get her through for a bit longer.
She is so easy to settle, a 2 min cuddle then down she goes without a peep. We didn't experience any "3 week change" so does that mean it will be a shocker for the so called "7 week change" ??
Janine - 5kg is fantastic! Lottie is now over 4kg and we are thrilled. She's pretty much 100% into 000 now and we can practically see the growth.
Taurean - Didn't you just move into your house!? We built about 2 years ago and I don't think I could possibly do it again anytime soon. Its great you are looking at a ready made house!
Sanchez - Yay two weeks for the splint! That is fantastic. It will be wonderful to fully hold your little girl without the contraption.
Hi to everyone else and hope things are going well. Better go and get ready as we are having lunch with a gf today. She's lending me some dresses to try on for this wedding we have in 2 weeks.. I need something to hide the tummy bulge I still have!
Well yesterday was the first day we started feeds every 3 3 1/2 hrs and I tried to keep Frazer up for as long as possible playing/ etc. Did a feed at 4pm.ish, 7.30pm and a dream feed at 10.30pm. (But most feeds at night are dream feeds cause he just doesn't seem to wake up! Even with a nappy change.)
He slept through til 4!!! Yay! I woke up at 4 and then just listened to him murmur for a while and then just decided to give him a feed since I was up, then slept through till 8!
Hopefully as we keep going with what we're doing he may get into some sort of basic routine.
A question though, should I try leaving him sleep til morning after the dream feed and see how long he lasts or should I just keep doing the 4 am feed whether he wakes or not??
Frazer is already into the infant nappies, they are a little big but I keep thinking the newborn ones are so tight they're gonna cut off the circulation to his little chubby legs!!
Peanut baby, sounds like your schedule is working out well. What a good sleeper she is!
Well.... Emily has her 8 week immunisations today, not fun at all. I cried when she had them done, how sad is that, lol. Poor thing didn't like it one bit, they do an oral liquid thing, and 2 needles, one in each thigh. It was heartbreaking to hear her cry in pain. She was a bit unsettled afterwards but has actually coped pretty well with none of the common side effects so far. We finally finished organising all our medicare/family assistance stuff today and just scraped in under the income limit so qualified for family tax benefit B, yay!!!
Another woo-hoo is I think i've finally picked a wedding dress. It's a grecian style and just gorgeous, now I just have to lose the rest of my baby weight so I can fit in the size I want.
Jason flies back out to work tomorrow, sigh. the countdown starts again.
Sanchez - I use the Avent Isis Manual pump, works a treat Yay for taking the brace off, bet you can't wait! Will seem weird having a floppy baby though lol
Art - The swing is THE best thing we have bought for her by far... i'm so pleased we got it, it's a godsend. She falls asleep in it sometimes now when she's tired, and she LOVES the little turtle on the mobile, it's her favourite.
PB - it's pretty hard to shift the tummy bulge hey... anyone got some good tips? I'm pretty lazy though so something that doesn't require much effort would be great. I now have 6 months only to get myself back in shape for the wedding.
Pooley - YAY for Frazers awesome sleep! Are you without DH again this weekend?
Pooley that's great! I'd maybe not wake him at 4am and see how long he can go? Can't hurt to try and you never know, he might stretch out until a more human hour of 6am! I've been giving Ethan his last feed at around 11pm and he has been lasting until between 5-6am.
Janine - immunisations suck hey? I made DH come with me when DD had hers and I think I cried more than she did lol! YAY for finding a wedding dress. I need to lose tummy fat too. DH is buying me a Wii fit for our wedding anniversary so I'm going to give that a go. I'm really hoping I can get back to my normal weight before Summer hits!
PB - lucky you with bubby that settles so easy!
Sanchez - yay for taking off the splint soon Well its not hot enough here for me to be sweating. Send some heat here please, its been so cold and I'm over it
Kelly - finally you got your cot! Have you set it up yet?
AFU - E is driving me a bit nuts the last couple of days. He is only sleeping when I hold him and as soon as I attempt to put him down he cries blue murder! I've been co-sleeping at night as its the only way we can all sleep. I'm going to pull out the sling today and give that a go.
Hope the rest of you are doing well and getting enough shut eye.
I've been following along but haven't yet posted. Our little man arrived on the 15th of September (12 days late!) and so he's now just over 4 weeks. We are both breast and bottle (formula) feeding and it's interesting to hear what everyone else's bubs are doing.
I'm about to call 13 HEALTH as bub has a funny looking thing poking out of his belly button and I'm not sure if I should go to the GP.
It's hard for me not to be jealous of those who's baby's are having longer sleeps. The longest we get is one stretch of 4 hours and the rest of his feeds are 2.5-3 hours apart.
Ruth - It's normal for new babies to have an umbilical hernia, which is like a red sore looking spot that pokes out usually more noticeable when they cry (almost like it's turning inside-out a little). Emily has one as well, apparently it disappears in time. Not sure if this is what your bub has, but if you're worried probably call them anyway because they will be able to advise you best.
Janine- Yeah, DH is away tonight and tomorrow night gigging but I must say it doesn't bother me as much as I have kinda gotten used to it. How exciting about your wedding dress!! I didn't realise you were planning on getting married so soon!! U will have to fill me in on all the details next time we catch up. When would you like to? sometime this week??
I am desperate to get back to the gym but have to wait for my 6 week check up so the doctor can let me know what I can start off doing. I'd love to do some aerobics classes but am thinking I better just start of with the eliptical machine or bike or treadmill. Only have 7 kilos to lose but am getting really depressed not being able to get into an of my old pants. I'm sooooo over wearing baby doll tops/ dresses and bloody leggings!!
Nice to hear from you Ruth I think I would have died or exploded if Frazer turned up 12 days late! Congrats on your little one, did I miss his name??? It's not in your signature
Pooley - This week would be great, maybe Monday? Yeah we just brought forward the wedding date as we are planning on trying for bub #2 in July (something I don't want to think about right now lol) I went and tried on the dress today, it's divine! I can't quite do up the size 8 but should be able to lose 8 kgs by April to get back to my usual size. If you get the go ahead for exercise you're more than welcome to come to mine and use my elliptical trainer and weights etc, and I can watch the bubs, then you can watch them whilst I do a session as well. The elliptical trainer is set up in front of the TV so I'm set lol. I'm thinking of taping a pic of the dress to the machine for motivation I hear you on the dress/leggings bizzo, I want to fit into my skirts and jeans!
I have been putting off doing the one handed post but i don't think it is going to happen any other way. V is having an absolute shocker! She hasn't let me put her down all day. I am so sick of watching TV (never thought i'd hear myself say that!).
Art - She has been pretty good lately with the sleeping longer than an hour - but i think i just gave up caring, it isn't as though i have anywhere else to be so I just started letting her do what she wants. No use getting upset about something I can't really control!
Pooley and Janine - I am hearing you loud and clear about the weight loss...i must admit I have never heard of nor do I know what the hell a eliptical machine even is! I have lost 11kgs and am hovering with 7kg to go. Doesn't seem to want to budge - therefore i can't fit into anything but my maternity jeans....very depressing (It would help though if i stopped putting all the fatty food in my mouth - i am not pregnant anymore but somehow am still justifying eating all the bad stuff!)
Janine - OMG trying for number two.....thats so soon.....you need 2 tickers...one for E and one for the countdown! So exciting about getting married...well if you need a dress with a lot of belly room you know you can always have mine
Pooley - So impressed about Frazer and how big he's getting..is he sleeping a bit better yet?
Hi Ruth - good to hear from you - 12 days late would have done my head in!
I am finding it hard finding nice clothes that are breastfeeding friendly. I still want to look good but haven't found any stand out pieces - has anybody got great looking clothes?
Super quick selfish post from me as I really must get to bed while Izzy is sleeping.
Had a very up and down week with all our feeding issues and lost the plot Thursday and decided to throw the towel in after one more week of trying to BF. I thought I still had thrush and the pain was too much so I expressed Thursday and Friday and bottlefed Izzy exclusively. I was so sad not to breastfeed her but the break was good for my poor boobs. I phoned my lac consultant to tell her what was happening on Thursday and she booked me in straight away for another catchup with her. So, we caught up today and boy am I glad we did. It looks like we may be on the road to recovery - finally!!
Firstly, Izzy has put on 400g in a week!!! We couldn't believe it! She's now at 3.7kg! I'm so damn happy. All our hard work is starting to pay off. My LC checked both of us for thrush and it looks like we are both clear so that was good news but we were left wondering why I was still in pain. She checked out Izzy's attachment and it was fantastic so that wasn't the issue. Oh, and on that note, Izzy fed beautifully off both sides and sucked out 80mls on her own which was a huge increase from her 40mls last time. We may need to top her up with formula here and there but the Motillium pills I'm on should continue to help with my supply so hopefully she'll get enough from me in the not too distant future. Anyway, back to my pain. It was a bit of a mystery until my LC checked my nipples after Izzy fed and they were a bit white and very sore. Straight away she said it's 'nipple vasospasm' which basically means I have circulation problems in my nipples which causes all the pain I've been experiencing! So now we know what it is, I can go about treating it. There is a perscription tablet which works really well apparently so I'm going to get onto that very soon and then hopefully our nasty breastfeeding days will be a thing of the past - FINGERS CROSSED!!!
I'll attempt to get back on and write a few personals tomorrow but for now I really have to get to bed. I've been reading all your posts and loving hearing how you're all going. Motherhood sure is hard work at times, hey?
Night girls xx
PS: Izzy had her first day of lots of smiles yesterday! So cute and very gummy!!
Hiya,
Pooley - well done on the routine with Frazer, sounds like its working so far Long may it last. I agree, leave him as long as he will go overnight. I sometimes hear Tadhg stirring and then he will sleep another hour if i leave him - usually if i go in he is actually still asleep, just making noises. With frazer's size and age he should definitely be fine to go from 10 till 6 or 7, if he is ready and doesnt get upset/ cry hungry. I was thinking Tadhg might be into infant nappies by our next box (we have about 4 or 5 days worth left) but maybe not if Frazer is only just in his. We're getting weighed etc by plunket on Tuesday but i doubt he is much over 4kg yet and long and skinny. So one more box of newborn size might be in order
Janine - glad to hear the jabs went relatively ok - its hard to see them scream isnt it - even if it is only for a minute. Grecian style wedding dress sounds beautiful, i can picture it. You'll be fine with the weight loss once you start exercising no doubt! I'm feeling ok, but very squishy - i only put on 10kilos and lost 7 before i left the hospital but still have a long way to go as its all sitting on my waist/hips and my tummy is mush now - in fact i cant remember when i last did some weights. Can't wait to get into some walking and exercise now i'm recovered from mastitis. Wow, i hadn't even thought about when i might be pregnant again - only that i would be before too long. Actually thinking about what month you might try again brings a new dimension huh! We're going to see how we go, but 18 months - 2 years age gap sounds like a good plan to me too.
Sangie - i've unwrapped all the cot and change table, but havent put the cot together yet, as DH is away this week for work so will wait till he gets home. It does look like its going to be really nice though. So cool having a change table after 8 weeks of floor changing! Man it sounds like you're having a rough couple of days with E! A sling sounds like a good idea. I resorted to a daytime nap in our bed with T this week and then slipped out after 1 1/2 hours and he stayed there for about 40 minutes by himself completely out to it.
Ruth - i'd be interested to hear how you are going with breast and bottle, i'm trying that at the moment due to lack of milk and finding it a bit tricky. If bub is just over 4 weeks he is a bit younger than others, so 4 hours is still a good effort for sleeping. Wont be long until he is doing 6 or 7
Sanchez - how frustrating is it when you just think bub is in a routine and then they have a grouchy day. It can really drain your energy, hope V is being easier now!
Taurean - thats great news about the feeding. It can be so frustrating, so i really hope this new pill does the trick and gives you the confidence to enjoy feeding again Great news about the weight gain too!
AFU - we had a hard few days this week. Tadhg was so unsettled during the day he wouldn't sleep for more than 15 mins without crying or at least grizzling. I thought he must have just decided not to sleep during the days anymore. My mum came and stayed as DH is away, and she said he seemed to be hungry - after a bottle of formula he fell asleep and started getting happier. I now suspect my milk supply hasnt been able to keep up, since the mastitis etc and probably a growth spurt, and when i thought he was full he was actually just worn out trying to get any milk out of me - then overtired and hungry and not able to sleep. Man, what a mess. Yesterday he slept from 2pm until 8pm with just half an hour of forced wake time while i tried to get a feed into him, then after a feed, bath, top-up feed and cuddle he went down at 10:30 and woke at 6am. Man he must have been tired! Today we had only little sleeps this morning, but again went down about 2, had to force a feed into him at 4:30 while he slept and i put him straight back into his cot. It seems a bit strange to me - but as long as he is happy, and sleeping at night! Hmm hang on he is waking up now, time to play i guess
Kelly
Sanchez - I know it seems so soon, I don't even really want to think about it yet... but DF and I both want the kids to be no more than 2 years apart and who knows, maybe I wont fall pregnant first time we try next time An elliptical machine is sort of like a step machine, but more like a jogging motion. The great thing about them is they are a low impact machine, much better on your feet, ankles and knees than a treadmill is. I hear you on the food bizzo, I had to stop buying chocolate coz I can still sit down in one hit and eat the whole block lol. I've lost 12kgs so far, 8 - 10 more would be nice. I've given up looking for breastfeeding tops, I just buy ones that I can pull the straps down on now - now i'm expressing full time though I just wear whatever and take it off when i'm home alone lol.
Taurean - You amaze me, seriously... your determination is something else! You've had nearly every BFing issue in the book and yet you're still hanging in there. Wow, well done! And congrats on the weight gain! Aren't the smiles beautiful? Emily is trying to figure out how to laugh now, the sounds she gets trying are hilarious.
Kelly - My tummy is mush too, It's pretty flat when i'm standing but as soon as I sit a few rolls appear out of nowhere lol. Emily went through an odd week at 7 weeks, seemed weird to me as well all the sleeping. Then she had a day where her left leg went limp and floppy and she wouldn't use it so I actually took her to hospital last Sunday, they checked her out and couldn't find anything wrong. They said it's normal for babies to spend a day or 2 sleeping non-stop after a growth spurt.
Ruth - How'd you go with the belly button thing?
Well it's official, DF's roster is changing and he will now be away 2 weeks at a time, and home 1 week in between. I'm devestated and don't know how i'll cope for so long without him. It'll feel like he's never home. I'm still expressing full time and just keeping up with her, I'm aiming to up my supply this week as I think it's dwindled a bit and she's started drinking alot more each time now.
Hope everyone else is doing well, gtg, the baby be crying!
I wont be able to get on here as much as I would like anymore..the reality of having 3 kids under 3. Even though we are at my parents house and have extra help there still doesnt seem to be much spare time in between feeds,changing,playing and household duties.
My personal advise about the space between your kids would be to wait at least 12mnths before getting pregnant again...yes there are pros with having kids close but I look back and wish I had spent more time enjoying baby no.1 before being pregnant again so soon and being preoccupied with that and being to tired etc Thats my personal opinion anyway not everyone will agree
Indigo is 4kg now and is fully bottle fed, she is sleeping quite well at night Im not sure whether its her or that Im more relaxed as a mum this time around. I gotta go its the boys bath time and they are not happy. Bye for now
Nicola - I guess the reason for me is that I have 3 sisters, and all 4 of us girls were under 2 years apart and it was fantastic for us growing up, we could play together and were at school together etc. I realise it will be hard work, but for us it's what we want to do... I know it wont take away the love I have and the enjoyment I get from watching Emily grow, and it will be great seeing them grow up together. We want a 3rd within 2 years of the 2nd as well. My DF has a big gap between him and his brother and was always too old to enjoy the same things and to really enjoy each other as siblings. We're starting to try again in June/July in the hope of falling pregnant within a couple of months trying.
I have an absolute angel on my hands this last week. She has been pretty good for awhile but is really stuck into a routine now. She feeds at exactly the same times every day and is always asleep by midnight, and gives me at least 7 - 9 hours sleep every night. I am so grateful and lucky, so my mum keeps telling me! I realise it's unrealistic to think she'll always be like this, but as long as she keeps this up most of the time it'll be heaven! She still has an unsettled period at night between her 7 & 11pm feeds, but during the day usually only cries if i'm taking too long to get her food, or she wants to be put to bed.
Everyone is different I guess when it comes to timing of siblings.
Nicola- I understand where you are coming from in regards to the amount of work and being tired and preoccupied. My SIL has 3 kids under 5 and I have seen first hand how she copes, but really doesn't give enough attention to each child, especially now that the last was a girl after 2 boys. It is awful to see her put the boys in childcare and only take her "besotted" daughter on outings etc. I'm not saying everyone is like her but I think they just wanted too much too soon and it really shows in the kids behaviour and temprement that they're Mum simple doesn't have enough time to share between them equally. She still thinks cause she is 25 that she can have a social life where she stays out all ours of the night, numerous nights a week while family members look after all 3 kids. Just breaks my heart.
Janine- Am not even considering trying for another child for at least another 2/12 3 years! Hopefully by then I have enough Long service leave up to take some extra on top of my maternity leave and would really like Frazer to be able to be old enough to be helpful and understand what's going on. Obviously you are really close to your sisters and want the same for Emily, which is nice.
It's funny though cause my DH and I experienced the exact opposite to you and your DF.
My sis and I are 2 years apart and really have never been that close. When we were littler maybe but from about 12 and onwards we kinda did our own thing and went in really seperate directions in high school. My DH and his oldest bro are 16 months apart and again, never really bonded the way you would think siblings so close together would. Especially once they hit high school. Now he can't stand the sight of him (for reasons I won't get into. one being the SIL i spoke about before) yet is really enjoying socialising and feels closer to his youngest brother that has just turned 18 and they're 9 years apart!
Everyone's different and I reckon as long as they're gonna be loved to bits it doesn't matter when the next one arrives.
Taurean, you are an absolute champ continuing with the BF after all your troubles. I hope the new pill will solve your pain prob and it is smooth sailing from now on.
Kelly, I hope your supply recovers soon.
Janine, that work roster sucks. Do you have other family close by? Must get quite lonely with him away so often.
Nicola, my computer time has been the biggest loser in adjusting to life with 2 kids, there just isn't as much spare time to get on here now. Hope all is going well in Brissy.
Sanchez, you have hit upon the secret to enjoying your baby - having the serenity to accept that which you cannot change. Do you think she will be more settled when she gets the brace off? It must be a bit uncomfortable not being able to stretch out and kick around. One of the girls in my Sept 07 buddies group did some modelling for some BF clothing - her name is Ginger if you PM her she will tell you the brand.
Sangie, I hope E is settling a bit better now, it is rough when they have a 'mum must hold me at all times' day when you have other things that you need to do.
Pooley, sounds like F's sleeping is going really well. I am still wearing maternity stuff, my other pants fit on but I still have too much belly wobble to do any of them up. If only I would stop eating chocolate and biscuits all day long I might fit back into them.
Ruth, still only getting 3-4 hours at a time here too.
PB, hope you found a dress that hides all the tummy flab. I am thinking of investing in some of those gut sucker undies to keep it all hidden lol
Age spacing - I am loving the age gap between my two, which is 5 days short of two years. William is old enough to understand and do what I tell him (most of the time) and is capable of independent play when I am busy with Amelia. He is also mostly past the tanty stage and is quite helpful with the baby.
All is well here. I am finding having two children far easier than I was imagining. It helps that W is a very good boy, he does have his moments but is generally well behaved. Amelia is a very cruisy baby too, she doesn't cry except if she wants fed/picked up and I can usually put her in the swing/on the couch and do a few jobs before she cracks it.
I do remember the days when W was a newborn, when it would take forever to get ready to go anywhere - feed him, change him, then he would have a nap (heaven forbid that I should wake him! lol), another feed, another change and we would be out the door 1.5 hours after I started lol. He was bathed religiously every night and I held him for his naps if he wouldn't stay asleep in his cot. Poor Amelia gets carted around regardless of whether she is asleep or awake because W has activities to go to etc, she has a shower with me every second day (with W in the bath below us - bathtime is a family affair here) and if she needs to sleep she either stays sleeping on the couch when I plonk her down there or she goes in the sling. Second children just have to fit in lol
Taurean - you are doing a great job with keeping up the bf hun, well done and fingers crossed that these new pills do the trick!
Art - bathtime is a family affair here too lol! I figure its faster and easier for all of us to just hop in together. Only problem I have is gettting DD out, she absolutely loves the shower.
Kelly - I hope your supply picks up soon. I think I've had the same issues and may explain why E has been so unsettled. Having mastitis and then a cold has really affected my supply.
Ruth - lovely to hear from you!
Sanchez - I just wear stretchy tops that can be pulled up easily and a belly band to hide my tummy flab. I'm more worried about flashing my flabby belly than a nipple!
Janine - bummer about your DF's roster but lucky you that your little girl is in such a good routine! She must know that her mummy needs her to be well behaved when Daddy is away lol!
Pooley - I'm dying to do some exercise too. Just don't know when I'm going to fit it in yet.
PB - good luck finding a dress!
Nicola - I think you are doing an amazing job with having 3 littlies and still getting on here occasionally!
As for age gaps I think there are pros and cons to having them close or further apart. There are 2 years 3 months between my two and to be honest I wouldn't want them any closer than that. DD is at a great age where she can play on her own while I feed and she understands that sometimes she needs to be patient while I attend to her little brother. We aren't planning any more kids but if we were I would definitely be waiting at least another 2 years. Just my two cents worth!
I hear you on the dress/leggings bizzo, I want to fit into my skirts and jeans!
(It would help though if i stopped putting all the fatty food in my mouth - i am not pregnant anymore but somehow am still justifying eating all the bad stuff!)
We may need to top her up with formula here and there but the Motillium pills I'm on should continue to help with my supply so hopefully she'll get enough from me in the not too distant future. Anyway, back to my pain. It was a bit of a mystery until my LC checked my nipples after Izzy fed and they were a bit white and very sore. Straight away she said it's 'nipple vasospasm' which basically means I have circulation problems in my nipples which causes all the pain I've been experiencing! So now we know what it is, I can go about treating it. There is a perscription tablet which works really well apparently so I'm going to get onto that very soon and then hopefully our nasty breastfeeding days will be a thing of the past - FINGERS CROSSED!!!
Bookmarks