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Taurean - big hugs for you hun! I know exactly how you feel!! Saturday night was my first night by myself and what a shocker it was... E was screaming from about 2pm til 2.30am, only stopping to feed. She slept for an hour and a half and was up again at 4 yesterday morning and carried on all morning. I was in tears most of this time, feeling useless as a mum and stressed out not knowing what was wrong. I rang DF at work a couple of times and cursed him for working away from home and of course made him feel like absolute crap too :( About 4pm yesterday I could take it no more and went to mums house for dinner so I could have a couple of hours sleep whilst someone else cuddled her shaking, screaming little body. Well would you believe in the car she did this MASSIVE poo, i'm talking world record breaking poo, it was right through her nappy, clothes and into every nook and cranny in her car seat... and she has been sleeping since, only waking to feed twice.
Nicola - The only way I gan get E to sleep sometimes is by putting DFs used shirt on and letting her fall to sleep on me before moving her to her bassinette which also has one of DFs shirt wrapped around it like a sheet... She can smell the milk on me and just cant settle when lying on me sometimes, she just bobs around looking for the boob even if she's just fed. I think DF is secretly flattered this is what works best lol.
E is up, will jump back on in a bit.
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I'm back. Emily has been trying out her expressions the last two days, not smiling properly yet, but sometimes if I touch her on the tip of her nose she gives a wide grin --- It seems to be an automatic response rather than a happy response so I think she's just trying out different facial muscles and things. DF will be devo'd if she has starts smiling properly whilst he's away. I feel refreshed after a great sleep last night, I had 6 1/2 hours straight, then a feed, then another 3 1/2 hours so I feel so much better than this time yesterday.
E was only feeding for 11 - 16 mins each feed and has ramped up to 20 - 25mins the last two days --- could this be the 4 - 6 week growth spurt? She's 4weeks + 5days today so I guess she's about due for it.
Kosi, Sanchez and Pooley - I love seeing your baby photos on Facebook, keep up the good work! :) They're all just gorgeous!
uh-oh, someones not too happy. ciao for now.
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Taurean - sorry you had such a bad night. Sometimes these little ones just need to have unsettled periods, completely normal hun and sorry to say it probably won't be the last. I find just cuddling Ethan and taking him to bed with me often calms him down.
Sorry don't really have time for personals. DH is back at work today so its my first day on my own with a newborn and a toddler. And of course Ethan is having an unsettled day so far, I think he has wind issues.
I'm reading though, just hard to post with a newborn in your arms!
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Janine, could be the growth spurt. In Australia I was told 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, but now in NZ I am told 2,4,6,12 weeks. Now I am not sure when to expect it!
Does anyone know of a product that will get baby poo off clothing? A seems to save it up for a couple of days and then unleashes an unholy amount of poo which has no hope of being contained. It is quite an orangy colour and is staining her clothes. I have tried Napisan but it barely even faded it. Any ideas?
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Art - Best thing to fade baby poo is sunlight... just pop it in the sun for a bit. The UV gets the poo stains stright off my nappies.
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Ok I knew it was going to happen at some stage and i have had my first mental/emotional/lack of sleep/worrying about my baby breakdown. The catalyst being that one of my boobs seems to not be filling up fast enough (well at least I think so). During the day it is always soft, only overnight does it seem to fill. She isn't sleeping as much, she falls asleep on the boob and when I put her down she just wails. She is continually bring up breastmilk....not huge amounts but tablespoons at a time. She does seem to bring up an entire feed though once a day though.
I have no idea what i'm doing.....last night she would only sleep if she was lying on top of me or in my arms. I felt like i got no sleep at all last night.
I haven't had her weighed yet - we go on thursday and now am petrified she hasn't been getting enough and has lost weight....she is doing lots of wees and a couple of explosive poos a day.
For the girls in Brisbane - what are you dressing your babies in?
I have a splitting headache - probably from crying so much - and everyone saying "your doing such a great job" just makes me cry more!
Sorry about the selfish post.....
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Hi Sanchez,
There is nothing more draining than lack of sleep..I think that is the main cause of emotional breakdowns and the pre-cursor for PND - The black cloud. I def have my moments and I think first bub is the toughest because its the whole life change and all the emotions that go with it. 3rd bub still tough but in different ways.
Wyatt would ONLY sleep on my chest on his tummy for the first 2wks of his life and then he was a tummy sleeper and would not stay on his back or sleep at all on his back (which was very stressful!!!).
About the spewing most babies have some sort of reflux because they have an underdeveloped oesophagael valve (entry to stomach) which makes its hard for them to keep alot of the food down esp when they have a big feed..so maybe you could try breaking up the feed and propping bub upright inbetween for 5-10mins for burps..have you also tried having the bassinet/cot tilted with the head end up for sleeping. I have taken the wheels off the feet end of mine so Indigo is constantly on an angle downwards.
Wyatt also spewed after every feed for 10mnths until he was diagnosed with a milk protein allergy (he was allergic to all milk including breastmilk even though he was breastfed for 10mnths) That explained why he power chucked when I tried to wean him onto formula. We thought he had reflux so he had been on medication for reflux. He is still taking Neocate formula as a milk substitute at 20mnths.
I dont think you need to worry just yet about allergies its probably just a small reflux issue and will sort itself as bub gets bigger.
As for bubs clothing Im in Townsville and Indigo just wears a short sleeved suit during day and night and during the day she has a lighter muslin wrap and night the thicker cotton wrap with a sheet or blanket on top. She is also in socks if she doesnt have a full length suit on. We havnt really used the aircon much but I will put it on if it gets a bit sticky.
Im sure you are doing a great job...
Im sure everyone is...remember there is no manual/textbook for this learning experience!!!!!
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Sanchez - We had a problem where E wouldn't sleep unless she was on one of us, in the end we used one of DF's unwashed shirts as a bassinette mattress sheet and now once she's asleep we transfer her to the bassinette, and she still has that familiar smell of one of us. E also spits up a bit of milk if she has a bit of wind trapped underneath it... I wouldn't be stressing too much unless it's ALOT of milk all the time. Hopefully once she's weighed and has put on weight that will give you peace of mind, but you're doing a great job and we all have these moments from time to time.. I have them almost daily now DF has gone back to work lol. Also, I have Emily in short sleeve onesies and socks during the day, and at night in a wondersuit because most nights it still gets quite cool in my room, plus I have the fan on low.
Nicola - How did you get Wyatt to sleep on his back? Emily refuses to sleep on her back, she hates it. Even when I do get her into a deep sleep on her tummy and try to flip her, I can only get 10 to 15 mins out of her before she is awake and upset again. I've been using a sleep positioner and putting on her side to get some sleep, but stress out about it because everything you read screams SIDS SIDS SIDS at you and i'm worried about it. Would love to get her to be a back sleeper but she just does not like it one bit and I've given in so that we can both get some sleep. any advice???
I had a good night last night, she was a bit unsettled til midnight, but then slept soundly until 6am then straight back to sleep. Pooley came over today with little Frazer and he is just adorable... and was such a well behaved little lad!!! You did a good job cooking that one, he's beautiful!
3 sleeps til DF is home, can't wait!
Hope everyone else is getting some sleep and enjoying their bubs :)
Janine xx
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Sanchez, I am sure that she is fine :hug: Sounds like her nappies are good and as long as she looks alert then she will be getting enough milk. Was it you asking the other day about when the boobs settle down? I would say that it is now for you. Mine are soft and don't look like they have anything in them but if I squeeze them milk comes out and A seems happy enough. As for sleeping on you, I say go with it... they all have a clingy day here and there, life is far less stessful if you just accept that you won't get her in the cot that night and try again tomorrow.
Janine and Pooley, yay for having meet-ups! Sometimes I wish that I still lived in Brisbane (except I think there was a 38 degree day a while ago?? - don't miss that!)
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Hi everyone, I am a shocker at posting but I have been avidly reading everyones posts.Congrats to all. I had a very quick labour on 17/09/09. I awoke at around 3.30am to go to the toilet and had some cramping. I waited a few minutes and asked dh to start the contraction timer. First contraction was five minutes, then four minutes and then three minutes. I knew that I didn't have long as my first daughter had been born at home after a an hour and a half labour. Anyhoo my friend arrived and took the older two to my fathers house and dh took me to the hospital. By this stage I was in agony. We got up to the birthing suit and I went into the zone and started pushing. I told the midwife that I was pushing and she said that she didn't think that I was ready and asked if I would like anything. She was checking me and I told her I would like some pethidine and she said " no time for that you are fully dialated". So I continued pushing and at 6.41am Rosalie Christene Elizabeth entered the world. The labour certainly didn't go the way I was expecting however it really couldn't of been any better. So for her stats:
Weight: 9 pound 12 oz
Length: 53 cm
Head Circum: 35 cm
First Stage:1hour 45 minutes
Second Stage:26 minutes
Third Stage:4 minutes
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oh wow, I've missed a lot since we've been in our own little world of trying to get some weight on Lottie!
I'll do a quick birth recap to catch up..
4th September, there I was at 8.30pm munching down a mars bar watching gossip girl (sad I know..) and I felt a slight trickle, went to the loo and my plug came out. First very mild contraction started 15 mins after that. They were quite irregular until intensifying at 12am (the was when they confirmed my labour actually started). Managed to have a nice bath at home then headed to hospital at 12.30am.
After 5 hours of contractions using the TENS & gas I was ready to start pushing slightly and 1 1/2 hours Charlotte was born. At the time I wanted to die (lol) but looking back it was a pretty good labour. I pushed her out with no contractions in the last 15 mins and not one stitch so I was pretty damned proud of myself. DH was absolutely wonderful. It was an amazing experience.
Charlotte Elizabeth
7lb 7oz
49cm
6.5 hour labour with gas
I'm going to take the time to read through everyone's posts now but I'm so behind! I really hope everyone is doing well. :)
We have a plan of action for Lottie's weight gain, I'm pretty much expressing 100% so we can calculate her exact intake and we're doing 85ml every 4 hours (in between she sleeps like an angel).
I'm on the herbs and some script meds (thank god DH is a pharmacist and thank you to the girls who mentioned these things as well!).
I feel my supply is increasing rapidly and I'm actually leaking now. The LC will help me get her back on the breast hopefully very soon (I still put her on for a suckle so we can have that skin to skin bonding).
Finally Lottie gained 100grams in 24 hours!! We were thrilled and so happy things are on the improve.
On the other hand our girl is an amazing sleeper and so easy to settle. She slept from 12am to 5.30am this morning and we actually had to wake her so she didn't miss her feed. In between that she's interactive and alert. We are totally smitten!!
I hope everyone is enjoying their little ones, its such an amazing experience so far (full on but amazing all the same!).
Be back soon!
:)
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Hi girls,
Wow you get busy for a few days and it takes an hour to catch up reading all the posts!
It's so good to read all the stories about how everyone is going and feeling. It makes you feel like you're not alone, and recognise which things are going really well for us - so at least you can feel great about some aspect of the day ;-)
Tadhg is going really well, mostly a very calm and settled baby - although yesterday i thought someone had flown in and exchanged him as he was really grumpy. He is 4 weeks old now, and i'm finally getting the hang of feeding and burping - we were having a lot of crying trying to put him down to sleep after a feed, and after talking to my girlfriend i realised i was rushing him back to bed rather than calmly rubbing his back and getting burps. Also i started leaning back a bit to feed, as he is a very hungry feeder at the start and guzzles which contributes to wind. Good advise if anyone else has this issue - its called uphill feeding, and i think it makes them work a bit harder, rather than pouring milk down their little throat. My feeding is a little tricky as I need to use nipple shields due to flat nipples. I thought i had enough, but apparently not - especially when my breasts are full of milk. If i try to feed Tadhg without the shields he just keeps searching for something to latch on to. But if nipple shields allow me to feed him its worth it just as long as he doesnt bump them off before latching, they are washed and ready to go (a real pain at night), and you don't forget them when out (thank god he takes a dummy or it would have been a long drive home that day!).
I am really interested to see the various lengths of time people go between feeds. I started out trying to do every 3 hours, but i'm erring towards demand feeding now, as he had a couple of unsettled days and woke every 2 hours for a while, and its so hard to wake them up - especially if they are putting on good amounts of weight. I do think routines and waking would be useful if you have a night owl though, which fortunately I don't. Bring on the night sleeps though - we went 8:30 till 1:30 last night (then 3:30 and 6:30) - woo hoo, hopefully that continues or gets better!
Goodluck mummies!
feel free to add me as a FB buddy - Kelly O'Brien's Photos - Tadhg Anthony O'Brien | Facebook
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Janine,
Wyatt is still a tummy sleeper and he is 21mnths tomorrow..it wouldnt matter what I did he would end up that way..and yes it is bad because of SIDS but sometimes you cant do anything other than try and move them back once they are asleep. I used an Angelcare sensor monitor for my peace of mind too.
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Nicola - Yeah I have the angelcare s & m monitor as well... it does provide a bit of peace of mind but I still worry a bit. I was told off by a MW when I mentioned the tummy sleeping but there's not alot I can do about it! I've tried with no success and i'll be damned if i'm going to get up every 15mins to settle a cranky baby. Thanks for replying, you've made me feel like not such a terrible mother :)
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Feeling a lot more human today after a reasonable night!
Thank you girls for all of your wonderful comments that make me feel less like an idiot!
Nicola - we have found that if we try and burp V by putting her upright - she brings up the entire feed, so have optioned against that as i just seemed to be feeding, vomit, feeding, vomit - we were going round in circles! Usually she falls asleep lying nuzzled into my boob....and if i keep her there for a solid amount of time i can get away with only trickles of breast milk escaping.
I am going against every SIDS rule in the book, V co-sleeps and sleeps on her side, because of the brace she has no way of rolling over so it is safe enough - but i have elevated the head of the bassinette.
Janine - V won't sleep on DH just me - i think she must smell the milk or something! That is cool that she sleeps on your husbands shirt....he must be chuffed!
Art - yeah it was me asking about the boobs - the bad one has gone back to being hard again when full....admittedly I did take some Fenugreek last night because i am paranoid...so maybe that is why...she is sleeping better though.
CONGRATS Kylie on Rosalie......sounds like a very nice birth :clap: and she was a whopper too - very good job!
PB - great to hear things are on the improve at the milk bar.....handy with a pharmacist in the family ;) Keep us updated on how she goes getting back onto the boob.
Kelly - I know what you mean about the switching of babies! Do you remove the nipple shield half way through a feed once T has pulled your nipple out? Or do you leave it there for the entire feed? I am demand feeding - and she was having good 3-4 hour sleeps but is now more like 2-3 with periods of cluster feeding. I didn't want to start a schedule feeding as I know it wouldn't work with BF....I have seen too many women try to enforce a strict 4 hourly feeds, and so they ended up formula feeding because they had a very stroppy baby (ummm i wonder why?!).
Taurean - how are you holding up - has Izzy settled down any? Hope you are doing ok.
AFM - had a better night.....she slept more, which meant i got to sleep more :) Weigh in is tomorrow which i am looking forward to. We saw the Orthopaedis guy yesterday to check her brace...we have an ultrasound in 3 weeks to see how the hips are forming. We are going to Tonga in Nov so am really hoping she has the brace off by then.
I have to start looking at how to pack for a holiday with a newborn? Do i just take the box of 100 nappies?! I have no clue.....I have never felt more clueless in all my life!!!!
Kisses for all the bubs
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Sanchez - how are you doing today hun ? :hug:
I know how you feel about the feeding, I was so there last Thurs/Friday. I cried so much in those two days I thought I was starting to get post natal! Lottie's weight is on the up! 3.20kg today so we are thrilled.
As long as Violet is having lots of wet nappies and a mustard poo here and there I'll bet she's doing fine!!
Just a quicky as I'm ducking into the city to do a little bit of shopping while mum watches Lottie. Before then I've got to pump as well.. ah the joys!
Have a good day all :)
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My gosh I'm finding it so hard to get in here these days, don't even have time to scratch myself!
Ethan did better last night so I'm feeling a bit more human today. He slept from 12.30am to 5.30am which is a record! And then from 6am to 9am. :dance: Between 7pm and midnight he tends to cluster feed which is really exhausting but worth it if we get a longer stretch of sleep afterwards.
PB - enjoy the shopping trip!
Sanchez - good luck with the weigh in tomorrow! Um packing for a newborn, take lots of changes of clothes and nappies. But I wouldn't take too many nappies as it would probably be easier to pick some up when you get there? I'd take enough for a couple of days maybe?
Janine - my DD liked to be on her tummy too but then she outgrew it and was a side sleeper. She loves her tummy again now (just like her mum!).
Kelly - glad you are having success with the shields. I tried to use them but couldn't get it to stay on, think I'm just a dumbo :redface:
Hi Nicola, Taurean, Art and anyone I've missed. Sorry can't get to you all, gotta go prepare lunch while I can! For the first time this week I've managed to get DD and DS asleep at the same time, woo hoo!!!
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Sorry, very selfish post from me again. Things just seem to go from bad to worse. PB, I'm walking in your shoes - Izzy only gained 35g in 12 days. I'm devestated and so distraught. I'm expressing as of last night and it seems like my supply is very low. I got 60ml total from the two breasts at both morning express sessions and only 40 ml total an hour ago. I have to breast feed her for 15 mins then take her off and express and offer her everything I've got with 30ml being the preferred minimum. At least we are doing that so that's on positive. I've started fenugreek today and the health care nurse is coming back on Friday to weigh her again. I think my flat nipples are making feeding difficult for her to. I know I'm not a failure but it's so hard not to feel that way. I've cried so many tears in the past 24 hours. So glad my parents now live in Perth as mum has been here all day helping and is staying over tonight to help again tom. I'm praying our little girl puts some weight on soon.
Nap time for me then I'm off to get nipple shields and formula in case I don't have enough milk overnight. Sigh
