Babies born~September 1st-15th 2010 #1

ok, back again! had to go as friends arrived for lunch...

I wish Marta was still in her 0000s...we had some cute ones lol. ah well! Marta is def a monster baby lol! i went to the PBC expo on friday and ppl thought she was 3 months old bahahahaha! this is soooo weird for me as Leila was soooo teeny tiny as a newborn. but i also think it's partly due to M having really long blonde hair...it throws ppl lol.

HPL: the markets sound lovely...i miss living near the water. we used to live in fiji and our backyard was the ocean...bliss!

AFM: we are going on our first 'family of four' holiday on tuesday! :dance: we are driving to wollongong with a night stopover in canberra to visit friends. we have done it a few times...but a first with two kids!!!! eeeppp! i am a *bit* nervous about the long drive, but we'll get there...the thing that keeps me going is the promise of the ocean...

Hi ladies,

just a quick hello to let you know we are going well.
DD last scan showed improvement, and she has another scan next week, so fingers crossed we may only have 12 weeks in the harness yet!
Still not quite in a routine - it seems it takes 2 days to get over the physio appt/bath/harness change (and probably 4 hours in the car too), so we have 2 "pyjama days" (where mum stays in her PJs and giving cuddles all day) followed by 4 normal days, then is physio day......
I have stopped looking at the clock when we are at home, found I was getting myself in a panic (as in OMG I've only had 2 hrs sleep!!!! or she has only been down for an hour!!!). So now it is she eats when she is hungry, she sleeps when she is tired. We usually get two big sleeps a day (one or sometimes 2 at night, one in the day - maybe 4 hrs???), and then the rest are shorter (??2 hrs??). And me - well I probably get about 8-9 hours all up, except for pyjama days when I nap on and off with her.
We've nicknamed her "hungry hungry hippo" (remember that board game?) because it seems I am ALWAYS feeding her some days - must be another growth spurt coming up, but so far it's manageable, not like "wonderweek" which happened at 3 weeks!

Cherished - how are your little man's feet now?

Cassius - how's the mastitis? I had engorgement on one side during wonderweek, which also led to a blocked milk duct. I sat up all night with hot washers and massaging it till it cleared. I was in tears with just that, so I can't imagine how painful mastitis would be!

cheerio for now, and hugs to everyone I missed!

PS - question ladies - to wrap or not to wrap? are you swaddling/wrapping your babies?

howdy everyone, just a quick reply to milly as I seriously need to pass out! I bet you can't wait to get that harness off! DS got his leg strapped again yesterday after a weeks break from it (oh the baths were divine!) it comes off next Tuesday for good YAY DS does not like to be wrapped, sometimes he doesn't even like any covers on him at all and will kick and kick until he has kicked them off. The only time I manage to wrap him is when he's really drowsy during a nappy change or really full... SO I'd say I only get to wrap him a couple of times a week. I've been recording sleep times and he sleeps for the same length of time wrapped or not so I don't think it matters.

I'm off for a sleep, dh is back at work tomorrow so I'd better rest up! :(

TBH i was hoping to not wrap this time around (was a slight PITA getting DD1 used to not being wrapped when she started rolling over...). but it appears that Marta can only really sleep well when wrapped. so we use it when we really need her to snooze.

we also fly by the seat of our pants and dont watch the clock. i watched it with DD1 and it didnt really help my already anxious self (admittedly i was suffering from a PTSD that i didnt know about...). so this time we do the same: feed when she's hungry and bed when she's tired and play for the rest! i am loving the freedom of it and we are following a pretty consistent pattern anyway (3 sleeps during the day and a big sleep overnight...1-2 wakeups).

Milly: i have everything crossed that the physio and harness is doing the trick and that the harness will be off in no time :crossfingers:. all that travel and disruption must be tough at times :hug:

we also a week 3 wonder week. it's where all the mastitis started for me too...must be something in that :think: the REAL bummer is that because i had to be on antibiotics, i got nipple thrush :o. so poor DD is on this horrid gel that needs to be applied four times a day to her tongue and i need to be on hardcore pills that make us both really sick in the belly. not happy jan lol.

Cherished: man, i had no idea that bubs also had to be strapped...or rather i had totally forgotten! it sounds like it is also getting back on track?

i am sooo jealous that your little man sleeps unwrapped lol!! waaaahhhhh why cant marta :rofl:

wishing you all the best for tomorrow with DH back at work. you'll do brilliantly xx

AFM: well we survived the 10 hour car trip (yes, it took almost 10 hours to travel 660kms lol). lots of boob breaks lol. having a lovely time with friends in canberra before we head up to wollongong tomorrow to sit by the beach...cant wait!!

Hi Ladies,

We only just started wrapping A again this week. She will sleep unwrapped during the day but we found she stays more settled wrapped at night, which seems to be working well for us with her good sleep pattern.... We have a few massive muslin wraps which should be able to fit her well into the future...

I'm sitting here watching A fall asleep she's so funny, she'll close her eyes then open them again looking sideways at me as if to say 'hey u mummy I'm watching u' just gorgeous!!

Nothing else really going on here, have decided I'm not producing enough milk to express and still BF - tried all week and the same thing happens - she's screams because she's still hungry because I just can't produce enough in the time frame - so I'm going on some medication which I can't remember lol - hopefully will help!!

Enjoy your evening everyone..

Hi girls :hello: well bubs is 6 weeks old today and the babymoon is over :( dh goes back to work tonight. He was due to start back on Thursday but took an extra 2 days as he has a cold. Gosh I will miss him!

Cas, hope you're having a wonderful time on your family of 4 holiday :family: yep our little tacker has had a brace on his leg since he was 4 days old. We did have about a weeks break though. His feet were bend inwards from having them crossed over each other in the womb. You can do manual stretches to correct it but it takes heaps longer.

HPL I also love watching DS sleep, it's so adorable! especially when he kinda opens his eyes to make sure I'm still there :) Have you tried herbs to increase your milk supply? I think the raspberry leaf and maybe fenegreek do it? You can also get bubs to suckle for longer I think to increase supply?

I don't have much to report really, we are getting loads of smiles from bubs to melt our hearts and we just love, love, love him! Next Friday I am starting to loose weight and get into regular exercise so this is my last week of eating whatever I want and lounging around. Dh has 2 night shifts at work and then 4 days off again so I figured after that it's back to regular life (or my new regular life as a mum anyway)! Our parents group starts on Tuesday and am looking forward to that. Has anyone else started a parents group?

hi girls!

HPL: i'd also check out the RL and fenugreek options too! also if you can get her to suckle an extra couple of times during the day it will help to increase the supply.

i LOVE those sneaky glances as they fall asleep. my favourite is when marta falls asleep smiling. she loves falling asleep in my arms and rewards me with a beautiful smile as she dozes off....mwah so precious :loveshower:

Cherished: how did it go with DH back at work last night? it's really weird when it happens i reckon...kinda like 'woah...now i really am a mum' (well that's how it felt for me lol).

i was offered a parents group that would of started last week (but i am already in one from when DD1 was born). i reckon give it a good go. the first few weeks can be a bit full on as everyone gets to know eachother but i have found my group to be a wonderful support and Leila now has good little friends that she has grown up with! i love my mothers group lol!!

AFM: well we have had a beautiful time! so lovely to be lying in bed at night listening to the ocean...
DD1 has had a ball playing in the sand and surf and Marta has been so excited that she has slept pretty much the whole time :rofl:. must be all the sea air lol.
we head back to melbourne tomorrow. but are taking a longer way so 2 nights instead of 1. i was suprised that the 1000km trip up here went so well. i was expecting a whole lot more stress and crying kids (now that i have said it watch this space for the return bahahaha!).

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HPL: i'd also check out the RL and fenugreek options too! also if you can get her to suckle an extra couple of times during the day it will help to increase the supply.

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Oh goodie, so glad I wasn't giving her the bum steer with that info :)

Cass don't jinx yourself love :rofl: naaaa it sounds like you've had a fab time, great to hear. My 1st night without dh went okay? it is really weird like I"m the protector of this little person all by myself and yeah I'm a MUM now. Gosh I just love him so much! He had a couple of grizzly hours though which were trying, it was lower gas/wind and it took a while to come out :( I have started drinking water with fennel seeds soaked in it so I hope that helps him.

milly since your post I thought I'd try to wrap DS a little more, but no way will he have a bar of it the little squirmer!

I had a question for you gals but far out I can't remember :( it was something you were all talking about not long ago... ummmmmm ?????? :think: :doh: ahhhh so ANNOYING does anyone know what it was.... "anyone"?! lol

:leap: YAY I remembered, what is the wonder week at 6 weeks? what can I expect etc

:rofl: nah have no idea cherished lol! ahhh booby brain is fun lol.

hehehhe we must have posted at the same time cas! I went back through the thread cause it was driving me insane! lol it was about the wonder week you spoke about.

Well I'm feeling really happy this morning, dh was on night shift again last night and when he gets home this morning he'll be on 4 days off again wooohoooo PLUS ds slept great last night I was so impressed! He went 4.5 hours between the 1st night feed than 4 hour than 3 hours :leap: so it looks like he might start sleeping for longer periods of time and I will get more sleep too YAY

Has anyone else really let themselves go? I mean my self preservation and grooming has gone right out the window and honestly it's not much better than my 80's weight lifter look if anyone remembers that :rofl: my hair is FERRAL my toe nails and feet are in need of a good scrubbing and pedicure, I really need to dust the cobwebs our (iykwim) :) far out lucky DH loves me :rofl: Well next week after my parents group I've booked in for a hair cut and eyebrow wax and I will grab some hair dye to cover up the greys that are sneaking through and I should feel like a new woman. Plus this Friday I am starting my weight loss mission. I've got around 20kg's to loose OMG :jawdrop: and after much thought I've decided to do Jenny craig which I'm really excited about! I'm not tooooo keen on prepackaged food however I thought it could great while DS is breastfeeding cause then I wont really have to do any cooking until I either I go off the program or he starts solids wooohoooo! Of course I'll prepare stuff for DH here and there but he generally looks after himself as a break from what he's doing if I'm busy. So yeah it'll also be nice to not have to think about what I'm going to eat or what to cook plus I know I'll loose weight cause that's what the program is for, so it's a win win really. No doubt you'll all hear update on how I'm going anyway.

Today I'm going to be shopping online for some fabrics to make my own bamboo inserts and some more larger liners and some fabric to make some cloth wipes out of and then I will be giving my new sewing machine a workout YAY. Hope you all had a great weekend!

you guys crack me up!! I love getting on here and seeing all the posts...

Well I've been trying a few things to help my supply, we'll see how it goes in a few days - not that is really matters anymore - I rang my boss today and she is more than happy for me to continue breastfeeding when I go back to work, I have mentioned before I'm sure, I love my job so I should have - lol - I work in Child Care so A will be at work with me, I'm not going to work in the Nursery with her, but my Boss is going to arrange for me and the Nursery staff to swap rooms when A needs to feed, so I don't have to stress anymore about making sure I can breatfeed and express - YAY - I was soooo happy to hear that news!!! Coz today I only got 125mls - woohoo and that's after having expressed after each feed and inbetween - 6times!! not so fun really!!

I think A is going through her 6week wonder week at 7wks... During the day she'll feed sleep for 2hrs wake feed be awake for 2hrs sleep feed again so on and so on til about 2 then sleep til 5pm have Daddy Daughter Time, Bath Time, then another feed, then down for her night sleep.... It's good, but oh god today she woke at 5am, and didn't feel like sleeping again til 10am!! Mummies eyes were hangin out her head, she needed some Mummy time, which is now since bub has been asleep for a good hr and DP has gone to bed...

Cherished last week I was a mess - hair a total birds nest, eyes brows looked more like eye brow or Agro, legs and 'you know' very untidy... So DP made me go and get pampered on the weekend... It was sooooo good to get out of the house and be myself for a few hours.. Does that sound horrible, I mean I've only been going this for 7weeks and already I look forward to ME time... I hope that doesn't sound horrible, I love my daughter very much, but god it was sooo good to have my hair done and eyebrows waxed!!!

In return I'm taking my lovely man to Sushi and the Soccer and having my parents watch A for a few hours... When this lovely event will occur I don't know, but It's the thought that counts right??? LOL

Well I'm going to head to bed, have a nice early night with my DP... Might even watch Criminal Minds, if we don't fall asleep..


After all that I didn't even talk about what Wonder Week is - DAH!!! - Wonder week is when bubs 'usually' have a growth spirt around 6 weeks and 3mths is when they say bubs get a bit more fussier, want to eat more, and are just generallt a little more unsettled, it usually only lasts a few days.... That's why I think A is going through is now with her feeding so much...

YAY our 1st parents group was really good :) One of the ladies who was in our antenatal class group was there which is great and there were a few other girls who I think I will really get along with so I'm so happy :leap: dh was the only daddy there! I'm not surprised though as I guess most dads are at work. It just worked out with dh's roster that he will be able to come to each week but after that when we just do regular mothers group meet ups I guess he'll just stay at home unless any other dads are going to come along. I think I might even be able to go walking with one of the girls who is also on a mission to loose the baby weight so that is a bonus. DS was really good too, he had a feed at the start and another at the end and he layed down on his back on the mat with other babies which was so cute! and he had 4 nappy changes in the 2 hours :o lol but all in all it was great.

HPL it's not bad at all that you enjoy some you time, I think it's encouraged these days anyway. I went out one day for 2 hours to get a massage and a chiro adjustment, if anything it was just weird to be away from bubs. I felt good today after some personal grooming. My hair actually looked good and I don't think I looked too tired either.

hi girls!

we are back home! so nice to be back in our own place and own shower lol.

HPL: sounds like a wonder week to me too. Marta was very similar with lots of cluster feeding and a bit more wakeful. it only lasted a few days, but wow it can rock your world when you are used to a bit of a pattern iykwim.
that is totally awesome about your work. how fantastic! that must be a HUGE relief for you :hug:

cherished: i am in DIRE need of a makeover. stuff the grooming....i need an INTERVENTION bahahaha :rofl: (oh and i totally remember your 80s phase lol). i need a haircut, bikini wax, eyebrow wax and ohhh i could do with a massage. might have to go ella bache so i can get the waxing and massage all in one go. then the hair. it has started to do the post-birth fall out so it's time.
i am jealous of the prepared meals from JC!! my DH would be mortified though if i refused to eat his cooking lol, so there's no way i could do it. but apparently weight watchers is meant to be pretty good too...might have to check it out. first i am going to try a swim at the pool once a week and see how it goes. i def have to lose a bit and get in shape (the ol' body aint bouncing back this time lol). i also still have quite a bit of muscle separation in my stomach...so i think i will have to go to phsyio for it. bummer!

awesome news on the parent group. i totally love my girls (and guys!). we also have some of the dads come along when they can and sometimes they come when the mums cant! it's so lovely to share this journey with a group i reckon (oh and WTG bubs on those nappies lol!).

AFM: well we arrived home safe and sound. Marta slept the whole way pretty much. DD1 got a bit bored and tired at the end as we decided to not stop for too long towards the end as we just wanted to get home and take advantage while Marta was sleeping. so the last 2 hours were a bit trying with a bored and grumpy 3 year old, but all in all it was a fantastic time!!
just great to have the sunshine and the surf...we miss it so much...man, i wish we still lived in fiji lol.
We have the child health nurse appt tomorrow for marta. will be interesting to see how much she is weighing now. i reckon she is cracking the 6kgs. she is HUGE.

hi ladies!
no capitals - one handed typing, bub is asleep in my arms, as we are having one of those days!

I just wanted to share our good news! update on "the hips": Scan results show the right hip is now normal, the left hip is almost there, but not quite (an "a").
Our next aapt is in 6 weeks (no longer every 2-3 weeks) and the harness should come off!! all being well, we will be having a family bath AT HOME on 16/12
6 more weeks.... 6 more weeks....

You mean the 80s isn't a good look? oh my! lol! i SOOOOOOOOO need a hair cut, and i don't remember when i shaved my legs last!
I hear you on the weight loss - i am back to my pre-pg weight, but that was still too much (i put on weight following my miscarriages, and also on the clomid), so i am working on it too, but i am just always so hungry! after not eating for the pg, now i am perpetually ravenous! and I have a "jelly belly" that sticks out quite a bit which I wonder if it will ever go away, oh well, the price we pay....

last week we both had a weigh in - dd hadn't been weighed in 3 weeks (because of our appts) and she had gained 1 kg in 3 weeks - she is now just over 4kg! still small I know, but cracking on from her 2.88 at birth! :)

What wonderful news Milly!!!! :leap: so stoked to hear that she is doing so well with her hips!!! and YAY for a family bath time! what a great chrissy present that will be!!!! :loveshower:

1kg in 3 weeks is a cracking pace! woo hoo!!!!! ha ha, Marta is a chubba bubba...she weighed in yesterday at 5.5kgs :o i still cannot believe that i managed to bake a big baby lol. i think poor DD1 will always be a short'un towered over by her much taller little sister lol.

well we had our MCHN appt yesterday. Marta is basically sitting comfy in the 75th%. whatever that means really...it's all a bit of hocus pocus IMHO. DD1 was always in the bottom 5th and she is and always was just perfect...just in a small package! cant believe that she is sooo tall though...DH and I are really short. i guess it could be a throwback to my dutch grandparents...tall on both sides...
decided not to get her immunised last night (there was the MCHN run immunisation program), as i just didnt feel comfy dealing with a potentially unhappy and sore baby at night, so she will get hers done on the 14th of this month instead.
was a good idea in the end as she was tired and fell asleep at 6.30am and we didnt hear from her until 2.30am! so she musta been tired!

having a lovely day at home today. pottered around and have made some chicken kebabs for dinner. am cheating though and have a packet pasta thingy for a side...and my salad is less than impressive, but hey! gotta go with what i can muster up in 20mins these days hahaha!

Marta is also starting to notice her playgym toys that are hanging up. she has worked out with one arm that she can bang them and they move. it freaked her out the first time but now i can see her feeling it with her hand and she is interested! so yeah, now i can pop her down on the floor for a bit while she hangs out with her bobbing friends lol.

Milly woohooo I know how much you will LOVE that bath!!!! We are loving bathing ds every night now it makes such a difference, you almost need a count down ticker for the occasion lol. I also put on weight with each miscarriage and it was so devastaing to not only loose a pregnancy but to have weight gain to show for it :(

Cas DS is also liking his play gym and we see him reaching for the toys. He does freak out after maybe 5 mins I think the big bear looking thing with the flashing nose might scare the poor little tacker. He loves his swing though.

Sorry for my short post but bubs is really tired and I need to try and put him down, he's been awake for hours and it's starting to really upset me. Today is the 1st day shift for DH since bubs was born and I've found it 'ok' but now I'm really getting over it. I've been totally spoilt having here for the 1st 7 weeks!

it's so hard when they are so unsettled :hug: we have days like that too. it's exhausting and very hard to know that you are doing a good job (which we are!!). does he sleep at all in a sling? we use the close carrier for those really crazy moments. i find that she is still angry/unsettled for a few minutes in there, but then realises that it is comforting and goes to sleep...
and remember if it is a bit much you can put him down for a bit and walk outside. sometimes i have done that with Marta and just popped her in our bed where she is safe and just walked to my backyard where i can just refocus and get some sunshine and fresh air away from the crying. only takes a few minutes to get enough strength back to get back into it!
big hugs :hug: hope that he finally went down for a much deserved rest xx

AFM: Marta has another cold :( and it appears that she has a posterior tongue-tie and we have to decide what to do. (it's not like an anterior one where snipping is the only way ITMS). with posterior it can mean something (ie BF probs or speech probs) or it can mean nothing. so we are busily investigating and researching...poor wee bubba, the thought of seeing a plastic surgeon so soon in her life lol.

(sigh) thanks so much cass I really needed those cyber hugs. Half an hour before dh got home I was in tears and then when he walked in the door they didn't stop flowing for a good half an hour :crying: We gave ds a bath, some more food and then dh put him to bed. I am very happy to say that bub went for 6 hours without food after going to bed and had a 5 and a half sleep! I went to bed an hour after bub so I had my longest sleep since bubs was born 7 weeks ago of 4 and a half hours :leap: Then much to my delight it was another 3 hours before bub wanted food so I really only got up twice during the night YAY Today has been much better, we went for a walk in the botanical gardens and bub slept when we got home, he hasn't had any major crying and I managed to eat lunch while he was sleeping and had a SPA for half an hour and yes it was HEAVEN, my body is so sore it was wonderful. Then on another nap time of DS's I had a lay down for about 45 mins but didn't fall asleep. He's given me some adorable smiles today which have just melted my heart and made up for all the tears yesterday. He's been up now for 2 and a half hours and is tired but wont go down, luckily he's not crying so I will try to keep him entertained for another hour then give him a bath and hopefully he'll have a really big sleep again. I tell you what girls the Jenny Craig is just bloom'n wonderful! The food is really nice and not having to think about what to eat or cook meals at the moment is the best thing ever ;)

Cass so sorry to hear about Marta's tounge, how do you even find out something like that? did you have a visit to the pediatrician? Is plastic surgery really the only way to fix it? It sounds like you do have some research to do.

:hello: Hello to everyone else, hope you are all doing well, I'd love to see some more pics of your babies :) I might try to upload some again to my photobucket account and if anyone is interested in seeing them let me know. You can also put them on BB and select for only your friends to be able to see them but last time I tried that I couldn't get them on here, hmmmmm will see what I can do