Newborn to 1 Month, March '05

[Antheia]

Wow at the big sleep Zander had today Sarah. Too bad about the B/F not working out. But the good thing is he is putting on the weight!

[Trish]

Hi Girls,

Well, another unsettled night in our house or should I just say my room with Little Miss Tehya. Her thrush has just about cleared up but she still has a touch of it on her bottom. DOesn't help that she poos every 5 minutes, well not literally, it just feels that way. I still have really sore nipples from the thrush and today i have woken up with a cold sore -woohoo!!! Wouldn't you know it, Mark has taken Noah for a drive down to his parents in the hope that I could get some rest and Tehya has been awake the whole time, so typical of a baby hey

Sarah, as long as Zander is happy and gaining weight that is the most important thing hey. How are you about not bfing? Sounds like all of our bubs like their dummy's too. I gave Tehya one as she was using me just to comfort suck, this way she will suck on the dummy instead of me, well thats the idea anyway. Zander is sleeping up a storm, you lucky thing. Hopefully he keeps it up for you.

Deb, Yep Tehya likes to hold onto the washer too, actually anything that come close to her hands really. I usually lay the washer over her to keep her belly warm while she is in there. Funny you saying about her big eyes too, Mark was just saying how big her eyes are. DO you just sit and stare at Gabby in amazement? I do and this is my 4th bub, I guess for me it's abit like I really have a little girl and this one I don't have to give back to her mummy. It's like playing dolls somedays trying to deide what to put on her in the morning, making sure that bibs, socks and clothes all match. Maybe I am just overly fussy 8-[

Colleen, I'd like to see you take your little bucket thingy out with you when you need to go for a wee Now that would be funny. Poo little James sounds like he's having the opposite problem to Tehya - she seems to have problems keeping it in although all of my babies were bf and they all did the same thing. Thank god I am using disposable nappies. I hope that Ant feels better soon and you start to get a break too.

Take care mums and bubs
Trish

[christy]

Hi all! Deb I'll bug Kelly for you I went to a sleep school when Matilda was 10 weeks and I would highly recommend going to a day stay program because it does help with some things. I found feeding went heaps better once there and just building confidence in what is going on with your little one. Like how well you know your little one, I knew what Matilda was like, and the nurses just reaffirmed what she was like which helped me feel like I knew what was going on

Sarah thats great sleeping!! I don't want to scare anyone but Matilda fed every 2 hours until she was 10 weeks old thats why she was in our bed for so long, and then suddenly went to 3 hours, and then in a week to 4 hourly...but the it stayed that way until she was 6 months old and now sleeps from 7pm to 5am bottle and back to bed until 7am.... ahhhhhh.... but she does wake here or there if she misplaces the dummy, or is sick etc....

Colleen... thats interesting about James' skin...hmmm I used body shop cocoa butter on Matilda when she was all scaly and it was gone in a day.

Aww Trish I hope that everything is clearing up... I used to have a bath at night with Matilda when she was really unsettled and feed her there....

Tanya Violet is beautiful

Maryanne, I was terrified too when DH went back to work! I think its perfectly normal, thank goodness you have a mum close by to help

[BellyBelly]

Oh Deb matey, I can't believe you don't have the books yet. I have emailed Pinky several times since the comp with your details and I know she has emailed them to the publicist to send to you as she cc'd me on the email, but obviously they haven't pulled their finger out. I will speak to Pinky and see if she can just post some out to you from her own stash. Please don't feel bad contacting me about it, if I don't know, I can't do anything! I just assumed it was sorted - sorry mate.

[Debbie Lee]

Awww Sarah, I'm sorry the BF hasn't worked out. Did they give you anything to help your milk come in? I am still on the maxalon (when I remember to take it) and my boobs are literally dripping now. Also, they have never once gone rock hard like I was told they would. They are definitely a bit bigger but because they are so big, they are soft to touch still. I have to feed Gabby under my arm with her legs down my side because my boobs are too big to do it the traditional way. With our lounge chairs, it works out really well because she stays toasty warm beside the arm rests. Yay at Zander letting you get some better sleep. Won't be long before all our bubs will have a better routine and not wake us up several times a night.
Gabby wasn't as good last night. She woke about every 3 hours and wanted BIG feeds (like at least 30 minutes worth) so i feel like all I ever do is BF. I guess she is making up for lost time. Also, she did the biggest poo known to man this morning! Well, the biggest I have seen from her. Very stinky. I should have made Neil change it Still, I am rapt. She is showing all good signs that she is getting all the nutrition she needs. And, I hate to tell you guys, but my nipples are actually pretty ok. There's still a little bit of ouchies when she initially starts sucking but she attaches so well. I guess my big, giant nipples help! LOL My sister can't get over how dark and big they are. Neil calls them his giant, chocolate buddies! LOL

Colleen - sounds like a rather interesting way to go to the loo! I tell you what, I am kinda glad I had a c-section when I hear you guys talk about how to best go to the loo. Mind you, even with a c-section, doing a poo is still a little frightening because I feel like I am going to pop the stitches if I have to strain at all. I hope your DH starts feeling better soon. It must be hard to attend to him as well as the babies. I usually dote on Neil when he is sick. Hopefully he will stay well until Gabby is a little older so I don't feel like I am neglecting him

Trish - wow! You and Tehya are in the wars hey? Your 4th baby is meant to be the most cruisey!! At least, my youngest sister who is the 4th was for Mum. But, then, she was the 4th girl! I DO sit and just marvel at little Gabby and ikwym about feeling like you are playing dress-ups when deciding what they will wear. Today we are visiting Neil's 93 year old grandma so I might put her in some traditional woollens. Sounds like Mark is doing all he can to help you out and take Noah off your hands. Pity Tehya didn't sleep. Still, it must have been nice to just be the two of you!

Well, I bit the bullet and took the steri-strips off this morning. I thought to myself "Treat them like bandaids" and just ripped them off. They were all stuck together so they came off pretty easily. I think it helped that they had an extra couple of days to get less sticky though. Sarah - that's interesting that you were told not to take them off. I guess it doesn't matter one way or the other. I am tipping yours will probably come loose soon cos mine were much easier to peel today.

A question - how can you tell if bubs is warm enough? When I put Gabby to bed, I swaddle her in a bunny-rug. She wears a jumpsuit and singlet. I then cover her with another blanket. She likes the constant sound of the heater so I put it on a really low heat just to take the chill off the air but I worry that she is too hot. It hasn't been very warm here lately but, yeah, I still feel like I might be overdoing it. But then I don't want her to get cold! I wish there was some sort of thermometer thingy that could tell you! LOL

Christy - thanks for asking Kelly for me. I think she was going to chase them up but I know how busy she gets so I don't want to hassle her. I will take your advice and book in for the day stay program. Like Colleen said, better to have too much advice than not enough, right?

The domicillary nurse just came around. Gabby has put on 60grams!! Woo hoo!! She also did another giant poo which is apparently a really good colour. Yay for my little girl!

[Debbie Lee]

Thanks Kel! I'm not pee'd off or anything - obviously something has happened to prevent them from coming. I guess they would just come in handy right now Thanks for chasing it up for me. Will let you know when they arrive

[BellyBelly]

LOL Deb, I am peed off cos they are a great read Totally lifesavers. I was hoping you would be able to read them before your gorgeous girl arrived, so hopefully you'll be able to sneak in some time to read them

Re the day stay - *please remember* if they do anything you don't like, or if it doesn't feel right - then it's not. If they do something which you are uncomfortable with, you have the right to say no. I wish I could have after two weeks of a bad stay.

*soapbox time LOL* I think that not knowing much about our babies when they are born is actually an advantage. Not knowing the answer encourages us to be open to all possibilities. Could you imagine if we all considered ourselves 'experts' when our baby was born - the poor little things wouldn't stand a chance as we wouldn't be as open to their present needs, because we think we already know the answer and what they need (i.e feed now, sleep now). By being unsure, we can try different things, see what works for us and feel satisfied that we have actively sought out the reason for baby's cry.

Babies don't need to be convenient as society seems to be trying to do, but both mum and baby both need to be happy - in whatever form or parenting style it might take. It must be such a tough job being a bub when you can't get across your needs, just as it is hard for us to learn baby's needs. Go the instincts - trust your heart, trust your baby! *end soapbox* LOL

[mooshie]

Hi girls

wow this is a busy forum now, i so miss it lol - i am to clucky for my own good. firstly a huge congratulations to you all, your babies are just all beautiful and you all sound like you a doing really well.

i just wanted to say to colleen that lani has a comp bottle (1 per day) at her last feed 7pm at night - this has been since she was 5mths old, i had a bit of trial and error as i tried s26 and karicare which my others used to have but it didn't agree with lani and she has the nan gold which is great for her and it doesn't smell as strong - check out the breastfeeding/solids forum there are quite a few posts on different formula's there.

also deb i remember wow back 7yrs ago (was it really that long) at our anti natal classes - someone asked re temps and the midwife said a babies room should be around 18 degrees - hope that helps, for all 3 children have had a may baby, july baby and september baby (so have had cold nights as bubs) i have had the bassinet with a flat sheet and top sheet (just cotton) wrapped bubs up (either in muslin or a strethcy t-shirty wrap thingy which lani adores - still lol) then had a cot cellular blanket (folded in half) then a bunny rug also folded in half over the top. if you are worried about them being to cold or hot just put your finger behind there neck and you can tell if they are to sweaty or to cold - you will get the hang of it, i have also read that you go buy what you have in bed but have 1 extra blanket.

anyway congratulations girls i will go back to my 6-9mth thread, before you know it you girls will be there and lani will be 1 (boo hoo) and don't worry it won't be long and you will forget about all those sleepless nights - well you still get them but not as constant lol.

[{sarah}]

I have the best sleeper in the world!!! Well at least last night We had a bottle at 10.00, asleep by 10.30 then awake at 5.30. Bottle at 6.00, asleep til 9.00, bottle at 10.00 and asleep still now!!! Woohoooo

Thanks for the tip on how to tell if they're too cold or hot Michelle. I had been wondering the same thing.

Nope, didn't give me anything to try to get the milk coming Deb. Maxalon was suggested by one midwife in passing, but nothing ever came of it. Isn't it funny how we are pleased with poos & spews at the moment! I think once Zander wakes up I'm going to have a big one.

I was abit upset about not BFing to start with Trish, but I figure now that he's better off with a bottle than starving. You should have seen him in the hospital - his lips & mouth were so dry & he wouldn't stop crying

We're using Karicare Colleen & all seems to be going well. He doesn't poo alot, but the domicillary midwife wasn't too fussed - said he must be using up all the nutrients in the bottle. They did suggest though to give him 10ml of cool boiled water if he has any problems.

Is anyone elses cord stump coming off yet? It is soooo gross. Yesterday I went to change his nappy & it was bleeding & barely hanging on by a thread, I called mum & said quick get over here. She said it looks fine, & cleaned it up for me, but it just freaks me out - looks sooo sore, but he doesn't cry when you clean it or anything. I think it will probably be off by the end of the day.

[christy]

I was just coming back in today to say something about the day stay idea and Kelly beat me to it LOL... I think going in for the day stay is heaps better than the week long/two week long stay because you can learn the basics in that day and take what you want from it and leave the rest there. As Kelly has said there are some things that you may not agree with and decide not to do ( as we definately decided ) but at the same time I think learning different ways of doing things and trialling things to see how they go is really beneficial. I did heaps of reading up on being PG but almost none on breastfeeding/caring for bubs, so I was in shock for a few months...and every baby is different and responds to different things, what may work wonders for one doesn't work at all for another

[zola]

Wow! A week without anything posted and now 3 pages in a few days! You guys sure made it back to normal very quickly

Ok... I'll try to remember everything I just read.

Trish...that sucks about poor Tehya being sick AND having thrush! I'm glad she seems to be doing better now though. Hopefully her poor little bum will start to feel better and she'll go at least 10 mins between poos

Tanya.... glad to see your little "homebrand baby" finally has a name.. and that you got your way too I love the pic of Violet with Alecia, I'm sure she must be a very proud big sister!

Sarah... yay for Zander sleeping so well now!! Maybe you can send him over here so he can teach Bas how to do it! I had similar probs to you when it came to bf. Although I had plenty of colostrum, when my milk came in it would run out by the afternoon. It's still a bit like that, so we're still comping at night. I never had any of the fullness they tell you about either... still don't unless I miss a couple of feeds at night... then they almost explode in the morning

Deb.... glad to hear Gabby is sleeping well too! Looks like the bath might be helping We use S26 formula for the comp feeds, and I also try to express at least one feed for him during the day. Doing it that way usually means he only has one formula feed at about 2am. I think expressing has also helped to increase my milk supply. The midwife recommended these totally disgusting herbal lactation drops (they taste like aniseed... and I HATE aniseed!) but our OB wasn't up for giving me Maxalon. Ooh... and on the poo subject, Bas poos like a demon!! He generally has at least 4 pooey nappies a day.. and I mean POOEY!! Usually after he starts a feed we get a few really impressive pants explosions, so we've learned never to change him before a feed

Well... one more thing we havelearned is NOT to let him stay at his Nan's place overnight again! We had a wedding to go to on Saturday night, so we decided that it would be easier on Bas if he stayed with my Mum and Nan overnight, so we didn't have to disturb him to bring him home. What a mistake that was! It totally stuffed up his routine as almost everytime he whimpered, Mum fed him! So last night I fed him at 2am, got him off to sleep by about 2.45, then he was awake pretty much every 20 mins from 4am until his feed at 6am, then from about 7.30 until his 10am feed! He wasn't actually hungry, because it wasn't the hungry cry, and he wasn't really interested.. he was just unsettled and grizzly. Hopefully we;ll be able to get him settled back into his usual routine fairly shortly!

Hmm... much longer post than I intended. Sorry!

Will finish by saying that I hope everyone's babies continue behaving, and that I've checked out all the latest pics and every single one of our new arrivals is absolutely JUST GORGEOUS!!!! (anyone who has seen the TV show Little Britain on ABC will hopefully be laughing as much as me at that!!)

[morv]

I was going to post today but I have obviously missed my window of opportunity. Charlotte is screaming away. She has clean pants and she was fed an hour ago. Goodness knows what is wrong now. Poor little mite.

[Fi]

Hi All,

You guys all sound like you are doing really well. I'll get there soon - I just have to have a baby first!! LOL!

Deb - let me know about the day stay - if the waiting list is that long, I'll book in with you, and hopefully (fingers crossed) I can drive us.

The other option is if you can get in the next week, I'll drive you provided I haven't had Spud. Let me know.

Well done to all - sleeping, pooing and feeding all sound wonderful! well maybe not so much the pooing bit... Its quite funny, in NZ you get a Plunket book (like MCHN here) and a few years ago my sister and I found all ours. For the first 2 kids there were regular entries by the Plunket nurses detailing feeding, stool colour and consistency, weight etc. For my younger brother and myself the lack of entries was VERY obvious!! I guess as you get more experience, this sort of thing becomes pretty obvious, and not such a novelty!

Fi

[Deejoy17]

Sorry ladies and bubs for intruding but just want to ask Tanya a question

Tanya - How did the hand/feet moulding kit work out?? I was waiting for you to try it out on little Violet Crystal before I buy mine.

Glad all the beautiful bubs are doing well apart from the sleepless nights.

Take Care

Deeanne

[Debbie Lee]

Sarah - YAY for Zander!!! Good boy for sleeping so well and letting Mummy get a decent night's sleep! Gabby's stump isn't coming off yet but it does rub against the nappy and get a bit of blood on it. I can't wait until it is completely out. It's so ugly! And the midwives tell me it can get a bit smelly too. Yay! More smells, LOL.

Thanks for the tip, Michelle, re. the temp. I am sure she is fine - I just worry that I am going to wake up to an overcooked baby! 8-[

Kelly - thanks for the advice about the day-stay program (and Christy). You are totally right about being flexible. I honestly think that is why parenthood is so hard because you have to learn to be so much more flexible than with anything in your life. Nothing about bringing up a child goes completely to plan and you have to be prepared for that to happen. Listen to me! I am a pro after a week and 1 day LOL

Zola - sounds like you and Bas are doing great! LOL @ him pooing like a demon. Lurrrrrvely! Oh dear @ his routine being broken when you let your Mum look after him for the night. It goes to show that every little thing we do affects them, hey?? Gotta keep going with what works. Also, thanks for the compliments about our bubs. I personally think that BB bubs have an extra cuteness to them. What do you reckon?

Maryann - sorry you missed your window! I think mine is slowly disappearing so I am trying to type fast, LOL. Had many visitors today (including Aunty Fi - she fed me AND helped me change a pooey nappy, hehe. Have you recovered yet, Fi??). Hehehehe

Dee - you are SO not intruding! After all, it won't be long before you are in here matey!

Another good sleep for our princess last night. Gave her a bath last night with some tea-tree oil because she has the beginnings of a staff infection. She has two little "pimple-like" bumps on her tummy so the midwife said to treat them with tea-tree oil. A couple of drops in the bath and then a solution for each time I change her nappy. I hope they go away soon!
I tried to take my time with washing and drying her last night so that she got a little more worn out. It must have worked because she zonked it at 9:30pm and slept until 3:30am. Gave her a good hour-long feed and she went down from 4:30am-8am. Not bad! I still think she would have slept longer if her room was darker. I might put a sheet up tonight and see if that works. Still, I am NOT complaining!

Had a bit of a teary-dear again last night. I burst into tears and told Neil that I didn't think I could do this. I felt soooooo responsible and worried that I was doing everything wrong. He told me that I was doing a good job and that it was all just a learning experience and I got a big hug. He sent me to bed while he made dinner and looked after Gabby. I cried myself to sleep (well, a doze really - but was nice to close my eyes) and I got up a couple of hours later feeling much better. It's soooo amazing how my emotions just switch. Don't ever play me a sad ballad - I will be bawling like a baby in seconds!! LOL

I am working on the birth story. I have been typing up a little in word each time i jump on the computer. It's turning out to be an epic! Hopefully I will get it posted by the weekend.

[{sarah}]

Well our little munchkin had a pretty good night last night, not quite as good as the two before though. Went to bed at 10.30, bottle at 2.30 then asleep, another bottle at 4.30 then slept until 10.00, yet another bottle then slept til 4.00. Seems like all he ever does is eat & sleep!

We have had a very grizzly afternoon though. He just wants to be held, but whinges when he's been in the same spot for too long ](*,) We tried him in the cradle a bit earlier but he wouldn't have it, so he's in the capsule again. Does anyone know if this can be bad for his back??? Cos he doesn't lie flat in it?

Deb, the stump is gross hey. Zander's came off this morning just before his bath, I thought it would have stayed on way longer. Awww poor Gabby, I hope her spots go away soon. I've had a couple of those teary dears as well Deb, it's so hard sometimes isn't it?

I looked at the photos Colleen, and wow they do look alike!

OMG at 4 pooey nappies a day Zola!! We have had three since being home & it's a week tomorrow! Oh no at Nan messing up his routine, poor little Bas must have been so confused!

Two other things of note for me today - I have my feet back WOOHOOO! They swelled up really bad after the birth, even worse than when I was pregnant & even my legs were swollen. But as of today I officially have my feet back \/ ALSO, yesterday I thought I'd try to put my belly ring back in seeing as my tummy is slowly getting back to normal. Aaaand it went in fine, the hole hadn't closed up which I was worried about!

How funny is it that the little things excite me so much at the moment LOL!

[mooshie]

hi sarah

just a note on the capsule - is it one that goes in the car - i gather it is. i hired one of those capsules that go in and out of the car and it was in the instructions that you should not leave a baby in it for longer than about 2hrs - yours may be different - check the instructions or maybe aske your health nurse. maybe you could take the capsule out and just put zander in the pram next to the bed - (although i think i once read the sids does not recommend this as it could be suffocating for bubs in an enclosed area) i have a friend and she had all 3 children in prams.

have you got a basinet - i got one from a friend it was great next to the bed and quite often when lani woke (and she didn't need feeding) i used to put my arm out and rock it - was wonderful, i also took it around the house so she was out with us getting used to all the noise during the day. i hired one with my first two children it was great.

sorry to intrude on the forum girlies - can't help myself reading all about all your beautiful babies - even though lani is beautiful and still a baby i am still so so clucky i just adore newborns they rely so much on us for their well being.

[{sarah}]

Thanks for that Michelle. I emailed Babylove this afternoon cos there was no instruction book in the box for the capsule. Hopefully they will give me some answers quickly. I've also had a few people on here recommend using a hammock.....