Any Scottish April 2013 babies out there??

[bbymc]

Hmmm, must be on the right lines then. I just gave him 100mls expressed milk, 30mls formula and one boob lol (which I'm guessing is about 50-60mls) so approx. 180mls in total. That's probably ok for an (almost) 7 week old. He certainly looked content afterwards and didn't cry at all like he usually does. Fingers crossed, aside from the RSV virus he's got, he's sorted now. Just gotta get my milk supply up now. Express express express.

 

[arlene]

Hi girls, how are we all today?

James has been a bit unsettled the last day or so, he's now snoozing so thought I'd take the opportunity for a catch up! We were out yesterday with my mum, brother and his gf (who lives in liverpool), and she had been holding James for a while getting cuddles, then I put him in his car seat. He dropped off to sleep then she started messing with him and as a result, he cried most of the way home in the car!! I think he's going through a wee growth spurt just now as well, he's taking 180mls each feed now, sleeping quite lightly and being quite clingy. Did your babies go through the same thing at about 3wks?

How are we all anyway? Xx

 

[arlene]

Oh, also if we're meeting on the 15th the morning would suit me better. We're going to a dinner dance that night so need to get hair done. I'd probably need to be away about 1-2 if that's ok with you ladies? Xx

 

[lj2245]

Alex seems to have a growth spurt every week lol. He's been feeding and spewing constantly again today. Also very clingy. My head is killing me. Stephen is working at 7am so he's away to bed (he just got in from backshift) so I'm going to catch as much sleep as I can just now while Alex is sleeping. He's just gone down now, first he's slept since 2pm

Happy to try and get there for the morning but it seems to take us hours to leave the house these days with all Alex's spewing! I was supposed to be in Glasgow for 9 yesterday morning for Shaun's Tae Kwon Do tournament and despite being up since 5am, I didn't make it there until 10!! It's about an hour's drive for me to get to Queensferry too so I don't want him spewing when he's in the back on his own so hopefully he will be ok in the morning!

 

[bbymc]

Ok will we say 11-2 then or 10-1? Is that long enough? I'll book it once I know.

So I spoke to my doc and the breastfeeding helpline about lewis' feeding and got two lots of advice. only thing they both agreed was not to give formula. So yesterday I tried not to. He ended up screaming and crying again from 3pm. He seemed hungry so I fed him but every time I took him off to wind him he screamed again so I put him back on. This went on til 8pm but cos I was sore to begin with, by then it was agony. He still seemed hungry dispite 5 hours at the breast so I gave some milk I expressed earlier in a bottle and he still wanted more so I gave formula. Then he settled fine

I duno what to do now cos I'm all sore and clearly not producing enough but I'm beimg told to keep him at the breast ( which means having him there constantly and him screaming most of the time cos hes only getting tiny amounts). I know doing that will increase my supply but it means letting lewis go hungry amd get distressed at the same time.

I really dont want to give up bf and I would bf contantly if it meant lewis was getting enough but it's obvious since he's still hungry after 5 hours of doing that, thats not happening.

 

[Kaybee]

11 start would be good for me.

Its going to take a few days to up your supply. Lots of skin to skin can help and nursing LOTS. There is something your doctor can prescribe to help and it really helped one of my friends. I can ask her what its called if you like? You could try pumping after he has nursed and when he is nursing gently massage your breast.

Is it your breast that is sore or your nipple? Could it be mastitis? If its your nipple have you tried a nipple shield. I had to use one for a few days when feeding Kaiden and it really helped. That and loads of lansinoh.

You are doing great its just going to take a bit of time for your body to catch up

 

[arlene]

Hope things improve for you Emma.

A 10 or 11am start is fine by me.

John and I had a bit of a wobble this morning James went down about half 3 and was stirring again at 4.45, and I was trying to soothe him without bringing him into bed with me cos I know John isn't entirely happy with us doing that. After about 10mins John got up, grabbed his clothes for work and when I said I'd take James into the livingroom he got really huffy and took him through himself. I stayed in bed til about half five cos John was just letting him cry and I could hear he was getting annoyed, plus I was a bit upset cos I felt he was pissed at me for being woken when he had to go to work later. My problem is I don't want James to learn only to fall asleep in our arms but it hurts so much when he's wailing!!! And it's hard trying to explain to John that James doesn't know how to manipulate and that sometimes he just wants a cuddle!! We sorted things before John left for work but I still feel crappy about it all xx

 

[lj2245]

Emma, I have nipple shields here that I bought that you can have to try if you want? I haven't used them. They are about 6 or 7 quid to buy so pretty expensive if they aren't going to help.

I have milk supply problems too. I have days when Alex wants to nurse constantly. I think it's to make up for days when he's sick constantly. The problem I have is the day after the day he nurses constantly, I have a massive over supply and when he's latching on he's getting too much too quickly (I actually gush out everywhere) and it's choking him and giving him wind problems, which is making his reflux worse. It's like a vicious cycle. I LOVE bf him. He doesn't do well with a bottle at all so I can't express and give him a bottle on my oversupply days. I can't wait until he's old enough for a sippy cup!!

Arlene, I think it's normal to be tired an grumpy with each other. I told Stephen I wanted a divorce yesterday and I'm not entirely sure I didn't mean it. I can understand about the crying thing too. Alex cries a lot and I wouldn't be able to just listen to it. I know John has had kids before but the 'cry it out' thing is so very old school and at James' age it's not a good thing at all. You're right about the manipulation, you just have to force the issue a bit I think. If it helps, Shaun ALWAYS fell asleep in my arms when he was tiny. He liked to be held very tight in a certain way and it had him nodding off in seconds. He slept through the night from a very young age though and had absolutely no problems self soothing when it came time. When he moved to his cot I put him down awake and he would go to sleep by himself. I'm pretty sure it was so easy because he felt so secure. There's nothing wrong with letting James fall asleep in your arms just now. You're pretty much all he knows and it must be lovely for him to be there

 

[bbymc]

Karen, its my nipples that hurt cos lewis keeps biting them or bending them. I'm guessing its cos I still have a really strong let down and milk gushes out. Then after a while he does it again, which appears that its out of frustration due to lack of milk. I did try nipple sheids in hospital, they were hopeless. Might be good now hes bigger though so I'll give them a try. I did have some but I think they got left at hospital. If I can't find them, then that would be great to get yours Laura.

I've never heard of anythin on prescription karen, so yeah, can you ask your friend? Ive been nursing as much as lewis wants but if I see hes been on for ages and isnt satisfied then I'll need to do something. I'm also expressing in between feeds. Hopefully it won't be long. It aeems my supply is only too low after about 3pm. It's odd!

Laura could you not express and cup feed alex on oversupply days? Or just stock your freezer? Lol.

Glad you and john are sorted now Arlene. I couldnt listen to lewis crying either. I regularly have to get up and see what ryan is doing cos lewis is crying and I cant stand it lol. Ive been told to let lewis cry it out with this feeding issue by relatives. I think its a fairly old practice. Maybe it worked for John with his other children? James is too young for it to really be effective though. But also, I studied psychology and we did a module in attachment. There's loads of evidence that doing that sort of thing can create a child who is insecure. Lots of people dispute that obviously but I think there is definitely something in it. Its the basis of the whole attachment parenting style.

 

[bbymc]

Ok so ive booked the meeting room in the south Queensferry scout hall on 15/06 from 11-2pm. We're the only people booked so we will have use of the whole place. Cost is £30 xx

 

[lj2245]

Smashing Cannot wait! I need to get out of this house lol!

Had Alex at the doctor again. The meds aren't working and he's just getting worse. He's throwing up every bit of every feed and went 24 hours with only 4 hours sleep. He's also grunting and squeaking and flailing his arms and legs when he's in any other position other than straight up and down. The doctor said he's got the worst case of reflux she's ever seen He was bawling his eyes out in pain because he was too far reclined in his car seat She gave me anti sickness medication called Domperidone. He had his first dose tonight followed by a feed 30 mins later. I was optimistic but he threw it all back up. *sigh* I don't really know what to do any more. I hate seeing him in so much pain and nothing seems to help him. I hate to think what all the medication is doing to him.

I have ordered some soya milk to be delivered with my tesco shop tomorrow. I doubt very much that my one bowl of cereal worth of milk each day is causing his problems but I need to eliminate everything I can. I might start some kind of diary too. Does anyone know how long it takes for the things we eat to affect our BM supply?

 

[lj2245]

When I say diary, I don't mean a 'woe is me' spill my guts teenage angst type thing, I mean a food diary/sickness diary. That way I can see what I am eating against when he is most sick.

 

[Kaybee]

I'm looking forward to it too. Do we just pay on the day?

Laura here is a link you might find helpful. https://kellymom.com/health/baby-health/food-sensitivity/ I think the average time for foods to get into your milk is 4-6 hours. Interesting in that link how long cows milk stays in our systems for. I had no idea.

at your diary. Poor Alex (& you) though. Did the doctor say what to try next if the Domperidone didn't work?

 

[Kaybee]

Emma my friend got domperidone - the same stuff Alex has got. She did say that she had to really talk her doctor into getting it though. Since I gave Laura a link here is one for you too that you might find helpful https://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/low-supply/

Arlene I agree with the others and think that our babies are too young for CIO. It must be difficult trying to find a balance with what you are comfortable with and what John has experienced with his other children. I think 'they' do recommend that CIO is not used until after baby is 6 months or something like that.

 

[arlene]

Morning ladies! How are we?

Laura, how is Alex doing? Is there any improvement on his reflux?

I'm taking James to the drop in clinic to get weighed today Also decided to weigh myself every Thursday before we go as well. I'm not on a strict diet yet but hopefully I can make a start and lose some weight as we go. I need to ask them about James as well, he seems to have bad trapped wind. I don't think it's quite colic but he's arching his back, straining his legs and grunting a lot. It's sometimes followed by some wee farts or burps but there's obviously wind in there and it's bothering him xx

 

[lj2245]

Aww Arlene, Alex gets that and baby massage helps so much! I do clockwise circles around his belly button and then hold his lower legs and push his knees up towards his chin and hold. You can YouTube videos, they are really helpful and it's really effective!

We had a bit of a breakthrough with Alex (I hope - it may be coincidence) but I have discovered that if I don't wind him after feeding he's not as sick. He does burp eventually and is sick after burping but it's not as forceful or as much. The Omeprazole hasn't worked, it seems. It is supposed to take a maximum of 14 days and we are on day 14 now and he still has acid. I'm ordering him that wedge shaped mattress with a sling when Stephen gets paid at the end of the month though. It's expensive but his problems are going to be long term so it's worth it to get him sleeping properly.

Karen, when I got the Domperidone I couldn't believe it when I read the leaflet and it said it can be used to increase BM!! I told Emma about it. What a coincidence lol! I'm sure Emmas supply will increase on its own (it seems like Lewis is doing brilliant now) but if not I could always 'spill' my bottle and get another from the doc

Did you guys see the photos of Lewis Emmas brother did? The one with the wee blue hat is just breathtaking He's so cute. He has wee wise eyes, like he's been here and seen everything before

Emma, don't suppose you got any prices from your brother?

 

[lj2245]

I'm looking forward to it too. Do we just pay on the day?

Laura here is a link you might find helpful. https://kellymom.com/health/baby-health/food-sensitivity/ I think the average time for foods to get into your milk is 4-6 hours. Interesting in that link how long cows milk stays in our systems for. I had no idea.

at your diary. Poor Alex (& you) though. Did the doctor say what to try next if the Domperidone didn't work?

They didn't say but someone on here suggested I ask for Zantac as opposed to the Omeprazole as it is supposed to work better with the Domperidone. I hav ehis 6 week check up on Weds so I'm going to ask about it then.

I LOVE Kellymom lol.

 

[arlene]

Glad things are better with Alex Laura! Hopefully the meds are helping.

I asked the hv about the trapped wind and she said to make sure we weren't leaving him til he's starving to feed him cos he'll gulp and she suggested baby massage too. She said there's a post natal class available where they show you how to do it.

Got him weighed too and he's now 10lbs 10ozs!! He's just piling it on! That's almost 3lbs since he was born, was totally amazed! Xx

 

[bbymc]

Hey girls.

Glad you managed to get advice about trapped wind arlene. Lewis gets that sometimes. It usually takes me ages to shift it. Theres a baby massage class at the hospital. Its just 1 class but its free

Thanks for the link karen. How are your lovely boys?

Laura, I'm shocked the omeprozole isnt working! I always found it to be amazing! I'd definitely ask about the zanrac. Its worth a shot. I sometimes dont wind lewis after a feed. He will always be a bit sick at some point but it is definitely less than when I wind him.

So I think my milk supply is picking up at last. Still not fully there but I think we are making progress. I haven't had to supplement with formula today but I can see that lewis isnt fully satisfied cos hes still trying to feed loads and tonight he kept crying like he starving after I fed him. He's asleep now but its taken 3 hours!

Hopefully all will be resolved soon. If not though, I'll be after alex's meds lol.

I keep forgetting to ask my bro for prices. I'll see him this weekend though so I'll ask him. I love the pics. They are far off my brother's best tbh but that cos he was experimenting and doing the shoot for free lol. Hes got a website... vincentlambphotograpy.co.uk, I think. Check it out

 

[bbymc]

Oh also, duno if its all of them, but asda has a clothes sale on. I got some lovely studd for lewis. Super cheap! !