April Mummies 2011

[DanaBump]

i did gert until i gave her some gripe water just now and swaddled her up tight. let's hope it lasts!

 

[lilgemsy]

Babybefore - I try and play with ollie and try different things with him like talking to him or put him either in his bouncy chair or on his play mat and show him some toys lol. He doesnt seem interested most of the time though but I guess its worth a try!

 

[DanaBump]

ugh, that lasted all of 30 minutes

 

[gertrude]

urgh dana I'm glad I'm not alone - it's awful isn't it

 

[Tasha360]

Yep ive got a winghy Ruby tonight, dunno whats up with her Harleys fast asleep in his swing.
Cottles ive not had my monthly yet and LO's are 9 weeks Saturday.

Gem i get that alot too. I usually get OMG are they all yours? but you're so young. Pees me right off!
Well im off to sterelise bottles and then going to bed to watch a film. Night girls xxx

 

[gertrude]

ladies - does anyone else feel like they're not coping so good? I think it's the crying

 

[loopy82]

I'm really struggling at the moment, just can't see it getting any better.

 

[gertrude]

I wish we were closer loopy - we could go for coffee!

I can't see it getting better either but it must - surely it must

 

[SazzleR]

ladies - does anyone else feel like they're not coping so good? I think it's the crying

All the time! I fret about his feeding, the crying, his weight. And I'm exhausted. I knew it'd be hard but it's way harder than I thought. The huge feeling of responsibility is just overwhelming sometimes. Cos I'm BFing I can't ever leave him. I find myself thinking that bottle feeding would be much easier as at least DH could help out with feeds & I could at least go out somewhere on my own. I feel a but sad when I think about all the things I used to do & took for granted. Suppose I'm mourning my old life! Don't get me wrong, I love him to pieces & just want things to be perfect for him. I'm the first of my friends to have a baby so I'm so glad I have you girls to 'chat' to otherwise I'd feel like all of this was just happening to me! x

 

[caro103]

gertrude can you express any milk and get someone to watch her for a couple of hours? or even have someone else in the house who can watch her until the next feed?

my mum took Alex on sunday just for 2 hours while i had a nap, i'd fed him right before and knowing someone was looking after him made it a lot easier for me to rest the everything looked brighter. DH also does this too in the evenings a bit, but he;s much less settled then so I cna hear him downstairs which prevents me properly drifting off.

my mums offered to take alex tomorrow afternoon if i express some milk. i'm so tempted but it'll be the first time we;'ve been seperated (as in not even in the same house). Think i'm going to see what tonight is like, last night was awful so if tonight is a repeat i'm going to need to sleep or i'm going to go nuts!

to those that need them xxx

ps thanks sazzle for the tip on getting lo back into the basket, hadn't thought of holding his arms! gonna try that tonight. Alex will never go down after the 1st feed of the night and last night that was only 2.15 after going down about midnight so he ended up in our bed, then i can't sleep properly as worried about him :S

 

[MissFox]

We use the First Years Air Flow for Rosie inbetween us. Love it!
I expressed 3oz from one breast this morning bc Rosie was sleeping in and ouch was I full! She took the bottle no problem so now I'm on mission pump! DH got to feed her for the first time and I enjoyed it. He said if I want to give him a few bottles of milk and go to town and visit my friends then he would take her for the day but I'd rather have a friend watch her and DH and I go to the movies or something!

BIG HUGS for those who need it and for those not coping- if there is someone to watch LO while you take some "you" time it really helps. My mom watched Rosie for 1.5hrs the other day while I went home with DH to pack bags to go into town. I finoshed feeding her and left. It was great lol

 

[bernina]

Hi ladies, sorry I haven't been on much. I try to catch up on posts every day on my phone but it's too hard to type more than a sentence or two.

We also use Butt Paste and it seems to be working well. Lizzie hasn't had a rash but does get red so we make sure to use it for any night changes and a few times throughout the day. I admit I'm kind of bad about changing diapers frequently enough, I hate to change her right after a feed because she spits up, then she falls asleep and of course I'm not touching a sleeping baby no matter how dirty the diaper! And with BF'ing she has a BM after every feed so it's kind of pointless to change before she eats.

We also struggle with getting her to sleep anywhere but on us or in our bed. Started at the hospital, she hated sleeping in the bassinet so we gave in and she would fall asleep on our chests. She slept in her bassinet at home with the white noise sheep sometimes, but others she screams and fusses so I give in and put her on my chest until she sleeps then nestle her between us on her sleep wedge (https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sassy-Ultimate-Wedge-Sleep-Positioner/10817660). After finding her on her tummy one time with her face buried in her bassinet I feel more comfortable using the wedge.

She's pretty good at night, she usually settles for the night at 1am and then wakes around 4 for a quick feed and then again around 6 or 7. I'd prefer a bit longer stretches at night but really it's not too bad. With BF'ing I can just roll over, feed her, then put her back to sleep.

We introduced a bottle a few weeks ago and at first it didn't go well, but after a week of trying DH finally got her to take a Born Free bottle of expressed milk. She's been doing good with them ever since and I'm trying to pump at least once a day so she can have one bottle. When she's extremely tired or fussy the bottle feeding seems to be easier for her. She gets 3 oz and a full belly and my nipples are saved the stress of her chewing and twisting them which she does when fussy.

I would really recommend trying to get LO to take a bottle of expressed milk if possible. We've left her with my parents twice and they had no problem giving her bottles. Plus it makes things a bit easier when we're out, can just get a cup of hot water to heat bottle and not worry about where I can nurse (I'm too shy to just whip it out in public, and have only nursed once in public with her under a blanket and that's because we didn't have a bottle with us and it was kind of hard to coordinate getting her latched).

I sympathize with all the ladies who are struggling with crying babies and who are stressed out. Sign me up for that club. I love LO to pieces and wouldn't have it any other way, but sometimes I feel like nothing more than a milk source to be puked on. Some days I can't even shower or brush my teeth. It's nearly 6pm and I'm still in PJs, no shower, no makeup, only 2 glasses of water and a large piece of cheese danish. I really wonder how I can keep making milk when I barely have time to eat except dinner when DH comes home. Some days I just cry because I can't seem to settle her down. Today I had to take her onto the toilet with me as I was BF'ing because I desperately had to pee but she was still eating away.

I tried gripe water today using a medicine syringe and she puked 3 times all over me. Not sure if she doesn't like the taste or if the syringe caused her to gag (I didn't put it in far and aimed at her cheek and only put a tiny bit in at a time). If anyone has suggestions on how to get her to take it I'm all ears! Should I try mixing with some milk in a bottle or will that curdle the milk?

To all the girls with stairs in their house, please be careful! I slipped on a stair because of loose socks and landed on my butt and slid several steps. LO was in my arm and I must have cradled her against my chest, but I have the biggest bruise right at my butt crack and possibly a bruised tail bone. Of course all that matters is LO is okay but it was scary and I'm in a lot of pain. Hurts to even sit and nurse her now. Stupid thing really, I had too much in my hands and wasn't paying attention. Just a reminder to please be extra careful.

Very happy to hear of all the weight gain, sounds like the April babies are doing well.

I'm so glad I have you all to talk to and get advice from, it really helps when I start to feel alone and like I'm the only one going through this.

 

[CottlestonPie]

Ouch bernina, hope you're not in pain for much longer
I'm so terrified of falling down the stairs with Toby... My hallway is so dark that if he was s reaming for a feed at night I'd have to go downstairs to get a bottle from the fridge to warm up and is take him with me but I was sooo scared of dropping him. I've started using comfort milk at night now so I take the bottles just with water to the bedroom and mix in the formula at room temp whenever he wants feeding. I'm too scared of the stairs in the dark.

I can't remember who asked about playing but I play with Toby when I can. He's still not that drawn to toys but I talk to him, play with his hands in front of him, sing along to the radio for him, blow raspberries on his belly/face... He loves it! I adore his little smile too
And he seems to sleep better at night if we've had more playtime in the day.

Poor little guy is really snotty today. Keeps getting gunk in his throat... I'm holding him just now but I really should put him to bed. I don't want to though in case lying down makes it worse

 

[lilgemsy]

Bernina - oh ouch! Hope it gets better soon and take more care in future -hug- x

I dont take Ollie upstairs... no need to lol. Mine and his bedroom is downstairs right next to the kitchen! (Turned the dining room into a bedroom)

Cottles - Yeah lying him down will probs make it worse because it did with Ollie (he has snuffles too ) Try propping his bed up slightly with towels or something, Ive found that helps! Also, if it doesnt clear up then ask your health visitor or whoever for some nasal drops. Hope he gets well soon x

Is anyone elses hair falling out since giving birth? :/
My head hair comes out in like clumps everytime its touched. My eyelashes have started to fall out too the last couple of days. :S

 

[SazzleR]

Quick question - where do you girls let your LOs sleep during the day? I've been putting Rex in his rocker chair thingy but just read that even for daytime sleeps they should go in their cots or cribs for safety. Is this going over board on safety or do people so this anyway? x

 

[caro103]

i pretty much let alex sleep wherever during the day, so long as he's safe. if he's properly asleep i sometimes transfer him into his moses basket but not all that often. the vibrate on his bouncer keeps him settled for longer!

 

[MissFox]

Anywhere she will sleep! Bassinet couch where ever- as long as I can keep an eye on her. They do go overboard with safety but you have to do what works for you nd baby. I don't put pillows around her or over her head but duh lol

 

[CottlestonPie]

Toby sleeps wherever he sleeps! lol
I don't put him in his moses basket during the day because I want him to associate it with bedtime/night sleeping.
During the day he'll sleep on me, in his bouncy chair, or on a blanket on his playmat. As long as I can see him, I don't see why it's necessary to use the basket.

 

[DanaBump]

we put abby in her swing for everything. it's the only place she'll sleep on her back. we don't have a basket and the crib is just too spacious for her yet (tho before her cold she would sleep on her belly in her crib, go figure). whatever gets them to sleep, i say!

 

[DanaBump]

too excited that jen can finally join us!!! congratulations jen!!!