Disco Derail! - TTCAL/PAL Discussion and Support!

[Allie84]

Oh great news Sassy! I must slack off work even more and have a look at your journal for details.

Sugar and Hearty, my TSH was 4 something before I concieved, 0.90-2.25, or something similiar, during my pregnancy. It was checked regularly then, but nothing post partum. Sugar, I wonder if they use different measurements in the UK because 9 is really high. I think they want it around 2 here in the US (using our measurements). Mine was dipping too low during pregnancy but I am thinking it's gone way up post partum. I've become a fat cow who eats more fast food than ever because I'm so busy!

Oh, Lucy, what a scare! Glad little Ben is okay. I would have done the same thing. I'm scared for that stage; Alistair is already trying to throw himself off the couch just sitting on it and once I barely caught him by the ankle with his head an inch above the ground. I think he's going to fall on his head one of these days, it's a matter of time....

Vicky, I remember seeing that decal and i do love it. I like the photo Dazed posted. But unlike the photo I'm more inclined to go with some color. I like the kiwi green Sassy put out there. Since her furniture is all white (as is Alistair's), I'd probably want a bit of color. But then, the walls and decal might be color enough, I guess I'd have to see a photo of the space. I'm kind of looking forward to decorating Alistair's nursery (again). I loved his first one,though, which was bigger and nicer but I'm moving on, I swear lol.

AFM, thanks for the kind words regarding moving, everyone, btw.

Hearty and Sassy, I'm not sure why she did it! It does seem twisted. She told me dad deserves to be punished. No matter what our dad did or said, she was not happy. It's so convoluted, but her own mom and grandma gave her up to foster care when she was like 6!!! And for some reason she's inclined to believe them that dad 'abandoned' her rather than dad's story that he was pushed out of her life and told nothing about her. I'm not saying my dad handled it perfectly, but he was young and poor and my brother had just died...I think it's cruel that Dana built up the trip and had us devote so many resources to doing it her way just to make it miserable. She's now trying to act like everything's normal...I emailed her a long email last week explaining how bad it all made me feel but she never responded. She just texted that she got my email. Harumph.

 

[Allie84]

Someone asked where Nato is? Se posted a few weeks ago that she has dissapeared to Digital Spy Forums while Big Brother is on. We've lost her to reality television.

Hearty, here is the lactation cookie recipe I used: https://www.food.com/recipe/oatmeal-chocolate-chip-lactation-cookies-by-noel-trujillo-192346
It's not perfect because the cookies always spread out into a big cookie, but they are tasty. I ate A LOT. Like 4 a day. That may be why I'm so huge right now LMAO. But they did help my milk supply. Eating these made me leak milk in the middle of the night which I hadn't done since Alistair was really young.

 

[Allie84]

Hey everyone,

I know I'm being a broken record about this house, but I have to know if it's normal to have over 100 bugs in a swarm on the ceiling? Last night they all came out and they are gone today. I have no idea where they came from but I stopped counting at 100. *shudder*

 

[vickyd]

Thanks for all the deco tips ladies! Im thinking of not doing the wall decal and opting for some color instead. I hope hope it doesnt look like a circus tent once im done lol!!

Sass Great news!!!! Pics please!

Allie, what kind of bugs are we talking about here??? Bugs do tend to make a nest and thats why you are seeing them all in one place. 100 is alot though...sounds like an infestation so you will defo have to call someone to take care of it professionally. i would take pictures and also of any damp spots or anything that would seem unsanitary and go to a lawyer. There is no way you wont be able to get out of the lease if the place is not healthy for your child.

Im in packing nightmare, boxes and bags all around me!!! I didnt realise i had so much stuff!

 

[Allie84]

Thanks, Vicky. Good luck packing! It IS a nightmare but a good time to get rid of clutter I guess.

Yes, I'd say it's an infestation. I can't tell what kind of bugs they are but they huddle together and they can fly. They seem to jump around a lot too. Ewwwwwwww!!

 

[LucyJ]

Vicky hope the move goes well I'm good at packing its the unpacking I hate I dread it when we have to move as we have so much stuff alot probably needs to be chucked.

Allie ewww to the bugs that sounds gross and like vicky said sounds like an infestation which isn't good I hope you get it sorted. Maybe worth gettin some advise to see if you can get out your lease.

Benjamin was one yesterday we had a wonderful day although I am exhausted today I think its all caught up with me. I cant believe my baby is one its gone by so quickly.

 

[Allie84]

It's wonderful you had a lovely day with Benjamin, Lucy! Happy 1st Birthday to Ben!!!

So many of our Disco babies have turned one!

I hope everyone is doing well.

 

[vickyd]

Luce we need pics of Ben with his first b-day cake!!

Allie how is the bug situation??? Have you settled in the new place?

We moved yesterday, have been unpacking all day 2 days now! The place is starting to shape up but i still have so much stuff to put away...Its been really hot, over 40 degrees and ive been sweating like a pig for more than 48 hours as we havent bought an AC yet. Seriously ive sweated so much that just 5 minutes ago was the first pee of the day hahah!!! Last night i couldnt sleep from the heat so i ended up fucking about on facebook and watching horror films till like 6 am.

 

[LucyJ]

Vicky I'll post some pics tomorrow when Im on the computer. Glad the move went well apart from the heat hope you've got ac now and are a bit cooler. Can we have some pics of your new place.

Allie hows your place? Hope you've managed to make it feel a bit more like home and sorted the bugs. Its crazy that Benjamins one already people are really shocked when I tell them hes one as he still little I had him weighed this week and he is 16lbs 14oz still on the low end but mainting his line which is such a relief considering how up and down his weight had been in the first 6 months of his life being on solids as really stableised it.

Whats everyones plans for the weekend? Its gorgeous here so we will be taking full advantage of the sunshine as who knows how long it will last. Really looking forward to a weekend with steve as last weekend was so manic and hes been working late this week so dont feel we've seen him much.

 

[heart tree]

What's a weekend Lucy? LOL! All the days feel the same to me at the moment.

Happy 1st birthday to Ben. I can't believe it! I'm encouraged to hear about his weight stabilizing after getting solids. He'll catch up in no time I'm sure. I know what you mean though. People seem shocked when I tell them how old Delilah is too. We just have petite babes.

Allie, is the bug situation fixed? That sounds disgusting! Are you settled in at all? I'm so sorry you don't like the place.

Vicky, stop sweating and post a pic of your place! You must be psyched to be out of your old place. I'm dying to see what Hero's room looks like. I like the idea of a little color as well. Green and purple go well together. Any advice for reflux? I know you dealt with it. We have Delilah on Zantac right now. Just started it. She has to sleep on us, sitting up. Otherwise she starts to gag and choke. Sometimes she spits up, sometimes she doesn't. But she clearly is uncomfortable. Preemies are HARD! I bow down to you.

Sass congrats on the place!

Everyone is moving. Now I want to move. Tim wants to start looking for a house to buy. But he wants me to find a higher paying job. All I want to do is be a SAHM or work part time. I wish he wasn't so money focused. I have no desire to look for a new job. Nor do I have the energy.

I'm kind of struggling with this new mom role. I love her to death, but she's pretty fussy and we can rarely seem to put her down. It makes for a very tired Hearty! I'm also still struggling with the breast feeding. I give her a bottle, then breast feed her, then pump. It takes over an hour. Then she naps in one of our arms and is up within the hour to do it all again. Sometimes I feel so empty of milk I just end up giving her a bottle. Is it possible to have no milk in your boobs? Anyway, I'm looking forward to her getting a little older. We're going to hire a night nurse for a few nights so we can get some sleep and some tips on how to deal with her sleep issues. Now I just need to find the time and energy to research finding one.

 

[Sassy_TTC]

Hang in there hearty, I found the first 3 months pretty much like hell with both of mine, Zac's just coming out of it! It does get do much easier and very quickly! Maybe sleep her on her side or front to see if she'll sleep a bit longer! Do you have a swing? Or a vibrating bouncer? Always worth a try!

 

[LucyJ]

you'll get your weekends back I promise it gets easier.

Yep we have little but perfect babies.

Bf is tough and having to pump must make it harder, I kept getting told that just get through the first 6 weeks and then everything would be ok but it wasnt I dont think we settled into a proper routine till 4 months and Benjamin didnt start sleeping through the night till 9 months. He used to feed on the hr and it was so tough yep I would get that empty feeling there was milk there but because he was feeding so often I never had the full feeling. If he did go longer than an hr or so wow did I feel it. We came through it and got into a good routine he still fed a lot far more than other babies I knew but it does get easier. As far as the sleep I dont know want to suggest we raised Benjamins mattress which helped a little but he did spend a lot of time sleeping on me.

Massive you are doing so well.

 

[LucyJ]

Trying to post pictures but keeps telling me file is to large anyone know how I can get round this problem??

 

[heart tree]

Sass I ordered a swing and am waiting for it to be delivered. I hope she likes it! She loves movement and the vibrating bouncy doesn't seem to be enough for her. Sass, you bottle feed, right? How much and how often do you feed Zac? Delilah loves sleeping on her side, only if she is pressed up against me. I get so nervous that she's going to stop breathing that I can't relax and sleep myself!

Lucy, thanks for sharing. It really does help to know I'm not alone. I can't imagine feeding her every hour. When did you sleep? It's so encouraging to hear how far you've come. One of the things that confuses me is that she is already 7 weeks old. But since she was early, she's only 9 days old developmentally. So does that mean I have another 6 weeks before I can even hope for things to get easier?

As for your pics, you somehow have to find a way to reduce their size. Maybe you could upload them into Photobucket and then upload them onto B&B. I think Photobucket compresses the size of the pics automatically.

 

[Allie84]

Hearty, first all, big to you. Sleep deprivation makes everything harder! I remember very well. About breast feeding, my breasts would feel empty but would still have milk. That's normal. I know you're worried about supply, though, and the bad news about supply is that the baby has to feed in the middle of the night for optimum boost of milk supply. There's something about those middle of the night feedings, like between 1-4 am, that boosts your prolactin significantly for the following day, or so I was told. So even with a night nurse and supplementing I would try to nurse her in the middle of the night at least once if I were you. How often do you get breast feeding support? I went to a drop in BFing support group at least once a week at my hospital for the first few months and I learned soooooooo much about how to make breast feeding work better. We sat around and all nursed and it was just such a good support those first few months. I would defniitely recommend going to one if you can.

About sleeping, I don't have much advice about reflux, and every baby is different, but I hope the swing works! Alistair used to love his bouncer and fall right asleep but was meh about his swing. At night for the first 6 months we had a bassinet next to the bed and it was good because I could reach over and rest my hand on Alistair when he needed help going back to sleep but I could still be laying down in bed dozing. I'm assuming you've tried most things though and of course I know everything's different with reflux and I luckily didn't have to experience that.

Hang in there...like Sassy said, it does get rapidly easier.

Lucy, yeah, I have to always reduce my pics and it's annoying. Photobucket is a good site!

Alistair is also a member of the small baby club. This weekend we had another family reunion and I had someone comment on him being small for his age. He's small but perfectly formed!

 

[heart tree]

Thanks Allie! I did all the feeds last night and it didn't help at all. Unfortunately, she doesn't get enough from the breast at any time of day. She will feed for a long time then fall asleep at the breast. The second I take her off she cries and roots around like a mad woman. Then I'll pump and there's not much there. I don't mind doing the night feedings if it didn't take an hour to feed her only to have her still hungry. Then give her a bottle and hold her upright. It's so frustrating and leaves no time for sleep. I'm lucky if I pump an ounce each session these days. I'm not sure if she has a latch issue. I am working with a lactation consultant, but she's flaky. I know there is a support group. I'll check it out. I may try a new consultant too. Two things I'm thinking about are clipping her tongue tie and taking meds to increase my prolactin and my milk supply. I'm just not convinced she has a tongue tie though.

I've tried putting her in the co-sleeper with my hand on her, but she hates being in it because of the reflux. Argh! I'll try anything at this point. Tonight I need to sleep though. She's getting some bottles. I cried all day today, I was so tired. Luckily, Tim got a lot of sleep last night so has the energy to stay up with her.

How big is Alistair?

 

[jenny25]

Hi girls how are we ?

Think I've started loosing some of my plug I was havin contractions thus and Friday and starts having some mild period cramps last night and this morning so who knows what's going on but I'm booked in for elective c section two weeks on Friday if I don't go on my own xxx

 

[Sassy_TTC]

Sass I ordered a swing and am waiting for it to be delivered. I hope she likes it! She loves movement and the vibrating bouncy doesn't seem to be enough for her. Sass, you bottle feed, right? How much and how often do you feed Zac? Delilah loves sleeping on her side, only if she is pressed up against me. I get so nervous that she's going to stop breathing that I can't relax and sleep myself!

Lucy, thanks for sharing. It really does help to know I'm not alone. I can't imagine feeding her every hour. When did you sleep? It's so encouraging to hear how far you've come. One of the things that confuses me is that she is already 7 weeks old. But since she was early, she's only 9 days old developmentally. So does that mean I have another 6 weeks before I can even hope for things to get easier?

As for your pics, you somehow have to find a way to reduce their size. Maybe you could upload them into Photobucket and then upload them onto B&B. I think Photobucket compresses the size of the pics automatically.

I hope the swing arrives soon and is a hit with Delilah!

Yeh I've bottle fed since 6 weeks as Zac has a milk intolerance, I tried cutting out dairy but it didn't work. Zac has 4-5 bottles per day of 5-6ozs, he'll always take his bottles in 2 sitting within an hour though! He sleeps 19:30-5 every night now though!

Personally I'd let delilah sleep wherever she's comfortable, have you got a sensor mat? I couldn't live without mine, I was a nervous wreck with Lilly, thankfully I haven't been as bad with Zac! Have you tried sleeping her on her side with a rolled up blanket in front of her and behind her to stop her rolling forward plus it'll help her to feel snuggly, my friends lil girl (who was prem and tiny) would never sleep anywhere but on them so they put her on a beanbag, not advisable but you have to do what it takes!

I promise you it will get so much easier and you'll forget how hard it ever was! I'm a massive routine freak and couldn't recommend starting bedtime routine enough! I'm nap training Zac ATM, and to some mums I probably sound like a harsh bitch but it keeps me sane and I honestly think its good for babies! Poppy has always slept like an angel, she even asks to go for a nap now!!

 

[vickyd]

Hearty sorry i couldnt reply earlier, we are on holiday at the beach house and have limited internet time.
As you know i didnt manage to breastfeed Hero at all. Apart from some drops of colostrum my milk never came through. I pumped every hour for 3 weeks and never got more than 10 ml each time. I gave up and went to bottle feeding as i was just so tired from lack of sleep and emotionally feeling like a failure all day. I sopke to two lactation consultants one of which was really hardcore who insisted that if i keep at it the milk will come; The second one said that it does happen quite often that some women produce little or no milk. It could just be due to severe stress or something pathological. When i discussed this with my fathers cousins in the village they said that it was common in the old days and thats why if one woman had alot of milk she would feed all the babies in the village. That or they would milk donkeys haha!! Apparently donkey milk is the closest to human milk!!
Reflux...hmmmm...I had a terrible time with Hero's reflux for over 8 months! Mind you she had severe reflux which as you remember put her in hospital after a choking incident. I like sass made sure she slept on her side when in her cot which was also elevated. We did co-sleep alot, like 5 nights a week for ages. Personally i was never afraid of co-sleeping after doing tons of research into it. hero loved it and would sleep for 4-5 stretches. One other thing i found useful for reflux was feeding smaller amounts more times a day. Obviously this doesnt work if youre breastfeeding. At Delilah's age hero was eating 40-60 ml of milk every 3-4 hours.
Hero hated the swing, the bouncer, the pram and basically everything for the first 5 months and until she discovered the jumperoo. If you want to talk fussy babies hero defo would win first prize. I didnt even take her out for a coffee until she was like 13 months. She also slept much better as a newborn than she did after 4 months. The first time she slept more than 6 hours was when she turned 16 months. I cried almost every day for months. I find motherhood a challenge and i struggle daily. Having a career, being 37 and having a fussy baby and toddler is bloody hard. I would recommend you push the idea of working part time rather than getting a more demanding job. Trust me there is only so much one woman can take.

 

[Round2]

Oh wow, everyone has moved!

Allie, hope you got your bug situation figured out.

Vicky, post some pics!

Lucy, happy belated first birthday to Ben. It seems like yesterday that he was born. Can't believe how fast the year has gone by.

Jenny, so exciting! He'll be here before you know it!

Sassy, I find myself thinking of you often each day! Two kids under 1 year old. Now that is an olympic sport. I'm struggling with the two under 6 years old category.

Hearty, sorry you are struggling so much. This parenting thing is damn hard work! Bryce will only sleep in his stroller or if I nurse him in bed laying down. Even after he falls asleep I find he wakes up to check if I'm there or not! So it leads to a lot more co-sleeping than I would like. But as long as you are safe about it, I say do what you can to make it work.

I have to say, your perspective changes alot the second time around. I was so paranoid about starting bad habits like co-sleeping or nursing to sleep....but this time around it's all about survival! Maddy is awake at 7 am so I have no choice but to find any way I can to get him to sleep.

Speaking of which....Bryce is screaming his head off and Maddy is attempting to BF him again...but run....but will write more later.