Femmes Fetales - (PAL) Holding onto Hope 9 months and on...

[Amberyll23]

Hey everyone! We had a rather busy week, my first cousin passed away suddenly late last week (it was very sad, he led a very rough life of alcoholism and drugs, so was not totally a shock, but these things are never easy). so we have been trying to deal with that and getting back on schedule now that we are back in town.

Beth--CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME LITTLE SELAH FAITH!!!

So happy to hear that all is well and I wish you a very speedy recovery from your section!! I can't wait to see pictures of your little princess!!

Vix--Happy 5 months to Libby! I can't believe how fast our little ones are growing, where has the time gone? I hope things are getting better for your friend, such a horrible story, I continue to say prayers for her and her family. I just can't imagine what she is going through...

lil--glad to hear little Bryce is thriving!

bean--hope all is well with Nate!!

Anna--congrats on 3d trimester, not much longer for you now!!

Angela--do not worry hun, you are not alone in the co-sleeping category. Grace still sleeps with me at night. We start out upstairs in our bed then at 3 am she wakes up for a feed, and we end up falling asleep together downstairs on the couch! I used to stress about it and the fact that I can't seem to get her transitioned to her crib yet at night, but I have recently read some articles about co-sleeping that say it is not ALL bad, and actually can be beneficial for the baby's stress levels and self-esteem, so it gives me hope that I am not ruining her! I still plan on trying to get her settled in her own bed, I am just planning on doing it when we are both ready to do so.

Sparkle--so glad to hear that things are going so well with E! I hope her napping improves for you, but wow, excellent news on the night sleeping front!

milos-- sounds like you have a light sleeper on your hands! Daycare has encountered the same issues with Grace during the day, she doesnt seem to want to nap. They will rock her to sleep, but as soon as she is put down, she is awake, or if one of the other kids makes a noise, she is awake. They think she was having separation issues so had me bring in a T-Shirt that smelled like me, and that seems to have calmed her quite a bit. I am not sure what tricks to recommend--we always let her have her dummy (pacifier) when she wants it, and that helps her too, but I know you said you are trying to avoid having to use that all of the time. Is there any particular type of music he likes, if motion puts him to sleep, do you have a swing that you could put him in that rocks him? Our swing was a godsend and continues to be when Grace is fussy and wants constant rocking. We also use a heartbeat bear in her crib for naps, she seems to like that lulling sound. All I can think of offhand!

Shell--Hey hun! Hope you are well!

Grand--Hope things are improving for you with the nanny situation, been thinking of you!

Hello to everyone else!


AFM: We started to clean out the basement for Grace's playroom, and I have the go ahead from DH to order bookshelves, so that will clear out some much needed space! Grace is doing very well, she has had a lot of sinus related issues and a cough, I am hoping once this weather makes up its mind, that will help clear things up. She tends to get very stuffy at night, even with a humidifier in the room, poor dear. She also got an upset tummy after trying peaches the other night, so we are back to just rice at the moment. I think we will try bananas next, they are less acidic. She is also obsessed with Mickey Mouse, lol--every time I have that cartoon on the Ipad or TV, she stops everything and just STARES at him and starts flailing her arms around in excitement, lol. DH is not amused about the thought of having to make a Disney trip in the future, haha!

I hope all you ladies are well!!

 

[lilrojo]

Congrats beth on the birth of your little girl

 

[kizzyt]

Congratulations Beth!! Xx

G has a sickness bug it's 5.50am and she's in her 4th sleepsuit in 9 hours, docs for us in the morning. I am currently lying on her bedroom floor next to her on her mattress, I am on a folded up duvet just to keep an eye on her. She did have a good 7.5 hour sleep earlier so I am glad of that and she's been asleep now about 40 mins xx

 

[Amberyll23]

Kizzy-- to you and G. Grace and I are off to the doctors this afternoon as well. She has been up the last 2 nights with a horrible cough and daycare remarked about it yesterday, so we are headed to the docs to hopefully get her some relief. Hugs to our little bubbas, poor things.

 

[lilrojo]

Aww sorry to hear your babies are sick Kizzy and Amber.. hope they feel better soon..

 

[Beanwood]

Congrats to beth on the birth of your little girl.

Hi everybody.

Kizzy and Amber Oh No I hope that they get better soon. Poor little things.

Just a quick post also to say that Nates head is fine. It is measuring the same as 2 weeks ago and so they are happy with that. Said they would keep an eye on it though. So relieved.

XX

 

[sparkle]

Great news Bean!

Amber and Kizzy I'm sorry to hear your babies are sick. It's heartbreaking x

 

[shelleney]

Finally had time to catch up with you all.....

Vix - so sorry to hear about your friend, Its every Mum's worst nightmare, isn't it? It trully makes you appreciate what you have. And your friend very is lucky to have you there to support her. Praying for your friend and her family (and you).

Sparkle - thankyou so much for sharing your birth story with us. It was a fascinating read. And I love the pics of your little princess, she is so cute, and C looks like he is a great big brother! I have to say that I am so happy that you finally have the family of your dreams, after all the heartache you have been through. And well done Emilia on sleeping your Moses basket at night - clever girl!

Kizzy - sorry to hear that Georgina has not been very well lately, what with her cold last week, and her tummy bug this week. I hope she recovers very very soon.

Grand - sorry to hear transition with the Nanny wasnt going well last week. I hope things have started improving this week. Remember, you are not a bad Mom, you are a wonderful Mom, who only wants the best for her son. Things will get better, Im sure. Big hugs to you.

Amber - aww, your poor family being struck down with a terrible flu bug. Hope you are all feeling better now. I really enjoyed your new photos of Grace. She really is a cutie! and she seems to be enjoying her first taste of solids. sorry to hear your cousin passed away. Big hugs to you and your family. And I did smile at the thought of Grace being obsessed with Mickey Mouse!

Lil - glad to hear Bryce is doing so well, and that McKenna is loving her little brother. Congrats on being 4lbs off your pre-preg weight, thats amazing! Thanks for sharing the pic of Bryce - she is a handsome chap!

Bean - great news that Nate's testicle was visible on the scan, and that it should be a simple procedure to retrieve it. And its brilliant that he doesnt have a hernia at all. I love the photos of him in the bath and sleeping.

Neffie - wow, can't believe Coco is a month old already! time is flying! isnt it a pain when they want feeding every 90 minutes? you cant go anywhere or do anything. But im sure Coco will start going longer between feeds soon.

Anna - woohoo, 3rd tri already! time is going so fast, your little girl will be here before you know it! glad to hear you are starting to feel better and that the osteopath and accupuncturist are helping you. keep in touch.

Angela - good to hear from you. great news that Naomi is doing so well. Any pics for us?

Milos - sorry to hear you are struggling with Callums eating, sleeping and napping. If he is going 3-4 hours between feeds and gaining weight, he must be getting all the milk he needs. The sleeping issues sound much harder to solve. I am going through the exact same thing with Freya (awake 3-4 times every night, refusing to nap when out+about) so if you need to talk, you know where I am...

Hi to everyone else

AFM: Freya and I are home from our 2 weeks working away. It great to be home, back with OH, and not having to work so hard! Its lovely to see OH and Freya together, they have such a special relationship. Freya went on 2 playdates last week - one with an 11 week old baby called Lola, and one with a 2 week old baby called Gabriella (my best friend's baby). Freya looked so grown-up compared to the younger babies! I love my girl so much!!

xx

 

[Amberyll23]

Just a quick update on Miss Grace--she had the beginnings of an ear infection in one ear and she did have some congestion which the doctor said is common for infants this time of year (with the weather)--she may also be showing early signs of childhood asthma (which I had, giving her a 40% chance of developing it), but too soon to tell. We went home with two prescriptions--antibiotics and an inhaler with a breathing contraption/mask. She also got a breathing treatment at the doctors. She already looks and acts like she is feeling much better!

Bean--So happy to hear that Nate's head is fine! phew!! Is it starting to reshape as well? Grace's doctor told me that from us putting her on the other side of her head for sleeping, she can already see improvement. I hope Nate is the same!

Shell--so glad you and Freya are back home with DH/Daddy! I bet you are exhausted (both of you!) and hope you get some much deserved rest!! I think it is great that Freya is becoming a Daddy's Girl--there truly is a special bond little girls develop with their daddies, and it is so precious (even though Grace's bond with daddy at the moment is making silly faces and raspberries!)

Grand--how are you and Indy doing hun? I've been thinking of you a lot, please let us know how you are doing when you can!

Neffie--any 1 month pics you are up to sharing?

Kizzy--How is G doing today?

Vix--saw your pics on FB of the little memorial, my heart still bleeds for your friend, much love and hugs sent your way.

Sparkle, Lil, Angela, Milos, Beth, Anna, Imp, Samb!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

[kizzyt]

Hey girls, hope you are all well. Quick update on G, she is still being sick/runny nappies so we took her to a&e this afternoon just to get her checked out. Her temp hit 39.7 last night but today her hands and feet wereblue!! Her skin has gone flakey and dry from lack of fluids anyway they were happy that she is not too dehydrated and have advises diralyte only until her tummy settles, I am having to syringe it in tho as she won't drink it. She's so tired and tearful it's horrible

 

[grandbleu]

Beth - Congratulations and welcome beautiful Selah Faith (gorgeous name!)!

Kizzy - You poor thing and little Georgie...I hope she gets better very soon...sick babies are so hard.

Amber - Glad you are figuring out what is wrong with wee Grace and she seems happier already with treatment. Do you clear her nose out (saline solution - suction?) we have to do this everyday/night for Indy as he gets quite stuffy as well. He hates it but it really helps.

Shell - I thought you were off work??? Was this the student that you were taking care of in his house? Must have been tiring -what a great teacher and caregiver you are! That's so cool that Freya has little friends already.

Bean - Yippee to Nate's head being perfectly fine...sometimes I think babes have growth spurts and when they get weighed/measured to often it just causes more worry...so happy that everything turned out well in the end.

Sparkle - You make having a 2nd baby sound so great..the transition seems to be going so smoothly for you and Emilia! You're making think maybe a 2nd won't be as hard as I'm thinking.

Milos - I'm thinking that your Callum is going through the 4 month sleep regression/growth spurt combo. Indy behaved weirdly for a week...eating all the time and not sleeping well...I felt like I had a newborn again but it ended just as fast as it started...Hope that helps! Just be patient.

AFM: Thanks all for asking about me and Indy...well we went to the ER as well (A&E)...seems to be popular here... Indy woke up coughing and sputtering and not being able to breath - his lips turned blue and he fainted...it was really scary...by the time we got to the ER though he was all cute and giggly so they of course think we are crazy but in the end he just had a build up of phlegm that he couldn't get out because he's just a baby and we have to use saline drops 5 times a day to thin out his mucous...I'm glad nothing was seriously wrong. As for the nanny things are still going horribly wrong... he is literally crying the whole time he is with her except for feeding and sleeping. I feel incredibly guilty for both creating an attached child and for making him suffer so much. We are going to try one more week but if there is no improvement at all I've decided I'm going to have to quit my job...I don't want to but Indy comes first and a job is nothing compared to him. Any suggestions are welcome about how to make this transition better? The nanny is sweet but even she has her limits.

 

[neffie]

Bean - So glad to hear that Nate's head is A ok!

Sparkle - Glad to hear that Emilia is doing good. Yay on the eating & sleeping well. Any updated pictures to share with us?

Milos - Sorry to hear that Callum is going through a rough patch. It sounds like he's going through a growth spurt. I concur with what Amber said...have you tried using a swing, or a sleep sheep that makes soothing sounds? Hope things get better soon!

Shell - Glad to have you back. Hope all went well during the 2 weeks away from home. I bet the little boy's parents were thrilled to have you take care of him while they were away. Sounds like Freya had a ball on her playdates.

Angela - Good to hear from you. Sounds like Naomi is doing well. Keep in touch.

Amber - Sorry to hear about Grace's ear infection. That's great that she's already feeling better. Also, sorry to hear about your cousin's passing away. Moments like that are never easy.

p.s. Question for you on the fenugreek since you said it helped your milk production. I'm assuming you started taking it once you went back to work? If you don't mind me asking, what were you getting per pumping session before vs after you starting using it? I've started pumping a bit at home to build a freezer stash, and was wondering how much it's helped.

Kizzy - Awww, poor Georgina. Hope she feels better soon.

Grand - Happy 5 months Indy! Sorry to hear that daycare is not going well. But don't blame yourself for it. You're doing everything you can to make it a smooth transition. I really hope things sort themselves out soon, so you don't have to quit your job. But I totally see why you would go that route if things don't get better. Our babies come first!

to everyone else.

AFM, I'm almost half way through my maternity leave, booooo!! It absolutely stinks, and I think about it every single day... We still haven't found a daycare for Coco...we're going to check out a couple of reputable ones next week close to where I work, so I hope we have a favorable solution soon.

In other news, Coco's 1 month check up went well. Her growth spurt hit new levels the last couple of days where she was basically eating every 30-45 minutes during the day. She's still sleeping well at night waking up 2-3 times at most when she's hungry (knock on wood). She's still in her pack n play in our room, and we're talking about moving her into the crib in her room soon. We'll see how that shapes up. Right now, we've still got her in the swaddle or else she just moves around too much and wakes herself up. We also use the sleep sheep religiously, and it's pretty much on most of the night. I hope that doesn't turn into a crutch later on. For the ladies who are using one, how do you guys handle usage?

Here are some recent pics of ma belle!

 

[lilrojo]

Hugs Grand.. sorry to hear things are not improving with the nanny... no tips here on helping though as im a sahm.. hope they sort out soon.. how is the ntnp for number 2 been going.. do you even get time lol.. happy 5 months to indy

Neffie-coco is just beautiful.. girls are so fun to dress up in the bows and such.. Cant believe she is one month already.. time is going so fast.. my lo will be a month soon too.. ekks..

Hope everyone else is well.. havent read back sorry.. will try to tomorrow..

 

[Beanwood]

Hi all

Grand I am so sorry that this is happening. That is very stressful. I don't realy know what to say hun. You havent created an attached child hun, its not anything that you have done. Is there anything you can do with work like working less days, or hours in a day so that the time is less. I am sure that you have gone thtrough everything though so sorry if I am making stupid suggestions. The only experince i have had which is diffenent is cause its my middle child is when he started nursery. He started nursery in september and would spend the whole morning cryng and saying that he didn't want to go. He would then cry when I left him. They did say that he was fine when he was there though. Anyway 2 weeks ago he started to go in on his own and has stopped crying. I know he is older and that i could talk to him and explain, not that he listened though as he was inconolable some days. The only thing that has changed is time and that he is settled. I don't know how much more you can take though and so if you need to then giving up work may be the answer. XX Sorry no help hun.

Neffie - coco is just adorable.

Amber and Kizzy - I hope that your little ones are feeling better.

Shell - phew I bet that you are glad that you are back at home.

Lil, sparkle, milo, beth, sam, imp... Hope that you are all good.

Little Nate is just ace. He is so funny, so smiley.... Only waking once a night which is brill.

Hope you all have a good weekend. XX

 

[shelleney]

Amber - Aww poor Grace with her ear infection, congestion and asthma. She really has been suffering. Glad to hear she is feeling much better now though. And how cute to hear that Grace and your DH are bonding using silly faces and blowing raspberries!

Kizzy - Aww, poor little Georgie! Bless her! Isnt it awful when our babies are poorly. We would do anything to make them better, and we cant. Its heartbreaking. I hope the Diralyte sachets start working for her. Big hugs to you and your DH too.

Grand - You're right, I am off work from my official job. But I meant that I was working away, looking after the little lad from my school. So sorry to hear you had to take Indigo down to ER the other night. How awful! Its must have been so so scary when Indy was struggling to breathe and fainting. Glad to hear that the saline drops are working for him now though. And Im trully sorry that things are still not going well with the Nanny. I hope you do not have to give up work, but obviously if its the only option, you have to do whats best for your son. My only suggestion would be - could you change your hours so that you and your DH are working opposite hours? So that you can care for Indy when DH is at work, and DH can care for Indy when you are at work? It may not be a feasible possibility, but I just thought Id throw it out there.

Neffie - Aww, Coco is so gorgeous! Can't believe Coco is only 1 month old, and you are already half way through your maternity leave. Thats so sad. I hope you manage to find a suitable daycare soon. Bless her, moving into her own bedroom already. Big girl!

Lil - Hi Hun. Hope you and Bryce are well.

Bean - How wonderful that Nate is only waking up once a night. Lucky you! And its lovely that he is so happy and smiley.

AFM: We bought Freya a Fisherprice Jumperoo, and a highchair yesterday. She is too small for the Jumperoo at present, but we are putting cushions down underneath her feet so she can push off. She also loves her new highchair, but only because she knows it means food-time! She loves her Rusks mixed with milk. And she is now starting to refuse both breast and bottle - in the hope that I will offer her Rusks instead! She is one crafty lady!!

xx

 

[Amberyll23]

Happy Sunday Ladies!

kizzy--aww hun, huge hugs to you and G, , I am so sorry that she is still feeling poorly. I hope that the medication starts to work!

Grand--I am so sorry to hear that things still aren't going well with the Nanny situation. I wish I had words of wisdom to share. One thing that they (the daycare) told me was really important when I first started dropping Grace off was to try and not be anxious around her when dropping her off, apparently they can sense when we are anxious or nervous or worried for them (or for us!). It was really hard the first couple of weeks. Another thing that they had me do last week when Grace was having a hard time, is they had me bring in one of my T-shirts that I wear at home, and they give it to her when she starts to fuss, because it smells like me--I thought they were crazy, but it really worked! She calms down and snuggles up to it when they give it to her, they told me that a momma's smell will calm a baby down as our smell is comforting to them--maybe try something like that? I really hope things start to improve, it is not easy, and I totally understand your decision to stay at home if need be, we have to do what is best for our children, they come first. Don't think for a second that this is anything you did, all children suffer from separation anxiety at some point. and to you both!

Wow, what a scare having to go to the ER, I am so glad to hear everything turned out ok! And yes, we have to suction Grace constantly, especially at night and early in the am when she wakes up. Part of the reason she was so congested is that all the mucus was draining down her throat, causing it to become aggravated (thus the cough) and settling in her chest. The pediatrician said this is common with babies this time of year, it is nothing we did. The breathing treatment (inhaler) is really doing wonders for her, even though she hates it! And the antibiotics are clearing up the ear infection, she is a much happier baby this weekend then she has been over the past week!

Happy 5 months to your little man!

Neffie--Coco is absolutely adorable and precious, thank you so much for sharing the pictures! I especially love the one in the towel, just too cute! I am sorry to hear you are still not settled into finding a daycare, keeping my fx'd for you, and also hoping that the second half of your leave goes by slowly for you so you can enjoy every precious moment you can with Coco!

On the fenugreek--I got 2 bottles at GNC and I take 2 capsules 3x a day. It took a few days for me to kick in (although they say for some ladies it ups production right away), but once it did, I get anywhere from 3-4 extra ounces of milk production in my morning pump, and an extra 1-2 ounces in my 2 daytime and evening pumps, which has translated into 2-3 more 4 oz bottles per day, which has been a godsend as it enabled me to keep up with Grace (I had exhausted my frozen stash of milk, and am just now starting to be able to build it back up).

Production: Before I started taking the fenugreek, I was getting 10 oz in my morning pump and I now get 13-14 oz, and my afternoon and evening pumps were giving me 5-6 oz and I now get 7-8, sometimes even 9 oz. on those pumps. My recommendation, if you want to keep her exclusively on breastmilk as long as you can, is to start the fenugreek sooner rather than later, I wish now that I had started before I went back to work, I was shocked at how much my production went up in just a week's time!

lil--wow, I cant believe little Bryce is almost 1 month old already!!

Bean--excellent news on Nate's sleeping, I am jealous!! Glad to hear he is doing so well!!

Shell-- Aww, I hope you share some pics of Freya in her jumperoo!! I just love seeing pictures of babies in those, they are always smiling and cooing in them, and your Freya is such a smiley baby, I bet the pictures are going to be Fab!! And what a clever girl knowing the high chair= dinnertime!! We are actually going to be setting Grace's chair up this evening and get it ready for her use. Right now we feed her in her bumbo chair, but I want to transition her soon to the high chair so she learns the difference between play and food!

AFUs: Grace has spoken her very first word!! Yes, at only 4 1/2 months! For the past several weeks, DH and I have been saying "Huggie" and "Hockey" to her while changing her (the huggie came about while changing her with a huggies diaper, and of course DH is an avid hockey fan, so he changed it to Hockey). We have had her saying "ghee" for about 3 weeks now, and DH has been spending a lot of 1 on 1 facetime with her at night while I am cooking dinner just talking to her. One thing about Grace is she is a VERY observant baby, she will just sit and stare at you talking or doing a task, and even the teachers at daycare have remarked how she will just watch the older kids, and you can see the wheels turning in her head trying to figure out how she can do what they are doing!

Well, last night, while 1 on 1 with DH, I hear my beautiful little girl say "Haahkghee!"--not once, but THREE times!! I almost died!! Even DH was shocked! So over the moon that she has already said a word, but Hockey?!!? haha, too funny!

We also went to a baby depot type store around her yesterday, they had an up to 70% off sale, and I was able to find the Pen Perego P3 stroller that I have been eyeing for over a year now at half price!! So now Grace will be styling when we start our walks together this spring!!

So all in all, it has been a fabulous weekend!! Sorry for the long post!

 

[lilrojo]

Love ur new ticker amber

 

[shelleney]

Wow! Well done Grace on your first word!
Aww, Amber, sounds like you had a magical weekend. Great news on the stroller too. Did you manages to get the highchair set up? What did Grace think of it?
I promise I will post some piccies of Freya in her Jumperoo and highchair later this week - and yes, they are very smiley photos!
Also, I know the info was aimed at neffie, but thanks for your post about Fenugreek. I want to increase my milk production, so I will be going to buy some capsules at the weekend.

xx

 

[shelleney]

Oops, sorry double post
xx

 

[lilrojo]

Hope everyone is doing well.. Bryce is sleeping so trying to catch up and yes its almost midnight lol.. Bryce is changing so much.. he is growing so fast.. in size one diapers now lol.. still in newborn clothes though.. eating 3oz every 3-4 hours.. staying up more and alert.. and starting to move around more instead of just lay there.. its great..

I love love love being a mom of 2.. best thing in the world.. cant belive he is going to be a month already.. ticker says tomorrow as he will be 4 weeks but i say the 15th.. time is going too fast..

Cant wait to see your pics shell.. bet they are great.. i too need to post some new ones.. so here is one.. ..