--Lion Cubs - Mummy and Baby Group!-- We are all One Year Old!

[rubyrose]

Hi girls!! I promise i will reply to everyone later i have a quick question!!

ANyone on child tax credits?? I've started receiving the payment but i despetly need the letter for proof for housing benefit! How long did it take for you to get yours|??

 

[ashnbump]

Hi girls!! I promise i will reply to everyone later i have a quick question!!

ANyone on child tax credits?? I've started receiving the payment but i despetly need the letter for proof for housing benefit! How long did it take for you to get yours|??

hey hun i get tax credits, and it took me about 4 weeks to get my award notice from them, i kept ringing and ringing as i needed it to apply for the sure start before kara got to 3 months old! Eventually got it anyway, it just takes forever!!x

 

[gwiff]

Hi girls, I'm sorry I havent relpied for so so so long or been giving out advice. I don't come on here as much as I used to in the early days, but I really would appreciate some advice.
I getting a bit worried about Tomos. He's turning into a right grump!! I keep reading about how 10 week old babies should be rolling around and grabbing on to things and giggling etc but all he wants to do is sleep and getting him to sleep is a nightmare because all he does is cry, stretch and whinge! He barely smiles at us anymore, stretches almost constantly and cries all the time he's awake. He shows no interest in toys although he does focus on things so I'm not worried about his eyesight. He will hold his head up fine and lift it really well if he's on someone's chest but if we put him on his belly on the changing mat or on the floor, he'll manage to only lift it a tiny bit before crying again. He just seems really unhappy!! I took him to Tesco and even though for the first time he stayed awake, he looked so miserable.
He's definately sometimes getting teething pains because he munches at his hands and is dribbling and blowing bubbles a lot. (his father had his first tooth through at 3 months).
Do you think it's anything to worry about that he's not more interactive, or do you think he's just going through a phase? Maybe I just have a very laid back baby!!
Sorry about the long post, but I'm feeling a bit down and worried this afternoon. I've put a few toys on the floor, but he took no notice until he was back in his bouncy chair and fallen asleep again!!
btw - he sleeps well in the night even though he sleeps for most of the day. He goes to bed at 7.30, wakes at 1 for a feed, anoth feed at 5 and the I wake him to dress and feed him at 8. He's also in his own room.

 

[Aunty E]

Hi all! Had our six week check, where I was very brave and refused to have Imogen vaccinated against TB - in the UK it's normally done at 12 or 13, but the area in London where we live has a high rate of TB (comparable to parts of India). HOWEVER we don't mix with our neighbours, we don't go to mum and baby groups, in fact we don't leave the house except to go for walks or to visit friends (not in Hackney) and we're moving soon (FINALLY!) so I really didn't want her to have a painful injection that would result in a painful scab that she isn't old enough to keep from knocking on things unnecessarily. If it turns out that our new GP thinks she should have it, then I'll have it, but I'm not having it just because she's been born in Hackney. And breathe.

Imogen now weighs 10lb 4oz, which is fab from 7lb 4oz at birth. We're still exclusively breast feeding (so dull, so very very dull) and now using terries all the time, including at night It's so easy just doing an extra wash every two days and dumping the dirties in the nappy bucket, as we're dry pailing. They don't come out snowy white, but who cares? She's going to POO IN THEM. Not eat off them. They smell lovely and clean anyway. I take sposies when I go to parties with her (not that often, don't worry), and since she was born, including the time in hospital, we've used 60 nappies.

She's still in her newborn stuff, but not wearing any of the tiny baby clothes anymore. None of her 0-3 stuff fits yet, even though she weighs a fair bit and is in cloth nappies, so has a fat bum. In a disposable nappy, she still fits into tiny baby clothes. Still, I've always being surprisingly heavy for a well-proportioned gal (pre-baby I was over 11 stone, 5'2" and a size twelve) so maybe she has inherited my bones of lead. I'm so looking forward to getting her into some of the clothes I made for her, but they're all miles too big yet

No kind of routine established for us - sometimes she sleeps for six hours and other times she wants feeding every ninety minutes. My latest great discovery is the moby wrap - I made one myself (5.5m of cotton jersey, chopped in half lengthways is exactly the same as a Moby wrap, and about a third of the cost) - and madam adores going out in it, and often stays asleep at home in it too More truly hands-free than the ring sling, although my silk ring sling is much easier to stuff into a changing bag, and my OH finds the ring sling easier to manage.

I do not think I'm pregnant again I'm straight back onto Cerazette, as am worried that I may be crazy fertile. We've been using condoms up until now, yuk yuk yuk yuk. But rather that than back to back babies, not for me at all thank you, I'm not brave enough. It's a bit wierd doing the deed with a baby in the room, but thankfully she's a heavy sleeper once she's off. Looking forward to her sleeping through the night soon so she can go into her own room though.

Anyway, enough blabber from me!

 

[Vici]

Hi girls, bit of a better update from me seeing as daddy is feeding Imi

Aunty E - good to hear from you hun, and glad the terries are going so well and goos on you for standing your ground re her TB You are by far the best person to decide about your daughter Well done on her weight gain too, thats fab

Gwiff - sorry hun, I can't offer any advice as i'm not sure but have you spoken to your health visitor about Tomos? maybe she could offer you some advice

Shiv - glad you enjoyed your trip out What did you think of the film? Thats what we saw last night, I thought it was great DF also really liked it

grumpymoo - Thats fab news about Rose taking the bottle. Bet you can't wait to have a bit of a break

Shadow - on your EPIOC. I bet it feels like a whole new world of freedom Enjoy it I bet Vince will love it, my mums BF has a manual chair and both my neices have grown up being scooted around on his lap and they LOVE it Skys now 6 and runs herslf round in it (just has a habit of leaving it in the next room which is a struggle seeing as Chris is paraplegic!! )

Carter - hope you all have a fab time on your first family holiday

costgang - Glad Josh was OK with his jabs

Kaygeebee - thanks for your congrats hun Its all very exciting Sorry to hear about Owen rash. Imi gets one too but she is a really hot baby!! The HV called it "baby rash" Well done on your BF, thats a fab weight gain

MJ - hope Adams app went well today. I know we were told on Imis test that newborns often fail and need retesting. Imi passed her first but has to go for a repeat test next week as she was in SCBU for more than 48 hours

ash - thats fab news about Kara's weight Sorry to hear about her cold tho, seems lots of our LOs have the same thing bless them Yay for your new house, good luck with moving x

Cleck - lovely to "see" you hun and to hear all is well. Well done on the BFing

As for us - We had our 6 week check today and all was well with both of us. We have decided we're going to use the hormone free coil so having an app with the lady doc in 2 weeks to discuss it (she won't put them in till she has talked through them with you) and my doc has said he'd rather I wait till 10-12 weeks because of the infection I had in my wound in hospital. He said I should get my inital consultant app re. my gall bladder opp pretty soon and as Imi is no longer having my milk it will make the op quicker Imi was all OK

We're on cloth all day now and its going really well. Had last night in cloth too and although it was by accident (my mum put her in a bamboo tots bots and she stayed in it all night) so think we might try again tonight

Also went and registered her birth today so can get the CB and CTC sorted

Well I'm off to get ready to go out. DF has arranged with my sis to come over so we can go to the pub for dinner He is babysitting with sis's OH bless him

 

[ShadowRat]

Hey guys One-handed here so might be short and messy hahaha

Moo, EPIOC = electrically powered indoor outdoor chair (electric wheelchair) LOVELY to hear youre soooo in love with little Rose, I feel the same of course, I melt whenever vince smiles at me (more often now! ) but did take me a little bit to bond properly with him (maybe cos of my nightmare hospital stay!?) Sounds like Rose is doing really well still, so well done

(OK, Vincent in his chair so I have both hands now!!)

Shiv, you took Sophia to the cinema? Sounds cool! I don't think I could be that brave! But we're thinking of going to see "Up" when it comes out, although Grandma or granny will be babysitting for that!

Ruby, took us about 3 weeks I think for the CTC, but we were already getting Housing Benefit (cos of my disability stuff) so we didn't have the annoying wait for the paperwork so much. At least you will get backpayments!

gwiff, I feel for you sweetie, it's so easy to worry about that stuff isn't it? But maybe I can set your mind at rest somewhat, Vince doesn't roll over at ALL yet, and he is only just starting to hold onto toys if we put them in his hands, but will not reach or grab for anything yet. He's not laughing at all either, and can't lift his head more than a teeny bit from lying on his belly. And although he has been full of smiles for a couple of days recently, he did go through a proper miserable period: I even posted about it in the baby forum. All I can say is talk to your HV for some ideas, try to be patient and he will grow out of it!! As for the development and interaction, we're keen for Vince to reach those milestones too, but he hasn't just yet... Every baby is different, and I'm sure Vince and Tomos will both be there very soon I'm sure the miserable period will end soon for you, with Vince it ended fairly quickly and things started to get more enjoyable. I hope that comes for you soon Please don't get down honey! Hope you're ok xxx

Aunty E, sounds like Imogen is doing fabulously We're loving our terries now too, but we are using bamboo and it's off-white anyway, so I haven't noticed any kind of stains or discolouration! They smell so good and feel so soft when theyve been freshly cleaned, I looove putting them on him! He's growing out of his wraps really quickly though, I need to buy bigger ones! What wraps are you using? Do you use cotton terries? Do you boost them up at all at night or is she fine in them as they are? Can't wait to see some pics of Imogen in the cuuute rompers you made her, hope she grows into them soon!!

Vici, glad the 6 week check was all fine for you both Are you mostly using the itti bitti nappies? How many tots bots do you have? What's your favourite at the moment? Hope you have fun at the pub


As for cloth at night, tonight is going to be our first attempt at that, I bought a Pop-In nappy by Close Parent having been advised in the Natural Parenting forum here on BnB that it's a decent nappy for night times! Hoping for a leak-free night!! Vince slept for 11 and a half hours last night with me getting up only 3 times in total to pop his dummy in and resettle him Went out with my new wheels earlier, we all took the dog to the park and I'm already a pro with my groovy new chair hehe! It was great that OH didn't have to lug me around in my creaky old manual chair, and I felt so free, it was lovely Vince's routine is sort of in between things at the moment which is a bit weird: We thought we wanted him to feed at 9am ish, then 1pm ish, 5pm ish and 9pm ish then bed, but he seems to want more than that, so each day is a bit different and its messing up his bedtime a little bit... I know everyone says feed on demand etc. and that babies aren't gonna just blindly follow a routine, but we really like how settled he is at bedtimes and dont want to ruin that, so we really try to give him last feed and bed at 9pm. So if he's feeding every 4 hours then his first feed in the morning should be at 9am to fit with that, but often he wakes at more like 7, so the whole day is off... It turns into 7am, 11am, 3pm then a bit of a mess in the evening cos we would like it to be 8:30ish bathtime then feed then bed 9ish, but if he feeds at 3pm then it's either 7pm (like tonight) and then we don't know whether to put him to bed or keep him up till at least 10pm for a late bath and feed and bed... I know it must sound silly, but we're keen to get his bedtime to a set time at least, and the rest of the day can work around that. He always sleeps well at night now, so I'm not so worried about keeping his feeds spaced out as much as possible like I did in the early days, so we might end up feeding him every 3 hours during the day instead (meaning 5 daytime feeds and no night feed) so it'd be more like 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, bath then last feed and bed at 9pm...

Oh, I don;t know!! But he is fussy fussy tonight so I gotta go figure out what to do with him!!! Hope everyone is well Lovely to have almost everyone here now, hope Jai Jai is able to join us soon, I know she is in the early stages still so has a lot of settling to do Wishing her all the best with Adriana!

Love to all

Shadow xxx

 

[costgang]

how do you guys remember who has written to reply to everyone in your replies? i cant remember what ive just read never mind like 6 or 7 people

 

[gwiff]

Thanks for the replies girls. I was just having a panicky moment.

Typically about half an hour after I wrote the post, he woke up all happy!!

He interacted with the lion toy next to his changing mat, gurgling at it and even tried grabbing for it, gave me loads of smiles and stayed awake for two whole hours. And when I put him into his new polly magic highchair, he didn't cry, but instead focused on the toy on top so I could make supper whilst talking to him! He was even happy and awake when his daddy came home - he hasn't been awake for him in a while!!

Feel much better now and a little embarassed for being so silly.

 

[Sam_Star]

:wave: Hello everyone im trying my best to do a super catch up because i've missed you all so much!!!

Vici :- Congrats on your sisters news i bet you are all over the moon! Hmmm the hormone free coil ay?? Tell me more....

Kaygeebee :- Wow at 10lb 6oz!! Elinor was born the same day just an ounce lighter and she weighed 8lb 9oz last friday! (yes im a lil jealous lol)

Costgang :- So glad that Josh was okay with his jabs thats one part im dreading!!

Mr & Mrs carter :- Your more than welcome to pop in for a coffee if your passing my neck of the woods x
Hope you have an amazing time x

Shadow :- FAB news on the EPIOC!! That should make life a little easier for you hun xx although you are a superstar anyway!!

Grumpymoo :- Great news on the bottle!! And brill weight gain too! Hope you get your bath!!!

Shiv :- So pleased that you had a good time! Im thinking of going to see toy story but im not sure if i will take Elinor!

RR :- I recieved my letter about a week after recieving the money xx

Gwiff :- My little guy went a bit grumpy but then he soon came around and as for the head lifting did you have any help giving birth?? im really sorry for my ignorance i just forget sooo easily xx

Aunty E :- I sooo know where your coming from on the baby in the room thing we did it for the first time since Elin came home last night and i was soo worried!!

AFM
Well Elinor is being a little angel and taking up to 100mls at each feed (every 3 hours) and last night she slept for 8 solid hours i could not believe my luck!! Although Dj still had me up 3 times little bugger lol! I have my 6 week check next week and im pretty nervous i've had some 'issues' that i wont disgust you with and i have a terribly funny feeling that im going to need a D&C
Also i went to bingo last night and came home to the kiddies in bed and the house spotless bless my Darren!!

Sorry if i missed anyone i love you all and miss posting everyday!!

P.s Cleck Elin never did fit her newborn clothes (she was 2 and a half weeks when she first got to wear anything mind you!) and she is now in 3-6 month babygrows!! She is very tall bless her!!

 

[Sam_Star]

Costgang i just typed my reply into notepad then copied and pasted when i was done hahaha im such a cheat!!

 

[MollyApple]

Hello all! Hope you are all loving mommyhood. to all those with unwell babies or not well themselves.

Well... OMG... I have just spent two days reading through all the posts from page 1, yesterday I was watching the post count go up with every page I read in alarm, I had to stop at page 40 to go to bed! Its strange how in pregnancy this site was such a lifeline and I'd check it a hundred times a day! Now... but its been really lovely to read all your updates, I picked up a few handy bits of info too and its been interesting to watch topics change!

So about Jorja (JP) and me. Its gonna be a long post so I'll highlight the keywords and you can dip in and read whatever is of interest.

The beginning - We had a pretty fantastic birth experience, a suite at RBH in Reading with the birthpool and what looked like a hotel room! The labour went really well, the pain was managable (the midwives didn't believe I was in labour because i was too "smiley and happy") and I even fell asleep for 2 hours of it (I was tired more than anything, I remember asking to come out of the pool because I was too tired and thinking "I just want to curl up, go to sleep and finish this off tomorrow!").

I think that because I had such a calm, stress-free labour I had a baby was extremely calm and content too - she didnt cry at all for the first 10 days. No stitches so have recovered pretty quick, the only pains were terrible piles and SPD which I still get when walking and especially with the pram. I didnt put on any weight in pregnancy so none to lose and thankfully my skin has gone back too but my bellybutton is still enormous and the band of skin across my belly is really dark brown for some reason, is anyone else's belly skin a strange colour?

We stayed in Reading for 3 weeks with my friend which was great to have company and people to help so coming back to London was a real culture shock and took quite a bit of time to adjust as I've been on my own until mid-evenings since then. The house belongs to a friend who also lives here and I spend most days beating myself up over what I have not acheived and trying to keep the house tidy then at night worrying about JP crying because the walls are pretty thin! My friend has a son and I've learned some great tricks from her, she often takes JP off me in the evening so I get a little me time and JP has adored my friend from the start. We left daddy behind (his choice) and are going it alone with the help of my friends to save my sanity.

We've managed to get out and about a few times. I hate using the pram, it just isn't my kinda accessory! I've managed to lose my carrier already somewhere (probably with my brain and memory) and I'm thinking I need to get a sling as JP is a really clingy baby, she hates being put down, even if she is asleep she wakes up and starts screaming until I pick her up again. Any recommendations for a sling? Where to buy the rings and a pattern would be great![/B]

The Good:
Sleeping - From the start JP slept really well, she'd go to bed around 10pm and wake 9:30am with one feed around 3am. Since being in London this has deteriorated but I put it down to laziness and her growing, I don't think she gets as much at each feed to keep her going and rather than sitting up and doing a proper feed like I did at first I just sleep on my side with a breast available and she latches herself on for a feed when she wants so she snacks through the night. Yes we're co-sleeping but its as much an indulgement for me as for her (see The Bad).

BF has gone very well. She's very natural at it and I've not had problems with pain other than fine shooting pains in the breasts in between feeds which I think is more milk coming in? No probs with nipples at all thank heavens, just tenderness for a little bit after long feeds or on heavy feeding days. The hardest thing I find is dealing with how relentless the feeding can be, some days I think it is all I ever do and I get really frustrated. I envy the FF 3 hour gaps at these times but then I think about all the prep and bottle sterilisation etc etc and remind myself the grass isn't any greener on that side!

Development - She is very strong and has been able to roll over since day one and wiggle herself around places, climb up the chest and hold her own head up since week 2. When I pick her up she helps by standing on her own leg strength and if you hold her to floor she will "walk". I thought these were reflex actions that babies lost quickly after birth but she hasn't. She gets so frustrated that she can't get where she wants to in a hurry, I think she will be an early crawler/walker. On the otherhand she has no interest in toys or objects, the only thing she ever holds is my hair and occassionally a finger! She does smile and giggle though - I get a smile straight after she wakes up each morning :-D

Looks - she has dark blonde hair which was very red looking at birth (sable/sorrel colour), white blonde eyebrows, and darker blonde/red eyelashes. Her eyes have gone from slate-grey to green but I think they're on their way to hazel or brown, I really hope they stay light as they would be so pretty! I find it fascinating to wonder what colour her eyes and hair will turn, I think eventually she will have brown hair as both her parents do and her dad was a blonde child. Has everyone else been guessing too?

Bathtime - had her in the bath with me for the first time tonight (and the cat was with us too sat on the edge watching with envy) and it was such a wonderful experience (even though she did pee within two minutes of being sat on me!), I've been speed showering but think I will make more time for baths now!

The Bad:
Expressing is not proving fun. I thought it would be fine because my letdown is good but not so. The first time I got 1.5oz and sore hands. Also the "flowers" on the funnel hurt my breasts and look like they are brusing them as I pump. The most I have managed after a few attempts is 3oz which is still not enough for a feed and which I managed to spill all over the foot cushion when I put the bottle down (shhh! don't tell my housemate!).

I've given up for now but I'm desperate to do it for the hungrier days so my boobs can have a break so any tips would be great. Also do you sterilise the pump between every use? FYI its an Avent Isis manual. Re bottles I was trying to feed JP some water with the TT ones and the teets seem too big for her, the avent ones with my pump suit her much better. Trust her not to like the ones I chose! But the reason I chose TT was because they were supposed to mimic bf but the teet nipples are twice the size of mine so how?!

Sleeping in her moses is also a no-no. In fact sleeping anywhere other than me is a bit of an issue. I have just given in and have her co-sleeping with me at night. I'm sure I don't sleep well because my subconscious is worried about rolling on her or the duvet falling over her or her rolling and smothering herself. But I don't think I could sleep if she wasn't there now, I am as dependent on her as she is on me at night! Plus the cat keeps sneaking into the moses so I can't then use it til I've changed the sheets. I've got to get her to sleep in there eventually but when I try she just screams and won't settle, if I put her in asleep she wakes up and I can't cope with her crying at night because of disturbing friend/neighbours.

Also she can't be swaddled, its like torture to her. She was an ultra wriggly womb baby and she constantly kicks and throws her arms about now too so can't keep blankets on her. Sleeping bags have been the way forward for me because they have room for her to kick about and keep her cosy. She looks so cute in them too

The Ugly

Nappies - not really an ugly but she does poo with velocity! We have had to change one or two times a day due to the stuff firing out of her and not always because of the nappy fit! We're using Pampers Newborn as I really couldn't cope with terries although I'm doing daily washes after all thanks to her poop. Although they do leak at the sides for the main they are really absorbant and she doesn't cry for changes, I can only tell by the sweet smell of cheerios!

Shadow - Thank you for the lovely PMs. Great to finally be back!

Auntie E - I'm intrigued that you have refused BCG. We live in Stratford so we're being told to have it too. I don't like the idea but I feel like a bad mom if I don't protect her. Where did you find out about the pros and cons of the vaccine?

Auntie E/MJ - How are you finding your cats with the baby? Ours are fine with her (Evi does try to wash her though!) but they keep trying to get into her moses. I have washed the bedsheets so many times even though JP doesn't sleep in it because Evi can open doors and lets herself in and settles down. Short of putting a bolt both sides of the door I'm not sure what else to do. Any tips?

Sorry for the long post but I feel at least I have caught up with everyone now! Looking forward to getting to know you and your little ones better!

 

[Mary Jo]

hey ladies... I feel like such a slacker now repling to everyone these days... it's not that I want to miss anyone out and I really hope nobody feels ignored... I just so rarely get time to type properly as I am either holding Adam, feeding him with the boob (so am one--handed) or the bottle (no-handed), expressing (which I am weirdly enjoying as although I don't get much it is good to see and know he gets a certain amount and also that he's probably getting that + more each time he nurses; it also means I don't feel stressed about him feeding a lot and my nips have a chance to recover, which they really appreciate!) or I'm catching up on other essiential internetting or - heh - sometimes even a tiny bit of essential housework. it's truly a luxury to have 20 mins to myself to type normally! Adam is getting his night feed right now from daddy.

so we went to our appointment this morning and it all went well, Adam passed his resit of the exam, which we're very relieved about. the journey was a bit of a nightmare though, we went to get the 7.15am train but it was cancelled and the following trains were delayed and when they arrived they were sardine trains and all the ones after hat were going to be the same, so I panicked, Chris wanted me to cancel the appt, which I refused to, and then we were going to drive, which I refused because C would have been horrible in that circumstance (stressed with the traffic and being late for work) and I didn't want to get a cab so I ended up going on the bus, and that took ages so I ended up being 20 mins late by the time I found the place! but it was ok, didn't matter. and then of course Adam slept the whole way there and was alert when we arrived, so I had to feed him and settle him... and he did a massive stinky poo *right* before he dropped off when we were all set to do the test, all rigged up with the electrodes and all - so I ignored this nasty whiff coming from his nappy and we carried on. I did feel sorry for the audiologist though, the room was rather hot!

I was knackered after getting back, we were up at 6am (bless Adam, he did sleep from 11.30 till 6) and the whoe journey was tiring and stressful, but I am totally wired on caffeine these days, it's all that's keeping me together. if it's getting through my breastmilk I don't know and I don't think it's affecting AE too badly if so, so I am carrying on. it's weird but nice, I was off caffeine for a long time, largely, though I always did drink a can or 2 of diet coke a day, now I have as many as I want plus proper coffee - we went to Stabucks on the way home and then got another one at the station, and I'm also on the SF Red Bull... I honestly think I'd be shattered and collapsing at times without the caffeine! at the very least I believe it's keeping my mood up, and I am all for any means of achieving that.

vici and aunty E, I have my postpartum check tomorrow, it's 8 weeks here for some reason. is this when they do the first injections? my appointment is for me, ther was no mention of one for him as well. Vici, you got me thinking about contraception and I asked C what I should say - his response was say you don't want anything, we want another baby! what I will say is that while we aren't actively trying (at least not like we were with temping and taking vitamins and things), it'd be no disaster if I got pregnant again (quickly or not so quickly), as I'm going to be 36 in a couple of months and time is not on my side if we want more babies, which we do.

time is not on my side right now either, ack, there really aren't enough hours in the day. my life is just whizzing past at a rate of knots, it's quite strange to think my tiny baby is now almost 8 weeks old!

 

[tmr1234]

hiya ladys sorry not had time to read thow been so busy with lucas and rueben and have now got my sisters little girl for a week why they have gone on honymoon they got wed on sat.

well lucas is as goos as ever sleeping thow from 9:30pm till 6am

shadow~ i give lucas a bottle at times that suit me coz i have to do the school run and dnt want him screaming when thereso he gets feed at 6am 9:45am 1:30pm 5:30pm then 9:30pm and he seems really happy with it. so i think even thow feeding on deman is good u still have to fit baby around ur life a bit.

well its the 1st week lucas has been in 3-6month cloths and he almost fills them hes really long but not fat.

we have set a date for are wedding on 25th june 2011 so lucas will be toddling about by then it was really hard at my sis wedding trying to keep a eye on rueben and sorting lucas out and being there for my sis as my oh didnt come.

any way take care and i will try and read what ever 1 has seid

 

[Vici]

Morning ladies

Imi slept from 9:45pm till 3am last night!! But then it went down hill. Took her bottle really well but would not settle afterwards so I was up till 4:15am. She then woke again at 5:35am and we were up for another hour - she didn't want feeding but she was really straining for a poo bless her. Went back down at 6:30am and then woke up again at 7:30am!! So yay for the first half of the night but boooo for the second!! O and suprise suprise she had her bottle and is now fast asleep!!

Thankfully DF is at home today as our boiler has broken and we have no heat! Hot water is fine thank god so we've got leccy heater on! He's gonna sort out a plumber to hopefully come sort it!

costgang - I open another window with BnB and flick between the 2 pages reading peoples posts in one box and replying in the other

tmr - well done Lucas on sleeping thru, I really can't wait for this time Massive congrats on setting your wedding date. I can't till we can set ours as we keep puptting it off for money reasons!

MJ - Imi didn't have any jabs yesterday. He checked her heart, lungs, hips and general well being. He asked me lots of questions about how I was doing, my scar, my gall stones adventure and discussed the op, contraception and I think that was it Got HV next week so will ask her about jabs then

Mollyapple - welcome back and great to see you are on track and things on the whole are going well I constantly guess Imis looks, her eyes are still blue (both DF and I have blue eyes so they should stay like that )and her hair is still dark but i'm wondering if she'll get lighter (my neice was really dark at birth and is now really blond). We shall see

Sam - yes we are thankyou, she has her first MW app today I spoke to my MW about contraception and how I was worried about taking the pill or such like because of my long term TTC problems. She said theres 2 types of coil - one (Mirena I think) which also releases a hormone like the pill and the other with is just a interuterine device that stops implantation. It can make periods heavier and longer BUT for me its far more important to me that my body is allowed to get into some kind of its own cycle (which I never had before) and at least then I will know if I can have periods on my own now (twice a yr if i was lucky before!). Great news about Elinor, she is doing so so well

gwiff - woo hoo for Tomos, perhaps he just had some sleepy time

Shadow - during the day I am tending to use my ittis, bumgenius and fuzzi bunz as I love the slimness of all of these Although if i'm just at home I use my bamboozles and cotton little lambs with either cotton bottoms or motherease wraps I have about 8 LLs and 14 bamboozles Having a problem drying at the min tho because its so rainy outside and we have no heating Fixed soon I hope Not sure I could pick my fav from my day nappies, for cuteness, def the ittis, but i like the daidy fuzzis and they are by far the quickest to dry. The itti inserts take AGES

 

[Vici]

O and have you all still got your LOs in your rooms? Imi is so so noisy at nighttime and even when she's asleep she's waking me up (DF sleeps thru and even when he does night feeds I have to wake him ) I'm really considering putting her in her cot in nursery soon just to try and sleep more

 

[Aunty E]

Right, I'm going to do this quickly because Madam is making waking up noises!

Shadow - I'm using Imse Vimse newborn size wraps and I've just started using my Motherease Airflow S-M wraps, which were miles too big when she was born. I thought after the Imse Vimse gorgeousness that I wouldn't want to go back to the more basic airflows, but actually not being so fabricy, they're easier to keep clean and reuse. I can wipe them down if they're damp, which I can't do with the imse vimse fabric covered ones. I think I'm going to continue with the two different kinds. The motherease airflow are really adjustable though and haven't leaked at all. She's not a massive wetter but she has VERY runny poop and they've coped perfectly well with that. I don't boost at night though, I do have a set of terry boosters for when she's bigger.

Expressing has been pretty easy for me once I figured out that I can only really do it effectively in the morning, after the first feed (this is actually often around midday) when I get out of bed (not the five am or the seven or even the ten am!). If I try to express in the afternoon or evening, it just won't work. I'm using the tommee tippee closer to nature manual pump, and I find that I have to move it around and alter position until I find one where I let down well. Otherwise I make my boobs a bit sore and nothing really comes out. I can express eight ounces or so in about ten minutes, so it is manageable. I also pop a breast shell on the boob I'm not pumping, which often collects another half ounce or so! I think pumping is probably a knack, but if you really want to do it, and you're having trouble with the manual, I think the electric pumping is MUCH MUCH easier. I've not heard great things about the Medela swing, which is the cheapest, but there are often second hand pumps for sale on ebay, and TK MAxx often has them too quite cheaply. I sterilise every day as I pump every day, but not between boobs if that makes sense. Once I have a dishwasher, I will use that and not sterilise either, but that's my slightly anti-sterile approach

Re the BCG, if I was going to continue to live in an area of high TB infection I would absolutely have it done. But I'm not, and I'd rather not have it. The risks are awful, and if your baby is going to interact with other babies in the area and children, I would probably have her vaccinated. I cheated and rang my friends who are doctors to ask about it, but TB is a terrible terrible disease that takes months and years to cure and has a number of long term effects on people who get it. It's only the fact that I loathe my local community and refuse to interact with them (such a snob, but I just don't like the neighbours) that makes me feel safe from infection.

Cats haven't been a problem, they do get in the crib, but I am a lazy mother and refuse to change the sheets unless they actually left mucky pawprints on them. To be fair, I let the cats sleep with the baby (as long as her monitor is on) and I can't see how sharing sheets is any worse. I'm of the opinion that too much sterility is a bad thing, and I'm hoping that this means that she won't be allergic to much. You'd be surprised how many people have confessed to me that their children also slept with the cats as babies. I don't let them clean her (she doesn't like it) and smack them if they walk on her, but other than that I let them get on with it. They're not all that interested really.

Right. Off to wake up madam (who has slept from one until seven the last two nights HURRAY) and change her nappy!

ARGH NEARLY LOST EVERYTHING MUST POST NOW!

 

[ShadowRat]

Thanks for the replies girls. I was just having a panicky moment.

Typically about half an hour after I wrote the post, he woke up all happy!!

He interacted with the lion toy next to his changing mat, gurgling at it and even tried grabbing for it, gave me loads of smiles and stayed awake for two whole hours. And when I put him into his new polly magic highchair, he didn't cry, but instead focused on the toy on top so I could make supper whilst talking to him! He was even happy and awake when his daddy came home - he hasn't been awake for him in a while!!

Feel much better now and a little embarassed for being so silly.

Don't ever feel silly!! That's exactly what this club is for sweetie so glad you had a lovely little spell with him, hope he continues to smile and talk to you lots!

 

[Mary Jo]

oh yes, re the cat - well, we don't let Betty go near Adam too much, simply because although I adore her and have had her since she was a 6-week kitten (she is now 11 and a half), I don't trust that she'd not attack him. I honestly don't believe she would and she has never acted aggressively around him or at all towards us since he's been here, but I just would never ever forgive myself if something happened. So I don't leave them in the room together for longer than about 30 seconds (time it takes for me to leg it up and down stairs) and if I need to do something that means I wouldn't hear Adam, I put him in his cot with the monitor on.

She is a lot more interested in him now he's no longer a novelty and I think she is used to him being aorund. In the beginning, she hid most of the time (we constructed a cave/tent/hideaway with a fleece blanket and a dining chair) and she still hangs out in her tent a lot but also comes out and sleeps in her own bed sometimes and lies on the rug. She isn't scared when he cries now, in fact sometimes she comes out and looks at him in a concerned manner (but that might be me anthropomorphising). And she sometimes wants to jump on the sofa with us when he's there (this is why I am actually more vigilent now compared with when she was frighened and stayed well away). We do let her because I have no problem her being near him as long as she doesn't try to touch him.

The bedroom was a bit of an issue in the beginning. We don't have a bedroom door so we had to get a gate to make sure she won't come in while we're not there. His cot is right up next to our bed so she could easily jump in if she was allowed but she isn't as she is never in there without our supervision. I am not bothered about allergies but that she might squash him. The health visitor (she who was terrifed of her) and another midwife warned us that she'd jump the gate but I am certain she has never attempted it, she's not a young, curious, active kitten, she is getting on and is, to put it kindly, on the buxom side. I have noticed over the past few weeks that if we leave the gate open while we're in the bedroom, she sometimes (actually quite rarely) come in but she noses round for a minute or two and leaves of her own accord. This is a room that she previously had full access to for over 9 years and regularly slept with us on the bed.

And actually, regarding allergies, I am like you Aunty E and am not obsessive about it - I do sterilise his bottles of course - but when he is older I am not going to be one of those mothers who is in front of their child at every step with a pack of Dettol wipes. He was very snuffly and breathing noisily at one point and I happened to mention it to my psychiatrist and that I hoped he wasn't allergic to Betty, and she said that conversely, many babies brought up in a household with pets develop immunity to them not allergic reactions and so it is not a bad thing at all. (I'd be devastated if Adam was allergic to Bets, but I'd do the right thing and rehome her, to my parents though; I'd never get rid of her altogether, she's been a dear friend for so long.)

So it's all going fine with B, I do feel a bit bad that she gets way less attention from us but the time will soon come when she is getting a lot of (probably unwanted) attention from Adam so I think she should enjoy the peace while she can!

ok really am going out now (was going half an hour ago...) - off to docs...

 

[elly75]

Hi all.

Typing one handed so please forgive any typos.

Although there have been brief times when I've been able to read up on the thread, Christian has been such a snugglesaurus that I couldn't reply.

Keeping everyone and their LO's in my thoughts!

Christian is still driving me batty but haven't suffered from 'low mood' too much but this morning was bad. I'm still waiting for the point where he'll sleep through the night.

 

[ShadowRat]

...(but that might be me anthropomorphising)...

@ MJ getting an 18-letter word in there...

elly honey, I'll bet you're pretty close to the point at which Christian starts to sleep through the night! Hang in there, glad you've not been suffering too much with the low moods...

This isn't a "real" post cos my dinner is nearly ready (and Vincent's too!) but wanted to also say WELCOME to Molly lovely to see you here, gonna read your cool "good, bad & ugly" post later when I get a sec hehe xxx