Moms of April/May/June 2010 babies thread! :)

[laney_1981]

Hi All

I finally managed to catch up with this thread. LM im really glad that you started this so that we can all keep in touch as we go through all the different stages in our babies life. Congrats to everyone, all your babies are gorg and all seem to be thriving.

Well Matthew is just over 3 weeks old and doing well. we had issues with BF at first and Matthew lost 12% of his body weight in the first 4 days. I was really stressed by it all and wanted to continue but it just wasnt for me. So we having been FF and matthew is striving. He was weighed last Tuesday and was 9lb 15 and a half ounces (9lb 4oz at birth).

Im still a little sore after my c section, can anyone else who had a c section tell me if they managed to drive before their 6 week check and if so did u have to tell your insurance company, im desperate to get my independence back

Elaine

 

[Sarahwoo]

Emera I hope you enjoyed your Picnic - you must have better weather than us - its been raining like mad for most of the day! We went for a quick walk earlier when it wasn't raining just to get some fresh air. So we're having a nice chilled out day!

 

[A3my]

Happy 8 weeks Rohan

I'm hoping to get out for a stroll but its all wet here too. It was lovely earlier and we lit the BBQ but it turned to smoke when the heavens opened.

I am sooo tired, Alex was pretty much feeding hourly last night. had some friends over to meet him this morning. Their daughter Sophia is 9 months old and she's gorgeous. She was really happy and giggly. I look forward to that stage, not that I want to wish any of it away xx

 

[Frufru]

Ah-ha!!!!! This is where you have all been hiding out

I did not realise this thread was here and that it had been running so long

I have not had time to catch up with the previous posts yet but will make an effort to do so over the next few days.

Joni is now 6 weeks old The BF has come along well but was looking for a bit of guidance from some of you ladies that are BF pro's &/or whose LO's have taken to it really naturally.

Some of you may know from the previous May babies thread that Joni was early and had an underdeveloped suck reflex so I was feeding her EBM by bottle and kept trying her on the booby on a regular basis. We are at a point now where her 10pm, 1am and 4am feeds are by bottle - approx timings as we feed on demand but she is generally a 2-3 hourly feeder) feeds. The early morning, day and evening feeds I try to do all on the booby asmuch as possible.

Where BF is concerned I let Joni take the lead so let her feed as long as she wants. When I give her EBM by the bottle she takes 3oz and I know that each booby more-or-less produces that much every 2-3hours going by the volumes I have been expressing . When she BF's I let her feed as long as she needs. Now sometimes she BF's until she is asleep and will eventually unlatch - this is great as afterwards she goes straight down for a really long sleep. My issue comes when she BF's and stays awake - she never seems to be full I can let her drain one boob and move her onto the other and let her have the best part of 2 hours on the boobies and I know she is full as often she is a little sick. However, when I unlatch her she just screams and screams and shoves her little fists in her mouth which is her usual hunger cue. When I offer her the boob again there is no enthusiasm with her latch, she just kind of casually opens her mouth and licks my nipple or ,latchs and comes off again over and over (she is clean and winded, good temp etc) until she starts screaming. Often she will be screaming the house down and I will offer her the booby as she is giving me her hunger cues, she can have the nipple right in her mouth and she will root from side to side but will not close her mouth to latch which makes me think she is not hungry right?

This can go on for hours and hours - this morning she fed really nicely from me for about 40 mins at 9am and then from 10am until 1pm did the whole nipple in the mouth refusing to latch but giving me hungry signs My gut feeling is she is full and tired but just can't switch off and go to sleep? She fed really nicely at around 1pm (her usual feed time) for about 40-50 minutes and then we had the same odd behaviour for a good hour or more when eventually I swaddled her and held her tighly and she did then relent and go to sleep.

Oh - I should say that the crazy nipple in the mouth but not latching is only ever on my right boob. She is much better at latching my left boob, she can latch the right boob but it takes a couple of goes sometimes to get it just so as the nipple is much smaller and a bit flat on one side.


Now we don't get this behaviour when we give feeds of EBM by bottle - it is so tempting just to give in and do a bottle instead when she is like this but I really really really want to BF directly. Do you think it might be that BF is much harder work than the bottle and tires her out a bit and that as BF is much slower that she finds it hard to know when she is full as it is a gradual fullness compared to the speed of the bottle (when she takes a bottle it is gone within 6-10 minutes).

I am sorry if this does not make sense - I have only had about 5 hours sleep in the last 48 Usually hubby would take Joni in the evenings and/or cover a nightime bottle feed so I could get some kip but he is recovering from an operation and not able to help at all so I am flying solo as far as Joni is concerned and looking after hubby too. If anyone has any advice, feedback or guidance it would be much appreciated.

 

[Sarahwoo]

Frufru Oliver is bf and does the same thing sometimes, it usually means he's overtired so I bounce him on my knee, which normally calms him down, and then rub his back, walk around, sing to him etc - all the things he likes! That usually does the trick. Sometimes though when he fusses in the same way he needs winding - a good burp later and he'll feed until he's asleep! So I usually try to wind him as I'm bouncing him on my knee, if he has a big burp and calms down I'll try to feed him again, if not I'll try to get him to sleep.

I hope that helps a bit

 

[bexxie]

sarah took words right out of my mouth fru-fru

xx

 

[Windmills]

Ah, this time 2 weeks ago I was in labour. Probably vomiting, I was so sick the entire time! I can't believe it's only 2 weeks, what did I do with all the time I had before she was jhere

 

[MartaMi]

Katie - we're advised to put them on side to avoid that risk. Those rules are so different depending of country.
Emera35 - hope you had great picnic and congrats to Rohan for 8 weeks

Gosh, I was alone with kids for the weekend and I'm so exhausted. They were all so full of energy and Kristan didn't sleep his long naps. OH should be home any minute

 

[Windmills]

Oh and frufru, I don't know anything about bfing, but I can really relate about flying solo with baby care. It's such hard work isn't it! Because V works such long hours, the 8 or 9 hours he's actually home he needs to sleep and relax a bit- he sometimes feeds her when he gets in if she's hungry.. But everything else falls to me at the moment. I've got sooo much respect for single mums, it's hard!!

 

[emera35]

Lovely picnic, thanks all Although Roh celebrated 8 weeks by being extra grumpy all day, for no apparent reason, ah well guess we all have our off days maybe he knows his injections are coming up...wow i'm dreading the sad face i'm going to get off him when we go for that

Frufru - Rohan was the same, he had no suck reflex to start with, being premature also so i sympathise, i fed him with a syringe for a while after he stopped being tube fed. All i can suggest is, if Joni is having trouble latching on one side only, then maybe try the rugby ball hold on the side she struggles with, that way she'll always feed facing the way she is comfortable with if you see what i mean? And as Sarah said Rohan often shows me hunger cues if i haven't winded him quite enough. I so often get loads of burps, think he's done, then he shouts and seems hungry again, but then won't settle, often i get another little burp and he settles right down.

Same often with the overtired thing, do you swaddle Joni? I find if he is really overtired i'll swaddle him tightly, take him to the bedroom with the black out blinds down, lie him down and sit with my hand on his chest "shushing" him until he's calm. Either that or i'll do the same but hold him upright against me and pat his back at the same speed as my heartrate and shush too. They always work to calm him down unless he genuinely is still hungry! Hope that helps a bit?

Sorry Elaine, I can't really help on the c-section and driving except to say, all my friends who had them didn't drive until their 6 week checks.

Katie its really tough, but it does slowly get easier to manage. Do you have any family who could come over whilst your on your own and help out for a few hours? Just so you can have a bath / nap / walk etc. I nipped out for a 15 minute walk last night on my own and it was very refreshing. I have alot of respect for single mums too, its 24/7 when you have a partner, let alone if you're by yourself all the time. Hats off to them!

 

[Mork]

Hi all!
Just found this thread
Hope you dont mind me joining in!!!
Elaine, I had a c section too, but dont think you are insured to drive until you have the 6 week check - something to do with being able to perform an emergency stop.
As for the b/f thing - my baby needs winding halfway through or she will feed for ages too - her feeds are usually about 40 mins every 3-4 hours - is this normal? She is exclusively bf (would also like more info about expressing if anyone has any??) xx

 

[laney_1981]

Thanks Mork, i think i am gonna have to wait until the 6 weeks, I suppose it is not so bad at the moment as my mum is free to take me places, but i am just such an independant person that I hate relying on others.

Thanks to sarahwoo i now know how to upload photos so heres my gorg little boy (or not quite so little)
1) 1 hr old in the recovery room
2) 1 day old in hospital
3) getting ready to go home after 4 days
4) taken yesterday on our trip to the lovely botanic gardens in Glasgow

I feel a little jealous of all you women who are succeeding with the breast feeding, i really do feel my body let me down with giving birth naturally and being able to feed my boy myself- but such is life and I have to just leave it in the past.

 

[Windmills]

He is just gorgeous

 

[Windmills]

Oh and emera- I'm lucky in that I'm staying with my mum just now, because I knew it'd be exactly like this! She's been fab and some days takes over parts of what should be Vinny's role- watches her while I have a shower, or sleep for an hour. I honestly think if it wasn't for my mums help, I'd be 2 weeks unwashed and running on no sleep at all
I'm scared I'm going to be a single mum.. It just doesn't feel 'forever' anymore, I can't put my finger on it (other than when he card me a bad mum earlier in an argument, ha!)

 

[laney_1981]

Katie, my mum has also been a star, hubby went back to work last week and she has been round helping with the chores.

I'm just up for first morning feed. Matthew went down ar 11.30 last night and that was him til 10 past 6. Hope he keeps it up

katie, hope everything Is ok with you and vinny

elaine

 

[Sarahwoo]

Blimey Elaine lucky you! Wanna swap lol!! Oliver and I went to bed at about half ten, he woke at twelve, two, four and seven, and last night I think her had a bit of a iffy tummy bless him, he got soooo upset and was screaming like mad, he'd fall asleep for ten minutes and then wake up screaming again! I finally got him settled and got him to take a feed, then he was farting like mad all night and had a massive poo this morning and is back to his normal self, phew!

Does anyone elses baby have an obsession with hair? I have long hair and as soon as I pick him up he grabs haudfuls of hair and really doesn't want to let go! He likes to just lay on my chest and play with my hair, I swear I'll have no hair left soon lol!

Katie you soooo did the right thing staying at your mums, it sounds like bliss! My parents have been fab, sooooo helpful, I just wish they lived closer. Steve is great but obviously he has to go to work and he doesn't do housework He will watch Oliver while I take a shower but if he starts to cry he'll bring hoim upstairs, argh, I just want a ten minute shower in peace lol! Mum and dad have offered to come ip one day a week so I can catch up on my housework etc, which is sooooo much help. I have no idea how single mums cope, it must be sooooo hard! And to be honest I don't know how people cope with a baby when they have other small kids!

Just a quick q for the bfing mums .... Do you wake up covered in milk? I am always such a mess by the morning! Is there something I'm doing wrong?

X

 

[Sarahwoo]

Oh, and Mork, I've done some expressing, I'm no expert though! I tend to do it when my boobs feel really full, like in the morning. I'm very proud when I see how much I get though, haha! I'm very proud of my little stash in the frieezer!

 

[maybebaby3]

sarah do you use breastpads? if i didnt use them i would be covered in milk permanently!

katie - hope things are ok with you and vinny.

elaine - dont beat yourself up about bf and natural childbirth. matthew is fine and gorgeous and that is all that counts!

we went to marbella yesterday which was nice. we went with my inlaws. they took the kid swimming with oh whilst i went for a walk and found a shady bench to sit on with owen as it was far too hot to be on the beach with him. i cant believe he's 3 weeks old today! time flies. he's napping in bed with daddy whilst erin and i are in the living room and she is dancing to her wiggles dvd! my mum has taken dylan to school. all is right with the world, except i am soooooooooooo tired as owen doesnt seem to settle at night til about 2am and sleeps well at this time of the morning but i cant sleep now as have to be up with dylan and erin!

better go and do some housework before owen wakes for a feed!!! the other day i tried to get some ironing done and i managed to do 3 items before he demanded my attention! he's a right mummy's boy!

 

[Sarahwoo]

Maybebaby yeah I do but in the night I always seem to loose em lol! Do you wear a bra at night?

 

[maybebaby3]

yeah a nursing sleep bra. far more comfortable than normal nursing bras and easier for feeds.