~~~November Sparklers 2010 mummies and daddies thread ~~~~

[Cocobelle]

Hi ladies, please excuse the one finger left handed typing, we are feeding AGAIN!

Whoops, pressed submit too soon.

Welcome Jo and RP, your babies are gorgeous!

I think breastfeeding is the one area no one warns you about, they make it all sound so easy and when things don't quite go to plan, it really knocks you for six.

Its been almost 3 weeks and my supply is still pretty rubbish, I still can't express and Georgie is on me all day long. I still barely have time to go for a wee during the day as he just won't go down to sleep alone. I would have given up by now if it were not for my wonderful hubby who has told me to just put my feet up, watch telly, eat cake and feed until my supply builds up and things settle down. Georgie is being weighed tomorrow, he looks and feels bigger and if he is, then I will be happier carrying on but if not, we will have to have a rethink. Luckily I also have a supportive MW, HV and have been seeing our local breast feeding counselor. Its so much harder than I ever thought it would be and I have to take my hat off to all those that manage to crack it and have little ones to look after, I don't don't know how you do it!

x

 

[anna matronic]

Jo you sound just like me ad Evan. I am struggling badly. He won't go down and is crying all the time and never seems satisfied. I don't actually know what to do. I've given him formula and that doesn't seem to help either my mum is saying it's cos Evan can smell me and the milk well that's a bit of a fuck up by mother nature then?? Cos he settles with my mum temporarily.

Am also getting him weighed tomorrow so shall look at his weight and also re evaluate if need be.

He has been feeding since 4pm and hasn't gone down for his usual sleep

 

[forgodssake]

Hmmmm, I'm having the opposite worry - Leo just sleeps, then sleeps and then sleeps some more.

I want to continue to BF but don't like not knowing how much he is getting. He feeds between 4 and 6 hours and has to be woken for some of those!! My supply seems more than ample from expressing but he's just so lazy I worry he's getting very little whilst he's on there.

Do you think it could be because he's still only 3 days old?

I have even brought a bottle with 2oz of EBM to maybe try through the night to see if that's an amount he will eat even though I know it's too soon to bottle and breast.

Right, I'm waffling now...........

 

[Cocobelle]

Sophie its a constant battle at the minute ad the only way I am getting through it is to keep telling myself that it WILL settle down and if I can just stick at it until Georgie is around the 6 week mark, we should have BF fully established.

Georgie is as good as gold as long as he is in my arms. You don't hear a peep out of him. But the minute I try to put him down, he starts. He will go to his dad for very short periods but soon starts crying and wants me and my poor little boobies. Its knackering. They deffo can smell you and your milk, if Georgie is having a little cuddle with daddy and I come within sniffing distance, that starts him off!

This week we have only had to top up with formula once (1.5oz) as he was clearly starving and my boobs seemed totally drained, he is sometimes sick after formula but never after BM. I do appear to have leas milk in the evening and my boobs feel very soft. Georgie gets really cross with them sometimes. Saying that, there have been signs over the last day or two that my supply is slowly improving. Fingers crossed!

Update me on Evan's weight tomorrow and I will do likewise. Hopefully our little men are thriving on our milk!

Jo, I think Leo's sleepiness can definitely be put down to him being just 3 days old. I remember Georgie slept for a 6 hour stretch when he was the same age. We were told we had to wake him every three hours to feed as going so long could cause his blood sugar to drop but he was a little jaundiced and at that stage was only 5lb 11oz so needed all the food he could get!

We are off to bed now. It still amazes me how tired I am doing bugger all all day long!

xxx

 

[forgodssake]

The madwife at the hospital told me he was ok to leave for 6 hours!!

Community is out tomorrow anyyway so I will have a word with them and we shall see how much he has lost!!!

Surely its impossible for a baby to be starving without showing some kind of distress!!

Jo
xx

 

[Kellycool]

Well said Sophie and GG.

Amber was weighed today...9lbs 1ozs the little porker!!!

Addison's birth weight wasn 9lb4oz!!!!
That sure did sting a little

Nice one on persevering with the BF'ing everyone and for those that have had to switch or who are thinking about it, don't beat yourselves up about it.. As said a happy baby is all that matters.. I was FF and I turned out ok

Jo, it is rather testing at times having a 2 year old to look after but luckily Addison is happy to be left in his moses basket. He is feeding well but then it is probs because I only stopped feeding Ashton about 15 months ago and i dont think my milk ever properly dried up. With Ash i had prob of oversupply so used to drown the poppet but it seems to be alright now..

Well, 3 more nights in the UK till we start our new lives. i am so excited but feeling rather scared too

 

[anna matronic]

Jo (FGS) Evan slept and slept when he was first born, in fact he was in more of a settled routine than he is now. I believe it is totally because he is only 3 days! Evan was a little jaundiced which probably explains the sleep and I got told to wake him every 3 hours for feeds because he was going up to 5 hours. The only way you know they are getting enough is the fact they aren't constantly starving and are putting on weight. Don't worry about it and see how he is when he is weighed

Jo (Cocobelle) Well I gave in and topped him up with formula last night. He took about 3oz, then when we went to bed he had a bit of booby and went out like a light until around 4.30am He has had booby at 4.30am then around 6.45am and 8am. He keeps falling asleep so I must ensure I wake him for more food instead of letting him sleep on a half full stomach.

We had green poo again this morning. I am not sure if it is the formula, wind or too much foremilk though. Will ask at the baby clinic this afternoon.

I am like you Jo, I keep say I am keeping at it as he will get more settled into a routine very soon. It is bloody hard work though and last night I got very upset about it all. Mum took over for a bit and gave me a break, but he would only settle for 20 mins here and there. I really don't know if he was starving,he must have been! I feel the same, my boobs don't seem to be keeping up with him at the moment. I know giving formula buggers that up a bit but I can't do anything else without stressing too much. This morning my boobs are like rocks though

Kelly I hope you are going to be on here when you go back to SA? Are you on facebook? I'd like to stay in touch if you are x x

 

[Kellycool]

Jo (FGS) Evan slept and slept when he was first born, in fact he was in more of a settled routine than he is now. I believe it is totally because he is only 3 days! Evan was a little jaundiced which probably explains the sleep and I got told to wake him every 3 hours for feeds because he was going up to 5 hours. The only way you know they are getting enough is the fact they aren't constantly starving and are putting on weight. Don't worry about it and see how he is when he is weighed

Jo (Cocobelle) Well I gave in and topped him up with formula last night. He took about 3oz, then when we went to bed he had a bit of booby and went out like a light until around 4.30am He has had booby at 4.30am then around 6.45am and 8am. He keeps falling asleep so I must ensure I wake him for more food instead of letting him sleep on a half full stomach.

We had green poo again this morning. I am not sure if it is the formula, wind or too much foremilk though. Will ask at the baby clinic this afternoon.

I am like you Jo, I keep say I am keeping at it as he will get more settled into a routine very soon. It is bloody hard work though and last night I got very upset about it all. Mum took over for a bit and gave me a break, but he would only settle for 20 mins here and there. I really don't know if he was starving,he must have been! I feel the same, my boobs don't seem to be keeping up with him at the moment. I know giving formula buggers that up a bit but I can't do anything else without stressing too much. This morning my boobs are like rocks though

Kelly I hope you are going to be on here when you go back to SA? Are you on facebook? I'd like to stay in touch if you are x x

Sorry to see you were upset-good sign that you have full boobs this morning though I have a recipe for boob juice which i havent tried but friends with milk supply issues have and have never looked back.. Will post it in a bit for you all.. Have also heard fenugreek works wonders?

Would love to keep in touch Soph am Kelly-Ann Kidgell on FB.. Will try comeon once we move but will take some time to get internet sorted in new house etc... xxx

 

[Kellycool]

Jungle Juice for milk supply

1 litre apple or cranberry juice,
2 litres of water,
60ml Schlehen elixer (Get from chemist or health shop also known as blackthorn berry elixir)
1 effervescent vitamin C tablet.
1 sachet rehydrate
Mix above together and keep in fridge. Drink 1 to 2 glasses with each feed

Hope it works lovely ladies xx

 

[you&me]

It is true!! These clever little babies can sniff out mummy milk...I thought it was just me, glad I am not alone.

Amber has been turning away and messing with the bottle then routing on me so we are back to leaning more with the BF to her demand, she won't settle at night now unless it is on the boob, so hubby is buying me some fenugreek in the next few days and will see what happens...he also said to look into getting one of those co-sleeping cot thingys that clip onto the side of our bed??

I can rapidly see myself heading down the AP route, something I never thought I would even entertain

 

[Cocobelle]

Yay my boobs!!!!
Even though it feels like they are not doing the job, they must be as Georgie now weighs 6lb 4oz so is a pound heavier than his birth weight

Jo (FGS), check with your HV but I do think it depends on the baby. Leo is a good weight and has not had jaundice so its quite possible the 3 hour feed rule wont apply. Georgie went down to 5lb 11oz so feeding more often was what he needed to get his blood sugar levels up. I am sure you would know if he was hungry hun.

Sophie, Georgie falls asleep on the job too, I now change his bum when he does that to wake him up and then offer the other boob to finish off. I am doing my best to stop the formula but if I need it, I will use it and have a couple of cartons in the house at all times. I think if I could express, I would need to rely on them less. How are you getting on with your Medela? George just doesn't settle full stop, unless he is on me. He takes attached parenting to a whole new level. I am working on the feeding first and then we are going to have to tackle his sleeping and him not going down alone as I need some hands free time, even if it is just to wash my hair!

Dani, one of those bedside cots sound fab and I need to have a look at one too but we have a leather bed and I am not sure they would be able to attach to that (and I am not getting rid of it as its new and lush!) but it would be a good compromise to pure co-sleeping although I must admit, if it were not for the fact that our night times were so easy, I would have given up BF ages ago but I can't be faffed to have to get up in the night, make/heat a bottle, sit up, feed and then settle, when I can just flop a boob out and doze together while he feeds. The last two nights Georgie has fed around 11pm and then not again until 6.30am! My MW has just told me that now he is 3 weeks old and gaining well, I can leave him to do that, but not any longer.

Kelly, wow! Not long to go now honey, and you will be back in the warm! You must be so excited. Thank you for the boobie juice recipe, I will give that a go. I need to get hold of some Fenugreek too when I can get into town. I might start driving next week, although I will need to get one of those rear view mirrors first or I wont be able to concentrate.

Well I have a sleeping baby so I am going to try and get him to nap in his crib, I give him 10 minutes before he wakes up

 

[GossipGirly]

yay libby is pooping well with the apitmil now, had a bad nite last nite, she was a bit colicy and couldnt put her down, got to sleep 5am... hubby is on the sofa x

 

[MissMamma]

yay libby is pooping well with the apitmil now, had a bad nite last nite, she was a bit colicy and couldnt put her down, got to sleep 5am... hubby is on the sofa x

Snap! had a horrible night last night, she wouldn't let us put her down, she ended up sleeping in our bed and still cried all night. I ended up in tears and poor OH got NO sleep as he was looking after two crying girls so i've left him in bed this mornng to try and sleep...i thought things were supposed to get easier, they just seem to be getting harder

 

[pichi]

It was the night before for us that was a killer. Last night the only way to get pixie to settle was to get her to snuggle on her dads chest - then when she nodded off we put her in her crib. My friend suggested puttin a water bottle in there to cosy things up before putting pixie down. This is what she done with her son and it worked a treat

Glad libby is pooping lol I'm on aptamil too and my god she's a pooping machine

 

[lolpants]

aww thats fab news Coco - well done George!! Phoebe is above her birthweight now - weighing in at 8lb2!

Pichi thats a good idea with the water bottle - I did think the moses basket being cold might of been waking her up

Finally met my health visitor today - I can start a baby massage course in January that runs in a school not far from my house I live in a flying start area - so theres loads of free courses available from when she is 4 mths old onwards Sometimes its worthwhile living in a bad area!!

Lol xx

 

[Bartness]

Jaxon doesnt really care for breast feeding. He wil latch on for a few minutes, and then let go and start screaming, and wont re-latch. So we've been giving him formula to make sure he's getting food. I am offering the breast first though, and sometimes he will take it and fall asleep.

Last nigh was our first night home from the hosptial. OH stayed up with Jaxon until 2, and then it was my turn. I got up at 1130 (OH woke me for a feeding), 3 am, and again at 445 (this one was a poopy diaper wake up call) and again at 7, where I just decided to stay awake.

I got to say Jaxon is perfect, he hardly ever cries unless hungry or needs a change. Otherwise he's sleeping or looking around and taking every thing in. He's a very Chill baby.

 

[pinklizzy]

Well done Coco and George!
We've been putting a hot water bottle in Erin's crib before bed and I do think it helps.
We had the angelcare monitor on for the first time last night and I slept much better. Gave OH a shock when I took her out for a feed at 7am and forgot to turn it off!
We live in a flying start area too Lol, I'm really hoping to do the baby massage class and there's a bumps and babies morning a couple of doors away too. I'm not very good at talking to people I don't know but I'm going to be brave once OH goes back to work.
We're going out for a meal tonight to celebrate my sister's 12 week scan, we share our house so it's going to busy busy here in June!

 

[Cocobelle]

Ah bless, glad Jaxon is being a little chilled out man for you Bartness.

Pichi have you tried teh hot water bottle trick yet? I was told that too but I just need to buy a hot water bottle to try it out!

Gemma & Missmamma, hope you have both managed to catch up with your sleep

Lol, our area has some fab classes to run by our local children's centre. I am waiting for my invite from my HV to the baby massage and the post natal group, which I hear is fab and most mums carry on meeting once a week once the course finishes, so I am looking forward to that! I am already going to the Little Ones group (for under ones, Georgie was the youngest there) and the Breast Feeding drop in clinic. We live in a large but quite rural village with quite poor public transport links, which I guess is why we have such great support system for the early years.

AFM: I have finally finished making Georgie's Birth Announcement & Thank You cards for all the lovely gifts we received, wanna peek? Just need to get them all posted off now!

 

[anna matronic]

Quickie from me as am on phone!!

Sorry Jo biy an even bigger yay for my boobies!!! Evan was 7lbs 4oz on 12th november. Today he was........... 8lbs 9oz the fat little pig!! 21 ounce gain in 11 days kinda explains the trouble I've had with feeding. So am keeping at it. He's been an angel today too

 

[Cocobelle]

Quickie from me as am on phone!!

Sorry Jo biy an even bigger yay for my boobies!!! Evan was 7lbs 4oz on 12th november. Today he was........... 8lbs 9oz the fat little pig!! 21 ounce gain in 11 days kinda explains the trouble I've had with feeding. So am keeping at it. He's been an angel today too

Woo-hoo for your boobs!!!! Well mine are only little, so not hard to beat
It does give you a real boost that you are heading in the right direction doesn't it, I am also going to be keeping with it!

Well done our boobs hey!