Discovery Home & Health

Hi girls

Hope everyone is ok.

Erica - so sorry to hear that Harry will need a heart op - thinking of you hun - stay strong and all will be well xxx

Summer - hope your scan goes ok today.

Autumn - all I can stay about these routines is give Kai a few days to adjust - just remember he hasn't read the book!!! (sorry if that sounds patronising but with my dd i chopped and changed things and woondered why nothing seemed to wrk until a dear friend of mine told me to let her have a few days to get used to any changes in the routine) but it sounds promising - will be interested to hear how you get on.

I used Karvol almost from day 1 as D got a cold straight off - i ignored the bit on the bottle that said she was too young but only used 2 drops at a time. Off to but some more today as it goes as bottle now empty (lots of colds in this house!!!) A far as breast feeding with a cold is concerned - little and often and be prepared to wind more frequently. You can give 2.5ml of calpol prior to their injections as a preventative if you want. I did with my others and although I don't know if it made any difference it's only low dose paracetamol so not gonna do any harm so worth a try.

Darcey has her 1st imms on Monday when I have my post natal check. All is ok here - only major problem is that during the day she will only sleep on me or when on the move. She can be absolutely sparko on my shoulder (like now) but if i put her down she wakes up immediately!! so i'm getting a bit frustrated - if anyone has any ideas i'd be grateful!!!

Still breastfeeding - although planning on introducing a bottle of expressed on Friday to see if it will settle her better - then may use one at bedtime coz as the mo she feeds constantly from 6pm ish until she conks out at 9.30pm (but then she will normally go to around 3.30/4am).

Other prob currently is that darling dp had snip on Saturday - I'll leave you to imagine how he is - just keep bloke flu in mind!!!!!!!

Anyway - hope everyone else is ok - sorry if I haven't done many personals - typing one handed!!!

Take care

Ali + Darcey
xxx

Having a nightmare day today. Kai keeps getting hungry and tired way too early. It's 2.15pm now and he should be feeding, but had it an hour early. He's not due a nap till 4.30pm, and i've just looked down at him in my baby carrier and he's already falling asleep! Plus he's missed time off both his earlier naps. On the up side, he slept through 2am to 6am last night.

JOANNE Sorry to hear about Joel's tummy problem and hope he gets better quickly.

ALI Thanks for all the info on the routine and everything. All very usful. The night routine is starting to get better, but I'm messing up the day routine. But I'm not going to be hard on myself, as we're both learning. And as you say, he hasn't read the book. :-)

As for your problem of not being able to put Darcey down for naps, I can offer advice there (although Kai has fallen asleep in is sling right now). Before, Kai would only fall asleep on a person or when I took him in the bed and wouldn't sleep in his cot. Now, I look out for sleepy signs (yawning etc) before he starts crying because he's too tired. Then I start his nap/ bedtime routine. Go into the bedroom (always the same room so he knows what to expect). Say it's bed time and rythmicly pat his bottom like a heartbeat. When he starts nodding off (like someone on the train), I put him down. If he crys I pick him up and hum a lullaby (A Small World After All). When murmers, I just go sh sh sh sh sh and stop when there is no sound. I always do the patting until he starts noding off. You may find at first you're picking him up alot. The first night I did it, I was in tears and felt ready to give up. But I'm glad I didn't now. Only rush in if her crys get louder or harder. Because Kai sometimes crys for a few seconds and then settles himself. Sorry to waffle on. It does work and if I'm not making sense, it's in the Baby Whisper book under Sleep.

Hi Girls

Good to see Autumn and Missc back!

Missc...I'm so sorry about Harry and his heart op.........can't imagine how you feel but it must be heart breaking.
He sounds like he's a fab baby...sleepying and eating well.
I won't say try not to worry as that would be silly........we're Mums and it's our job to worry but stay strong.........you are very positive and you've coped so well so far. Big hugs to you and I'm always here if you need to talk xxxx

Autumn.....sorry about your sad news hun.
I think its great that you are following a routine and I agree with Ali that you have to give it chance to work but I also think you sound stressed out because Kai is not quite doing things to plan.
I felt exhausted just reading your routine!!!
Maybe give it a bit longer and then maybe let Kai find his own natural routine which I found my oldest 2 did eventually.
He's still so young and not many babies sleep through the night at this young age.....you'd be very lucky if he did so try not to worry too much.
If he's tired then let him sleep...........maybe try not to let him go for longer than 3 hours without a feed but other than that I wouldn't be too strict with yourself at this stage.....you don't want to end up feeling a failure as you've put so much pressure on yourself...........also babies are so different and not all of them will suit certain routines suggested by all these baby books

Calpol as others have said is very safe after they have had their first jabs at 2 mths as they often get a fever and calpol brings it down a bit.They also say to strip them down a bit after a jab so they don't get too hot.
I'm dreading Violets on the 5th nov.......but it has to be done.

Jo....you ok hun?
Glad you had good hols.........still trying for baby number 2 ? ...your'e very brave my girl!!!!
Sounds like it may be very soon judging by the success rate on your road!!!!!

Well Violet is good as gold.........sleeps well in the day and although she gets up at night several times she just goes straight back to sleep.
Shes so cute in the morning too and just lays in her cot smiling and cooing until i get her up.
She's so cute....I love her so much.

Ali.......sorry you had tearful day.......i've had alot of them lately........hoping its just hormones and not PND creeping up........trying to stay calm and not worryu about thing and if i have crap days then hopefully things will pick up the following day!

Summer hun you did thank me on the jan thread.....talk about frazzled brain!!!!
How dfid it go today?
Said a pray for you.........hope the twins are ok xxxxxx

Hugs to all

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I don't want to jinx it, but Kai has sliped nicely back into his 3 hourly routine. I was too eager to push him into a 4 hourly one and he couldn't cope with it. Today, I've actually seen him smile. Yeah!! Oh and he slept 12am till 5am, which is great, I feel human.

ZOGAR Thanks for the advice and you are totally right. I'm glad things are going well with you and Violet. She sounds like such a dream baby. Good luck with Violets injection on the 5th (that's a Sunday??). Kai has his on Thursday, so I must get my hands on some Calpol.

How's everyone else doing?? SUMMER? MISSC?

Hi Ladies

Just a quickie yes Zoe we are trying for number 2 only we have to be in the same room and at the mo with Joel being bad there's no chance.
Just been for my diabetic check up & I have lost 1 stone 9lb since Joel was born so I am well pleased.

Got to go back to docs at 4pm for Joel as he still ain't right

got to dash out for lunch

Joanne x

Hello girls
Just wanted to say I agree with the other girls Autumn-it's still really early days for a routine, let Kai follow his own. If he is exclusively breastfed it is normal for him to feed every 1-2 hours at times, cluster feeding is also normal particularly in the evening. Swaddling can help get them to sleep a little bit longer. Also babies have a major growth spurt around 6weeks which would make him hungrier for a few days while your body adjusts but he will settle again-during this time it is important you let him feed on demand to allow your supply to increase. Try Kellymom.com for any other breastfeding questions.
Hope this helps!!! I ut a new pic of Liberty in her Halloween clothes on msn-she is so cute!!!

Hi girlies and babes

Autumn you are absolutely right hun.......why did i say the 5th nov ?
It's tomorrow.....arrrggghhhh dreading taking her but best to get the jabs done........fully expecting a very grump little girl afterwards though but have calpol to hand!
Glad things are better with kai.....as long as he's fed and loved you can't go wrong hun xxxx

Jo hun........hope you get the sleeping arrangments sorted soon then
Hows the diabetes then....have you still got it? Was it just gestational diabetes then brought on by pregnancy or did you have it before? Sorry can't remember.
Fab weight loss too hun
Hope little Joel is ok x

Hi baby.........just going to look at liberty on msn.

sorry for lack of punctuation....typing one handed with a very stinky baby on my lap....pooooooo .......best go and sort it.

Ali, kerry, summer,missc....ok you are ok xxxxxxx

poo how can a gorgeous girlie smell so bad!!!!!!!

Erica... I'm so sorry about Harry's heart op. I can't imagine how worried you must be.
He sounds like a wonderful little chap. Got any more pics?
Hope the jabs go ok today Zoe and Autumn!

Sorry... after updating the Jan thread with the latest news I completely forgot to come over here too!
Will go over to jan again now and copy the post I did yesterday
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It sort of went ok on Tuesday. Tom has grown well (for him... along his own centile(below the 3rd)) in the last couple of weeks which seemed to surprise the consultant. Hes almost 15oz, whereas Jake is spot on the 50th centile at 2lb 10oz. Tom's dopplers are the same as they've been all along and no worse. It looks like he may well make it to delivery now so the consultant got a neonatalogist to come and talk to us about prem babies and their chances of survival and potential probs etc. I think it all shook dh up a bit, but I've done so much reading that I didn't hear anything new. If I make it to 34 wks even, Tom will still be so so tiny that his chances are extremely slim.
I've got another scan in 2 weeks and then its decision time as he'll be almost a viable weight if he keeps growing at the same rate. If he does keep up this growth then we'll just let things be. Infact I think we'll just let things be anyway as I can't see myself actually being able to go through with a selective termination.
Not sure which option would make me more of a coward... letting him be to put him through the trauma of delivery and having god knows how many tubes stuck in him just to have him die hours or days later, or letting him go to sleep now without going through all of that, but never knowing if he might have made it or not.
But as I said..... can't imagine arriving at that moment of being able to say... yes thats what we'll do.
The consultant is also back to thinking that there may possibly be a chromosomal problem as she got a great view between his legs but still thinks something doesn't look quite right. She wrote on my report yesterday that his genitalia were ambiguous.
Ho hum.

Oh... and now they're also starting to worry about my placenta praevia! Jake's placenta is still completely covering my cervix and its not likely to move now apparently. Anyone see Trauma on telly the other night? We didn't, although the consultant asked if we'd seen it! Mum did so she told me what happened. Sounds like great fun
So looking at all the potential probs they reckon the boys will definately be here in Dec sometime (hopefully not before!).
Will be monitored twice a week from 30 weeks and given steroid injections, and as soon as things don't look so good they'll deliver them.


Joanne... how did it go at the docs with Joel?
... and how is your mum doing?

Hope everyone else is well,
Lots of love xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Right, am off to the hosp now for a clinic appt with my consultant. Hope they let me out again!... BP high now.. was 146/108 earlier.
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Ooooh Summer...........it all seems so hopeful...more so than before but obviously you don't know and can't know if Tom will be effected in any major way if he pulls through.
I can completely understand your dilema.....for your sake and Tom's sake you don't want him to be disabled in any way.........well not in a way that would greatly effect the quality of all your lives.
But like you I think I'd just plod along with him and just pray that he'll be ok.....it would be a very tough decison either way when no-one can tell you for definiate if he'll be poorly or not.
So far he's proving to be an absolute fighter isn't he?
I have a feeling he will prove everyone wrong.........I pray he'll pull through for you Summer.
Are they surpised by his weight again ? Surely they hadn't expected that atall? Did they say it was a good sign?

You say the babies may arrive early........will that be because they're twins and expected to be early or will they need to deliver them because of the low lying placenta ?

Blimey Summer you really have given these consultants a run for their money!

Bet it feels weird to know the babies will be here sooner than a normal pregnancy........kind of exciting to see them early I bet but in other ways very scary ?
Are they talking early dec then?

Could be a busy christmas then ?!!!

Hope your appointment went all ok today xxxxxxx

Managed not to cry when Violet had her jabs today.....I know its for the best but I hate her little body having all those vaccines at once.
She's a bit whingy but then normally is at this time of day.........given her Calpol anyway so hopefully she'll settle.

She's 9IB 14.5 oz now .

Babyusa.......Liberty looks fab in those pictures...........loved her little dress.sooo cute.

Anyway I've got a headache now......could do with a nap but no such luck!

Push on !

Hi Ladies

Firstly summer i can't imagine what your going through but Tom seems to off surprised you all, Hes proving to be a little fighter... I hope & pray all will be ok hun, You are so strong!!

My mum had her endoscopy & bits last week, They found something & sent them off for biopsy & she is at the hospital next week for the results. Hopefully all will be well,

Joel well he seems abit better, & I have given a stool sample to the doc which has been sent off & the gp called me last night I had to collect another pot and have to take another stool sample but then get it to a hospital about 10 miles away within the hour of Joel doing it as they want to test it for a lactouse intolerance. I can only do this monday to friday LOL..... and pref before midday!! No pressure mind.

But on the plus side I got 5 hours sleep last night & in my own bed LOL!!!! Joel now weighs 11lb 10oz, And lilypie dates are wrong as Joel is 11 weeks today........

Whats everyones views on weaning..? There are 4 HV at our clinic & there difference's of opinion are miles apart and they confuse me. 1 says 17 weeks, 1 says 6 months the other 2 i ain't even gonna bother asking LOL, Gp says ask HV...... Joel is a hungry baby so not sure what to do...

Oh well time I got the housework done have visitors tonight & friends kids are staying over night.... McDonalds here i come lol

Sorry for lack of personals, I hope everyone is ok,

TC Joanne x

Jo
I would advise waiting for as long as possible with weaning if there is any suggestion of allergies or intolerences- if you add solids in now it could throw a test result or cause more problems-when you do start I would skip the cereal like baby rice-again because of sensitivities sp? and go for carrot or apple or other simple fruit or veg. It used to be 3-4months for weaning butI think now it is 6months as they think holding off helps prevent allergies/asthma/ eczma etc. Hope this helps

Hi girls

Jo I wondered about Joel being milk intolerant a few weeks back as my sisters kids were and they both ended up on SMA soya milk ( which they also got free on prescription )
Poor little baby....hope he's ok and that they get to the bottom of it.

As for weaning well I was thinking about this only yesterday..............I always remember is being 16 weeks but having said that I've not heard of it changing as Babyusa said they may well have changed things slightly due to new reasearch. I know I heard that you should sterilise until they are a year old now but with Mabel and Izaak it was always up to 6mths.Anyone heard any different on that ? Not sure I can be arsed to do it until one year...seems a long time!

Weird how things change isn't it when people people have been doing things that way for years!!! But I guess if it helps with kids who may possibly have allergies then its a good thing. I think I'll see what the HV says.....or it should say in all those bounty packs and books etc that you get. Maybe have a look on the Bounty website Jo?

Enjo your Mc donalds....yummy you've made me hungry for one now!!! Always feel so sick after eating them but still eat them!

Well Violet as a little star last night and didn't seem bothered by her jabs........how was Kai Autumn ? Ok I hope.

Hope everyone else is ok.

Anyone got anything exciting planned this weekend ?