Discovery Home & Health

Hi everyone,

Congrats to all the mummies and their little bundles of joy, it is great that we aqre all on the parenting thread.

Sorry I haven't posted but I just wanted to let you know that I was still around but not in the land of the living at the moment.

Luke's colic is a nightmare and his screaming bouts are not restricted to the evening although it is his worse time. I am having to sit for hours with him to try and settle him when he is screaming his head off! I never ever imagined that it would be this hard. Dh and I are utterly exhausted from lack of sleep and DH goes back to work on Thurs which I am dreading as I don't know how I will cope on my own as Luke is so very needy and I have no time myself. We are getting Colief and Infacol on prescription and although it helps, this is the hardest time of my life.

I am also having problems expressing enough milk. My left nipple is cracked and although Lansinoh helps, every time I express the crack just opens up again. I have had to start expressing one bottles worth from both boobs (4oz). Luke's poo has been green the last 4 days and he has been grunting and shuffling alot in his basket at night. I read on the internet today that it can be a sign of them getting too much foremilk and I think this may be this case as im only getting 2oz of each breast whereas before I could manage 4oz from one breast. Any tips on increasing milk supply as I am currently expressing every 4 hours. i wondered if my lack of milk could be down to sheer exhaustion?!

I must apologise for no personals but as I type I have Luke in my arms and it is a blessing that he is asleep!

I hope everyone is doing well.

Congrats Zoe on your marriage, I hope you had a lovely day.xx

Love to you all.

Ange
x

Ange - Im so sorry that you are having such a hard time with Luke Being tired/stressed wont be good for your milk supply. My MW and HV have always told me to get enough rest (even if it isnt sleep), drink & eat plenty & try not to get too stressed. Easier said than done, i know! I promise you, it will get better though. As he gets older, he will calm down and you will start to feel human again. My dd1 was a bit like Luke, and i found it so hard, and such a shock to the system! She wouldnt even settle in her pram, she would just scream if i tried to go shopping or for a walk. Im sorry that i dont have much advice for you xx

Just a quickie - wanted to send big hugs to nat - really hope things get better for your family soon - thoughts and prayers with you xxxx

Also ange - jenpen is right - rest and eat is the only thing to get your milk up. I struggled with DS1 and have struggled with Wyatt too - its down to the fact that I just have a busy life and am not the kind of person who can sit on her arse all day! Please don't feel you HAVE to bf exclusively - although some MW/HVs really push it and make you feel guilty if you don't do it - many are much more supportive and GPs agree that the first 4-6 weeks is the best milk anyway. If it gets too hard - stop. You need to take care of yourself too honey x

Nic - yay to alanna getting discharged! I'm slowing going to ween Wyatt off the BF I've decided - he is so much more alert and happy after a formula feed and after a Breastfeed he's sick, grumpy, windy and will only doze for an hour before wanting to eat more. He is very hungry bless him - still taking about 5-6 oz at a time bless him!

Rach - thank you! I think so too! How're you doing these days?

Well sorry to keep it short but want a nice hot bath before bed and have Wyatt's baptism tomorrow so have to get some sleep! (if he'll let me of course! lol)

Hi to everyone I didn;t mention xxxxx

good morining!!!

nat- im so sorry to hear about your dad, sendng you lots of pma vibes hun.

zoe- Hope Wyatt's baptism goes well today. weve really got to get rileys sorted but with my dad in dubai i gt to find out when hes back.

nik- yay to alanna getting discharged shes a clever girl.

loocy- dont you hate it when health professional (if that what you can call them cock up) you would think the weight length of a baby was quite iportan t to get accurate. yay you lochlan gaining weight i hope his feeding settles down for you. i know what you mean about being constantley busy with two of them its manic around here i barely get chance to do my hair in the morning

ange- so glad you popped on hun was getting worried. my heart really goes out to you hun im so sooryy your having such a rough time. luke sounds like my dd she had chronic colic nothing worked it was the hardest 12 weeks of my life. but on the plus note hun it does go away dd's went away at 12 weeks and it literally was one day she just stopped crying. have you tried baby massage that really helped for her. riley has colic to but no where near as bad his bad time is 7-10pm, and dentinox works for him he has green poo most days because of the colic. If you need to have a good old moan dont forget we are here.

well af arrived god i havent missed her im in agony and my face is covered in spots soo painful. Im quite down at the mo aswell (not really mentioned it to anyone) i knoe its cuz of my weight and my hanging skin its repulsive i cant bear to look at myself. ive started weight watchers today. not sure about any of yo other girls but i seem to still be retainign a lot of ater my ankles are still quite cankely .

xx

hi just a quickie before my life stops completely as DH goes back to work tomorrow so goodness knows when I'll have time to post again. DD has decided she doesn't want to nap in her cot during the day any more and she screams when I put her in it, so the only way to get her to sleep during the day (which she still needs) is to take her out in the car or the pram, so it means no rest for me during the day

Anyway Ange just a quickie to say I agree with all that's been said about resting as much as you can and drinks LOTS of water and eat regular healthy snacks. Also expressing does take time to master and it can be a few weeks before you really get the art of getting as much out as possible - hope you can stick with it if you can. i'm so sorry to hear Luke is colicky but just remember IT DOESN'T LAST, honest. He will grow out of it in a few weeks and things will settle down for you. A few of my friends have sworn by cranial osteopathy if you can find a local osteopath that does it?? Might be worth a try? And I know this will sound funny but in a way it will probably be easier when DH goes back to work as you can just concentrate on Luke's routine without worrying about anything else!

zoe hope wyatt's baptism has gone well - look forwad to some photos!!! Must get on and organise Lochlan's....

Well, things here are still going ok. Lochlan still cries every evening and feeds constantly til about 11pm by which time I'm worn out and DD has been waking up screaming about 3am every night so we're fairly tired (understatement of the year!) here!!!

Hope everyone else is well - take care mummies

Loocy xx

jenpen, glad josh had a great nights sleep the other night, has he made a hibit of it? it makes all the differance in the world to get a decent sleep dosen't it.

loocy, glad to hear lochlan has put on some weight, what a little monkey your dd is stopping her naps, must be scared she'll miss something with her new brother around. good luck when dh goes back to work.

ange lovely to hear from you, sorry luke is giving you such a hard time. i'm expessing 5 oz every 4 hours and i get 2.5 - 3oz from each boob, but alanna isn't having any pooing problems from what i can tell, hers are a lovely yellow/orange colour and very watery, (don't know if the watery part is normal though) but certainly no green poos here, i have read similar info though about the foremilk and green poo, i agree with the other girls about increasing your milk supply, also try doing it more frequently for a while (if you can find the time). i found this link very useful...

http://www.mother-2-mother.com/ExclusivePumping.htm#HowMuch

zoe, alanna is taking 5-6oz at every feed too. i think the infacol is starting to kick in now after a week of continuous use, she's not being sick as much and seems happier, she's also burping easier and pumping alot!! hope wyatt's baptism went well.

rach, boo to af arriving, mine still is awol!! thinking she might not arrive due to breastfeeding, but feeling a little crampy and face is covered in spots too, so thinking this might be the time of the month when she does finally arrive, i'll see if i still feel like this, this time next month is she dosen't show. sorry your feeling crappy, my weight is depressing me too, i have no will power to diet i've been trying so hard to eat sensibly for a week, but keeping eatting crap!!! i m doing quite well with the exercising though, managing to do some kind of physical activity every day.

gotta go alanna is stirring and will be wanting fed !!!

Hi all - Wyatt's baptism went beautifully thank you - bless his heart he was an angel all the way through it - even when he had the chrism annoited on him and when he had the water poured on his head!

He's making up for it now tho - i'm typing one handed!

loocy - you sound shattered hun hope it gets better soon - hang in there xx

rach - what a fag - i am dreadin af returning!!

nic - dirty girl! only as babies can we get away with that kind of behaviour!!

And girls can i remind you that what takes 9 months to put on takes 9 months to come off! I'm a size bigger than i was and i walk around permenantly with my tummy sucked in - but i don' care - dh still loves me an i have 2 beautiful little boys - thats good enough excuse for me!!!!!!

excuse the typos but pne handed is not very efficient!! love to all - please stay positive everyone - we're still only at the beginning xxxx

Good evening!! i couldnt let our thread go a whole day without being posted on lol.

zoe- very positive words have made me see a few thins i a different light you are completly right we are only still at the begining so im on the PMA boat. glad wyatts baptism went well i really have got to pull my finger out and get rileys sorted.

Loocy - hope your 1st solo day went well hun xx

Well ive go tmy 6 weeks check with the midwife tomorrow. i am slightly worried cuz she gonna weigh riley and she said if he keeps gaining weight like he is then we was gonna have to discuss it. now at this moment in time i havent got a lot of patience so if she even tried tellin me what to do with him im gonna let rip. last week @ 4 weeks and 5 days he was 9lb 2oz i think well i put him on my scales toaday and it say 10lb 11oz hes 5 weeks and 5 days. so im not sure waht she gonna say.

anyhoo will beback tomorrow and let you knwo how i get on

xxx

RJ you can't win with HVs!!! my friend kept getting told off as her DD wasn't putting on enough weight, despite the fact that both her and her husband are about 5 foot 5 and weigh about 10 stone between them!!! She kept saying we're not big people so we're not going to have big babies, but the all the HVS were worried about was what it looked like on the growth chart - LOL!!! Just bite your tongue, smile, nod and then do what you like anyway!!!!!

Day 1 without DH went ok but it was raining most of the day so we were stuck indoors and DD was going stir crazy by the end of the afternoon. She has so much energy she needs to use up so i try to get her outside to run around as much as poss. Napping still a problem but hey ho, we'll get there I guess. Lochlan seems to have settled into a good routine now, sleeping from about 11/11.3- to 3.30 and then from about 4.30-7 so things are ok as I'm at lesat getting some sleep and DD has slept through the last two nights - hurrah!!!

zoe- thanks for the advice about 9 months - what a lovely thing to say about your DH it's very very true!!! Lots of walking with the pram helps burn off calories and I'm desperately trying to eat as healthily as possible, but I'm permanently starving!!!!!!!! Healthy food is alright but chocolate really fills you up!

Nic - with DD I never had a proper AF before I got pg again so mine didn't return at all while I was breastfeeding. I kept feeling like it was coming but it never did!

Anyway best go as DD is in need of entertainment

Loocy xx

hi there...sory to butt in but just wanted to reasure ange...
My dd - who is 8 months now - had TERRIBLE colic and green poos when she was tiny - it was a really tought time - on and off phone to nhs direct etc etc ...but i wanted to let you know something midwife told me...the foremilk and hindmilk thing really got me worried at te time and i was constantly trying to feed her for long periods so she got some hind milk...However - midwife told me (also a friend so really trusted her) that if your baby is thriving (ie NOT losing weight) then...the fore milk and hind milk thing is NOT an issue at all..it only becomes an issue when babies are not thriving...she told me the green poo was due to the baby gettin used to using digestibe system and sometimes what i ate affected my milk...
it took me a while to realise that these tiny babies have never used any of their insides beofre on real stuff etc before and so it takes a while for it all to settle down. Babies like mine (and yours) do settle themselves down after a few months...and it DOES get better as all these other ladies have told you. Dont put yourself under pressure...and if you need to put baby in chair/pram etc and leave the room for a bit - do it. They wont come to any harm and you need a break - even if just for a few moments!
When i read you rpost i just thought...that was me!!!!! I never thought we would get to a stage where she was sleeping through and her system is getting used to solids now instead of milk...but it has come and it does get easier and you will rememeber the difficult days and you wont believe how far you have come! I promise! Give yourslef a bit of a break if you can -
hope this encourages you...xxxx

hi mummies and babies, just thought i'd drop by and disturb the tumble weed thats blowing through here just now!!!! hope everyone is well and babies aren't being to demanding, the little monkeys!

zoe, so pleased wyatt was well behaved for his baptism, looking forward to some more piccie. i read somewhere the other day that we have to remember it took our bodies 9 months to get where they are now, so not to expect it to spring back, and it is the most sensible thing i have heard in a while!

rach, how'd the midwife go? riley does seem to be putting on alot of weight compared to alanna, she was heavier at birth than himand is only 6 days older, but she was only 9lb 15oz today, but i've been told formula fed babies put on more than breastfed to start with and they all even out eventually. i'm sure riley is perfectly healthy. did you get checked over yourself too?

alanna's 6 week check was today, (mine is on thursday). stupid hv drives me crazy, i asked her 3 weeks ago about a bump on alanna head and she said it's nothing to worry about everyone has bumpy heads, and she had the same on the other side too, (which she clearly didn't ) i asked the gp today who said it was a direct result of the forceps dragging her out, and that it would correct itself over time. yes another shitty thing that has happened due to the rotten forceps. other than that she is in tiptop condition and getting on perfectly well.

loocyglad to hear your coping well on your ownsome, knew you would. hope the weather improves and you can get dd out and about soon.

quick question, anyone else having problems with the tommee tippee closer to nature teats? ours keep cloging up to the point that i can't even stuck the blockage through, nevermind poor alanna and we end up having to change the teat half way through a fed,much to alanna's dissapointment!

Ok, a me post coming up....apologies in advance...

Somepne please reassure me that I am not a bad mother??? The last few days have been so tough. I have had an awful cold. My head is pounding, I am weak and just generally not well. Poor Cora has the same bug bless her only she has had it for 3 days now. She spent the last 2 days looking grey and feeling cold and struggling to breathe because she is bunged up. Feeding also a problem as she cannot breathe. She is coughing and sneezing with it. We have seen the doctor twice now but it is just a cold like mine that she is struggling to fight off.

I have had no sleep the last few days. I was up all last night and the night before watching her as I was afraid she would have trouble brathing in the night. Needless to say I am a zombie! On top of this, she has been feeding constantly....every hour or so. Tonight she is just constantly feeding. I went to bed to get an early night and instead of sleeping. I was feeding. 1 and a half hours. Drained both breasts and still after more. I broke down. I am feeling so unwell and completely drained. I have pain everywhere due to tiredness...tonight I was getting dizzy and weak legged. Why is this breast feeding so tough? I so wanted to exclusively breastfeed but I just don't think it is going to work. Poor DS is suffering as I am never with him due to constantly feeding. I feel so bad for him. So why am I doing it? To make myself feel better i suppose. No one else is benefiting. Cora is not even happy. She is such an upset little girl all the time as she is NEVER full! So tonight I think I have made an important decision...

Tomorrow the bottles will come out and I will mix feed. I will also pump. I know I will cry the whole way through but it has got to help surely? I feel so awful :-( and now I can't stop crying :-( I doubt I will sleep much tonight either. On top of that, I just got the dummy out...she is so upset and half the problem is she wants my boobs for comfort. She is now lay next to me sucking on it and is nice and quiet and relaxed. I feel so guilty.

I hope everyone else is ok and I hope you are not struggling like me. I never thought it would be this tough to have number 2.

Night all...a very sorry for herself Lea x

Nic - I gave up on the tommee tippee closer bottles & teats, as Josh hated them. I use Avent bottles & teats now, and the are fine. Maybe buy one and see if she prefers it? Buy teat size 2 as well.

Lea - you sound like me when Josh was 3 weeks old, except i didnt have a cold on top of it! I really feel for you. he was constantly feeding, day & night, and i was so tired & drained i ached all over and was suffering headaches. I finally gave in & gave him a top-up at bed time from a bottle, and it changed my world! I was sooo against formula before that, i refused to feed my DDs it, but i just HAD to with Josh. The very first bottle i gave Josh, i cried & felt like i was poisoning him. But he slept 4 hours afterwards, and what a difference that made! he now sleeps between 8 - 10 hours. I mix feed now, he has 2 small bottles a day, and a couple of breast feeds. Please do not feel guilty, no-one is happy with the current situation. I didnt think baby #3 would be so hard!

Josh is now wearing 3-6 month clothing he is just growing up too quickly, it makes me sad! Wheres my tiny wee bundle gone? he is a strapping, chubby boy now!

((((((((((((lea))))))))))) don't be so hard on yourself, the main thing is you've tried, and there is no point in carrying on if the whole family is upset. i gave up after 3 days with alanna, gave her 2 formula bottles then started giving her the expressed breastmilk, and i can honestly say it was the best decision i made. even now 7 weeks on, she will take the breast but i prefer to give her the ebm as i know she gets a full tummy and keeps up the routine and lets face it you really need a routine with little billy in tow. sweetie i really hope your not too hard on yourself over this and realise that you'll have a must happier family in the long run, i really think you've made the right decision for you and yours.

jenpen, i got upset the other day that alanna is out of her newborn clothes and into the 0-3 months! i was just looking at her 3-6 months babygros that are waiting for her and they look, HUGE!! Alanna seems really happy with her tommee tippee teats it just that they keep clogging up on us, grrrr if it keeps happening i might have to try something new.

ange luke is georgous. i acn't beleive something so cute could cause so much bother, cheeky monkey!! i hope things are improving for you. xxxxxxxx

Right a bit of a rant coming - I am fed up with hearing poor exhausted women feeling guilty because they are considering formula - girls for god's sake if it was that evil it wouldn't be on the shelves for us to buy! My GP told me that subsequent children never get as good breastmilk as the first born anyway, and after the first few weeks they've taken all the immunity giving nutrients etc and are just left with bog standard milk - she assured me that some babies are just that hungry and no human would be able to keep up without runnnig themselves ragged -

lea - honey you have Billy to consider too and if you want to get sorted and into a routine with Cora the bottles are the only way to ensure she gets what she needs. I have given Wyatt a dummy from birth as the FSID recommends them for newborns as somehow it helps reduce the risk of cot death if babies are put to sleep with a dummy...not sure how but I took their word for it. Also, Wyatt was a real comfort sucker too and he is really happy to have a dummy and I would rather he sucked that than his thumb or fingers as my brother is 26 and still sucks his thumb!!!!!!!! He'd never sit in front of the tv with a dummy in his mouth would he??!! I hope you get your confidence back honey - it is hard with 2 but the jump from 1-2 is really hard in the early weeks so cut yourself a break. I am finally getting some sort of order back in my life after 7 weeks - get through the next few weeks hun and it'll be much easier I promise. I exclusively breastfed for the first 5 weeks then mixed fed for the past 10 days and as of yesterday we now are exclusively formula feeding - and I swear it is absolutely the best thing for Wyatt as he's less sick, he goes longer between feeds and is much smilier and more alert as he just wasn't satisfied on just breastmilk. You will probably notice Cora goes longer after formula than she does after her breastmilk feeds - Wyatt did and my GP said it was normal. PLEASE don't beat yourself up - you have two babies to care for not just one and Billy needs his routine and Cora will be just grand however much formula you decide to give her. Sorry for the lecture but it broke my heart to hear you feeling so guilty over something you have no business feeling crap about you are doing a grand job and don't you forget it xxxxxxxxx

Nic - I find the teats flip inside out - which is really odd! My friend suggested squeezing the little vent thing thats on the side of the teat - it looks like a little hole but sometimes it needs squeezing to open it back out again. Hope that helps hun x Sorry to hear about the forceps - its not your fault but I know you probably feel annoyed about it. It will all settle soon. I'm impressed you get two separate appointments for your six week check - mine consisted of "are you thinking about contraception" tacked onto the end of Wyatt's!!!!

rach - hoep the appointment goes well - can't believe the hv is whinging that he's so obviously thriving!! Some people eh?

loocy - with me its fruit cake yum! And sausage rolls for some reason.....bizarre.

jenpen - Its hard to watch them grow so fast isn't it?! I keep looking at DS1 and thinking I wish I had my time all over again with him he's such a little man already

righto - thats my lectures over for the day - sorry if I offend anyone - but although I am a big advocate of breastfeeding I just don't see why we should all feel so crap if it doesn't work for us. i have decided Wyatt is thriving far better on formula and thats why sunday was his last breasfeed. If i let myself, i feel really upset by it because i feel that I ought to be less houseproud and more able to sit on my bum and produce milk - but I'm not like that and I also don't want DS1 to find that I have no time for him because I am constantly feeding his younger brother. So I don't allow myself to dwell on it and instead just enjoy my extra time between feeds instead. Plus wyatt is more alert now and I can enjoy proper eye to eye contact and lots of gurgles after I've winded him. Besides which the constant puking was really draining!!!!

I hope our awol mummies are doing well - we're going to be manic the next few days (again!) so will chat soon! Love to all xxxxxxxxxxx