Spring 07 Babies

[Lucyluna]

Hi Ladies! Here we are, finally moving over to the parent board. I just wanted to start this thread so we can all stay in touch now that we have had our little ones. I look forward to hearing from you all!

[Rittie2000]

Thank you for setting this up Lucy. Yes, lets stay in touch and share the next part of this wonderful journey. Motherhood so far has been tough but definitely the most rewarding thing I've done. Just watching the twins grow day by day makes it worthwhile. Can't wait till they get interactive.

xxx Rittie

[AMck]

Hi Ladies, what a good idea to set this thread up. Thanks Lucy.

Hope all our new mums are Ok and enjoying the challenges of motherhood!

Lucy, Matthew was 5 weeks old when we could distinguish his different cries and put the Dunston language information into practice. The cries are very different and it didn't take us long to work out the cries as set out in the DVD. It's not infallible but really has helped us meet his needs and not feed a baby that needs burping! Good to hear things are going well for you.

Rittie, if you want more info on the Dunston stuff, just google it and it will tell you all about it. Basically the Dunston lady believes that there are five main cries a baby makes, feed me, I have upper wind pain, I'm uncomfortable, I have lower wind pain and I'm tired. Once you can recognise them you can meet your babies needs. Must warn you though that some of the reviewers think it is a load of old rubbish!!
About the baby yoga, it's held in New Malden Library on Friday mornings. Unfortunately the teacher is about to stop teaching and go travelling. I will be looking for another class. If you hear of any in the area, please let me know.

I don't know about you but the days just seem to fly by. We have been very busy with visitors and visiting this week. We are also going to my sisters for the weekend tomorrow, so a major military operation in packing the car!

I'm sure you all feel the same but I could just sit and look at Matthew all day He is amazing and is changing so much as the weeks pass. I want to savour every minute. I have just booked his first set of immunisations, where did those weeks go? Oh and he now weighs 11lb 10ozs, he's a real chubster.

Would love to hear about your little cherubs.
Take care
Hugs
Anna x

[Rittie2000]

Oh Anna,

I know what you mean - I can't stop looking at the babies too!!!! They are so sweet and beautiful. Even when they cry (as long as its not the piercing loud frantic cry), its like music to my ears. And everything they do (eat, burp, smile, grow) just melts me. I'm totally gooey at the moment, what a nice place to be.

We had the 6 weeks check in last week and Elizabeth weighed in at 8lb 11 while Angeline weighed in at 7lb 2. But doing very well and getting so big compared to when they were born at 5ish lbs. I've had to retire the 'Tiny baby' clothes that we started off with this week. Time is moving so fast. And yes the days just flies....

I'll keep an eye out for Baby Yoga classes in the area. I found a few baby massage classes but no Baby Yoga yet.

Hope the other girls will also report in on their progress with babies. Can't wait to hear how everyone is doing.

Lots of love
Rittie

[Lucyluna]

We had a stressful couple of days here. Stella went in for her 2 week check-up and she had actually lost a few ounces. We were devistated! I have been breastfeeding only, and everything seemed to be going well. I have been supplementing with formula for the past 2 days and we went in today to see if she was gaining. I am happy to report that she gained 3.5 oz. in 2 days! She just needed that extra boost. Now I have to decide if I want to switch to formula, continue to supplement, or try everything possible to boost my milk supply (herbs, pumping after each feeding, etc). We are on strict orders to feed every 2-3 hours until our next visit. I feel like I am never going to sleep again!

Anna, I am so glad the dvd works for you. We are hoping to learn more about Stella's voice now that she is getting enough food. I think all of her cries sounded the same before because she was always hungry. I'll let you know if things change.

Rittie, I have such respect for you. We are overwhelmed with one newborn in the house, I can't imagine if we had 2. I am glad things are going so well for you.

[BevT]

Hi girls, I was wondering if I could join your thread, although technically my baby William is not a "spring" baby as he was born 23rd January. He was due 24th Feb so if he'd made it to his due date he maybe would have been a very very early spring baby.

Lucy, we had the same thing with William in that I could not keep up my milk production so began supplementing with formula. Wills had such a ferocious appetite and was gaining from his 5lb 6oz after birth weight at a rate of at least an ounce a day, sometimes much more! I was disappointed that I couldn't keep feeding him exclusively myself, but it was more important that he got enough feed. My nipples also started to crack and bleed because he was constantly wanting to feed - it was very hard. I tried the expressing route after each feed without too much success, and gradually have replaced more and more feeds with formula. He still has breakfast with me at 16 weeks but even that feed runs short of what he really needs and I end up feeding him formula within a couple of hours. Good luck with Stella.

Rittie, I agree with Lucy, looking after one tiny one is pretty full-on, but two of the little darlings? I take my hat off to you. Hope you are getting a bit of time for yourself also. It's quite sad when you retire the cute little tiny baby outfits isn't it? Wills has outgrown his tiny's and the first size ones. He is almost out of the 0 - 3 months now as well. He weighed in at a whopping 13lb 1oz this Wednesday gone.

Anna, so nice to catch up with you and Matthew. I like the sound of this Dunston language. I knew that they apparently had different cries and I am able to distinguish Wills' cries sometimes but I would be really interested in learning how to tell them apart in a more reliable way. I will google and see what I come up with.

The days do indeed seem to fly by, I cannot remember life before we had our precious little man. Wow, I can't believe that your little Matthew is 11lb 10z already. He's fast catching Wills up now. Wills has had two sets of immunisations already. I asked DH to come with me for the first set (he was on Easter hols at the time) for moral support. It wasn't so bad, and Wills only cried for a moment. After a big cuddle and loads of kisses from his mummy, he was fine again. Hope Matthew's jabs go ok. I think it is more of an ordeal for us mums than it is for the babies, LOL. Are you planning to go back to work before the end of the school year or will you wait and consider going back after the summer break? DH has had quite a busy time of it at school since Wills was born, but we are really looking forward to him breaking up for the summer - that is one of the really good things about teaching!

Anyway, must sign off now as I would like to get a fairly early night. As I said earlier, I hope you don't mind me joining you here and I look forward to hearing more about Stella, Elizabeth, Angeline and Matthew.

Bev xxx

[Rittie2000]

Hi girls,

Thank you for your kind words - I get so encouraged when I hear people tell me I'm doing well Its not like we have a choice to do anything besides our very best. I must say I am surprised myself, by how upbeat I've been. How much I am enjoying being a mother of twins. How tolerant I am of their demands and cries. How good DH has turned out to be with the babies. And of course, I was able to hire a housekeeper who is making the massive difference - I cope because she takes care of all the cleaning, the laundry, washiing the bottles, sterilising and making the milk, and even bringing me my lunch. She is so funny, she's now making me drink water and eat fruit - she's tougher than my mum! I do have my hands full with the two babies. But at least I'm managing to go for a haircut. Pop to the shops for a short whirl etc.

Yesterday, I took the babies ALL BY MYSELF to get their passport photos taken. We went to the bank. And to the shopping Centre for a look around. For me its a big step as I'm still building up my confidence on how to handle to babies if they both cry or need feeding etc at a public place (alone). And also, how to handle this giant, heavy buggy in and out of places. We did really well. So hopefully, I won't be full of fear next time we prepare to go places! Next challenge is to learn to load the car seats and fit the buggy in and out of the car and go places alone..... wish me luck.

We were told that most babies will lose weight for the first few weeks. E lost a little while A lost a lot and to expect that - and feed every 3 hours until they go back to their birth weights. Even with bottle feeding it still took a few weeks to get back to starting point. So please don't worry Lucy, we all seemed to have gone through this stage. But good thing they found that supplementing the breast feed is working - what a good solution! Every baby is different (yes, even my twins who behave very differently) so I'm all for customising a solution for them rather than getting hung up about what's supposed to be. Key thing is Stella is getting the nourishment for her to grow grow grow!!!

Welcome Bev. And I too look forward to hearing more about Stella, William and Matthew. Its so nice to have a mixture of boy and girl babies in the group. I am all pinked-out of course

Lots of love
Rittie

[PebblesUK]

Hello

Wow you are all doing so well. Ritte it sounds like you have everything in control there. Well done. I was nervous the first time I went out with Ellie in the car, what with her oxygen cylinders etc but once you've done it that first time you wonder why you worried so much! My main problem was with people parking too close to us that I couldn't get all her stuff out but now we've been given a disabled badge and that helps so much.

Lucy domperidone is good to help increase your milk supply. Ellie really struggled to put on weight with my milk alone so they introduced a fortifer to it which helped.

Anna what a little chubster Matthew is. You must be feeding him well!

Ellie is doing great. She's just over 5 months now and yesterday weighed in at a massive 11lb! She's finally out of newborn clothes and into 0-3. She's chuckling too which is lovely. She's still oxygen dependant and will be for a little while and is suffering with her reflux but all things considered she's a little star!

Take care
Jo
xxx

[DioneT2002]

No kidding that time flies! It is so nice to have the gang all delivered and caring for the new bundles.
We are doing well. Life with the twins is smoother than I anticipated but of course I have yet to return to work. That will shake things up a bit I am sure. Isaiah and Xavier are 8 weeks now and growing, growing, growing. Took them in for a dr appointment last week at 7 weeks and X was 7 pounds, 7 ounces, I was 6-12. Quite bigger than the 4 somethings they were at birth.
Breastfeeding seems to be the topic of the thread for us newbies! Lucyluna, since my boys were 6 weeks premature and I was pumping for them, the hospital added a fortifier to my milk which I continued for a while once I got them home. It was just a teaspoon of powdered formula (Similac's Neosure) that would add calories to my milk to help them gain weight quickly. I liked this method because it allowed them to get what they needed without actually taking in formula. I too thought I was loosing my milk when they were about 5 weeks so I tried supplementing with formula. Xavier didn't take too well to the formula so I had to work very hard to increase my supply. I drink a lot of water (the dr said it takes fluid to make fluid), I try to pump evry 3 hours (even after I nurse), and I take Reglan, which is a reflux med that helps increase your supply. After implementing all of these things, my supply increased and stabilized and I haven't given the boys formula other than the few bottles they received at 5-6 weeks. It is a lot of work and a huge committment, but so worth it!
Talking so much about this because it has been a HUGE part of my life and like many of you, what has been the hardest part of this whole process. I try to remind myself that I am doing well and I can only do what I can do. Problem is, the mommy guilt is already starting to set in at the prospect of having to stop when the time comes...
I've rambled enough. Keep sharing successful tips so that we can all learn something. I'll take all the help I can get!

Dione

[DioneT2002]

Duplicate

[Lucyluna]

Hi everyone, and welcome Bev. I am surviving, but tormented over the breastfeeding/formula issues. Thank you all for sharing your experiences with me. I really don't feel too badly about supplementing, it is just tough to do it all.

Stella has lost the ability to latch on. She has nipple confusion and can only latch on half of the time. We have been using a syringe to feed her the formula. I think the trouble with latching is part of the problem with the milk supply. I spent the weekend trying to decide if I want to switch to formula and pump as much milk as I can for as long as I can. Every time she has trouble latching, I decide to pump and use formula. Then I try later to let her latch on and when she does I feel so sad about giving up breast feeding. I can't win!

Other than all of the feeding issues, Stella is perfect. I just love to watch her sleep and when she is awake she is starting to focus better. We don't get out much yet because of the trouble feeding. When she gets hungry, she pretty much screams until she eats. I am so impressed with you ladies who are all over town, especially with twins (or oxygen for you Jo).

I hope things keep going well. I'll let you all know what I decide on the feeding. I am going to call another lactation consultant and talk with them in a few minutes.

Take Care!

[AMck]

Hi ladies, where is everyone? All busy with babies!!!

Hope everyone OK and enjoying their little cherubs.

Hi Bev, good to see you on this thread. How is Wills?

We are doing fine. Matthew now weighs over 13lbs and is absolutely gorgeous! I know I am biased, but whatever! He is sleeping well, at least 6 hours a night, so I am feeling a bit more human now.

My antenatal group are very active and we are out trying different things each week. Massage, yoga, swimming mug painting etc...Can't say I miss work at all.

Does anyone have any info on baby led weaning? It seems to be a buzz word round here. I would love to hear your views.

Anyway must fly, Matthew needs a feed!
Take care all, would love to hear your news
Bye for now
Anna x

[teachertam]

Hello Ladies:

Anna: I saw your post just after I posted on the over 40 thread. How old is Matthew now? He weights 13 lbs? Andrew is 3.5 months and weighs 18 lbs. He is almost as big as my friend's 13 month old daughter. Andrew is also sleeping 5- 6 hours at night. He had 2 nights where he slept over 7 hours, but that was 1 month ago. Poor little Andrew has had a lot of gas. I keep thinking it is a foremilk/hindmilk problem, but I think it should be worked out by now. I made an appt. with his ped. tomorrow.

Hello to Bev and everyone else. I am on the Winter 06/07 thread.

Regards,
Tammy

[AMck]

Hi ladies, hope everyone OK. Our thread is rather quiet at the moment, I trust this is because you are enjoying being with your beautiful babies rather than typing on a computer.

Just thought I'd look in and see how everyone is doing. Matthew is fine, we had our second round of injections this week, with no adverse effects. He now weighs 14lbs 1 oz and is 14 weeks old. He is feeding every 3 or four hours and sleeping around 6 hours each night. Is this the same for you guys?

Tammy, how are things with you and Andrew, did you solve your problem with fore/hind milk?

Lucy, I know lots of ladies who have concerns over breastfeeding and 'topping up' with formula. At the end of the day their babies are thriving and happy. I hope you Ok and have resolved your latching on problem. Have you been venturing out now?

Hello to Dione, Rittie, Bev, Jo, Rileydee and all lovely ladies on this thread
Take care
Hugs
Anna x

[Rittie2000]

Hi Anna, Hi girls,

Hope you are all well indeed. The twins have grown so much. They have now doubled their body weights, are smiling a lot and are responding to all sorts of toys. They are an absolute joy and delight for us. Alas, we had the 12 week jab last Tuesday and we've had a few nightmare days. No fever, but super cranky babies. Elizabeth is still recovering from her lost appetite. Hope it'll settle soon - like today, like now!!! The babies are feeding every 4 hours and once through the night. I've given up on trying strategies to make them through the night. Nothing has worked and I get totally stressed about it. Its easier just getting up that one time to do the night feed

We haven't been out and about much mainly due to the Jab but also the pathetic weather (as you may have seen on the tele with Wimbledon Tennis). Yuck, yuck, yuck. Wet weather is so depressing. Sun please come play with us soon.

Lots of love
Rittie