October 2011

Hey mamatasj. I got a pouch sling for the quickness and easiness but the only time she's happy in it is when I bf her in it. So I have slowly become a wrap expert. She loves it. I only have to lap the house once and she's out even when she's really overtired. It is worth the couple mins crying it takes me to get it on and her in it. My complaints are (still) that mine is very long and wide and that it is so hot! Think I will make like trex and make a lighter one for summer and just put bub in a nappy. DH is going to have to learn how to use it as when I'm not here it will be his best trick to settle her. I think the ring slings look better than the pouch cause you can do tum to tum hold which they prefer to cradle. Let me know how it goes.

Awesome the tumtotum works with the ringsling mamatasj! I'm trying to get my girl happier about the pouch sling by bfing her in it.

It sure is quiet! Congrats Harvie on surviving the wedding. We managed a trip to Taupo & back a couple of weeks ago but it was really hard work.

Trying to get Miss Caelin taking BM from a bottle, after a couple of weeks of trying every few days, today she successfully drank about 40mls with DP from the bottle! Yay!!! We are all moving to Wellington as DP starting Paramedic studies in Feb, so hopefully bottles will make our move a whole lot easier.

Also I just wanted to update on the issue I was having with Caelin a few weeks ago in case anyone else is having similar issues (seemed like stomach issues - screeching & arching back after feeds/while trying to get a poop out) - have discovered after doing some research & trial and error that it was due to a forceful letdown (milk sprays everywhere!) and her getting too much sugary foremilk - am now either pumping some milk off before feeding, or lying back to feed so she has to work against gravity.
A really good website for all sorts of info on sleep/BFing etc IMO is kellymom.com

Hope everyone and their little people are doing well, miss reading everyone's updates!

Hi yecats, yup Mikayla seems to grissle herself to sleep. I have found there is a very fine line between her being ok and being over tired and I really notice the crying to sleep kicks in when she hits that point of over tired. If i dont get her to sleep quickly after that then we have all out screaming and the only thing that settles her is rocking walking swaying and shhhhing all at once lol. A couple of times I have gotten her into bed before the tiredness kicks in and she has chatted to herself for a few mins before falling to sleep.

M is now sleeping thru the night yay, usually goes down for the night about 9pm and then sleeps until 6am except last night when she was woken up by her big bro at 3am so I fed her and she slept until 8am haha DH was nearly late for work because we haven't been setting an alarm because she and DS are pretty reliable alarm clocks... usually.

Merry Christmas everyone and I hope you all enjoy your first xmas with your babies. I am so looking forward to it.

Harvis, haha! Poor wee Harry, wow I didn't know babies could go 14 days without pooping, Caelin poops, we wait.... put a new nappy on and right after that she poops some more! It's exhausting! Are you BF Harry or formula?
Yecats - my girl grizzles before sleep, but if she is overtired it's all out screaming. We found that swaddling her, shsshing and holding her firmly to our body while she 'cries it out' helps her to wind down when she is like that (after checking all the obvious possibilities first, of course)
I was having a LOT of trouble getting Caelin to nap during the day and she would get super overtired (is so alert when awake and very chatty) so tried something I read in the OhBaby magazine this issue - swaddle, put baby on the side facing AWAY from you and shh or pat their bottom until they settle, then turn them back onto their backs once they are quiet or semi-asleep. You might have to do this 4 or 5 times going back into the room the first few times but we have been doing it about a week now & find it very effective - usually works in the first 3 times of me going back in to pat her bottom... YAY!

Anyone have any tips for long car drives with a very young baby?! We have to do a 4.5 hour drive to our new digs in a weeks time, wish us luck please!!!

Merry christmas everyone. Hope you are all having a great day with your wee ones!

Kaylee is now in her own room, in her cot and still sleeping through the night. I am so lucky to have a good sleeper. Must take after her mummy. She is a healthy 6.24kg, and 60cm long and almost grown out of 00.

Hope all is well

I'm back home now and yes on Christmas Day I got the poosplosion! It was in the bath so contained quite nicely, a quick shower afterwards and was all cleaned up. I hope he never tries to beat 17 days. At the moment he is breast fed but will porbably change to both formula and breast soon as he's not putting on weight and I go back to work part time at the end of January so will make life easier all round, should make at least 3 months. The plunket lady I had problems with earlier has been great over his lack of weight gain and seemed much more helpful, I think she could see I was freaking out a bit between that and at that stage 15 poo free days.
I hope you are all well, take care for the start of 2012!

Hi everyone, Hope you have all had a lovely christmas with your families. All is good here with Sophie who has settled into a nice routine of 7 hour sleep over night followed up with 2hrs then naps of 2-3 hours during the day.

Mama Tasj - I have started using the bottle on sophie who is the same afge as your bub. I introduce the bottle part way through the feed when she is most content. I also use the Closer to Nature bottles which have been great. She doesn't seem to be as gassy with these. It takes a few goes and often she will give me a foul look when she realises but I just keep persisting. Do you use a dummy? I think this may have helped with our transition.

Hi Mama_Tasj,

I make sure she takes the bottle from me and DP as he will be back at work in a week. I alternate between him feeding with bottle, then myself and I express when he feeds. I often give her the bottle without changing from BF position (tummy to tummy) and then roll her onto her back while she is still comfort sucking/resting). It takes a few goes but worked for us.

I would jsut keep trying until she gets used to it. The reward of lazy sucking for the same BM seemed to work here.

Good luck

Merry Christmas girls‼ Hope everyone is having a great break. Happy New Year if I dont get back to post that too