Oct/Nov 2008 mommies!

oh Helen!

i had sore nipples last time so this time I got a small tube of Lansinoh and it is working like a charm! i haven't had a single sore nipple even with expressing and feeding. It's not cheap but you use so little it'll last a month or 2.

Helen really glad that things are going so well for you guys. Sure Oliver will come around once he is used to Nina getting some attention too - for now he'll deal with it the only way he knows. You're right rest is very important for bf'ing and if she's happy don't do the top up's - the more she drinks from you the better your supply will be.

Vix i think with Jonathan's current weight gain rate he'll be home in no time. Hope C warms up a bit more to his brothers soon but like Julz says at 2 there isn't much you could do but let him adjust and just gently guide him x

Julz ouch on Dylan biting you I would not have been happy either. Yesterday for some reason Shrey started hitting me again, after many months. At first I tried to ignore but eventually I hit back but obviously not hard enough because he was still laughing

Mandy hope you start feeling better soon about your relationship and make the changes you do feel you can make. I think once we all became parents our focus shifted from our spouses to our kids and men feel left out even if that's not your intention.
I think Vix is so right about the festive season being the most tense - it is for us because dh always parties too much & drinks too often for my liking.

Simone- your comment:

Mandy it was really sweet of you to offer to help Vix...you guys are all such great friends! Vix I hope you'll take her up on it;-)

correction, WE are all such great friends, every single woman in this group has been an amazing friend even those like yourself from afar whom i have never met in person but couldn't live without!

oh and Mandy- I would never take you away from your special men on a sunday but it was a fantastic offer and really does show just how important we all are to one another!

I entered the breast pump competition, oooo i really hope i win! I have borrowed one from Nelria but i am soooo nervous to break it, if i just had my own one i could relax a bit LOL I didn't want to buy one because i was scared i wouldn't use it but hey shows what i know, i have 4 children, C, A, J and the breast pump sucking me dry LOL

Helen- i have been very lucky on the feeding front, i have absolutely vowed not to feed hourly this time. It's 3hrs min but sometimes Alex sleeps up to 5hrs. Being prem he just wants to sleep all the time which is fantastic for now. And he probably doesn't drink as much as Nina especially as his birth weight was nearly half of Nina's. She was nearly 3 times the size of Jonathan!

Mandy i KEPT MEANING to comment on Cameron and the 'Zoe bite me'...lol. I laughed so hard!!! These kids are so freakin cute!

Helen you sound like you are doing remarkably well and oliver is the perfect big brother! must make it so much easier! Please post pics when you can..pretty please with a cherry on top

Vix so sorry about C. My cousin's lg is 4 and she isnt aggressive towards her new sister...but wants to pick her up and pat her hard, etc. And she gets quite angry about being told 'No dont hurt Lilly'. So seems like any age gap can create problems depending on the child.

He just needs an adjustment period I am sure...for now I suppose you all just have to keep an eagle eye on him!

Mandy it was really sweet of you to offer to help Vix...you guys are all such great friends! Vix I hope you'll take her up on it;-)

Mandy...I think all of us battle to find a balance...so you are not alone. We all have different areas we want to or need to work on...and we kind of just go on and on...not addressing the issues (whether it be communication, in the bedroom, things you are not happy with, etc)....and because life is so robotic sometimes....we really dont even realise that we arent living a life of passion.

I hope you find whatever it is inside you that you need to make the change in your relationship;-)

Mandy- that's interesting, i like dreams like that because it's basically your subconcious giving you the answer to a dilema you don't want to face in reality. Good thing it got you thinking about it before the festive season because those times are always tense. Hope you feel better about your feelings soon. xxxxxxxxxx

Hello ladies,

Yay Vix!! I'm so glad the twins are doing so well. Been thinking about you a lot over these last few days and sending plenty of positive thoughts and vibes your way, I can't imagine how tough things must be for you, I hope with your mum leaving and the Elgynol you can start increasing your milk production. I've been finding the Blackthorn helps but what really makes a difference is if I don't eat and have a half hour rest between feeds then I don't have enough milk to satisfy her next feed. Its a pain in the butt as I've never really had a big appetite so I'm having to force myself to eat little and often but I'm determined to BF this time. I know getting rest isn't easy and even more so in your circumstances but please try

We are doing well, I'm trying to take it as easy as I can so that I can make a success of BFing this time round, I'm finding it exhausting as she drinks a lot! I'm expressing at least once a day as well to try and stimulate my milk production. My one nipple is soooooo sore I nearly cry everytime she latches but biting down on something helps lol, if I can just make it through the first few weeks hopefully it will get better.

I had to take Nina back to the hospital on Monday for her immunisations (they don't do it over the weekend and I was discharged on Sunday) and the sister said to me its such a shame that you can't have your second baby first i.e if only you knew what you know now with your first baby - hope that makes sense?! Its so true!!! There's much less stress second time round and we are so much more relaxed about everything and even Nina seems to be more relaxed, or maybe that's just her nature...

Oliver is coping well - I haven't had any problems with him trying to hurt her as yet (Vix I'm sure it will pass with C soon enough), he seems quite keen to be involved, if anything its been the kick that he's needed to grow up a little bit. He's a bit funny with me at times so that's obviously the jealousy, last night he wouldn't give me a kiss good night and he didn't want me to come and tuck him in and he's also giving me a few tantrums but on the whole I think he's coping well. He's even started using the potty for wees and poos as long as I leave him without a nappy which is amazing as everywhere you read that the toddler will regress. FX it continues! The only thing I'm having problems with really is that he wants me to feed him instead of using his own fork and spoon but hopefully thats just a phase.

Vix I'm sorry your mum was such a burden, I can honestly say I don't know what I would've done without mine, I would've thrown in the towl with BFing that's for sure as I just wouldn't have had the energy. She's been doing all the cooking and cleaning and really helping out with Oliver so she's been a big help. Hopefully without yours there you and Elwyn can get on with things your own way.

Nina is lovely, we're doing well so far I think and I haven't had to top up her feeds for a few days now, she's a big girl hehe although she doesn't look it, we're all still waiting to see what colour hair she's going to have, we're all hoping its going to be red like mine but we'll wait and see, she looks like she might have red eyelashes and eyebrows...

ANyways, I'm off to have a lie down, will try log in again later. X x X

Julz- thanks for that link, I'll definitely give it a try because i am a shout scream and smack mommy and that is obviously not helping.

sorry i though i read you had an overnight stop, duh, that's what happens when i try to catch up in the early hours of the morning.