Lately the house has been a mess. Things have been half done and never gotten back to. Why do you ask?
Well a crying baby that is the reason. He is needing cuddles, attention and of course for mummy to try and take the pain of teething away.
When the rare moment that he has slept during the day happens I try and do something, but he wakes and then the screaming and upset begins again. This now means that I have to stop what I am doing and be with the baby.
I have decided to just give up for now. If I get the washing folded and put away that will be a miracle.
Also if the vacuuming and maybe other areas of the house get a good scrub and clean that also will be amazing indeed.
Sometimes having a shower without the baby waking up is winning. Yes small things make me feel like I have achieved greatly.
I feel like I should get some toothpicks and try and prize my eyes open. I am getting sleep and the baby is sleeping better at night and for longer, but I am on edge. I keep on thinking I hear the baby cry and of course don’t have that deep lovely sleep as I am always on call for the baby in the night. I also have showers and believe that the baby is screaming the house down when of course the place is dead quiet. I’m sure I am not the only one that does this.
Toothpicks that might be helpful in keeping my eyes open.
My body is out of whack. My neck hurts and a good massage and hot bath is something that would be most welcome. Bring on the day spa experience….well I can dream can’t I.
Although he has been in pain and is out of sorts, he is still a very smiley and giggly little boy. Sometimes he does not know if he should laugh or cry when I am trying to help him with the pain of new teeth coming in.
I don’t know if it is a personality difference but the twins were not that bad when they were teething. They were in a bit of pain and discomfort but after taking the edge off with some painkillers they were right. Some cuddles, kisses and then they were off to bed and all was right. Our little boy seems to be upset all the time regardless of medication or sometimes cuddles. Is there a difference between how the sexes handle this? If you had a boy and then a girl were they different or the same when they got their first teeth?
I do really feel for him and how horribly painful it is. I am just very glad that he will not remember this experience. All I can do is to try and make him feel the pain less and to give him cuddles throughout the process. I’m not sure when he will get his first tooth but I hope it happens soon. The twins got theirs at about 4-5 months and some at 6 months.
It feels like there are few teeth wanting to make an appearance and it will be interesting to see what one happens first. I know the bottom teeth and the top ones are the teeth that generally happen first.
Have you had a week or two that whatever you plan or wish to do in the window of time you have to yourself you cannot get done? If so I feel your annoyance and I also understand that the little person is really needing you and me giving them hugs and attention at this upsetting time for them right now.
How did you get through your baby teething? Did you just give up on things around the house like I am doing? Did you have some help to get all the things done that need doing? Let us know.
Note: I am hoping that in the next few days he will settle down a bit so that will allow me to get stuck into the housework. You know when you get over it all and you clean angry. I find I get a lot done when I have this happen, especially when I need to throw out things, give items charity or just give things away.
“Immunization averts 2 to 3 million deaths annually; however, an additional 1.5 million deaths could be avoided if global vaccination coverage improves. Today, an estimated 18.7 million infants – nearly 1 in 5 children – worldwide are still missing routine immunizations for preventable diseases, such as diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus.” WHO: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2016/world-immunization-week/en/
I believe in vaccinations.
Vaccinations keep the child/you/family and others safe.
We have the technology and ability to prevent illness from some horrible diseases. Why would you not want to protect your family from this? I caught chicken pox and I think mumps as a kid. My children will never have this happen to them due to vaccinations. Some or nearly all of the childhood illness that I contracted as well did my friends you can now prevent.
In the video below this new mum took her little baby to a family function. She did not know that there were children there that weren’t immunised. Melissa’s family were very lucky that their little girl who ended up contracting chicken pox overcame the illness and is happy and healthy. Some don’t have this outcome.
Many people get vaccinated for different reasons. One major reason is if you have kids or look after children for your work. Making sure you are up to date with your immunisations will prevent you from getting sick as well as the kids in your care. To find out more check out this great poster by Better Health Victoria to learn more.
When enough people are immunised it protects the herd (majority of the population). Since immunisations have lessened the herd immunity is in danger. We need to aim for everyone to be immunised worldwide.
Below is a video of Dr Margaret Cooper, she is a polio survivor and talks about her struggle with the disease.
Immunisations protect people who have their immune system comprised, for example cancer patients. Another group are the elderly that might not be able to get the shots so quickly as others, or how about the new baby that has just been born and is not old enough to get their vaccinations yet. It is a nice thing to ensure the health of yourself but it benefits everyone.
I made sure that the twins were vaccinated on time and I’m doing the same for my new little boy. He is all booked in for his four month shots and I make sure that I book this in ahead of time. I like to make sure that the dates work for the doctors appointment, if I cannot get in at one centre I go elsewhere.
Keeping the vaccinations up to date means that the child or you are covered if you come into contact with someone who has chicken pox or say pertussis.
And now for something controversial and hopefully will get you thinking…with a bit of help from Jimmy Kimmel, he sums up my thoughts on immunisations.
Get yourself, your kids, family and friends immunised.
Immunise your children/you on time, every time.
Close the immunisation gap
#immunityforcommunity
#vaccineswork
#endpolionow
@BetterHealthGov
The WHO poster for World Immunisation Week
Note: This is not a sponsored or paid post in any way, although Better Health Victoria approached me for my support. I believe strongly with immunisations and making sure we all stay healthy and well. Immunisations are not just to help you and your immediate family, they help everyone in the community.
Our little boy has been doing things early. Yes he is keen to stand, walk, sit up and do everything. He has not got the memo that he cannot stand, walk or sit up yet, but it does not stop him from trying.
Alexander is talking and telling us very important things. Some things he gets very worked up about and his chats go on for ages. Some chats are short and they consist of umming, blowing raspberries and trying out new sounds. Some chats end with him in a fit of giggles, maybe he has just told me the best joke in the world and he cannot control himself. Pity I don’t know the language to know if it was a fabulous joke or the winning lotto numbers.
He has laughed, and smiled before experts say he should have (Smiles and big laughs have been had since he was about a month old). He has big chuckles with things…. I think he has a great sense of humor already. He is a very happy baby (Obviously if he is in pain or annoyed he is not happy)
He has rolled over well before he was three months, at nine weeks he was trying and partially sit up. At about two and half months I noticed he was drooling, putting his fists in his mouth and just wanting to chew everything. He loves chewing the sleeves and the front of his outfits, of course this makes everything wet due to the baby drool (Many outfit changes later to ensure warm and dry clothes – I think he is giving the twins a run for how many outfits he can wear in one day)
Of course I thought he was teething and then dismissed it. He is too young. It cannot be happening now.
Drool and fists in mouth persisted and of course then upset baby that needed mummy cuddles.
Alexander having tummy time and also to putting his hands in his mouth to soothe his gums. I just love his fab hair, it looks so stylish and funky.
I checked gums and did not see anything until he forced my fingers into his mouth and then I felt the teeth working their way through the gums. My little boy is indeed teething and has been for a while now.
This was really silly of me to not see the signs. I just thought he was too young. I should have known better after having two kids that have gone through the same thing, although years ago now.
I must say that the twins from memory were good regarding teething. I just took the edge off with some painkillers and some bonjella and they were good. Although out of sorts but not screaming the place down like our little man is. He has some medicine when he needs it and then cries and needs mummy cuddles and attention until he falls asleep. We all know mummies cuddles fix everything don’t they.
The baby does see the twins race around the house and I can see that he is wanting to join them. I do understand that children learn by seeing others, and therefore thought that my third child might be quick with some things. However I did not think he would be teething so early. I mentioned this to nurse at the local medical centre and she told me that it could still take a while to see a tooth. We have not had a tooth erupt from the gums yet and not sure when it will happen, I’m just amazed that the process has started so early.
This milestone chart from BabyCentre UK lists some of the things that our new baby has done… so that is not too far off when it happened for us. According to this table we are on track. However other sites say that it all should happen later. I know that every baby is different and this kid is unique and an individual. He will do things when he is ready, it does not matter if it is early or later, just as long as they happen is all I am concerned with.
One person I know who also has three kids told me that his third child did everything much earlier than the first two. He believes it was the fact that he saw his siblings do everything and wanted to be like them. Did this happen to you? Did the first kid/s help the other children do things earlier?
Yesterday was a good day. I had an appointment at the hairdressers to tidy up my hair and to also to give it a big lift….yes I had a nice colour put through it.
Waiting to get my hair done…. how nice to have some me time. Also I think my hair thanked me for the love and attention it got.
The pampering, silence and no kids was much needed. Some alone time was lovely. I sat with a peppermint tea in hand and reading a trashy mag while I waited for my stylist to arrive. I left the house thinking I might be running late for my appointment but to my surprise I was 15 mins early.
How amazing to be early somewhere. Having three kids and getting everyone ready to leave the house is a chore unto itself.
So I relaxed with the knowledge that I can just be and wait without the constant chorus of “mummy, mummy, mamma!!!!!!”
The stylist arrived and apologised as I was waiting and he did not know I was there. I said that is no big deal and I was in fact early so there was plenty of time. He was lovely and listened to what I wanted and worked his magic to make my hair look and feel wonderful. We swapped stories of babies and life and just had a great time while my hair got some much needed TLC. It was a lovely start to my afternoon.
I explained to the hairdresser that ever since my third child was born I have been losing handfuls of hair in the shower and also in the hairbrush. I have read that this is normal and happens due to hormones and the fact that you don’t lose hair during pregnancy but afterwards it seems like I am losing heaps. It has made me get very worried but since googling “hair loss and having a baby” I have found the following:
After I left the hairdressers I walked around very slowly, I took in all the coming and goings that I usually miss out on as I am racing around with kids normally. I loved the fact that I could go into shops and not have to be stressed out about kids touching things or the possibility of them breaking something very expensive. I was able to go into areas that are generally off limits to prams and to spend as much or as little time as I liked in each place. It was rather luxurious to do this (It does not sound like much but it was heaven).
My fab new do. Not much different from my old do but it is feeling nicer, the colour makes it look more healthy and the stylist worked with my natural curls.
Ever since I had Alexander my body has been out of sorts… I think I need to be realigned and have daily or weekly massages. My pelvis, hip and shoulder feels very sore. I do think that maybe my rib and also pelvis might be out of place as it is very painful to lie down and I never seem to feel good, every part of me feels like it is in constant pain. Not good I know. Has this happened to you after you had your baby? What did you do to feel better?
I have been seeing my chiropractor and he has helped a bit but the pain and issue is still there. I was thinking maybe a deep tissue massage might help me out.
So after my lovely relaxing time at the hairdressers and the shops I took myself off for a Deep Tissue Thai Massage.
Yes…… it was amazing and different. I have never had a true Thai Massage before, the lovely lady used her body to help get my kinks and to stretch my body out.
It was a brilliant experience and I will definitely be going back. I was twisted and manipulated and it has made parts of my back and body move more easily, however it also made me think that everywhere this masseuse touched me was so sore. It made me think how out my body really was.
The masseuse suggested that I come back soon as my back needs to more help to feel better. I will have to book a massage for the next weekend so that I can start to feel better. Next weekend I need to book my time again so that I can help my poor back and body.
I did have a lovely fantasy while I had my massage. I was a princess getting her daily or weekly massage. Yep I don’t muck around with my daydreams. In my fantasy I was in a fab room that was all decked out with detailed fabric, furniture and no expense was spared. I hope I’m not the only one that has weird thoughts while having a massage. Let me know if you do this too.
Have you found that a Deep Tissue Thai Massage helped you feel better? Also have you managed to sneak in some me time after kids? Let us know.
This became evident the other week when she had a HUGE meltdown getting ready to go to the pool.
Each child was getting ready to go to swimming lessons and then one had a screaming fit.
“Why are you wearing that dress? That is the one I want to wear!”
“I want to be different! I don’t want to look like you!”
Then screamed at the top of her lungs…
“I DON’T WANT TO BE A TWIN, I HATE BEING A TWIN!”
These girls have not argued about their dresses. Maybe it is coming when they are older? Did you find that? The kids were okay until they hit a certain age about what they wear.
The kid who had the meltdown got a nice dress organised and then found that her sister picked the exact same dress to wear.
I then tried to diffuse the situation by saying maybe you could pick another dress.
This was met by, “I picked it first, she needs to pick another one not me!”
Oh shit I thought this is not going well at all.
I then turned to the sister who chose the dress after the other kid had already picked it and asked if she could change her dress. I tried to get her to wear something different.
No of course she did not want to change. She told me that she likes being a twin and wanted to be like her sister.
OH NO! I THOUGHT!
This just made the whole issue much worse.
The kid who was having the meltdown was yelling, screaming, crying and just so upset.
I asked why she was so upset about being a twin. I was trying to find out also what went on that day at school and what could have caused her to be so upset.
I finally found out that all day kids and teachers had mixed this kid up and thought she was her sister. One kid that has been with her since pre-school so now that is five years including this year of schooling and she still does not know who each kid is. I can only imagine how frustrating and annoying this would be.
Hugs and cuddles were had to tell her that I know it is not right to always be mixed up with your sister. I told her that although she looks similar that she is indeed a very different person.
She is an individual and not the same as her sister. I told her that this kid at school should know by now who she is, and that she needs to correct her nicely and just leave it at that.
One kid does have her ears pierced but hair is usually over her ears so most people don’t notice. If people take the time they will realise differences and know who is who. If you don’t spend a lot of time with the girls you might not see it, but I would think teachers and school mates would be able to work it out by now.
Finally there was calm, well it was much calmer with less yelling from one child. So I would say it was an improvement. The kid who was upset decided to accessorise with jewellery to look different and wear different shoes. Phew! Finally we could leave the house to go to the pool.
I know it is a hard thing always having someone that looks like you, dresses like you would be annoying at times. Being you and having your own space is nice.
If you have twins how have you coped when they constantly get mixed up? Did one of your kids have a meltdown like one of mine did? What was the outcome of the meltdown?
Did the kid in question want to dress differently or have their hair a different style to make sure that they are seen as different, especially if they are identical like my girls?
Early this morning I woke at 3.13am to feed the baby. I fed him and he then fell asleep. Then I put him to bed, now the time was around 4am.
I walked carefully to my room. I have wooden floor boards and have to try not standing on the ones that creak and make the loudest noise. Hard to do in the dark but I manage. I then fall into bed but have heard the baby whinging to himself. I hope he will settle. I let it go and hope that the universe will align and let him settle and allow me to go back to bed.
No! Bloody universe did not do as I had hoped.
I go get the screaming baby at this stage and try and settle him. I think maybe he needs to finish the bottle of milk that was drinking earlier.
No he is not hungry.
He is just grumpy, angry and will not settle. Great!
I see from the time on the smart television that it is 3am. What the?? I had already got up at 3.13am before and now I am having another 3am start. How strange.
I had 2 3am’s this morning. I did think it odd until I remembered that daylight savings had ended.
It was odd until I remembered that daylight savings had ended and therefore the clock on the television had adjusted itself. Therefore making me have two 3am starts.
I know it was not Groundhog Day but it was very weird until I sleepy twigged to the change in our clocks. I know I told everyone about it on Facebook but at 3am you do find it hard to remember basic things other than the main thought of going back to bed.
Did you get caught out with the clocks going back due to daylight savings ending? Or did you just have an all-night issue with the baby?
Our little boy has been rather out of sorts today and has been screaming and whiny all morning.
He finally went to sleep but that has only lasted for an hour or less, or sometimes just a few minutes. Very annoying it you ask me.
You might be questioning my title. Knee Beards??? What the? You say.
Yes knee beards are a thing (You heard the term here first….I feel like now I should copyright it) and it got to a very hairy problem months after Alexander was born. I was still sporting some knee beards. Although I must say my legs are very nice (So I have been told) but having knee beards does not make them look very attractive.
If you don’t know what a knee beard is it is all the hair that grows around your knee region, if you don’t shave for a while it grows longer and maybe with pregnancy hormones this makes things even more longer and weird. Okay, you get the picture now.
A dramatic recreation of the knee beard. Yes it might be a little worse than it actually was but it felt like it looked this bad.
I finally took matters into my own hands and removed my knee beards but it took me two months of living with them to finally remove them. Why did it take me so long? Well as a new mum to a new baby, finding time for self care is hard. This is even harder when you have other children to care for as well. I cannot just swan in and have a bath and shave my legs. Nope. Sitting or lying in a bath to relax is difficult to impossible. My twins will then want to join me and therefore ruining the peaceful and relaxing state that I was attempting to create.
It was not just knee beards that needed my attention. Some of the other things that normally get waxed have been forgotten about or just left as it is in the too hard basket. My aim is to book time at the beauticians on a weekend this way hubby can mind kids and I can get some things done. After I have had some much needed beauty therapy I can then tackle the pool again in the aim to tone up and lose some of the baby weight.
My hair also needs some attention. I have noticed that it is rather dry and rough on the ends. This is probably not helping the fact that I am loosing hair when I brush or even when I shower. Yes hand fulls are coming out. Maybe this is due to hormones after having a baby? I hope so as I’m getting worried that I might soon be bald. So basically knee beards are the least of my worries really.
My out of control hair. Desperate to go to the hairdressers.
I think that I just need to have my hair cut and tidied, and I know it might not be good but a nice colour to jazz up my look might be in order. It would make me feel good and also much more glamorous. As a stay at home mum to three kids now feeling more glam is always a good thing.
Do you get time for a little bit of self care? A mani, or pedi?
Maybe a trip to the pool or the gym? Have you been to the hairdressers lately?
I am so keen to get my hair done I have thought about doing it with the baby with me. However I have stopped myself, I don’t want to be dealing with a crying baby while trying to relax.
This time will just be for me. My time to do something for myself.
Let us know how you fit it all in with everyone’s busy schedules.
I have had two days of angst! Yes I have had some stressful moments. Why do you ask?
Well, the poor little baby has had his first injuries and falls. Insert unhappy face here. Or maybe have a HUGE lie down. After Wednesday’s incident I was so drained and exhausted.
Firstly on Tuesday I was looking after the baby. I carried him in the rocker to the living room. All was good until…. He rolled out and fell head first on the ground. Thank goodness we have a nice rug that covers the wood floor. It did still make a noise when his head collected the floor and oh did he scream. I felt horrible. The only saviour was the fact that he was so close to the ground when this rolling out of the rocker occurred and it was more of a scare than a full blown injury….You can bet I was breathing a BIG sigh of relief about this.
Now to tell about his second incident.
It happened yesterday (Wednesday). I was busy getting all the rubbish out of the house for bin night and the baby was screaming the house down. The twins were in the backyard playing. I thought if the baby can see the kids and be with them he might calm down. I took the baby and the rocker out so that he could sit with his big sisters. I told the kids to leave him in the rocker and to ask if they needed any help. I was not going to be long and was soon to join all the kids so that I can do the twins reading for school in the garden. It was still nice weather and I thought it was a lovely idea. The girls had their readers ready and were just waiting till I was ready.
I was finished and had come in and was just tidying up to come out to be with the kids. I then heard a horrible scream and yell from the baby. I raced out to see what the problem was and to make sure all was okay. I see one of the kids putting the baby in the rocker and he is covered in sand. I ask the child why her brother is covered in sand. She tells me honestly (I was pleased that she told me the truth although she did something bad. She was grown up enough to tell it the way it happened. I told her that I was pleased that she did that and that I am proud of how she dealt with the situation) that she was holding him in the sand pit and he fell and now he has sand all over him. Gosh not good!
The scene of the crime. At least it was a soft area to be.
I made sure to tell the girls that this was not good. It could have gone so wrong, and we were very lucky that the baby is okay. He did not fall on cement, or on the hard wood borders of the sandpit and other things….. gosh it could have been horrible (This is why I was so drained and fell asleep while watching TV last night). I could have spent last night at the hospital. I am very grateful this did not happen.
I got a bath organised for the baby quick smart to wash away the sand from his whole body but especially his face. My main concern was his eyes. I did not want any stray grains of sand in his eyes. In the bath I had a flannel and soaked it with water to wash the babies eyes, I did not want to wipe so much but put water in his eyes so that it got the sand out. I did my best but due to the baby not understanding he tried to open his mouth and drank some of the water (In hindsight this was rather funny but not at the time). This ended up in him coughing and me changing tactics to get the sand out from around the eyes. Let me know if you have done this also.
As you might imagine, poor Alexander was hard to settle and when he finally did settle he slept a long time. I think he was stressed out about falling into the sandpit. I was so zapped of energy due to the worry and what could have happened.
After this happened it got me thinking. If you have older kids and a new baby, what have the older kids done while they were helping look after their brother/sister? Let us know.
I know the kids were trying to help. I think they now understand how the fall could have hurt their baby brother, and how lucky we are that he is okay and his happy smiley self. Maybe this is a good lesson for the kids to learn. They need to be more careful when they are with the baby.
I will too make sure that I am more careful as no one wants to have a fall out of the rocker or the first experience with the sandpit to be such a drama.
I hope that the baby is not going to be permanently scared about sandpits and that he will like them when he is older. If he has a fear of sand this will be the reason for it.
Alexander is now eleven weeks old. Yes soon to be three months old, Oh how that has flown by already.
As anyone with a newborn knows you get up multiple times at night and feed, settle, cuddle, and of course change nappies. I also wash up bottles so that we have more for the next feeds. Lately the baby has taken to waking up at 2.30 or say 2am to want more food. I change his nappy and get him the milk and then feed him. He then falls asleep and then I put him to bed after some lovely morning cuddles.
Having snuggles with my boy.
Alexander then wakes again at 4am. He is screaming the place down so I do all the normal things, change his nappy and get more milk ready for the next feed. However it is this time that he decides that he is not hungry and just wants cuddles with mummy. I was snug and asleep in my bed before he screeched to what I thought was a hungry cry, but turned out that he just wanted cuddles. This is lovely but to wake up to give someone cuddles seems a bit annoying. I love the cuddles but I do LOVE my sleep and to wake up to then have to fall asleep again in the living room is a bit annoying to say the least.
I do try again to feed him but he pushes the bottle away and is content to just be cuddled. I fall asleep on the lounge as well as the baby. Hours pass and I finally wake to realise that I have been sleeping with my neck and body in an odd position. No wonder my body is out of sorts and everything hurts.
I sit in the living room looking around at all the things yet to be done and think about all the other things around the house that have to be done or have not been done or even thought of or even started. Gosh I’m exhausted just thinking about it all!
Why can’t I just sit and cuddle the baby?
Why do I have to get up and get stuff for people?
It is annoying that I have to leave the house but I do. Dropping kids at school and picking them up and of course all the after school activities that the girls go to. All I wanted to do was to stay in the house with my PJ’s on and just cuddle and be with Alexander.
During these early morning moments I have thought why can’t I be more in the moment? I love the cuddles, giggles and raspberries that Alex is doing but I still find myself drawn to all the other things that need my attention. Maybe this is due to having kids already? When I had the twins I had no pressure to be anywhere, I did not have kids before the twins so I could have the cuddles and just stay at home if I wished to. Now with older children it is hard to impossible to stay at home.
In the early weeks mums at the kids school commented on how it was great that I was getting out and about. It was nice to hear and I of course would have rather have stayed at home, but with kids at school I had to venture out. I suppose it was good that the kids made me go out with the baby but that quiet time just snuggling with your new baby is so nice and a pity that I have to get up to do the more boring things, like cleaning, shopping, clothes washing and more.
Also with older kids the house is much noisier than before. When the twins were babies I tried to have things super quiet when they were sleeping. I would even put notes on the front door in case of deliveries. Yes I was trying to make sure that who ever knocked on the door knew to be quiet or less noisy than they would be normally. I of course have not done the note on the front door this time, not due to not thinking about it but just due to never getting around to do it, and thinking about sleep rather than writing notes.
Did you find that due to other kids and commitments that you are not enjoying the lovely moments of the new baby as much as you would like? Let us know.
I need to just learn to switch off and to let go. I know it is hard but I need to. I think from the state of my house you would think that I have done just that, but I have been trying to tidying and sort things but it is always hard with a new baby. I get some things sorted and then have to leave it to be with the baby, then off course I don’t get back to the pile of clothes to fold and put away. Then I have to pick kids up from school, take them to after school activities and then when home do homework, dinners and more! Yes…. I think that is about it.
Letting go about now sounds good after reading all that I need to do!
Do you have some tips to just try and let go of all the things that need to be done? If you do have some great ways to let go of things that would be great to be shared also.
I know every baby is different and each one has a distinct personality. However I did not count on our third little person being so fussy and hard to settle.
Maybe he is a person who just likes things to be ready when he is. Yes impatient and wants it all to happen NOW! He must think why the milk is not ready when I am! Talk about bad service.
He is also a person that holds onto burps, farts and anything gassy or windy, so he has terrible belly pain. He makes such upset faces due to the horrible annoyance this can cause (I hate having a sore belly I cannot imagine how it would feel to baby that has no idea what the pain is.)
Upset and crying baby due to not being able to get the wind out of his belly. Also has to be upright due to having silent reflux.
Our latest addition is also a person that likes to be upright to be settled and does not like to lie down until he is finally winded, and finally all the gases get out of his body that can be coaxed, well within the 4 hour period of trying.
Yes you get the picture it takes ages to even get him settled and not yelling and screaming in your ear. I do think I will go deaf soon or have limited hearing on one side. I pray that this does not happen.
My new little man has a very good set of lungs and he uses them very well.
Some of these issues could be due to the fact that I am expressing my breast milk and therefore he is being bottle fed. Alexander did not latch on well at all and did not seem to get enough milk. When he was on the boob he would then fall asleep but also before this he would struggle to get on and yell and scream. This in turn would stress me out and also him and due to him not looking like he got anything we have turned to the bottles with breast milk to make sure that he is getting what he needs.
While in the hospital one midwife suggested the baby had a tongue tie. I asked what this was and she said that it is a piece of skin that is holding the tongue in a different position and not allowing it to move so that the baby can feed well and successfully. I thought that would explain it. However another midwife and nurse looked at the baby and dismissed it all and therefore it was agreed that the baby did not have a tongue tie. I ended up forgetting all about the issue of the tongue tie and just thought that I was not getting the breast feeding thing and the baby was learning as well and also just a fuss pot.
After we left hospital the community nurse came to the house to check up on myself and the baby. A lovely lady came and made sure we were all okay. She checked the baby and then announced that he did have a tongue tie. Oh gosh does he have a tongue tie and it got overlooked?
The lovely community nurse said it was a posterior tongue tie and it might be worth it getting fixed to see if it improves feeding and settling the baby. I was also told that it could cause speech issues when the child gets older as the tongue does not sit in the normal or ideal spot to form words and therefore makes it hard to speak. So good idea to get fixed. It is not yet known if it will cause issues with speech due to the baby not speaking yet, but there is a high percentage that if not looked at could cause problems.
I sprang into action. I got a referral to a surgeon at Westmead Children’s Hospital and raced there for our appointment for the tongue tie to get fixed. To get to the hospital on time I had to put the twins in before school care and also be up super early. I drove all the way and fussed over the baby when he was screaming the waiting room down while we waited for our appointment.
It was our time with the doctor now. He had no idea why I was there and looked shocked that I had such a young baby to see him. At the time of the appointment he was 4 weeks old. He is now nearly 10 weeks as I am writing this. I explained that I have been told he has a posterior tongue tie and that it is best to get it looked at now while he was so young. I also listed all the other things that the baby was doing and therefore it was other signs of having a tongue tie.
The doctor then said put the baby on the bed so that he could have a look and see what the issue was with his tongue. He did a quick once over and then concluded that he did not have a tongue tie and all was good. He said that there is nothing to cut and no issue! I mentioned what the community nurse said again to just make sure that it was right.
The surgeon then said, “It is just him then, he is fussy!”
So I have an opinion of a surgeon that rules out the fact of the baby having a tongue tie. However when I went to the local community nurse for Alexander’s 6 week milestone check she then told me without doubt the baby has a tongue tie! Oh please I wish people would bloody well make up their minds. Does he have it or not!
As a mother it is very confusing and annoying to have such conflicting views. What do you do? Do you continue to see someone for a tongue tie that a surgeon says is not there? Or do you just let it be. We have followed it up with our local doctor and have decided to see how baby goes as he gets older. Did you get conflicting information about your kids when they were little? How did you handle this?
As the local doctor pointed out; a surgeon has ruled it out so others will most likely do the same. Due to the baby always wanting to be upright we have discovered he suffered from silent reflux and found help with some medicine (Losec for babies) to treat this. I found that the medicine helped but first gave it to him during the day, however giving it at night time or just very late afternoon worked much better than during the day. There were some nights were I forgot to give it to him and he settled okay so we have decided to leave it, and think that it could be the fact he is getting older that things are settling even more. Although we have had some nights where the baby is just so over tired and out of sorts that he screams the place down.
I have found the following:
The baby likes to be wrapped.
Needs breaks during feeds and while having a break try burping and getting wind out of baby. You might get an angry face when you make the baby take breaks but it is well worth it.
If the baby does not drink all the bottle that is okay…. He/she is full and more might cause issues with upset belly and more wind.
Sit with your baby to calm them if they get the hiccups. Hiccups are the outcome of many of the upsets trying to deal with wind. Once hiccups are done and baby falls asleep again you can put him/her back to bed.
We have found that the baby likes noise and to be with people. We have put a digital radio in his room. It is on low volume and allows him to listen to Classic FM whenever he is resting. Not sure how this will influence him in the future but they do say that listening to classical music is good for brain development. We will find out when he is older, I’m sure.
Changing his environment when he is fussy. Take a walk out in the backyard, or just somewhere different is very helpful not just for the baby but also for you as well.
Make sure that the baby gets a bit of sunshine. Obviously not in the heat of the day and just a little time, say 10mins or less is good. It can help with sleep and also to it gives the baby some vitamin D.
If you have someone else in the house while you are looking after baby that is brilliant. If you have reached the end of your wits with baby then hand it over to the other person. Sometimes this helps as it is a distraction and the other person is not stressed or annoyed that the baby is not settling. The new person is calmer and can help settle baby.
Have you had a fussy or hard to settle baby? What are your tips and tricks to help the little person rest? (Or more like give you a break)
I have been thinking about what a year 2015 was. I did want to accomplish more on the blog side and professionally but managed to do a bit of what I had planned.
Kids completed year 1 and did very well with reading and many other things. They have grown so much and really developed as their own person. Being in separate classes I think has really allowed each child to be what they can be without disruption or upset to each other. It allows them to be themselves and to have their own wins and accomplishments.
I went to Problogger and networked. I also learnt a lot and got inspired to do more with my blog and other ideas.
We did some much needed DIY around the house. I know have a nicer bathroom, kids in a newer room and other things fixed that I have been desperate to have done.
We were lucky to get pregnant and soon we are to have baby number 3. I was hoping to not be pregnant while writing this but I am still. Currently I’m 39 weeks and 3 days with baby number 3 and rather annoyed that he/she is still in my belly. The countdown is on little one!
I was lucky to get better after having a rough patch with being ill and especially while being pregnant it did not help. I am much better now and the only annoyance is when this baby will vacate my body.
Due to the new baby to be, the twins got moved into the bigger room and we have done up their old small room for the baby.
On a sad note we said goodbye to some good friends last year and it was rather painful due to that issue. It was a tough year due to that alone and being pregnant throughout this made it more difficult for me to deal with. I felt bad creating life while dealing with the loss. I know… they would not hold it against me but I did feel bad.
On the up side, we are well, have a roof over our heads, food in our bellies, have good friends and are looking forward to what 2016 will bring us. The new baby is also something we are excited about and wondering when this little person will want to join the world.
The twins are excited about being in grade 2 this year and finding out what classes they will be in. We are in holiday mode currently and filling the days to keep kids busy and rest due to impeding birth is an interesting mix.
I will endeavor to attach the goals yet to have been achieved to this year and to strive towards them. Yes, I am not giving up just adding them to the list. Have you looked back on what you have done and been happy or sad? Or just it is what is was…. that said, I did all I could do and we are all okay.
What is your major thing or goal you wish to achieve in 2016? Let us know.
Hubby and I have been on the hunt for years for milk that tasted like it did when we were little. Creamy and not watery. For as long as I can remember milk has not tasted right. So whenever there is a new brand on the market we purchase it in the hope that it might be like what we remembered milk tasted like.
I finally found a milk that has cream on top of the lid… wow that never happens! It tastes a little better than the other brands and if shaken all the cream gets mixed up and all is good. However the twins have never experienced cream on top or in milk. They have had milk where it is all mixed in.
The creamy milk with the cream on top…. YUM!
One morning the kids decided to make their own breakfast. Yes amazing actually. They usually wake me up to do this task. I am trying to tell them they can do it themselves.
Oh well…… I was half asleep lying in bed and was very happy they were showing independence and doing it themselves. They were making their usual meal of Weet-Bix. They got to the milk part and poured it in the bowls. And then I heard….
“What is that???” “There is something in the milk! It does not look good. I think we need to chuck it out… It has gone bad!”
I got up and so did hubby. I told him about the milk issue that I was overhearing. He decided to go and have a chat with the girls and explain about cream and the milk. He explained that the milk just needs a good shake to mix the cream in and it is not bad just that it the cream is on the top of the milk. He also explained that you can mix it in or just eat it and it is all good. They did not look convinced.
Even this morning after a good shake of the milk and adding it to the Weet-Bix this morning one kid is still not keen on this type of milk. Maybe I need to get the other stuff just for them so they don’t complain? I was hoping it would not be an issue after the talk from daddy and us showing the twins that it is all good and fine to drink.
Have had something like this happen with your kids. I do understand that if they have never seen it before it might be a bit weird and they were wary of it, especially when you have never had it before. Leave a comment and let us know what has happened at your house.
I also think that they reacted just the right way. If in doubt get rid of it, it might be dangerous or make you sick. They reacted on instinct and went for survival. Although their breakfast of that day ended up in the bin I hope that we have shown them that milk with a bit of cream is okay to drink and will not kill you.
Have you realised that there is not long to go until it is Christmas? I have! Again it is is just rather amazing that the year has flown by. I suppose I have been busy with life, kids, appointments due to being pregnant and everything else that happens as a parent.
As of today 3rd of Nov 2015 there is only 7 Mondays left until Christmas. I thought it might be wrong but I checked. Image shared from Practical Parenting Magazine.
A while ago I was chatting with a mum from the twins school and she told me that it might be a good idea to start organising the kids Christmas presents now. I said why? She said that she had babies in December and was organised so that her older child did not miss out, and since I am due early January it might be a good idea to be prepared. This was said to me in September so I thought, “Oh, I have plenty of time… silly now to be shopping for Christmas and especially since the kids just had their birthday”.
I went home and thought about it. Maybe this lovely lady had a good point. If the baby decided to enter the world earlier than the due date I will be caught off guard. Since this conversation I have slowly acquiring presents for the girls and hiding them away. I think I just need to get some final presents and all will be sorted, well other than wrapping them up and putting names on them.
My presents that I organised earlier now under the tree. I can hope that I am that on top of things.
I’m nearly 31 weeks pregnant and getting a bit nervous. My waters broke with the twins when I was 33 weeks. I know this is a singleton and a twin pregnancy is completely different, but it is just the fact that the same time in the pregnancy is fast approaching and I am wary. I know that this will not happen or is very unlikely to happen with one baby but I am just concerned. I then had the twins at 34 weeks and 2 days. I have never been more than 34 weeks pregnant so this is going to be new territory. I have no idea what to expect other than the standard aches, pains and of course annoyances.
Were you due around Christmas or your other children’s birthdays? Did you make sure to get presents prepared just in case you were in hospital? Let us know.
I am nearly 30 weeks pregnant with one baby. I am on the home stretch, and getting very over being pregnant. As per some of my other posts I don’t love being pregnant but love the outcome; a lovely new person that will add joy to our lives and household.
I have been spending the last month or two wondering what this person will look like, what will they want to be and do with their lives, will they be blondes like the girls or have darker hair? Will it be a girl or a boy? So many things to wonder and daydream about.
Pregnant and over it!
Aside from the nice thoughts about this future little person I have not had fun. Many of the normal side effects of pregnancy I find horrible and hard to handle. See my list of complaints and annoyances below:
Nausea
Throwing up
Not able to eat things that you usually did due to reflux
Tiredness to the point of exhaustion. You cannot keep your eyes open and your whole body is zapped of energy.
Sore breasts
Weight gain
Headaches
Breathlessness
Constantly uncomfortable
Finding it hard to bend over at all
If things are on the floor they tend to stay there as getting them is difficult
Now the latest in a long list of complaints is sore and wobbly legs and horrible hip and pelvic pain.
Leg cramps at night that hurt and make it hard to sleep
Hips throbbing at night making it hard to get any rest at all
I have had conversations with hubby about how I am feeling and he said, “What did you expect? You have done this before so you knew what it would be like.” Well all I can say is that the constant leg, hip and pelvic pain did not occur with the twin pregnancy and it is getting worse. At times I find it hard to walk and that is just around the house!
This pregnancy is completely different than the twins. I did have the same symptoms early on and was very sick and freaked that I might be having twins again. If we did we would have been happy with that but all tests have confirmed one person is in there.
I wish hubby could experience all the things that have happened during this pregnancy to give him an idea of what it is like.
“If men were constantly nauseous, had issues walking and were in constant pain, I believe they would be in bed waiting for it all to end”
I don’t think hubby could cope and I am not saying this lightly. He is a tough man and soldier’s on when sick, however pregnancy throws you a multitude of symptoms at the same time. You think you are winning at times, but fighting nausea, reflux, headaches and constant pain in the legs and hips all at once does your head in!
What a pity you cannot wave your hands and have hubby experience a month or a week of what you are going through? Would you have liked to have done this? I know I would love to. Pity I don’t have magic powers.
Even getting up and out of the lounge is taking forever now… yes annoying really! So quickly going to do something is not quickly anymore…. It happens when it happens.
I know he cares and he is making sure all is well in the house to prepare for our new addition. He is actually nesting more than I am. He is stressing out trying to get the babies room ready and concerned that we are running out of time.
His main worry is that my belly will get too big to help move some things around or help out. My answer to this is to ask one of our mates to come move stuff if that happens (Which I think might be the case)
Have you found that the second or third pregnancy different from your first or others? Have you had some annoying symptoms that have made things harder for you to do things? I am still active and getting things done just a bit slower than usual.
What has your partner said or done that has helped or annoyed you? Let us know.
The girls have been asking to get their ears pierced for ages now. I have been quite worried how they would handle it. Would they be fine? Would they freak out? Would there be screams and crying? Would they hate it and want them out soon after? I did not know.
I have my ears pierced and had mine done when I was about the kids age. My mum took my sister and I to get them done after we had been asking for a while. My dad of course was furious when he found out that we had our ears pierced and wanted us to be older to get it done or maybe he rather wished we had not done it in the first place.
Yesterday I picked the kids up the early due to them being in a choir school performance. After I got the kids I had to go to the chemist to pick some things up. While we were there, one kid told me she really wanted to get her ears done. I checked if she was sure and if she was I was happy to have them done. I asked her sister and she seemed a bit reluctant but would like to do it as well. I did explain that it does hurt a little but it does not last. I was trying to not cover the truth and to let them know that it does get better.
We inquired at the chemist about getting the kids ears done and had to come back as the lady who did the piercing was at lunch. We busied ourselves and then came back to have them done. The child that was most insistent wanted to be first. She was very happy and got the dots on her ears to mark where the earrings will go.
She was fine until the first ear got pierced and then she was very upset. I felt terrible. I hugged and kissed her. I told her she was very brave and there is just one more ear to do and all done. She was not happy and told me that it hurt and it was not like getting a bindi (the lady that was doing the piercing said it would be just like getting a bindi). I told her it does not last and will get better very soon. She calmed down a bit, I held her hand and she got the other ear done. More crying, cuddles and kisses and she was fine. Her ears got a spray of the antiseptic mixture and soon was well. She looked upset, but after about 5-10mins she was all good.
This girl is very happy she got her ears pierced yesterday. She loves them, and cannot stop checking them out in the mirror.
Now it was her sister’s turn. It was bad that she was all ready to go and had to see her sister cry and get upset. Although she dealt with it okay it scared my other little girl. She really wanted to get earrings yesterday but she was very upset and scared so I left it. She can do it later if she wishes. She wants to wear all the pretty earrings but is not sure about the ears being pierced. Poor little thing kept on saying, “I want my ears done” and then I said are you ready and told her to be still, she then said amoungst tears, “I don’t know!” I did not want her to be traumatised by it, and she needs to be okay with it when she is ready.
So now one kid has pierced ears and the other does not. I don’t think it will be long for the one that doesn’t have them done to want to go again. I am leaving it for her to decide and not pressuring her. I made sure she knew all was okay and it did not matter.
The child that has her ears done feels very grown up with her sparkly earrings and cannot stop looking at herself in the mirror. She is very proud of herself and they are not hurting much at all now. I have taken the edge off with some Nurofen, I think that has made things easier. She is making sure she sprays her ears morning and evening so it is good to see her be very responsible in looking after her newly pierced ears.
Did your kids get their ears pierced when they were babies or older? What age did you allow your children to have their ears pierced?
August was exciting for me. I was off to Problogger and it was not just the conference that got me excited. It was the fact that I had three days to be all alone. All alone in a hotel room. All alone in a different city, and I could have adult conversations. I know all the parents that stay at home to look after kids would have been happy about this mini break as well.
After I came back from the conference I was keen to write up all that I learnt and showcase some great tips. However that was not to be. I was a bit unwell before I left but thought I was on the mend. I got ill in July when we were on our holiday in Melbourne. It did seem to be going away and I thought that this was so.
Inhaler to hopefully help me
When I returned home from the Gold Coast, I fell in a heap. At first I thought it was just exhaustion due to travelling, overload with all the fab info I digested while at Problogger, being pregnant and just being tired and needing some more sleep…. BUT it was not what was making me pass out.
My mum who was looking after the kids for me suggested I could have a chest infection. I said, NO, I’m just tired and pregnant. Also the baby is getting higher in my belly and making it harder to breathe as well. So I just thought it was mostly being pregnant. As I was not getting better and could not keep my eyes open, I thought it would not hurt to go to the doctor for a check-up.
Once at the doctors he told me that I had a chest infection (Don’t tell Mum she was right!) I was prescribed antibiotics and not the heavy duty ones that might help. I was limited to the medicine that I could take due to being pregnant. I got the prescription filled and started on my drugs. I got the refill and took them as well and it has not seemed to help much at all.
I went back to the a different doctor (due to not being able to contact the original doctor) about a week ago and according to him, my chest and breathing is okay, but I still have a cough and I am out of breathe many times. He has prescribed Ventolin to help with breathing. I have never had Ventolin before and have never had asthma. I was told that this medicine would not hurt the baby and will allow my breathing to be better. I hope so!
After taking this for about a week it is not making me any better and I am still out of breath and having issues. Again, I’m off to the original doctor tomorrow to finally get better and get things resolved! I hope so, as I am so over not being well.
Have you been sick when pregnant? When I was pregnant with the twins I did not have this issue. I avoided unwell people and made sure that I stayed well. Having young kids that are always exposed to bugs and things just makes things harder. It seems like it is a constant roller coaster with kids and the sniffles lately.
Not only have I been dealing with not being well, I am now struggling with re-flux due to pregnancy….OH the joys!
I hope that the doctor can work his magic tomorrow and give me something that will make me feel a lot better.
Today I’m driving to my mum’s and step dad’s place. They are currently house sitting in Newcastle and we are off to visit. The kids are excited as they are having a five day sleep over… Yes that means that mummy and daddy get a break (Mainly mummy gets a break in reality)
The kids feel very grown up having a sleep over with their grandparents and cannot wait for new adventures. When the kids come back we are going to be in the city and starting our weekend adventure in the city for the long weekend.
I’m staying over tonight but the kids are staying for the week and that will allow me to do some things that I have been really wanting to get done. Some of the things that I have been waiting to do are:
Tidying up in preparation for the new baby
Blog work for the new look and also posts for the current blog
Time out for me
Sleep
Sewing maybe????
We need to pack, tidy up some places so it is not that messy when we come home, have a shower and get ready to go.
I’m looking forward to our road trip with just the kids and I. I have made sure that I am not leaving in peak hour so that our trip will hopefully not be stuck in bumper to bumper traffic.
Have the kids in the holidays stayed with family? Has this given you a break? If you managed to have a break what did you get up to?
As you already know I was madly preparing for the kids birthday party. I had also baked cupcakes for school and then did it all again the next day to prepare for the party. Last Thursday and Friday were super busy and I of course did not make it out of the kitchen other than to pick kids up from school and off course drop them off. If you did see me throughout the day I might have had to make a run to the supermarket to pick up some forgotten supplies.
I kept the party simple. Just some snacks, cupcakes and of course the cupcake cake for the birthday. See pictures below of my Lumpy Space Princess Cake, or many cupcakes that create the cake. It is a creative attempt. Kids were happy and the cupcakes turned out very well. They were vanilla lemon cupcakes with butter vanilla icing.
My attempt at making Lumpy Space Princess (LSP). I was not 100% happy with it but the kids loved it. One kid after I showed her what I had done said, that I just needed to do a picture of LSP on a cake like the rainbow one I made last year. Gosh if only I knew that would be okay and I would have done that.Candles all ready to light for birthday celebrations for the twins.
Hubby pretended to be Princess Bubblegum to run the game. Which of course created much laughter, a couple of kids yelled, “Your Princess Bubblegum” and then laughed hysterically. The game was basically Simon Says but using the character of Princess Bubblegum. It was a lot of fun.
The weather was good for us and it was very warm, sunny and not a cloud in the sky. Kids ran wild with their mates in the park and were so tired when we arrived home. Due to having a small house and not much room having the party at the park is ideal for us. Less mess, more space and kids can play in nature.
The crazy chocolate that I made was magically eaten very quickly so I can only think that it was a massive hit.
Crazy chocolate for the kids 7th birthday party
As the twins had their party the day before their actual birthday, we wanted to take them somewhere special to celebrate their actual day. I booked tickets to the Stardust Circus for yesterday and it was the girls first time at the circus. They had a great time. You should have seen their surprised faces when the lions, acrobats, juggler and more did their thing. They were amazed and just so happy that we went. It was pity that I could not take pictures while inside the circus tent as that was prohibited. If I did I would be asked to delete the images, so thought best not to do it at all.
Officially 7 today. On way to see the circus for the first time.
It was a very hot day yesterday at the circus and although still spring it was about 30ºC. We were very smart to have dressed in summer clothes, kids and hubby in shorts and t-shirts and me in a dress. If it is like this now, summer is going to be a hot one.
Other than the circus the big hit of the birthday presents were Beenie Boo’s. One of their mates from school gave them one each and hubby and I got them four to add to their collection. They have liked the other presents but the Beenie Boo’s seem to be this years HUGE hit. Who knew that the little tedddies would over shadow other fab pressies. Have you had this happen to you?
We were all very tired from the whole weekend. Party on Saturday (The party was a hit and all kids and adults and a great time, so that was a good outcome) and then Circus on Sunday. Pity it is not school holidays yet, however after this week the kids will be on holidays and then we can rest.
If you made an odd shaped cake, post the picture on our Facebook Page Did the kids love it?
Did it turn out as you expected. My effort for Lumpy Space Princess was not ideal but it did the job. The one thing that has made the weekend very good here is the weather, it has been warm and just lovely, cannot wait for more of it.
