Hunger

Hungry, hungry hungry. Baby and me.

E can't get enough to eat. She was sleeping well and coping with eating too much, for a while. But for the last few days: oh dear.

The problems are thus:
1) E is starving, so drinks milk too fast. Even slow teats don't slow her down.

I have bought to date 6 Avent, 5 Tommee Tippee, 2 NUK bottles, 8 Avent teats and 6 NUK teats, as well as 2 replacement sterilisers (gifted steriliser smelt odd)

Avent starter kit: £12
Avent replacement teats: £12
Tommee Tippee starter kit: £12
Avent Microwave steriliser: £10
NUK bottles: £10
NUK teats: £12
Tommee Tippee bottles: £9
Asda steriliser: £12
Avent teats: £4
Avent bottles: £7
Total cost: £100

At first the slow flow Avent or Tommee Tippee were too slow for E's tiny mouth, so we tried fast flow (should've tried in between but daddy was shopping). Fast flow too fast, tried NUK bottles. Brilliant, for a while, so we got NUK teats for Avent bottles. 2 weeks of greatness. E grew, the NUK were too gushy for a stronger sucker. We retried Tommee Tippee and hurrah! Slow flow perfect, more bottles bought, and a steriliser they fitted in as they are non standard size. Good for another 2 weeks, then the sucking defeated them. 10 minute feeds: too fast. Buildup of wind, sore tummy, more food demanded for sore tummy, sickness or crying follows.

I am now a bit demented. Avent slow flow are the current attempt to slow down/avoid wind. The Tommee Tippee make it impossible to feed sitting up, which is a suggested way to avoid wind. Avent work better. We started with them and much expense later are back with them.

And then there's the milk. We had an unsuccessful foray into Hipp Organic milk, which made E sick. £6.97 wasted on formula. We remain back with Aptamil, I need to seek advice on hungry baby or comfort milk.

I think the hunger is false and a mistaken attempt by E to alleviate stomach pain.

Sleep a problem, progressing from happily sleeping in cot rather than bouncy chair to not going to sleep anywhere that isn't a parent. I am exhausted. Gina Ford did not work, her advice on formula is very limited.

I need to stop eating and lose the post baby weight I'm gaining.

Boo to hunger, whatever the cause.

Today was the day

I feel strange. It is now 26 September, which is one month after that diabolical day that I attended hospital for a routine appointment and remained for ten days before leaving with my tiny early baby.

More significantly, today is the day that E would have been delivered had all remained stable. This is the day I've been looking to since May.

Instead, I have a bouncing three week old still tiny baby. I cannot fathom why I feel sad/guilty/weird about having her early. This weekend past would have had me stressing, but loading things onto my iPhone, packing nice pjs, organising newborn sized clothes. Nice planning. And today I would have had the section. Which isn't pleasant really, other than the amazing moment of meeting the baby.

E is unaware of this, of course, and is happily adhering to the behaviour expected of a three week old.

She cries more loudly and frequently. Tears are down to hunger, nappy changes and a new addition for three weeks: not being allowed to sleep exclusively on mummy's chest. She mostly feeds well but I have a dilemma of no perfect bottle yet. NUK has proven most successful, the next size bottles of, which she will need as soon as she takes more than 4oz each feed, don't fit in the steriliser. We have an array of Avent things (including the steriliser) but she doesn't get on with the teats. Small ones are too hard work, larger ones are too messy. We have mostly NUK teats on Avent bottles at the moment and they are kind of leaky. Tommee Tippee may be the answer, but we're not there yet.

O was home with a cold today. I am exhausted from sheer lack of sleep. 8pm bedtime for me tonight I think!!

Oh, and my wound is infected, I now need an antibiotic, despite the nurse insisting it was clean.

I need a holiday. Or a maternity nurse. Or a cleaner. Or all of the above.