For her latest entry click here.
Some of this is not, potentially, for the squeamish or easily offended, Birth is painful and messy, and not everyone wants the gory details, we're sure.
Sent Mike out for supplies. [Ho hum. Trudge.]
Jackie [sister], Nigel [brother in law] and Adam [nephew, 3] cacam eto visit, but soon afterwards my neck started hurting and I had to retire to bed. Left Jackie and Nigel tryig to reorganise the house, Adam trying to unwrap the Cadbury's Roses and went to bed.
The nipple shields are enormous, and how James manages to fit one in his mouth without gagging is anyone's guess [Greed, I suspect], but it makes teh whole painful process of latching on much easier. James thought these were ok - he just had to suck a bit harder, which is no problem for a child with a suction pump for a mouth. Had to send Nigel out for some sterilising tablets, 'cause we hadn't planned on this. It's a good job we have a 24 hour Tesco's around the corner (not to mention a Sunday opening Boots the Chemist next door).
Kamillosan is a cream with chalomile extract and soothing ointment which is safe for babies. Apparently it is not unpleasant to taste (I haven't tried it personally) and contains no toxic substances for babies, e.g. peanut oil, DDT, etc. Seems to work.
By the way - Jackie cried when she first saw James (her nephew). This is a family trait - wonder where she gets it from?
Had a horrible night with James. He drank me dry of milk both sides, and even then wouldn't settle. Tried to cup feed him - I couldn't sit him up for long, had shaking hands and poured half a cup down his front for half a cup drunk. Gave it up as a bad job. Woke Mike and made him walk James up and down the landing for an hour to try and settle him down. [Ho hum. Trudge.] (I did change him out of his milky baby gown.) By this time had grizzly James, tired but patient Mike, and frustrated and tearful Anne. Once I felt enough milk had come down, tried James for another feed and he finally settled for a nap... at 5.30 am! Why do children act like angrels during the day and grow horns at night?
I was so pleased when she arrived, although she immediately started reorganising the house. Mike complains that he'll never find anything in the kitchen again. He eventually emerged at 3pm feeling much improved. Mum had by then washed up, changed James (several times), put away, cleared the kitchen [nooooo!], done two loads of washing, and fed me lunch. [Mike's turn to feel useless.] All I had to do was feed James - this is improving with the nipple shields and Kamillosan.
The doctor came in the afternoon for a baby check, but also checked me over, and decided that a neck brace would be a good idea. This had to be collected on Tuesday - very complicated: a letter had to be collected from the doctor's surgery in the morning, and the brace could then be collected from the hospital in the afternoon. The doctor decided, as the ones in the hospital had already concurred, that I had pulled the ligaments in my neck around C3, and that rest was the best thing I could do.
Had another difficult and waking night with James, but less interrupted than Sunday night.
Mum took over looking after James at 8am, and I went back to sleep - except for the sound of the vaccuum cleaner as Mum blitzed the house. Spent the morning laying on the sofa, and fed James from there. Decided to get an osteopath appointment, as neck no better. Osteopath managed to fit me in at 2.30pm. The midwife arrived at 1.30, so it got a little hectic for a while, especially since Mike was out shopping, collecting letters from the doctor for me, etc [Ho hum. Trudge.] and only got back at 2.15. The midwife was very pleased with how I was getting on, except for my neck, and James' umbilical stump fell off in the bath today.
The osteopath. [Ah. Yes. The osteopath.] The name on the door proclaims it to be a 'holistic healing centre' [thinks: uhoh]. I have been there before for various pummellings on my back in the past two to three years. I couldn't sit up for more than 5 minutes at a time, so lay on the reception floor till I was called.
The osteopath decided I had a muscular injury to the neck [so far, so good] due to the original puncture for the epidural changing the pressure in the spinal cord [hrrmmm...] He gave me various homeopathic drops to equilibrate my energies, and then pummelled and prodded my back and neck. Then there was a crunch and a scream from me as he found the particular facets that were out of line. Then there were more homeopathic drops and some tablets to take.
Mike then took me to the hospital to be fitted for a neck brace - 'not going to need it' said the osteopath, but I got it anyway. It didn't actually take long at the hospital, but by then we had been away from James for ages, and he was desperate for food. Nana had to offer some formula to satisfy him - doesn't taste as good as his mum's homebrewed but had to suffice. Fed him an hour later when we got back, and wore the neck brace all evening.
Not a good night with James. Woke up and wouldn't settle. Eventually got him settled around 5am.
James is now 9 days old and needs a Guthrie test. The midwife came and stabbed a needle into his heel and took 4 bots of blood. Not a happy James. This is to make sure that he is not suffering from nasty diseases such as spinabifida. If the test come back normal, they don't tell you the results, but if there are any problems, the midwife has to come back and retest in a couple of weeks. No news is good news.
The neck - couldn't move this morning. Had a headache as soon as I turned over on my side. I think the osteopath might have made things worse. Called the doctor who was most scathing about osteopaths and chiropracters, and made me feel like a naughty child who had touched something she shouldn't have. He put me in touch with a physiotherapist, and told me to take painkillers and not to go back to the osteopath. (as if I would anyway)
Derek (grandad Rundle) came up to visit. I finally gout up and out of bed at around 4pm. Had to eat lying on my side, and sent Nana and grandad out for supplies and they came back with some straws and a baby non-spill cup to help me when drinking. The non-spill cup did not work, but the straws were a great help. Lay on the sofa all evening to be sociable.
James was a little angel all day. Good job really cos I couldn't have coped with a problem child. Also slept most of the night until 5am, had a good night's rest too.
Mike went out and bought an eternity ring today. It is sapphire and diamond and probably cost a packet, but he says he couldn't afford the one I was worth. Cheered me up a bit.
Felt much better than yesterday (not hard). The physiotherapist came today and she concurred with the doctor that the ostopath aggravated the injury. She recommended exercises to tighten the muscles and a neck brace to prevent further damage. Maybe I should listen to these people. The good news - it should get better. The bad news - it may take 3-6 weeks if it isjust muscular, or 3-6 months if the ligaments are involved.
Took things very easy today. Nana went shopping. Mike worked.
James had a good night, but woke nana up early and she took him into bed with her for a while.
The Health Visitor came today, and gave James his 'Little Red Book'. This is the medical record he carries till he is 5 years old and has all the developmental targets and vaccination records etc in it. The health visitor also talked about other things like contraception(are you kidding)and vaccines and post natal depression etc. She also gave us leaflets and bumph on practically everything. Weighed James - now 3.23Kg so has achieved his birthweight in 2 weeks (apparently it can sometimes take upto 6 weeks).
The neck - getting better daily. I can sit up for 5 minutes at a time now without too much pain. Can mostly eat sitting up but have to lie down in between every other mouthful.
Nana left us to our own devices this weekend and we just about coped. Mike worked very little and generally waited on James hand and foot (or other areas) and brought him to me for feeding as and when necessary.
Mike went to church in the morning and James was announced in the Births, marriages, deaths section.
Had a good night, Saturday night, but a poor night Sunday night.
Physiotherapist came Monday and Thursday. Neck getting better all the time but the physio applied traction to aid the process. This is *gentle* pulling in the right direction on the neck, not the crunch-click method of the osteopath and it seems to work.
The midwife came Monday and decided that I was in good hands (the physio and the health visitor) and so she signed me off her books.
Nana came from Monday to Friday to stay looking after me, especially as Mike had a very busy week in store.
James was good some nights and bad some other nights but a general habit of feeding and changing for 1 hour in 4 seems to be being established.
I managed to get round Boots and Tescos on Tuesday (just about) and ToysRUs on Wednesday (a bit better), so actually managed some real shopping. I have missed all the January Sales now, so have failed to spend lots of money on *Bargains*. I'm surethis is good for me.
Took James to a Peterborough Operatic rehersal in the evening. As they are setting the next show at the moment I decided it was not a good idea for me to continue in the show. Not being able to stand up spoils my dancing technique a bit. James thought all the attention was great and was handed from piller to post and enjoyed it all. Happy James, disappointed but resigned Anne.
Grandad Rundle came for the day on Thursday and we managed to get into town for a little shopping in the afternoon. Took James into work as it is a good place to park and they clucked and coo'd a lot. Bought some net curtains in the sales - the bulk of my bargain hunting.
Janet and Robert Maughan came to visit Friday. Buy this time I can manage to stay upright most of the time and am only wearing my neck brace for travelling.
The Health Visitor came on Thursday and weighed James again. He now weighs 3.290 Kg (7lbs 4oz) so is going in the right direction.
Generally getting better every day. James is starting to get a lot more waking times when he is not either asleep, eating or pooing. I managed to get some computing done - to first time I could sit at a computer for a reasonable period of time. Typed in a whole week of diary which disappeared into the bowels of the net and never came out again.[*urp* deliciuos]
The neck is getting better, but still gets painful especially in the evening. I can now feed James sitting up! - a vast achievement compared with last week. Don't think I had better start trying things like driving yet.
James was officially registered at the registry office Wednesday. He was very good in the office but wanted feeding immediately afterwards, so we went into work and I fed him to the sound of barking dogs and then did some paperwork at work for a couple of hours to which he slept.
Millenium bugs - the printout of James' birth certificate had a date field which read 03/01/22002000. I thought that was a long way away. Any suggestions on how this was reached would be apprecaited. What they had to do was cover that field up with a sticker and then remove it and fill in the blank by hand.
The physiotherapist came Thursday and reckoned that, although I was mostly better, it may take upto 3 months to finally get rid of the nagging headaches.
Managed to do a fair bit of housework Thursday and even cooked a welsh apple cake in the evening. A good day altogether.
Gran and grandad Whitaker came Friday. This is the first time that gran had seen James and she was so pleased to see him. She had had to stay away for the last few weeks due to the other millenium bug - the flu. We went out for a meal for lunch, but had to delay lunch till 2pm because of James, who seems to have a psychic link with me, such that whenever I think about getting a meal for myself , he wakes and wants feeding.
Rika and David also popped in friday evening having been house hunting during the day.
James likes food. He spends more time awake now, and seems not to sleep between all feeds anymore. He also seems to want more food at one time and closer together. I am feeding him for half an hour every hour for 3 or 4 feeds then he will sleep for 4-6 hours. Now all we need to do is get the 4-6 hour breaks in the middle of the night, rather than in the daytime.
On Saturday we had a visit from Auntie Jackie and Uncle Nigel today on their way upto Birmingham to go to a party, having abandoned their son Adam for the night with his grandparents in London. Had a late lunch with Jackie and Nigel (home made bread and cheese and ham). They stayed all afternoon and left at about 6pm. James was awake for less than 1 hour of their stay which was a little disappointing for them, but at least he stayed awake for some cuddles.
On Sunday we had a Phoenix rehersal. Phil, Lissa, Annie, Tim and Jared came for the day. It took a little arranging to get James to sleep, but he seemed to enjoy the music and went to sleep eventually, allowing a good 4 hours rehersal time. Made Welsh Apple Cake for desert and stopped rehersals due to the whole of Phoenix unable to speak - glued up mouths. I think they enjoyed it. A generally good rehersal, but a bit tiring on my feet. It is probably the longest time I had stood for many months.
Monday - James spent most of the day awake, and either eating or pooing. I only managed to achieve a small amount as James was a constant distraction. Rika and David came to look at houses again tonight, and booked a couple of visits after work. Mike took them out and left me with making soup and feeding James. The soup and fresh homemade rye bread went down as well as the Welsh Apple cake did with Phoenix. No bread left, happy campers.
Tuesday - James fed at inopportune times all day - does he have a psychic attachment to my brain to know when I want to do other things?
Wednesday - went into work while Mike was at a guitar lesson then we both went shopping. My first McDonalds since James was born.
Thursday - Mike had to go to London and so left me alone with James all day. I managed fairly well and even got the kit ready for GK to take to the convention at the weekend.
James' First Convention - Didgeridouze in Milton Keynes
We left home after lunch and arrived at the convention about 1 and a half hours later. James travelled fairly well in the car, but we did note that it would probably have been better to fit him in the car seat behind the driver rather than behind the passenger. Mike could not see him as it is a rear facing car seat behind him, and I should not have been looking as I was driving. I wore my neck brace for the journey but am generally finding the number of times I need it now are much fewer.
Arrived at the hotel and was mobbed by babyfiends. Mike parked the car and emptied it and I stood around and chatted and registered with the hotel. James's pram is not a bad trolley for luggage either. Took stuff upto the room and then came down for the opening ceremony. Bill and Brenda Sutton were there. They had come all the way from Atlanta just to see James (and attend the con that is). They are in a very occasional group with us called Separated at Birth, because we get on so well, finishing each others sentences etc that we must be long lost twins or something.
Auntie Brenda liked James.
Had to feed James at 9pm but got to eat at 7pm so was fit enough to do it - he did not complain at me eating first - has he grown out of this yet?
Listened to Christo and then B+B (Paul Bristow and Dan Bennett)- played piano on a rendition of Total Eclipse of the Heart, with alternative words (this is what Filk is) - Piano playing ok , would have helped if we had rehersed the band with the singers. After that went to the bar and chatted while Mike handed his 20Yr old Malt scotch around - it was a Birthday celebratory bottle for James. - a single cask 20yr old McDuff limited edition. James was toasted appreciatively many times. Eventually went to bed at around 1am. The temperature in the room was around 26'C.
Cot deaths - it has been determined that cot deaths can be caused by 1) smoking - James doesn't smoke and neither do his parents , 2) smothering - you are supposed to put the baby with his feet at the bottom of the cot so he does not slide down under the covers and stop breathing. 3) overheating - the room temperature is supposed to be at around 18'C if you have a baby with a vest, a sleepsuit and a sheet on, and then 2 blankets (or one folded in half). You should reduce the number of blankets by 1 for every 2 degrees above this and increase the number for every 2 degrees below this.
We asked the hotel to try and cool the room down. Apparently there was a problem with the airconditioning such that some rooms were a bit hot. They provided us with a desktop fan to try and cool the room down. We eventually got the temperature down to 25'C so slept James in a sleepsuit and no blankets.
Saturday -James woke up at 7am, so changed him, fed him and then went down to breakfast. Uncle Teddy took James away and we had breakfast in peace. Wrestled James back from Teddy eventually and opened the Dealers Room where we had lots of tapes and CDs to sell. Shut the Dealers room for the afternoon and listened to the concert and the guest of honour slot (Brian Biddle). Also rehersed with the rest of Separated at Birth for our 2 songs in the concert. The audience seemed to like them even though we only get together every 2 years or so. James was well behaved and slept through both the rehersal and the concert, only waking up during Brian's set and I needed to feed him and change him then.
Then came Urban Tapestry - I like that, James liked that, we had lots of fun. The only problem was the P.A. from the other function in the hotel. Yes, the hotel had booked 2 functions, both with P.A! We threatened severe surgical adjustments on the functions manager if there was any sound overflow during the beautiful harmonies from UT, and there was so Annie did.
After UT, I asked for a volunteer to stay behind to look after James whilst we did our Phoenix soundcheck. About half a dozen hands went up. I think James likes the extra aunties and uncles he has acquired. Auntie Brenda eventually won the dispute by way of living the furthest away.
We got our sound check underway and then Phoenix began (LOUD ROCK). Great said James - Lullaby music zzzzzzzzzzz. We were stonkingly good though I say it myself. Worked our little socks off. Too tired to filk later so went to bed. Fed James before sleep at 2am and he stayed asleep till 7.30am.
Sunday - James and I went to UT's Kiddie Koncert equipped with rattles and bells to join in. James went back to sleep so I used the rattles instead. The Hockey Monkey song is terribly addictive - see UT's site for further info.
Sold loads of CDs and Tapes in the afternoon. James was adorable, then we joined Bill and Brenda, Lawrence Dean, and Dave Clement for supper, and eventually managed to wrestle James away from Brenda and to go home.
In summary, James slept for a large proportion of the convention. I think he thinks all music is lullabies and Mike and I had a great con.
James is grizlling more this week. It seems like Tuesday he was very clingy but is getting much more alert and not spending all day sleeping, eating and pooing. Some time he is actually awake and not hungry. Selttled down by the end of the week and is still going about 4 hourly through the day and night, but it now has got into a routine of 1hour feeding and changing, 1 hour playing, 2 hours sleep (except at night when I don't encourage playing and so it means 3 hours sleep). According to the book "Why They Cry" by Hetty Van de Rijt and Frans Plooij of Amsterdam University, this is the time when they are taking a major leap forward in development and are trying to adjust their outlook on life. I think that babies cry because of 1 thing - world broken, please fix! Mike says that is about the same helpful information he gets as bug reports from his programmers, and they are distinctly older than James.