h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I realized that it was Bernadette Lynn who found out what was causing the ezcema... Cloviscat, does your kitten still have it? Sorry about the mistake.

That's OK PB. I think it's inremission at the moment (touch wood, given the flu and the conjunctivitis, we've quite enough going on!) She's cut teeth numbers 7 and 8, which has reduced the dribble which, I think, *triggers* but does not *cause* the rash. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I feel that it's the *teething* per se that causes the rash, rather than the sdribble, but try convincing the doc and health visitor of that!

I've given up on sudocrem and aqueous cream and I'm just using Vaseline - over the last year I've become a great believer in it! Plus she's at that stage of emptying/filling/opening/closing everything, and a vaseline tub with a jigsaw piece in is her favouriter toy! I've no idea what's in your 'special' Vaseline, but I'll stick with this for the mo, given what you say about cost!

I'm sick sick sick of having conjunctivitis. The doc and i both agree on avoiding antibs while b/feeding, I've tried the breastmilk thing, swabbing with cooled salted water, and still I feel like I've two black eyes and look like a cheap drunk. Does anybody have any good suggestions?

I haven't had it myself recently, but when Dom's had it I've always got hold of stuff over the counter from the pharmacist - they've always given me gunky cream to put in his eyes rather than drops. It seems to work, I suppose, because it lingers more than anything more liquid. Or are you using that already?



Anna

I had 'viscous eye drops' for her, which did the trick, but like everything from cough medicine onwards, they don't recommend you use them if you're breastfeeding! I feel I'm being discriminated against by the evil pharmaceutical corporations...

Those electric swings - I've just seen them in Mothercare for £59, which isn't that much different than Ebay - less hassle! They're probably 10% cheaper in ToysRUs, but I'd pay the extra to avoid that miserable place

I went to look at first birthday toys in Mothercare, but the thing she liked most was the low down mirror for trying on shoes!

I'm seriously thinking about just going to mothercare and getting one. She looks so pained, and I'll do anything to try to make that pain go away

She fell asleep in her carseat last night, she was so tired, she'd been screaming for about two solid hours after we went to bed, she just turned off she was so tired

Unhappy baby.

Oh rfb, I do feel for you. It's so hard when you can't explain and you can do so little! It seems like the ten weeks or so maximum span will last forever - thank goodness it usually tails off before then. I assume you've tried the ghastly Infacol (tastes horrid and didn't work for us) and the Colocynth (helped, easy to give to baby, but no overnight miracles).

Some people swear *against* breastfeeding lying down, but I found it was one of the few things which helped - I'm not certain if it stopped the colic, or it just helped her get through it. I have memories of her uing the nipple during colic spasms like I used the gas and air during contractions!

And some 'experts' say that ther's no such thing as colic - yeah right....

...and you've probably read Mikey's excellent entry on the subject, but I'll flag it up anyway: A450604

I went and had a look at the entry earlier... We also got a few leads from friends on other forums we frequent.

Oddly enough, she seems to like infacol, I think she enjoys the change in taste Other than making it easier to burp her it hasn't done a great deal.

The midwife and health visitor are both due to fly through tomorrow so I shall harangue them with my concerns and see what they think, they're both lovely

Have decided we're definitely having a swingie thingie... Going to get it end of week... Depends on when I get into town. I'd order it online but it'll get here quicker if I go pick one up. Yes, we are that deperate to help her

A good community health team is worth its weight in gold - I'm glad you're using them: keep doing it!

Suggest you phone Mothercare in advance... make sure they've got one in sotck, or give them time to pull one in from another branch...?

It still baffles me that they make Infacol orange-flavoured, when orange is a forbidden fruit for 9-12 months!

A good community health team is worth its weight in gold - I'm glad you're using them: keep doing it!

Suggest you phone Mothercare in advance... make sure they've got one in sotck, or give them time to pull one in from another branch...?

It still baffles me that they make Infacol orange-flavoured, when orange is a forbidden fruit for 9-12 months!

They had one in and she is slowly gettin used to it... at first she would only sit in it for a few minutes, now we're up to twenty minutes as long as we'te very near

Midwife has suggested that I make sure I eat something with carb as well as some sugar in a moning to make sure that when it gets to evening, the feeds I am giving have enough oomph in them to satisfy her hunger. Thus I am having to endure the trauma of putting jam on toast. It's a sacrilege I'm telling ya, toast was never meant to have sugar product on it *chunters*

Ah well, if it helps Eris it'll be okay, although I can feel my teeth rotting as I type... Might have to wait ntil after breakfast to brush my teeth for a while now

All hail infacol. Odd I know, but she seems to find it amusing, and it makes her burps come out easier... Used to be difficult, she'd save burps for ages then whinge until she was pcicked up, then burp in Mark's ear, or if he'd just chaged his top, all down his front with added milk

This week Eris gained a library card and a bank account. Next stop is world domination, just dont tell the thingites, they'll get stroppy

Charlotte had 'night fears' - where the baby starts screaming at night but doesn't actually wake up properly, which the health visitor told us was colic. We decided in the end that it was all due to over-stimulation, since the only thing that worked was a long, calm bedtime routine; bath, massage, long cuddle, feed, bed. If we missed any of those she wouldn't sleep easily and would wake up screaming every time we thought she'd finally dropped off.

*My* baby has an email address!

I was given an article by an NCT breastfeeding councillor about feeds causing colic which recommended that you make sure that feeds balanced high sugar with fat/carb/protein - which seems to link to what your midwife was saying. Have you heard about this? It's the same theory that recommends encouraging a few big feeds rather than lots of small feeds, so that they balance foremilk and hindmilk...? Not of course that anyone's suggested going all Gina Forde



The Cloviskitten is One Year Old tomorrow!

Sorry - simpost - no-one here for three days then we all arrive at once!

Happy Birthday to Clovis Kitten!
*waves to all*

My journal reveals that in October I'll be eligible for double membership to the hootoo parents' group.

Liam.

Congrats Liam

Happy birthday to the Cloviskitten

Eris has a website amd e-mail... http://www.eris.healey.name

My God Liam - I take my hat off to the pair/three/four of you!

...and do I get a bag of nonexistent sweeties for this baby too?

The Kitten's got most of our website - but I'm not posting it here! As her Granpa's in China and the rest of her family spread out from the top to bottom (literally) of the British isles, it does make sense to distribute photos that way. Funny to think that my ultrasound scans ere being seen in China within three hours!

Photos of the Kitten here, though, if anybody didn't know: http://uk.photos.yahoo.com/cloviscatscout

She's thoroughly overstimulated at the moment, playing with her mountains of new toys

Yay Liam!!!! Very many congratulations

Cloviscat - did you all have a fabulous day then?



Anna

What a weekend... Eris definitely has colic, is getting used to the swingie thingie slowly and has mastered the art of dribbling all over Mark. Fun all round

Mark was called to a friends house on Saturday because their computer had blown up. So instead of having a nice relaxing weekend doing stuff, we ended up being apart all Saturday and trying to do what we could on Sunday. Maybe next weekend *sigh*

Eris had her last dose of vitamin K today. The trainee midwife made the mistake of trying to give it to her in little bits... Suffice to say that most of the neighbours were aware of her displeasure