Mums Running Club

Minks - Sorry to make you cry! I usually put it down to hormones ;)

I can't believe Kit is five months now, didn't that just fly by?! Hector is one month now and I can't work out where that time went. Your little guy is growing well and sounds like he's a joy! Hmmm, scales. I try not to get too caught up in all that, but weighed myself the other day and I'm the same as I was a couple of weeks ago, slightly disappointed because I had thought the weight was dropping off. Must be patient and not worry about it, it takes time!

We've had a difficult few days - Hector seems to be terribly uncomfortable when passing wind, to the point of squealing. It's horrible to see and makes feeding time a bit sad - I can hear his stomach gurgling. I've been drinking fennel tea and massaging his tummy on the advice of my MW, but it doesn't really seem to be easing. Poor little fella - any tips anyone?

I can't resisit lurking on this thread - hopefully it won't be too long now before I join you!

AP - I'm sure you've thought of this but have you been eating anything unusual recently? I remember having a really strong onion soup that gave poor DD awful tummyache when I was feeding her. And have you tried laying him tummy down along your arm with his head in your hand- I think that can help sometimes. Hope it eases off soon.

AP - Our health visitor said rubbing their tummy must be clockwise and rather than rubbing we used to 'finger walk' round in a little circle - does that make sense? (again clockwise. There was also something else to do with rubbing feet - however I can not remember whether it was to rub up to toes or away from. Sorry.

Thanks for the tips! Sarahbob, I can't think of anything unusual, I try to keep my diet quite close to my pregnancy diet if possible, so not sure. The arm hold does work sometimes, then he'll suddenly hate it, but i usually give it a try - they look very cute in this pose!

Ploddingalong - thanks for that tip, I find it hard to rub anyway because his tummy is so small! I'll try the finger walking next time. He does love having his feet rubbed actually, so I'll do that too. I'm hoping to go to a baby massage class which is free around here, run by our local authority. I'll let you know how it goes.

hello

I'm a new graduate too! Louise was born 15/7/7 after over 48 hours of steady contractions and then only 1hr of pushing!

I am back in some of my old clothes but the belly is still wibbling and I think my ass has a few extra pounds on it too!

i have been getting out for walks but don't plan to run til after my 6 week check.

I will catch up with you all soon.

Thanks for the commnets about the photos. He's a star at the mo and the hospital was incredibly hard. still that's all in the past and being forgotten now.

AP - can't help with the wind thing, must be really distressing. I have a friend who used a cranial osteopath when her little one had colic at a similar age, may be worth thinking about if it continues.

Minks - Glad you enjoyed your holiday, the weather was certainly better here than it has been!

Saw the MW today who was very complimentary about my recovery and commented that she'd not seen me thin before!!! Ted is back to his birth weight so doing well (he lost 10oz within normal levels). Food is ready (how will I cope without my mum here?!) catch up soon!

AP, it's awful when they have pains in their tummies, isn't it? I think when Kit was tiny I used to lay him face down on my lap and rub his back (I found it hard to hold him on my shoulder as his head was so unsteady and I have very narrow shoulders so he kept rolling off!) Hubby always used to hold him up against his shoulder and that seemed to be the best position to help him get rid of his wind. Have you tried giving him a dose of Infacol before a feed? It can help stop them from getting so windy and also help them to bring up any wind more easily. I still give it to Kit before his final feed at night just to help make sure he isn't disturbed by wind in the night. If you do try it, I've found that giving it 5-10 minutes before the feed works best.

Congratulations to EP - I'd also advise waiting until your 6-week check before starting to run again, although some women feel ready earlier - depends on the individual really. My postnatal check didn't take place until just over 7 weeks after the birth and I had actually done a couple of runs before it which felt OK. Having had a section I was a little nervous about how the wound would feel but I took the runs VERY gently and had no adverse reactions.

I can now fit in pretty much all my old clothes, although some don't fit in the same way as they used to because my body seems to have changed shape slightly. I've just packed away the things I don't feel comfortable in any more - life's too short to worry about it and I'd rather have Kit than a perfect pre-baby body anyway! That said, I've got my brother's wedding at the end of the month and want to look as good as I can, so have decided to watch it a bit on the snacking front for the next couple of weeks as I seem to have developed a 'biscuit with cup of tea' habit that I never had before! Would never diet though - love my food too much for that!

Thanks for the advice Minks. The front position works for a time then he gets grumpy, not a fan of lying on his front - he rolls himself over onto his back!

I like your approach to the clothes/diet thing. We're going to a (big, posh) wedding at the beginning of September too and I really haven't got a clue what to wear. It needs to cover the jelly belly, be easy to breast feed in and not show up drool stains...not much to ask! It did occur to me that people won't be looking at me anyway, so as long as Hector looks good we'll be alright ;)

Very true, AP - haven't got Kit a wedding outfit yet as not sure how much he'll have grown between now and the end of the month, so will leave it a couple of weeks. Want him to look super-cute though!

Mum and I were joking about having some muslins custom-dyed to match our outfits to catch Kit's baby drool on the day! My outfit is lovely - a teal-green camisole and fitted bolero-style cardigan, and a slightly A-line skirt in a swirly fabric (mostly teal) with a teal satin ribbon tie belt. There's some cream in the skirt so am wearing cream shoes and bag. We're going to Ladies' Day at the races for the hen do next week. Have got a white linen trouser suit but am not sure if this will be OK - think Ladies' Day is quite dressy and am worried I'll let the side down. Still haven't got anything to go under the suit or shoes or a bag, or a feathery thing for my head. Think I might be doing some mad last-minute shopping this weekend!

Kit has been fantastic this last week. He's sleeping really well at his nap times - seems to have lengthened them to 2 hours in the morning, an hour at lunchtime and half an hour in the afternoon. He's also slept from 11pm until 7am every night this week - he was sleeping well before but we had the odd night when he'd wake up and need a reassuring touch or 'Shhhh' to settle back down again. Because he's sleeping well he's even smilier than usual during the day which is lovely. I don't think I could ever have understood before I had him how much I would love him - it overwhelms me sometimes.

Ah Minks, that's lovely! I do find myself looking into Hector's eyes, especially when he's feeding and looking up at me, and simply melting. It is an incredibly strong feeling.

Your wedding outfit sounds very stylish! I wish I was that organised, but I suppose it is your brother's wedding, so you will have the buzz of it all around you. I'm going to wait until later on in the month due to the changing body.

Enjoy your Ladies' Day, sounds like a fun hen do!

I am going to france in september for a wedding and panicking already about what to wear the whole weekend... only clothes that i have got that fit are 2 pairs of jeans (one new in a bigger size and 1 under bump mat jeans!) and a selectionof vests and t shirts. i am very reluctant to buy something as i am way bigger than usual.... thinkl I will wait like you AP and hope I shrink a bit!

I am glad I don't have to think about a wedding imminently! Must be a nightmare, I went shopping with mum a few times this week but was pretty much refusing to buy anything as I know it may well not fit in a few weeks time. Thing is I know as soon as I'm able to train again things should get back completely to normal so am veyr reluctant to waste too much money. Tops are ok, but I seem to have swollen up again a little around my scar area so am back up a size in jeans. Thanks goodness for a fab sale in Next clearance!

Just wondering if anyone has advice as I've been told that round here I don't have a six week post-natal check. Would it be my health visitor that I speak to regarding training again or do I need to make an appointment with the doctor?

Bit reluctant to see a doctor after my last experience!!! (being told I didn't need to use contraception as I'm breastfeeding!) Spoke to MW and HV about it who were absolutely horrified - MW joked that he'd keep her in a job but HV nearly hit the roof. At least I'm getting the situation sorted so he can't give duff information to someone else. HV was just thankful I've got enough about me to challenge him...

Ber-limey Janie Tri - your doc seems to be outta the dark ages. Think you've answered yr own Q about who to see about you returning to training - see your health visitor.

Good luck. Don't try to do too much too soon.

GMx

Yeah, the wedding thing is a nightmare and the one I'm going to will be full of very stylish trendy types, so I want to feel comfortable and not look like the frumpy mum who's let herself go!

Hector will be six weeks on Friday, so I'll be due my check-up (also not sure who does this?) and should be able to get back into some form of exercise - hoorah! We were in the park yesterday and I did a bit of stretching and it felt like bliss...simple pleasures!

I think it depends on your area re. the 6-week check-up. I know other mums who've been sent postnatal check-up appointments by their doctor! In my case I had to organise it myself but it WAS with the GP, not the health visitor. What actually gets checked also seems to vary - some mums seem to have been given an internal examination but my GP didn't offer to do this (wouldn't have been able to anyway as I was having my first period at the time). He just asked me very general questions, gave me the OK to start running again (even though I'd already been out for a few sneaky ones the week before!) and mainly concentrated on Kit's check-up which was done at the same time.

Managed to get shoes, a bag and a 'fascinator' (feathery thing for my head!) for the hen do, so feel a bit more relaxed now. Am just worried that it will be as hot as it's been this weekend as am wearing a trouser suit and will die! Although linen, it's lined and the lining is that acetate stuff that makes you sweat buckets. I do have an off-white dress that I've worn to a couple of previous weddings I could wear instead, but obviously want to wear the new stuff since I bought it specially! The wedding has kind of come at the wrong time - it's costing me a fortune with having to have two new outfits (one for the hen day and one for the wedding) just at the time my maternity pay has completely stopped. Fortunately as I haven't spent much money while on maternity leave I squirreled a bit away while I was still being paid as I suspected I'd need it round about now, and it seems frivolous to spend hubby's hard-earned on wedding outfits and shoes!

Not looking forward to my run tonight - it's 30 degrees here! One advantage of only doing short runs at the moment though - will start the longer ones again in the autumn.

As usual, disappear off the scene for a week or so and it the pages keep stacking up!!

Congratulations EF - another girlie to join the clan.

JT - Ted looks gorgeous as the others have already said. I'll have to find a way to try and get a link to a piccie of Scarlett, so you can all admire her wingnut ears!! I CAN'T BELIEVE your doctor, what planet did he fly in from??? I think your health visitor is probably your best bet.

As for weddings, well I had to go to one when Scarlett was two weeks old - I had nothing to wear as the last wedding I went to was when I was pregnant with Joshua, so I had to buy something as maternity stuff was too big. I headed to our local M&S as I couldn't face the thought of ploughing around loads of shops with a newborn. Found a lovely outfit and hoped it would do for wedding I went to last week - but unfortunately (or actually fortunately!) I've managed to slim down a bit more and it is too big. Luckily there are loads of sales at the moment so found something else.

We've had a manic week or so. I went away last weekend for the first time since I was about four weeks pregant - WITHOUT children or husband. it was sheer bliss, I was away with the climbing club in North Wales. I had a whole weekend to focus on me with no domestic demands. Managed some great climbing on the Sat and was relieved to discover I still knew how to tie into the rope and place bits of gear. Got home and then whisked my pair off to Scout Camp on Dartmoor for 4 days. Exhausting but Joshua had a ball and Scarlett just smiled her way through it all. Her 4th camping trip in as many months so I think she's earn't her campers badge!

Scarlett is a dream, she's still so happy and smiley and we seem to have got past the 5:30am phase (fingers crossed). Most nights she does from 10.30pm to 7am so I really can't complain.

Fitness-wise I'm getting the running in when I can. Ran back from the gym today having taken children (yes - including Scarlett) swimming. It was about 4 miles and was about 30 degrees - you have my sympathy Minks, but like you say, at least short distances. Have done one club run and am hoping to get out with them again this week too as it is good to run with people again.

Anyway, time to sign off now as this is turning into an essay.

Oh yes, as a PS - I took Joshua to a cranial osteopath as he was very colicy and two trips seemed to sort him out.

Janie - I would have thought after a c/s you should have a 6 week check. When DS was born by c/s ( nearly 5 yrs ago, so it may well have changed) I was offered a check either at the hospital or at my GPs - I went to my GP and it was all fine. But I would have thought that they need to check that the scar has healed up well. Your HV sounds on the ball though - prob. best to ask her.

sb x (sorry still lurking on this thread as I can't officially join yet!)

I had a C-section and I had to ask the GP to check that the scar was healing OK at my 6-week check!! I'm actually quite pleased with the way it's healed - the scar has faded a lot and has flattened out: one side was quite lumpy at first but apparently this is quite common as they cut deeper on the side that the incision starts (usually the left side) so there is more scar tissue there. The left side of my scar is still very slightly lumpier than the right side, which is completely flat, but having read a few horror stories about C-section scars I'm quite happy with mine!

Cragchick, life sounds hectic for you! But good fun too. Kit's a little angel too - we're very lucky. Apart from a short-lived blip where he woke up several times a night for about three or four nights, he has slept really well since he was about 10 weeks old. He now sleeps from 10:45-7:00 pretty much every night, and if he wakes early he either chats away to himself or - his latest discovery - plays with the soft toys at the end of his cot. So sweet!

He can almost sit up on his own - has done a couple of times until he flops forward and can't get up again! He's also learned to roll from front to back but can't quite manage back to front yet - his head is too heavy! He's reaching out for everything now which is good and bad - I took him to the supermarket last week in the Baby Bjorn front carrier we've got (which he loves) and he kept grabbing things as I was trying to get things off the shelves! I almost didn't spot him trying to consume the shopping list as I browsed in the vegetable aisle! Think he might have to go in his buggy next time!

He coped really well with the heat over the weekend - it didn't seem to phase him at all. We had him laid on his playmat in a shady part of the garden and he seemed to enjoy watching the leaves fluttering in the breeze and looking at all the flowers. He's such a good-natured, happy baby - he is a real joy to have around.

Run last night went better than I expected, although I kept the pace deliberately slower than usual. Ran through the park and there was lots of shade from the trees and a nice breeze, so it wasn't as sweltering as I'd feared. The only downside to the park route is that probably 2/3 of the run is uphill. Took me 25 minutes to do the three miles which wasn't too bad under the circumstances. I was wearing a red running top and my face was almost exactly the same shade when I got home!

Looks as though the rest of the week will be a little cooler than the weekend, fortunately: I may yet survive in my trouser suit on Thursday!

Hello

Our 6 week check is with GP but Louise is checked by health visitor first to get her measurements done. The HV makes the appointment for you as it's a half hour appointment apparently. She said I could request a check down there if I wanted. I may do, I would like to know all is in order after the infection. Lovely!

Am starting to dream about running. Went for a walk today to the park where I sometimes go for a short trot and sometimes do sprint intervals between benches. Stupidly forgot that it's not called Braidburn Valley Park for no reason. You should have seen me puffing pushing the pram up what felt like a vertical path trying to get out again! I could have gone out the civilised way at the far end but Lou was crying and I wanted to get home asap so I could feed her and it didn't seem such a big deal til I got half way up!

Minks enjoy the hen weekend, sounds fab!

All of you seem to be getting back into shape pretty well. CC am impressed you are back doing club runs. You're all inspirational!!

http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/5899118


No way can I make that into a proper link - if you are on the preg runners thread you will see that this has not been easy for me to upload these!!

Hopefully this works and hopefully you will like them. i think Louise is gorgeous but I'm biased!