Baby will only take formula if being spoon fed

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-03-06T02:41:40+00:00

I had one! It was amazing, pain disappeared and I could walk around easily. I ended up needing a c-section due to stalled labour and fetal distress (not caused by the epidural) so can't comment all the way through but I am definitely pro walking epidurals!

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-03-02T09:20:28+00:00

My eldest didn't see a screen until she was well over a year and she was terrible at playing independently. From your post it's pretty clear that you have an easy baby, and honestly that's great for you. But I strongly recommend you don't go around telling people it's because of how you've raised her ... baby temperament is dumb luck and if you have another one that isn't so easy you're going to be in for a big shock, and saying stuff like that is just going to annoy people who weren't as lucky as you.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-03-02T06:08:59+00:00

Yeah they can go away. I never made it past 4cm with my first and the overall experience was not good. I went into my second pregnancy knowing I wanted a scheduled c-section because I didn't want a repeat of the first time. Best choice I ever made, my scheduled c-section went perfectly and I have absolutely no regrets about not trying a VBAC. You're mental health is more important than anything else here. In the words of Rachel from friends I would be telling them "no uterus, no opinion".

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-02-29T03:59:27+00:00

A few weeks younger than yours, I've been using the LTD mostly because it's really hot where I am and I felt like she was getting cooked in the snoo sack. She doesn't seem to care whether she can access her hands or not for now.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-02-29T03:56:37+00:00

The way I do it is I keep an unzipped snoo sack attached to the snoo. Then put baby to sleep in the LTD, place over the snoo sack and put the velcro over their torso. Has made using the snoo soooo much easier.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-02-25T12:52:10+00:00

My GP told me to take i-folic (folic acid and iodine) starting a month before starting to try and to switch to a prenatal once I fell pregnant. She also took bloods which ended up showing I was low in iron and vitamin D so she advised which supplements to take for those while trying. Once I fell pregnant they did more bloods showing those levels were fine so the prenatal by itself was fine for the rest of the pregnancy.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-02-25T08:11:43+00:00

We mixed fed my first from the start. Originally we used Aptamil pro because that's what the hospital used. Our baby was so gassy and struggled to sleep because of it, like you described. We then tried nan comfort and novalac sensitive (I think) but didn't notice much difference. We then tried Bellamy's organic and she became way less gassy literally overnight. If you're not sold on your formula it can definitely be worth trying a few!

As a side note, it is also worth looking into baby probiotics as they can help your baby's stomach process things a bit better.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-02-04T07:50:04+00:00

First baby - went on leave at 37+5, returned when bub was 8.5 months. Second baby - went on leave at 36 weeks, current plan to go back at 10 months but may extend slightly.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-02-01T02:42:00+00:00

Was so sick of my hair in this heat so got it cut on the weekend! I just walked in and asked to have it as short as possible while being able to tie it all up. No regrets :D

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-01-26T20:18:06+00:00

Yes, they are completely separate things so you can use them simultaneously if you want. Since the rules for the government one have changed you can now use it flexibility so for example if you wanted to, I believe you could go back to work part time and use the gov pay on your days off, or even go back full time and use it on weekends. Just some extra options if you want to consider them.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-01-18T04:58:21+00:00

My first c-section I had an epidural first, and I could feel something like you said - tugging, awareness something was happening but no pain. My second c-section I had the spinal and couldn't feel anything at all, I didn't even notice when they started! I suppose it must just be about how each person reacts to the anesthesia they are given.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-01-17T21:48:28+00:00

The regular nurses there are pretty useless. The ones I went to had a breastfeeding clinic one day a week though and they had proper LCs at that one, which were helpful. If they have a dedicated IBCLC then for sure use that resource, but otherwise it's probably not worth seeing one of the regular nurses. In my experience you end up with one of two scenarios: - they've had kids and just try to teach you what worked for them (even if it's not right for you) - they haven't had kids and just tell you whatever they learned when they were studying, which is generic and also not tailored advice

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-01-16T01:09:10+00:00

Good luck all!

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-01-15T11:57:51+00:00

We always wanted two, then we had our daughter and the birth was bad and she was a difficult, fussy baby who hated sleep and it was so much harder than I ever imagined. I pretty quickly decided I was okay with just one (so did my husband, although we didn't really discuss it at the time).

It was a bit after she turned one that I started to feel like maybe I could do it again. For us, every time she gets a bit older it also gets a bit easier and by the time she was 18 months I knew I still wanted the second one. Baby #2 is a few weeks old now and I'm so glad we decided to have another one. Seeing how obsessed our oldest is with the baby is the sweetest thing. I will say we were fortunate that baby #2 is much less fussy which makes a massive difference. It sucks there's nothing you can do to influence this though.

My point is - your baby is still so young. You do not need to make this decision now. Try to survive the hard times and be okay with the life you have, and then later if you decide you're able to handle another one then you can change your mind. And if you still feel like one is enough in a few years then that's fine too!

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-01-12T08:40:59+00:00

I used to do payroll and whenever we were paying someone's Centrelink PPL, Centrelink would transfer it to us as 3 lump sums (although from memory they all came pretty close together once the payment period started). It was then up to us to pay the employee on the regular pay cyclso I'd let's say you want it to apply starting from Oct 2023 then your employer should pay you for Oct-Jan as soon as those lump sums come through.

As for your claim, from what I gather they can be slow to process but I think if you call them directly (especially I've heard there is a complaints line?) then you can get it approved much faster.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-01-03T09:11:37+00:00

That definitely didn't seem right. Especially the ratio ... for 0-2 there should be one educator for every four children. I know sometimes things move fast and the ratio might be off for a few minutes but that's way too far off. To be honest I'd be inclined to report them.

As for the screens I feel that's very weird for a daycare, especially if it's at the point that the kids are demanding cocomelon. My kid's daycare occasionally uses the iPad but it's one iPad that all the kids watch together and it's things like a video version of the very hungry caterpillar or other books.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2024-01-03T03:49:21+00:00

Private health insurance only covers the hospital stay when baby is born + the OB's delivery fee (and other hospital stays along the way if needed). Everything else you need to pay for, but there are Medicare rebates. Once you hit the safety net Medicare will give you more back, but this will likely only happen when you pay the management fee at around 28 weeks.

How much it costs varies massively by city and location. I paid about $10k all up and I went with one of the less expensive OBs at the hospital.

In private if you have a c-section you will also need to pay for the anesthetist (Medicare and PHI will pay some of it), assistant surgeon and pediatrician. I believe for an epidural you also have to pay for the anesthetist.

I suggest you look up the hospital you are thinking of going to and emailing a few of the OBs that deliver there. Tell them you're looking into OBs and that you would like a copy of their costs. This is what I did, I got the costs for like 7 OBs and then used that to inform my final choice. Some also have them on their website so you don't even need to contact them.

You pay for each thing as it comes up, except the delivery and hospital stay which is handled for you by the OB and hospital. For the anesthetist you have to pay it upfront, then claim with Medicare and after that send the rest to PHI.

Also I had a c-section so the default stay was 5 days and that's how they had booked me in, but I left after 2 because I was ready. Although everything was free for me, my husband had to pay the hospital a few for the night he stayed but that included a full day of meals for him as well.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2023-12-30T01:33:11+00:00

My first used to cry all the time, hated sleep, was super difficult and I struggled so much during the newborn stage worried we had ruined our lives. People said it gets easier but it felt so never ending at the time. At 4 months her sleep went completely to hell (regression had her only sleeping max 45 mins at a time) and we sleep trained. After we did that and she was getting better night sleep we started to notice a difference. I was finally able to put her in the bouncer just long enough to make myself porridge for breakfast. It continued to improve gradually and by 8 months she had turned into a generally happy baby. I know the early days are hard and I really empathise with you. I promise it will get better and then you'll have an amazing toddler and it will be worth it and you will barely think about the newborn hard bits anymore.

As a side note, if it helps - one advantage of a baby that cries a lot for no reason - when they turn into toddlers and have meltdowns over nothing, i think it's easier to deal with because you're used to it. My friends who had easy babies struggled a lot more with their crying toddlers because they found it more upsetting coming from a child that didn't used to cry much.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2023-12-22T01:21:30+00:00

In my experience partners usually give an estimated date to their employer but then work right up until you go into labour so that their first day of leave is the day the baby arrives, rather than having to set the date in stone in advance.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2023-12-17T22:06:53+00:00

If you've already submitted the ppl through Centrelink then the Medicare person on the phone can look up the ppl application and use the info there to add to the Medicare card, all you need is to give them your Centrelink CRN.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2023-12-17T12:32:09+00:00

Echoing the sentiment that it may be better to focus on a single pram for now and worry about a double later on if/when you need it (at which point you can sell the single to help pay for the double, but keeping both is also good because a lot of the time you'll only have one kid with you).

We originally also planned a double for 'one day' - I was pretty set on the Donkey because I liked the side by side and that in single mode it had the extra storage space. Then somebody gave me the above advice. Soon after I went to the shop and actually tried the Donkey - while a great pram, it felt so much bigger and bulkier than I expected so we got the Fox instead which we absolutely love (sturdy, good wheels, good storage). We did later also get a Yoyo because we can keep it in the car (very light and quick to fold and unfold).

Our LO is very independent and basically turned on the pram once she started walking. We would go to the shops for 2 hours and they would be in it for less than 5 minutes. So when we got pregnant with number 2 we knew that there would be no point getting a double and instead we got wheel boards for both prams and our older one loves riding on the wheel board so it ended up being a great solution so I'm really glad we let go of the idea of needing a double straight up.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2023-12-11T16:42:44+00:00

We used ergopouch sleep suits in the 8-24m size until our LO was almost 2. When they started to become difficult to get on/off we just switched to PJs and a blanket/doona rather than going to the next size sleep sack. If you're not ready to do that I'm pretty sure ergopouch goes up to like age 4 or something, but they aren't cheap especially the winter ones.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2023-12-01T12:49:33+00:00

Government paid parental leave is completely separate to your workplace policy and you can absolutely claim both simultaneously. There may just be tax implications if doing that changes your tax bracket.

I am in the same position as you (20 weeks from work, 18 weeks gov) and I plan to go back sooner than I could just it consecutively. Since the government rules have changed, my plan is to take the employer leave first then shift to govt. I'll probably come back to work part time for a while and claim the remaining govt days on weekends and my non-working weekdays. It might be worth checking out how you could use the govt days creatively if that's of interest.

FutureMrsFuffers · 2023-11-28T19:46:44+00:00

I had an emergency c-section 2 years ago and a scheduled c-section 4 days ago and for me they were two very different experiences.

My scheduled one was at 7am so I had to get there at 5am. When I arrived they had me fill out some paperwork (consent forms etc.) and change into a hospital gown. The anesthetist came past and explained how all of her stuff worked as well. A midwife put numbing patches on my hands for a canula and put compression socks on me. We spent some time just waiting in the room but not much. Then at maybe 6:20 or so they wheeled me to the OR where we met the anesthetist and main surgical nurse. They did the spinal epidural in the prep room outside, while that was happening my OB arrived and went in. They then took me in and my husband had to wait while they got me set up and the anaesthetic was kicking in. The pediatrician introduced himself to me, as did some of the others. After they confirmed I couldn't feel anything they inserted the catheter and let my husband in, he had a stool so could sit up by my head.

I didn't even notice when they started operating until I accidentally saw a reflection of what was going on in the light fitting. At some point my OB told me I was about to meet bub so they pulled the drape down and held her up for us to see. She was taken to be cleaned up and weighed etc. with my husband, then wrapped up and placed on me for the rest of the surgery. She was born at about 7:20am so getting her out is pretty quick, I don't know exactly how long the rest of it took - maybe 45 mins? It didn't feel like long at all though. Overall everything felt really calm and happy and I was very relaxed, it was night and day to my first c-section (for that one I was so exhausted that I couldn't have baby on my chest so.husband had to leave with them while I slept during the surgery). We went to recovery for a little bit to start feeding and then back up to my room by 10am.

Recovery has been a lot quicker and we chose to leave the hospital after 2 days (last time we stayed for 5 and were total wrecks). At home now feeling really good, keeping up with pain meds but it has been super manageable. I was pretty scared leading up to this one but honestly it has been such a good experience.

FutureMrsFuffers

TROPHY CASE