Guess who forgot...
27 May 2006, 23:09
...their own wedding anniversary.
Yep, McG and I both managed to forget May 15, the day they pledged to love, honour and remember all wedding anniversaries ‘til death do they part.
I didn’t realise until last Wednesday, when someone from Mother’s Group asked me when and where we got married. Our anniversary was actually the day after Mother’s Day, and I probably got carried away with the gravity of what that day meant. Either that, or nappy brain striking again. Or both. And I never forget anyone’s birthday or day of import. Really.
Permanent Link | Comments [4]Misdiagnosis?
24 May 2006, 10:58
The first three months were (relatively) easy - sure I had some not so good days, but Scout would generally sleep whenever, wherever and for fairly long stretches during the day. And she self-settled at night. We’d put her in the cradle at 8pm, and if she wasn’t that tired, she’d look around calmly as you left the room and when you returned she’d be asleep. For the next 7-9 hours. We congratulated ourselves on our heavenly baby.
When 3 months hit, our routine hadn’t changed, but Scout decided it was rather too tedious to sleep any longer than 45 minutes during the day, and she’d actually prefer not to sleep even that long, thanks very much, Mum. This totally screwed up any semblance of a routine, and I’d never know if she was hungry, tired or both. I think my milk started going down because of the stress of it all.
And at night, as we put her in the cradle, she’d smile or blow raspberries at us, we’d leave the room and 5 minutes later the howling began. On a good evening it would take 5-10 minutes to settle her, on a bad one, about an hour and a half. She still sleeps for fairly long stretches (except for the occasional hell night, when she wakes every 2 hours for resettling) but getting her to that state is a nightmare.
Most of the literature/experts tell you to “resettle” if your baby sleeps under an hour during the day. Well, I tried that and endured her screams, to no avail. The thing that pisses me off is that sometimes she wakes up from her 45 minute kip with a big smile on face, and after 25 minutes of subsequent unsuccessful “resettling” I have a very unhappy, vexed baby indeed. I’d rather take the catnapping happy baby, thanks. It’s enough to make anyone go nuts.
Well, perhaps not nuts, but after 4 days in a row of me crying hysterically through the days because she wouldn’t sleep or resettle and I castigated myself for being a “failed mum” (oh purlease, I hear you say) I went to see the GP who diagnosed mild postnatal depression.
Now I have absolutely no problem admitting to anyone that I have PND, except I don’t believe that I do. The GP, a supposed “mental health expert” (pah! and baloney!) handed me a questionnaire with questions such as “how often do you feel worthless”, “how often do you cry or feel like crying” etc. etc. Now, to many of these questions, I answered “some of the time” and I achieved a certain numerical score for answering as such. At the end of the questionnaire, she tallied my score and said I had mild PND. At no stage, did she ask if any of these responses were situational, which they are. I feel like crying whenever she cries, I feel worthless whenever she cries and I can’t settle her or help her sleep. When she’s feeding, playing or anytime when I’m not settling her, I’m 100% fine. Now, to me, that sounds like a sleep-deprived Mum who needs a sleep school or clinic to learn coping and settling techniques, rather than a referral to a psychologist and anti-depressants.
That’s right, she put me on anti-depressants for a “mild” case of PND. She didn’t even tell me what they were as she was prescribing them. I asked her (as I suspected the cunning truth) and she said they’d “help me sleep”. I then asked her if they were sleeping tablets, and she said, “yes, they’ll help you sleep”. I then asked if they were anti-depressants and she said “Yes”. AAAAAAAAAGH.
I went to the chemist, got the ADs and the pharmacist said to take one the first night, two the second night and three the third night, that they’d make me feel a bit drowsy at first but that I’d get used to them. I retorted “I don’t want to get used to them”. I decided after careful consideration, that the GP could shove her ADs up her crack. She didn’t even try to get to the bottom of what was going on at home. Talk about throwing drugs at the problem… I’ll take the psychologist, thanks very much, because any new mum could, in my opinion, do with an impartial shoulder to whinge and bemoan on, but I have no intention on taking the ADs until things get far, far worse. Particularly because I’m breastfeeding.
Oh, GP says “they’re safe if you’re breastfeeding” but that’s total BULLSHIT FANNYDUST!!! EVERYTHING goes through to your breastmilk, and I don’t care if the amount is miniscule, I don’t want Scout sucking down Prothiaden. NO THANKS.
I’m looking into some sleep schools/clinics and hopefully they won’t tell me to take a running jump simply because Scout still sleeps a fair chunk of the night. It’s the days that are exhausting me, and I still get a sinking feeling in my gut whenever I hear her cries start up.
This too, will pass, this too, will pass…
Permanent Link | Comments [11]Inaugural Mothers Day
14 May 2006, 09:35
Ah, ‘tis great to be a mum. Woke up this morning after a lovely little lie-in, to a nice cup of tea, some v. thoughtful pressies and a beautiful daughter and husband. Sigh.
Will just chill out today, and have brunch with another mum and dad in Richmond (never mind Richmond’s appalling form in the footy this weekend…).
*******************
I leave you with a few maternal ponderings:
1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
“If you’re going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.”
2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
“You better pray that will come out of the carpet.”
3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
“If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week!”
4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
” Because I said so, that’s why.”
5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
“If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you’re not going to the store with me.”
6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
“Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident.”
7. My mother taught me IRONY.
“Keep crying, and I’ll give you something to cry about.”
8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
“Shut your mouth and eat your supper.”
9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
“Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!”
10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
“You’ll sit there until all those peas are gone.”
11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
“This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.”
12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
“If I told you once, I’ve told you a million times. Don’t exaggerate!”
13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
“I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.”
14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION.
“Stop acting like your father!”
15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
“There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don’t have wonderful parents like you do.”
16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
“Just wait until we get home.”
17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
“You are going to get it when you get home!”
18. My mother taught me GENETICS.
“You’re just like your father.”
19. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
“Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?”
20. My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
“One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!
Permanent Link | Comments [4]Life's Unexplained Mysteries
12 May 2006, 09:24
#1: Why cafe’s charge extra for soy and decaf options. Soy milk and decaf coffee are exactly the same price as cows milk and regular coffee and quite popular options… For a decaf (breastfeeding, ahem) soy latte lover, ‘tis v. frustrating.
#2: Why a baby can self-settle herself at 8pm and sleep 9-10 hours without waking up (or managing to get back to sleep if she does wake up) and yet has to be dragged and coaxed into having a nap during the day, fighting it at every turn, and then only managing to nap for 45 minutes at the MOST. You can set the friggin’ clock by her… I just don’t get it.
Permanent Link | Comments [3]Oi Oi OI! Where'd me voice go?
8 May 2006, 09:19
Scout lost her voice on Saturday. Not kidding. By 3pm, her cries and chatting and constant raspberries were all husky and raspy. We thought maybe she had the beginnings of a cold or a throat infection (as god knows where her little fingers have been…) but no, sure enough, after a lovely 10 hour sleep that night, she was fine Sunday morning.
Internet research was not at all helpful - “if baby has laryngitis, have her rest her voice and give warm liquid.” Hmmm, not easy to reason with a 3 1/2 month old. The biggest problem was her incessant raspberries. She must have blown 500 of them on Saturday, and half of them ended up in my face.
I have a few more pics of Scout on my Flickr Account for friends and family, so if you’re keen for an update, let me know your Flickr Account and I can give you access.
Permanent Link | Comments [1]
