December 2012 - so, do we all know what we're doing yet?

[MaMaPo]

:)

[monsterchild]

nope, not a clue!

[monsterchild]

Except feeding a small vampire every 20 minutes

[SpottyTeacakes]

Ours would get on well monster....

[monsterchild]

You have my sympathies Spotty. they tell you a lot about newborns, but not about the zombie style noises in the night, or the chewing on your neck if they aren't fed quickly enough!

[SpottyTeacakes]

He seems to be awake for the day now although he keeps latching on and off which is so annoying! They're like little gremlins aren't they?! Ah well they'll be toddling before we know it!

[2blessed]

Same here spotty. R keeps latching on and off, I'm constantly tickling under his chin... Feeling really tired and sore by my cut

[coffeeandcream]

Hi all,

What do you know? DS just woke from a six hour sleep! [happy dance] Although I now have boobs of porn star proportions...

Another gremlin here too, crossed with a piglet judging by some of the noises he comes out with!

[PurplePidjin]

Signing in

[PurplePidjin]

I know exactly what I'm doing. I just don't know if I'm doing it right

[halesball]

Hi all, i didn't think it sounded belittling, its just this BF one minute its something i feel like doing and the next its something i really don't feel like doing. I know FF wouldn't be any easier though because when i've given her a bottle she can be hungry quite quickly again. I just need to make a firm decision either way, theres just something stopping me changing her to fully FF, even after days like yesterday. Fingers crossed the cream and drops work quickly.

Clarella, we noticed the same thing today. H seems alot happier to stay awake after feeds and she is so much more aware of everything. She has also found her voice and sits gurgling happily away to herself

[Bellaboo123]

Checking in...

Hales that's really rough, wishing you better soon.

Well the last 2 nights we've gone from midnight to 6am. She cries about 2ish but I give her back get dummy and she's straight back to sleep - that's not bad of me is it?

[StaceymReadyForNumber3]

Thanks for the new thread mama and I know exactly what I'm doing, not sure it's what Ethan wants/needs though

hales that sounds tough, do whatever is right for you and sod the maternal guilt, as long as you're not starving her you're doing ok in my book.

Yay to all those with longer sleeps ! I thought we'd had our growth spurt but judging from last night it's only just started! He fed on and off at evening and went down (co-sleeping he was not having any of the cot) at 12.15 (was literally attached from 11) then woke at 3.37 and fed for 20 minutes. Then was up at 4.30 and I unlatched him at 6.20. Then at 6.30 he was squaking so he's just had another 15 minutes! Thank god for feeding lying down and asleep or I would be a zombie today!!

[halesball]

No Bella thats definately not bad of you, if your LO had wanted anything else, she would of spat her dummy out and carried on crying.

Oh Stacey its horrible when you have a night where there constantly BF. Hope you manage to get abit of sleep today.

[SpottyTeacakes]

Those with babies sleeping longer than two hours are you giving a formula feed?

[Secondsop]

Checking in.

Spotty I'm mixed feeding and at night that gets me 3-4 hours, although sometimes (like tonight) he doesn't settle at all after it and sometimes we get 2 hours before he wants a snack (during the day he has formula every 4 hours or so but also wants breast midway through the 4 hours). The times when I've given him expressed milk at night he's never slept for more than 90 minutes.

bella I use the dummy when there's nothing else that i can find that's bothering him but he's still upset. Eg tonight. He's fed, he's nappied, he's next to me being cuddled, he's winded, he's comfy, but I suspect he's tired and atrugkng to drop off, and I find the dummy a godsend in those circumstances. He is more than capable of making himself very clear if it's not what he wanted.

[PurplePidjin]

Spotty, R is ebf and sleeps 6 hours 9-3 :)

[Stacks]

T has never had a bottle or dummy, and sleeps 3-5 hour stretches at night. Every night.

[pmgkt]

Marking place. Well done on the better sleep for many.

[pmgkt]

Edward did have a dummy when I was bf. Now he is just ff, he doesn't really want it. I think that confirms he
was still hungry

[MaMaPo]

Spotty, C is also ebf and last night went 3, 5, 3 hours between feeds. This is not, I repeat, NOT normal for her! Usually we get 2 or 3, with a 4 hour stretch about once a week.

Bella, I use the dummy when C is overtired, or in situations when she's hungry but needs to wait for us to get home. It has its place - as long as baby doesn't go hungry (which you'd know about!) I think it's fine.

Stacey, that's an epic night of feeding!

[coffeeandcream]

Spotty we gave F his first bottle of formula last night at health visitors suggestion. He slept for six hours and it was a god send.

I still want to BF as much as I can, but the sleep deprivation is killing us. One bottle of formula before bed can't be so bad I thought, but I still feel as though I'm letting my little boy down, which is silly I know

[utopian99]

Stacey we're having similar. I've had a max 3 hours sleep all night, and he's been feeding on and off since 6ish. Uhh.

Had an okay night yesterday - obviously the calm before the storm.

[SpottyTeacakes]

I know some babies are just good sleepers but I think I might have to try the formula... I haven't had more than two hours sleep for over two months now! And I've woken with a sore throat which must mean I'm getting dd's cold! (Sorry feeling sorry for myself today!)

[StaceymReadyForNumber3]

He's now on his second feed since I posted 2 hrs ago! Not sure how much kip I'll be getting today. Going to take him to baby clinic this week, see if all this feeding is having the desired effect!

[MaMaPo]

Spotty, after a rant to my sister about how hard it could be, she texted me her mantra (and it has got her through 3 kids). 'Whatever works.' Why not try formula? If it works, great, if it doesn't, no harm done and you can choose to continue with bfing or mix feed as you like.

As someone who's not slept more than 2 hours in 2 months, you are absolutely allowed to feel sorry for yourself!

Yesterday we had a big meetup with all the people we did NCT class with - good fun! Very interesting to see the differences and similarities between the babies. The oldest is now 3 months old, and my little C, who is 6 weeks, is about the same size. Time to get her weighed at the clinic again this week, I think! It was also interesting to note that the boys were all a lot bigger than the girls (except for my lump of a girl, of course!).