I hate hate hate being a mum today

[Nononoohnono]

I’m just sounding off but oh god I just want to fast forward time.

My seven month old is literally fighting me. Grabbing chunks of my hair and yanking it, grabbing the skin on my face and neck and twisting it. If I put her down she flings herself around and screams. My poor three year old gets completely ignored because of it all, and understandably it’s affected him and our relationship. I don’t wish I’d not had them but I hate this stage so much.

About giving calpol. Obviously get the calpol syringe ready.
Sit her on your lap and thus trap one of her arms behind your body.
Hold her other hand/arm in yours. Use your upper arm to keep her head against you.
Tilt her backwards and squirt the calpol inside her cheek rather than straight down her throat.
See if she seems happier in about 15 minutes.

It won’t hurt her to be firm about it.
Sometimes we had to give antibiotics in nursery and most older babies were quite cooperative, but some weren’t!
It only takes a minute really. Then distract with a song and a cuddle, or a bouncy rhyme.

I wonder if she enjoys very active play. Does she like being bounced or swung around?
Will she roll around the floor on a mat- some babies enjoy the sort of mat that makes crinkly crackly sounds.

Its not unkind to put her down. If she was in nursery she would be on soft mats on the floor.

Omg this is me with my second born too
He is expresses his emotions physically whereas my eldest did not….
turns out I don’t know what the f I’m doing and I’m making it up as I go (recently cut myself a bob haircut bc my hair got pulled out so much)
its shit, but this too shall pass 🌻💐

Seconded. It’s by no means negative but if you haven’t had a high needs baby it’s like a different world. My mum used to tell me ‘just put her down, if she’s tired she’ll sleep’…

Oh and the calpol thing - if they like a dummy, do ‘squirt, dummy, squirt, dummy’ until it’s all gone in. Took a long time to get the hang of it but worth it!

Calpol isn’t happening. She just ends up being sick. Today was horrific, I want to return her and am just dreading tomorrow and the day after and the day after …

I agree it sounds like she's in pain. Have you ruled out CMPA and reflux? I'd get her to the GP ASAP if you haven't already. Babies lash out like this when they are hurting not because of development, though that can make them fussy but this is much more than that. Please take her to GP.

I can’t really do much about it if she won’t take Calpol.

Huh? Calpol just soothes the pain. If she has a condition you can stop it before it starts eg by cutting cow milk out of her diet. Why would you not try everything when your baby is in such distress?

It’s the worst age. I hated it with ds1 and I hated it even more with ds2.
Is she crawling yet? I found with both of mine it got much better once they became more mobile.
Ds2 is now 13months and I feel like life’s been much better the last couple of months. Hang in there. I know its shit I promise I do but it does pass eventually!

Well, because I don’t think it’s caused by cows milk. Unless that suddenly comes on at about six and a half months, which I don’t think it does, or does it?

She’s not crawling, no. It’s very frustrating.

My second is very similar, I feel your pain. She absolutely could not just be popped in front of a telly, or her cot because she would scream the house down and hurt herself by throwing herself around. She hates Calpol and won't tolerate it at all.

She's 16 months now and it's still up and down to be honest. When she's unhappy she's mega unhappy, can't put her down etc. but easier than it was at 6/7 months, if that's any consolation...

It does get easier, I know. I do think it’s a combination of teeth and frustration. If I thought there was something like an allergy I’d deal with it of course. She also gets overtired but it’s hard to stay to wake windows and so on.

My baby's like this too. I didn't know she was high needs, I thought all babies were like this tbh! She's 12 months and it is getting a little easier, except sometimes. Todays been hard but not as hard as you. Better when her siblings are around as she can pull on them and beat them up. They like it mostly.

Can you afford nursery?

When I go back to work, yes

My 10 month old has recently got extremely clingy, is also obsessed with my face and biting so much she’s earned the nickname “jaws”.

It’s not much better when they crawl tbh. Now she just cries and tries to crawl up my leg. My tips are to put her in the high chair and move the high chair around the house and just give melty sticks on repeat. Or wooden spoons if you can cope with the banging. Nothing else works but she’s going to nursery in a month - thank god.

I don't have kids so please don't hate me if I am saying something stupid but have you tried bonjela or something that you can rub on her gums?

It must be so exhausting. I really feel for you.

Tomorrow is another day it’s not my first rodeo, it will get better but my god some days I really don’t love being a mum, even though I love the little people.

Shes strong, it’ll be a positive but right now …

Not got any practical help, but sending lots of sympathy.

That sounds really rough, I’m sorry OP. I was miserable when my second was 7-9 months old, she was so difficult. She would also not take Calpol (which was horrendous as she suffers with fevers really easily), I found paracetamol suppositories to be a life saver, GP can prescribe or you can buy one called Alvedon from an online pharmacies.

You can go to the gp or call 111. Sounds like she's in pain

Sending you a hug. I remember being pushed to my absolute limit when my youngest was a baby

Paracetamol suppositories!!!

Calpol is for pain relief- fine if she is teething but not if you aren't sure if she's in pain.

Every sympathy OP. But I think you could try walking away , put her in her cot, with toys. She won't hurt herself.