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Connect with mums-to-be with similar due dates to share experiences and support.

Graduated Elderberries. Thread 9

999 replies

Cavort · 04/12/2013 08:48

The over 30's expecting or just had their first baby.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Cavort · 16/01/2014 10:31

Great sleeping Janey. Envy Envy We used to have nights like that but it's been a while. Last night she woke at midnight, 2.30-4.00, 5.00 and got up at 7.15.

DH is working at home today and tomorrow, so we're evicting E into her own room tonight so we have 3 straight nights where DH can help me out a bit more if the disruption makes her sleeping worse if that's actually possible. For those who have already put baby in their own room, how much sleep disruption did it cause, if any?

OP posts:
Cavort · 16/01/2014 10:37

Hazle E is still feeding with the same frequency (about 6/7 times in 24 hours) but must be taking less volume at daytime feedings as I have noticed my boobs are feeling much fuller some of the time, even after she's fed.

OP posts:
janey1234 · 16/01/2014 12:36

First couple of nights in his room were tough as he either didn't want to be there, or found the new surroundings too exciting. I think that lasted two or three nights. Since then his sleeping has been much much better (touches wood etc)

In terms of milk - I don't know as still bf plus formula, but he has 2 x 180ml bottles of formula in evening plus seems to have a couple of good breastfeeds during the day. My health visitor keeps saying that annoying phrase "food before one is just for fun" though so I'm really not sure how much they should be relying on milk? She prob just says that though as I worry that one day M will eat loads and then the next day isn't fussed at all...

Alexandra6 · 16/01/2014 13:13

Wow she's asleep...feel like I've been trying to soothe S since 5pm last night! Have barely had 3 or 4 hours sleep and all morning I've been trying to get her to sleep, she's finally dropped off but on my lap so that's my nap out the window! Can't imagine ever being able to get to more baby classes or out of the house again

HazleNutt · 16/01/2014 13:19

Thanks that's helpful, V usually has a feed in the morning,then after work, before bedtime and at least a few per night, plus whatever DH manages to bottle-feed him, so sounds similar to E and M. Yes, I've also heard that they should be getting most of their nutrition from milk at this stage, that's why I was a bit concerned.

He had some veggies and a whole jar of fruit this morning, so sounds like the appetite is getting better.

HazleNutt · 16/01/2014 13:26

alex poor you, not much change with gaviscon?

Alexandra6 · 16/01/2014 13:38

She had those good days on the weekend with absolutely no gaviscon so I made a decision to forget about the gaviscon and ride it out for now. I did buy some gripe water on the recommendation of a couple of friends but I find it hard to get it down her when she's crying/windy. Of course now I'm obsessively trying to work out what I did differently when she had those settled days!

Alexandra6 · 16/01/2014 13:43

Uh oh she's awake again and crying and so am I Sad

janey1234 · 16/01/2014 14:26

Oh no, poor Alex Hmm

Is gaviscon a medicine that "builds up" so to speak? So could the three good days have been a result of her having had it for a few previous days?
To be fair of Miles has bad sleep it just gets progressively harder to get him to sleep for a decent period. That's when the sling comes to the rescue, can you try her in that. Then if she stirs you can stand and jig around a bit until he nods off again?

Hazle - sounds like V is getting quite a lot of milk? Poor you working all day and feeding all night, you must be whacked....

Cavort · 16/01/2014 14:44

Oh Alex, I really feel for you. Even if the crying wasn't bad enough, the sleep deprivation is a killer. Can your DH help you out tonight/after work so you can get a few hours rest? I really hope so. You're doing so well so far and seem to have a good attitude to it all. I find I get tearful very easily if I haven't had much sleep, which is very unlike me but at least I know what causes it. I have also found through trial and error that I have a threshold of about 6 hours total sleep and as long as I get more than that over 24 hours I find I feel ok.

Hazle when my friend went back to work after 6 months EBFing, her DD wouldn't take a bottle or milk out of any other recepticle, so she just BF when she could (like you are doing) and made sure her DD was getting plenty of water, calcium and iron in her solid foods. Her DD is 4.5 now and has never had any health issues.

OP posts:
MotherOfCleo · 16/01/2014 16:54

alex when the nurse gave H his oral vaccine she put the syringe in his cheek and squeezed it in, it seemed to encourage him to swallow and not just push it out with his tongue. I've been doing it that way since and its much much easier than when I was squeezing it onto his tongue and waiting for him to swallow it.

We have quite crap sleeping here too I know you told me so cav I get about 3.5/4 hours in a chunk then he wakes every 1.5/2 hours. If I could get milk down him he would sleep longer but he rarely takes more than 1.5oz overnight before refusing or falling asleep. I feel like I've just fallen asleep and I'm awake again. I tried giving him a dummy instead at 4am last night as I wondered if he just wanted comfort but that was a no no, he just screamed. I also tried a dream feed at 4am the night before, again a no no, he didnt get it at all. I just think hes gotten into a habit of waking and expecting to be snuggled back to sleep but its a habit I dont want to encourage....tricky.

MotherOfCleo · 17/01/2014 07:48

Slight success, H woke at 4 an I fed him, then he woke at 5.30, I just rolled him onto his side and left my hand on him till he dozed off and he slept till now....yay Grin So I was right that he wasnt hungry. Hope it works each night!

HazleNutt · 17/01/2014 08:21

V ate a record amount of puree yesterday, so I was hoping that he sleeps better. Indeed, had a nice long stretch, but then woke a few times and was even crying a bit, which is unusual for him - he usually just sighs, moans and whines. Wouldn't settle unless sleeping on me, and that's getting a little challenging, he's not exactly featherweight.

Great, I think, so either he wakes because he's hungry or if he eats, he has stomach issues. But there's another tooth out this morning, (looks like it's a lower canine, although according to google those should appear a lot later) so probably was just that. Always something..

MotherOfCleo · 17/01/2014 08:32

Happy Birthday lol Grin

HazleNutt · 17/01/2014 08:33

oh and cavort, can you check Which for extended rear facing car seats? V is in the process of growing out of his baby seat - it's advertised as up to 18 months, but 76 cm, and if he continues growing at 95th percentile, we need a new seat in the next couple of months.

BlearyeyedLol · 17/01/2014 09:30

Thanks mother. We made it hole safely if completely knackered!
I have a few practical questions. Please share your wisdom!

  • foot muff- can you recommend one? I have been given a McLaren pushchair so am using it now but have no accessories!
  • cot bumper- are you having one? If not how do you stop babies banging their heads?
  • weaning- are you all offering breast before food or the other way round?

Cav we are planning to move L into her room this weekend and I am dreading it. How was your first night?

Cavort · 17/01/2014 09:39

An interesting first night in her own bedroom. She protested at bedtime and woke every 10 minutes for the first hour, which is not like her at all and I thought we were in for a night of hell, but then once she finally settled she slept until 6am with only one brief wake up. Grin

Mother how old is H now? I remember the exact time when E's sleeping went to shit started to go downhill as it was the first week of October and we were going to DH's Neice's Christening, so she was pretty much bang on 12 weeks. It didn't get significantly worse though until the dreaded 4 months mark.

Alex, how are thngs? Have you had any success calming S with the tactics shown in that Richard & Judy link you posted?

Hazle as our due dates were quite close V might also be going through the same fussy phase that E is currently in? She is unusually whingey at the moment and is doing my head in. Wonder Weeks reckons it should only last a max of 2 weeks.

We will be in the same situation with the car seat soon because she is so chunky and her shoulders are already a bit wedged in, which from a safety point of view is probably not a bad thing, but from a protesting child point of view we might have to make her a bit more comfy in a bigger seat.

Interesingly, Which? do not have any Best Buys in the Group 1 Rear Facing seats, but the best of the rest is the Cybex Sirona which scores 76%. The BeSafe iZi Kid X3 Isofix is next and scores 70%, and the Britax Max-Fit scores 69%.
There are 4 seats which are listed as Don't Buy in this category, which are the Britax Max Way, the Volvo Convertible, the Joie Stages and the Axkid Kidzofix.

"The Cybex Sirona child car seat is an eye-catching combination car seat for children from birth up to 18kg (approximately four years old). It can be used as an extended rearward-facing seat to 18kg or changed to face-forwards when your child reaches 13kg. Unusually, older children are held in place by an impact shield, rather than a harness. Some extended rear-facing seats can be a bit cramped for older kids We sent it to our lab to find out if the Sirona has plenty of space.

The Cybex Sirona is a good extended rearward-facing seat. If your child doesn't like facing backwards, it's also an excellent Group 1 forward-facing child car seat. It's the highest-scoring combination Group 0+/1 seat we've tested,and worth considering, but narrowly misses the marks required to be a Best Buy.

What is it?
A combination Group 0+/1 child car seat for babies from birth to 18kg (approximately four years). It's used rearward-facing from birth to 13kg, at which point you can either leave it rearward-facing, which reduces the strain on the head and neck in a crash, or turn the seat around on the base and use it forward-facing.

It's installed on a base that uses Isofix mounts to attach to the car. The Isofix base has a support leg to stop the seat pivoting forwards in a crash, which may make it unsuitable for use in some cars that have underfloor storage compartments or limited back-seat leg space.

You can't install it in your car with the adult three-point seatbelt.

The baby is restrained by a five-point harness with a one-pull adjustment strap when they are rearward-facing.

But if you turn the seat forward-facing you use an impact shield instead. This curved foam slide-in wedge fits snugly across the child's tummy and is held in place by buckles on either side of the shield. The child rolls forward around it in a crash, which reduces the strain on their neck.

How safe is it?
The Sirona is essentially two car seats in one. It scores 73% when used as a Group 0+ and 1 rearward-facing seat, providing excellent front-impact protection and good side-impact protection.

It's also good when used as a Group 1 forward-facing seat for older children, providing excellent front and side-crash protection, it scores 78% in this mode.

It's a good design for safety - the seat sits firmly on the car's seat and the harness/impact shield is in a good position on the child. Head support is good.

Is it easy to fit the seat?
The instructions and warning labels are clear and very easy to understand, and there's little danger of installing the seat incorrectly if you follow the instructions.

It's easy to install, although very heavy. It weighs 15kg, so is best left in the car. Green indicators show when the Isofix connectors are correctly attached.

You can't turn the seat forwards without storing the harness.

It's easy to buckle your child in using both the harness and the shield.

Is the seat comfortable?
It's well-padded and creates a good sitting position for infants - who should not sit too upright - and older kids. You can also recline it to give older children a more comfortable sleep.

But the view from the seat is a bit limited and the leg support is uncomfortable for older children when it's rearward-facing.

Is there anything else I should know?
The seat cover is easy to remove and machine washable, and the finish quality on the seat is good.

Should I buy it?
This is a good child car seat and certainly worth considering. Although expensive, it should last you a long time and keep your child facing rearwards for longer, which many parents are keen to try.

Please remember that not all car seats fit in all cars. We recommend that you check how well this seat fits in the cars you will use before you buy it.

Do you already own this child car seat? If you do, click the Customer views tab - above the picture - and tell us what you think of it.

Pros: Extended rearward-facing seat, excellent good safety score as a Group 1 and Group 0+ seat, excellent head support, good seating position, good finish quality, machine-washable cover

Cons: Limited view for babies, heavy, uncomfortable leg support for older kids in rear-facing direction."

OP posts:
Cavort · 17/01/2014 09:41

Lol I offer boob about an hour before solids and we have a breathable cot bumper which goes all the way around the cot.

OP posts:
HazleNutt · 17/01/2014 09:56

Ah nice, I was thinking about the Sirona anyway. Bloody expensive, but I like the swivel, way easier to get him in and out.

lol happy birthday! How was the flight?

  • we have a Kaiser sheepskin foot muff that can also be used in carrycot, V likes it very much. Expensive though, there are probably just as nice sheepskin muffs available at a more reasonable price.
  • no bumpers. He rarely bumps his head and hasn't hurt humself yet. If you need it then yes, get the breathable one.
  • at this stage, it should ideally be boob before food as I have read, but as I'm not home that much, then we usually offer one or the other.Water between every few spoonfuls too, he drinks more this way then when water is offered after the meal.
Purplemonster · 17/01/2014 10:56

Uh oh, someone is getting a bit too good at crawling for my liking, just popped upstairs, was gone seconds and came back to find the little monkey out of the ball pool, halfway across the rug and merrily munching on one of the dogs stag bars. Yuck! They must taste better than I imagined because she screamed when I took it off her. Bad Mummy.

Alexandra6 · 17/01/2014 11:06

We're ok, I'd like to have breakfast at some point but S only stays in her jungle swing happily for 10-15 mins max and I chose a shower today! Am really surprised and ridiculously jealous when people say their babies rarely cry?! Was that the case at this stage too (nearly 6 weeks)?

I think she gets really bad wind (not sure how this affects reflux or if she gets both) but I could actually hear wind bubbles in her tummy last night, I just couldn't get them out. She's def not crying just for attention as sometimes she screws her face up in her sleep or does a little scream in her sleep. She isn't easy to wind, for example if I do tiger in the tree she hates in and writhes around. It's hard when she falls asleep on me like she has now after a feed as if I wake her up for a wind, she might cry loads but if I leave her snoozing, any wind is trapped Confused

I've had support which is great so I'm determined not to get down about things, S is lovely despite all the crying and tummy probs - just gets hard and like you say cav sleep deprivation doesn't help!

Alexandra6 · 17/01/2014 11:07

Oh and happy birthday lol! And mother I love the pressie for your DH, I might copy!

Purplemonster · 17/01/2014 11:07

Shock just seen the price of those car seats, ahem, we won't be having one of those then. Thankfully I don't need to worry yet what with having a midgety baby though I have got to go and look at pushchairs as my stupid expensive (well it was expensive to the person who bought it new anyway!) travel system has straps that don't adjust small enough to safely transport a skinny baby. Bit pigged off about it all because one of the reasons we chose it was because it would do parent facing and now I'm going to have to get a buggy that faces the wrong way anyway.

Alexandra6 · 17/01/2014 11:08

purple sorry but that made me laugh! My little nephew was caught eating my cat's crunchies the other day, bleurgh!

HazleNutt · 17/01/2014 11:42

alex I'm afraid that yes, V didn't cry much at this age either. The worst I remember was maybe half an hour for 2 evenings, when he as 6 weeks and we had to switch to formula for a few days and he had stomach problems. I remember how miserable that was.
I might have missed, did you see a pediatrician, yet? There must be some medication available that would make S more comfortable.