The babies are here! September 2020

[LatteLover12]

Hi all 👋🏻

Here's a new thread so we can keep chatting through the sleepless nights and the many outfits they've already grown out of... 😄

Iv been thinking about baby no.2!! Anyone else lol?!

I'm 40 next April so would ideally love to have another before that! Means trying from May!! 😱

How exciting @ShiningStarz , I would say definitely go for it!

Go for it @ShiningStarz !!

How's everyone doing? I'm still up feeding every two hours 😩 people keep saying 'give him more in the day' but I can't physically force it on him! He loves his food but it's just veg for now. Need to get him on the meat to fill him up!!

Re rolling over... he's a lazy toad. He's done it a few times but he has his sisters running around after him getting him what he wants /playing etc so he's got no drive to do it. He's in for a shock when they go back to school. I'll popping the champagne 😂😂😂

@shiningstarz if you're thinking about it do it! May seems so soon, can you imagine being pregnant again it feels like we only just were!

@chipsarelife apart from the odd stretch of 3 hours I'm also up feeding 2 hourly but it's definitely just a comfort thing not actual hunger. Exhausted!
I bet you can't wait for home schooling to be over I can't even imagine!

Anyone know anything about sunscreen for babies? I'm thinking from April on etc we could be out having picnics etc. I know the shade is best but I was also thinking about using a cream??

I'm also very interested in any recommendations - it's warmer than the UK here and I think we'll need to protect her as of mid-March so definitely on the lookout. Was initially thinking something like Avene would be good - but it's hard to navigate through all the options!

We've already started with sunglasses to protect DDs very blue eyes.

I think the guidance is to avoid under 6 months old. Then I'd look at the ingredients to avoid any hormonal disruptors (you can find the list online). Im getting my hot tub out next month, so will be using some as well as my two parasols

I've been wondering about sun protection too. Both my partner and I are very pale so probably need to be extra careful. We do lots of baby wearing and that feels the most challenging situation as can't always stay in shade like when just sitting out. We've got a sun hat already and thinking buying a parasol is a good plan. Hoping to avoid suncream on a daily basis for walks so covering up is the aim. We'll see how that goes with a wiggly infant!

Hadn't thought of the sun screen/ hat thing yet but it's now on my list of things to get!

@ShiningStarz definitely go for it I say!!

I get more broody by the day 😂. I definitely don't think I'm one of the ladies who'd end up with a surprise baby, as of my friends and family who've had surprise babies (including my mum as I was a surprise baby, 8 years after my sibling!), they conceived their other child/children easily and quickly, without faffing around with ovulation sticks and temping which I did pretty much daily for 16 months of ttc .

@NeuroMama what did you get as a sun hat? Was thinking of a bob type thing but worried it would flap in front of her face and she wouldn't be able to see!

@kersh33 it's a simple bucket style. It was with a bundle of clothes given to us by a friend. I do wonder if he'll just pull it off constantly. I have seen ones with ties around the neck which seem useful. Also ones with long bits at the back for extra neck coverage which also seems useful. Also wondered if it will just get in his eyes. Gonna try this one out and see how it fails haha

@kersh33 I bought my daughter a full swimming suit, it came with matching hat which I'll prob use as her sun hat, has flap on front and back to protect face and neck 😊 got hers in M&S sale for £8!

How's weaning going?
Wev tried brocolli, potato, parsnip, carrot and Brussels sprouts! So far the brocolli and sprouts are a hit! She doesn't seem overly interested but stares at us when we eat!

Hi @ShiningStarz! Weaning is going well. Only carrots seem to still be an issue. We did have a problem with constipation though. DD has spent the last 5 days feeling a bit sorry for herself. She was struggling to squeeze out some very compact poos. Luckily it seems to have sorted itself out yesterday in a poonami which required a full costume change.

Has anyone else been having digestive issues? If so, what have you been doing to solve them? We just tried to give her vegetables with fibre and water like green beans and spinach as well as pear purée to help her go, but it didn't see to act very quickly. It's a bit miserable watching her strain and cry only for nothing or very little to come out.

@kersh33 how much would she have? We are just doing the first tastes so literally a tea sooon just to let her get the taste!!
I'm on a Facebook weaning group and some there have suggested prunes / prune juice or prescribed meds from gp. Might be worth talking to the health visitor x

We're up to around 70-90g of veg and 10g of protein. She doesn't always finish everything, but she does most days. We're only doing purées not blw though. That's for lunch.

For afternoon tea, we give her a few teaspoons of fruit purée - she's not a fan of fruit so that's about as much as she'll take.

We're about to start giving her veg in the evening too. Will probably start around 60g then I think.

But we're not in the UK - they do seem to push more to have babies eat food at a young age here.

Ah ok @kersh33 all that sounds great tho and she seems really keen too.
I'll be starting to work through the allergens list from 7 months. So hoping by the time she's 7.5 months we'll at least be able to do most things for breakfast and lunch. Hoping to introduce dinner then by the time she's 8.5 months. The nhs guidance Iv read says it's best to gradually go from 1 meal to 2 and then to 3. Their tummies need time to adjust! X

@Sara7455 how quick did you go from 1 meal to 3?

Hi! Sorry the notifications for this keep disappearing until I get tagged - feel like I’ve missed so much in a few weeks!

Very belated Congratulations @Smilymami amazing news!

@kersh33 Wren really struggled with the weaning poos for a bit - lots of straining with the more solid ones. The last week or so it seems to have calmed down though - less noticeable straining certainly. I don’t think I’ve changed anything so maybe their system just gets used to it!

@ShiningStarz I took it relatively slowly. Think I was on one meal for 3-4 weeks because he didn’t seem hugely bothered. Then added breakfast and it turns out he loves breakfast food so started wolfing that down while still unbothered about lunch. Then when he started eating lunch as well more often than not I added dinner too, probably another month later. I also partly waited for him to drop the 4th nap because with him on a 5months olds sleep schedule it was hard to find the time to add in the 8 month old third meal going with him being hungry but not too hungry or too tired but that’s probably less of an issue for non-preemie babies as you’re not dealing with things developing at different rates! Just follow their lead I think - if they’re done they’ll tell you and if they’re loving food then you can consider adding more.
He’s started dropping milk feeds fairly organically so he must be getting something out of the solids now!

@Sara7455 - how much milk is wren on do you know? We've just started on 3 meals a day and DD is now only taking about half of her bottles of expressed milk at the childminders. She still takes 3 feeds with me ( one in the evening before bed, one during the night and one in the morning) but obviously don't really know how much she's taking.
I'm just a bit worried as I've read their main source of nutrition should still be milk at this age...

@kersh33 I read they should be having at least 500ml a day I think? He has 3-4 bottles per day, usually 4, and 180ml in a bottle. They’re basically spread as early morning milk, mid morning and mid afternoon then one before bed but he skips the mid afternoon sometimes and will just throw up if I try to force him so I don’t put too much pressure on it

Thanks @Sara7455 sounds like wren is doing great! Makes sense not to rush and to take their lead.
@kersh33 I read somewhere that babies should be on 3 meals a day by 9 months. We plan to take it slowly for the first few weeks. Xx

Thanks @Sara7455. She should be doing at least 500 ml I think. Impressed at how much Wren eats, I don't think we've ever got beyond 160ml and that was on a very good day.

She does have 3 bottles total with the childminder and was doing around 140ml before weaning. Though recently she has gone down to around 90 which is what has me a bit worried. But even with 3 bottles of 90ml and 3 breastfeeds I'm hoping she should be OK to get to 500 ml. She did drop a little off her curve last time she was weighed so I'm a bit more cautious with her intake.

@kersh33 - the HV told me they can stall in their growth a little when weaning starts as the veg takes up space in their tummy and isn’t doing a lot for calories so less room for the milk which gives them the calorie intake which did happen to us a little but he’s picking up now. He’s always eaten loads but still been tiny, he’s quite active though and has “catch up growth” to do from being premature so maybe that’s why!