High need baby support thread

[LittleWaveyLines]

Does this sound like your baby?

1. Feeds frequently daytime
2. Feeds frequently nighttime
3. Needs to be constantly held
4. Wont sleep alone
5. Hates the car seat/pram
6. Short naps

If so - join the club! :)

Well, we actually had a really nice day! Started with DS taking a 3 hour nap! Meant I could get my online shopping done and a few other bits on my laptop while he snoozed on my lap. This afternoon we went out to buy some bits ready to start his weaning and he was good as gold both in the car and round the shops (well, a bit of whingeing on the way home but nothing a loud rendition of The Wheels on the Bus couldn't fix). When we got back he was in a great mood, all smiles and giggles, and even more so when DP got home. Let's hope it doesn't mean a shit night!

Hope everyone else had a good day, and those dealing with poorly kids are doing better :)

Jen - what a fab day. Wish I could say the same. Hoping for a better one tomorrow.

I'm beginning to get ! DS was an angel again last night - up at 12.30 (though did take a long time to settle again) and then at 5.45. Unfortunately dh and dd2 are mega poorly with throat infections (neither of them have their tonsils!) so I was playing Florence for quite a lot of the night, mopping fevered brows and holding hair for dd2 when she was sick etc. Oh, and stopping dh from od-ing as he didn't realise that cocodaMOL had paracetaMOL in it! He's already sailing close to the wind with his P intake so that wouldn't have been a good thing!

Soooo. DH going to see DS1's nativity today, meeting a builder at church to discuss renovations and picking up his new car. Apparently 'he'll be fine' to do all those

Hope everyone had a silent night or at least a peaceful night!

Rats. That should have been

Morning - yay button! It's great DS is doing so well!

I'm quite pleased, although DS woke every hour or so for milk, we managed to stay in bed all night rather than him getting stroppy a few times when getting woken by his windy bum and having to be rocked back to sleep. I was really chuffed - despite waking, then wriggling until a huge fart emerged, he managed to stay chilled and was happy to find the boob pretty much himself and go back to sleep on his own. This is definitely progress!

The amount of milk he's eating, and the way he's chewing everything is making me surer that now is the right time to start solids. I gave him a little tiny chunk of my pear this morning and he loved it! I let him suck on the core while I held it too and he could barely get enough of his chops round it!! I'm quite excited about it all - think I'm going to do a bit of a mix of BLW and TW.

Still no sign of LWL?

Button am very . We had an OK night here - no waking up screaming but still very frequent wakings!

Still at least his cough seems to be getting better - yay!

Am going out for a Christmas drink with NCT group. DS is going to wear his Santa hat. Poor DS!

Jen - are you getting your DS to sleep next to you now, or is it still mainly on you?

Has anyone else noticed that most (not all but most) of these HN babies are DSs not DDs...

Well we're one step forward, two steps back. Friday night good. Saturday and Sunday hideous. Last night good. Good is now defined as 5 hours sleep without screeching/cuddling/boob.

I think he's either teething or has a touch of tummy trouble - nasty nasty nappies and a sore bum which virtually never happens. He's getting better at solo play but still hates his cot. If I have to use it as a holding pen he whines piteously the whole time.

Coming up to 8 months so sleep is die to regress again although it never improved after the 4 month regression.

I hope LWL is okay too, don't remember seeing her about elsewhere.

I've noticed that. It might be because boysare more likely to want to test their physical abilities and therefore get frustrated ehen they can't whereas girls master hidden skills first amd get the physical ones seemingly instantly. Not my theory - but can't remember whose! Enjoy the Christmas drinks!

Titania - he's next to me now, the only time this week we've reverted to being on me was one night at about 3.30 and I was struggling to get him back to sleep. For some reason he decided he didn't want to feed lying down so I sat up....and we both fell asleep! Other than that it's been mattress all the way!

I had noticed it being more boys than girls... wonder what that says!!

Have fun at the drinks! (Enjoy the hat BabyTitania )

woohoo go babybutton!

I think the santa hat is fine Titania - DS will be dressed as an elf (pic in my profile) for Christmas day whether he likes it or not!

DS has got my cold, yesterday he screamed for about 5 hours despite calpol/ibuprofen. I had to get DP to come home at lunchtime to give me a break for half an hour, but as soon as he walked through the door DS was all smiles and giggles - little sod! Then he slept on me for 2hrs so he must have tired himself out with the crying.

Last night wasn't too bad apart from DS being awake and shouting/chatting from 2-4am, despite feeding, nappy change (he doesn't like having a wet nappy), rocking, swaying and singing. I'm hoping the 4 month sleep regression will end soon although if he sleeps for longer tan 3hrs in a row my boobs may explode!

So, DS has now decided to bite me every time I feed him. It's agonising. And he only has his bottom two teeth. Am very sad as both DH and DM suggested this could be the end of the road for BF. But I'm so not ready for that (and wouldn't know where to start with bottles, if he would even take one). Am feeling very blue.

Just checking in after a few rough nights/days. Haven't read posts in between last visit sorry, so hope everyone is OK!

DD has a cold so pretty miserable and been waking hourly or more since thursday. I have actual bags under my eyes!

Good to hear you're OK LWL even if your LO has an awful cold (know how that feels).

QK - there are loads of threads on here on ways to deal with biting so I'm sure if doesn't mean the end of bfing. I'm sure if you created a thread asking for advice you'd get it.. Hope you find a solution you're happy with.

Well we're one step forward, two steps back.

I'm with you there Fraktious (sounds like we all are!) DS was back to his usual screamy self last night, DP couldn't handle it at all so I had two hours of non stop screaming (and a cold dinner again, Hmph) DS then did a couple of two hour sleeps (whoop) followed by loudly letting us know he was Wide Awake at about 2am. What do the rest of you do when that happens? I sometimes just give up and get up; DP thinks we should keep him in bed to get him used to it being night-time.

Ah glad you're OK LWL, sorry you're having a shit time tho

Fraktious - DS has done this a few times recently. My first thought has always been to try and keep in night mode, pacing around in the dark trying to get him back to sleep, however it's ended with me with a hurting back from carrying him,and getting very frustrated when he doesn't cooperate. Then I give up and go downstairs and try and tire him out by playing until he does want to sleep!

Not much help there, but I sympathise!

Sorry meant Truth!

Oh ffs, the health visitor just left (I called her in tears last week and begged for help after a particularly screamy / feedy night)

It turns out that LO, despite spending most of the night feeding, is dropping centiles faster than the X Factor is dropping viewers. From 91st to under the 74th. Bugger. Bizarrely I've been told to cut down on the feeds (theory being that he will drink for longer and get more hind milk) during the day and hope that he follows the pattern at night.

She's also recommended a routine. DP (ex-military, super organised) is delighted. I'm terrified. I can't bear to see LO cry so tend to feed/sleep etc on demand.

She's coming back next week to check he's put on enough weight. If he hasn't we will "have to try 'something else'"

Damnit. I think I feel worse than ever.

Oh Truth! You poor thing, that all sounds really stressful. Does the HV think his 'difficult behavior' is down to all this? I sometimes wonder how important those centiles are, as long as they're not actually losing weight? A routine may well be worth a try, although I think I'd find it tough like you as I've always kinda gone by feel iykwim.

Truth :(

Sending you hugs darlin'

Hello everyone. Not been posting but have been reading- every time I went to post I got interrupted. Anyway.... Still struggling a but here, but teething is the biggest problem at the minute- always something!!

Truth: not really sure about what HV says. I read here that advice so many times, and it's wrong!! I think you should either do a separate post on here about her advice, or ring a helpline. Foremilk/hindmilk thinking has changed recently as far as I know!

Thank you ladies. I'm going to try to follow her advice for this week as it was me who called and asked for help, not her pushing it on to me iyswim. The thing that worried me was the slightly ominous 'something else', but I suspect she wasn't trying to worry me and it was more that she didn't know what 'something else' was either! Now that I've calmed down (he's still huge and as Jen says he's not actually losing weight) I can see the logic in the theory. He's so used to 'snacking' during the day, that why would he wait longer at night? So... I'm going to try a routine during the day in the hope it will also settle the nights (to be fair, DP is a routine-freak and I'm one of those people who always needs to know when my next meal will be so perhaps LO will also thrive on it). We'll give it a week and then rethink.

On the plus side, he's asleep and I'm watching Grey's Anatomy re-runs

Yes to all 6, I officially have a high need baby!!currently holding him while he gets some sleep just so can calm down and settle enough to finally feed this evening!
Ps does co sleeping mean in the same bed or with cot beside bed?

I don't think it matters whether baby is in bed or in a side cot attached. Well, obviously it matters a lot to DS who will wake up from the deepest sleep and scream like a banshee if I put him in the side cot and not in the bed. Seriously, how does he know? DH reckons DS can tell because the mattress is thinner . It's like 'Princess and the Bloody Pea' in our house. On the plus side, the side cot does make a fine laundry basket...

LOL Queen - my DD is the same! (abd still awake

Welcome Firsttimer, how old?

. DS3 is 10mo - and meets all 6 points!

truth just popping in before trying to get some sleep myself after bad night with DS.

How old is your DS? 91st to 74th is fine generally speaking. But, making him wait for feeds will not get him to get more hindmilk. If they are not gaining, or if they are losing, they need more milk, end of story. Making them wait will a) mean them taking in less milk, b) potentially reduce your milk supply as your body will think it needs to make less and c) put you at risk of mastitis.

If they are feeding frequently they are accessing hindmilk just fine. If you carry on having problems with the HV you might want to consider starting a separate thread to discuss it.