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! :)

Yes - it's my usual cure all but it's failing me currently. I might have to get the big guns out and use some metanium!

I was just about to suggest Metanium. Works wonders on DS's bum.

theleakyboob.com/2011/07/our-night-weaning-journeyyour-questions-answered/

Thought you might all enjoy reading this.

Anyone need cheering up?

I think I will officially win 'most embarrassing moment of the day' award...

So, as you know I'm supposed to be spacing out feeds. This means my boobs are getting enormous and rather leaky. Today I popped into town to go shopping and stopped off in M&S cafe for a coffee and to feed LO. A few mins into the feed one of the staff members came to clear away my tray. I glanced up to say 'thank you' just as LO popped off, spraying milk everywhere, and I found myself looking into the traumatised eyes of one of my former pupils. I don't know who was more embarrassed. I suspect facebook now features an 'OMG, I saw miss's leaky boob' status update

Oh Truth!!!!! That's hilarious!! Poor u! They are so nosy at this age aren't they??!!
How's it going with spacing out the feeds?

Fantastic !

but lots of sympathy too!

Oh my goodness truth!! That is absolutely classic!!

DS has had me awake hourly overnight, mainly to feed but also because he had a large poo, had wind, wanted to chat, wanted to chew my hand, was sticking his fingers up my nose...

He's started sleeping more in the day, usually an hour in the morning and 2hrs in the afternoon, do you think if I don't let him sleep so long he might sleep better at night? Or is it another growth spurt :(

I'm feeling a bit shit as DP has been out galivanting at Xmas parties 3 nights this week so I've been on my own a lot. He didn't get in until midnight so I'm going to be stuck with the baby all morning as well :( I'm starting to resent the fact that he gets to sleep and go out and eat what he wants to (I'm on a bland diet as onions, veg and anything spicy seem to give DS wind which keeps us both awake at night). Everyone I talk to just suggests weaning but DS is only 21 weeks and I don't think it would change anything. Please someone tell me it gets better soon :(

I know the feeling spanner, on several counts! DS has been feeding or waking every 90 minutes overnight for a week now. I'm exhausted. This morning I asked DP for a 'lie in' which actually means I get up at 5 with DS and then wake DP when DS is ready for a nap at around 7. DP then has the cheek to be all grumpy and say he's tired when I bring DS. Poor lamb, must be hard sleeping all night then having to get up at shock! Horror! 7am!

DP has also been out twice this week to parties, and once for football training. I am really starting to resent the lack of freedom too. The best I'm going to get for seasonal fun is a max of 2 hours in the afternoon with some friends before having to rush home to feed my bottle refuser again. Hmph.

Do you find keeping your diet bland makes a difference? DS definitely suffers from wind in the same way as yours, wriggling around in the night until a fart or poo arrives, keeping us both awake (but not DP, I might add ). I've read conflicting stuff about whether varying mum's diet can help, so would be interested to hear your experience.

I thought it was rubbish but then had hellish nights after having onion bhajis, broccoli and curry. He's definitely better wind-wise if I don't have them. I'm planning to mix feed from 6 months, partly so I can eat something other than toast and mashed potato, makes me feel a bit selfish but I'm beginning to feel ill having not eaten much in the way of veg (only peas and carrots) for 5 months.

My SiL didn't eat dairy or eggs or lots of other things for a year as her ds has allergies . I thought she deserved canonisation for that! I don't blame you for thinking about introducing formula. 6m is a really good amount of ebf (lots more than many babies get) and if you're mixed feeding he'll still get the benefit for some time to come.

Had a lovely lunch today with dsis and her dh and son where ds was impeccably behaved. Back home now and ds is back to normal

Still having a crappy day. DS has done little apart from feed and cry - we've had 7 dirty nappies today instead of the usual 2 or 3! I can feel a tooth coming through in his bottom jaw so I think it's a combination of that and a growth spurt. DP is trying his best to help but until he learns to lactate and shaves his chest there's only so much he can do.

Oh well, bedtime starts at 7. And todays silver lining - DS rolled from front to back twice, and sat unsupported for 10 seconds before faceplanting the carpet

I think I need to channel Scarlet O'Hara - after all, tomorrow is another day!

Well I'm at my mum and dad's ruby anniversary party. When I say 'at the party' I obviously mean upstairs, in the dark letting DS chomp away at my nipples while everyone else has fun downstairs. My plan was just to let him snooze on me in the party, but he wouldn't fall asleep and was just getting hysterical. Sigh...

Oh Queen! :( Sending you hugs and

Thank you. Am so depressed.

Queen - so hope you managed to enjoy some of the party. I completely understand how that feels. Hope you managed some wine at least.

We had family round today and DS was a Jekyll & Hyde child. Those that arrived early met happy smiley baby. Those that arrived later met grumpy wailing baby. He wouldn't sleep so spent most of the afternoon over DH's shoulder. My dear MIL made the comment "that baby is only happy when he's on his Dad's shoulder or attached to his mother's bosom"! She does have a point to be fair!

Spanner Frankly my dear I don't give a damn - after all, tomorrow is invariably like today

Queen & Titania I hope you both managed some chilled out time with your relatives.

We've been up for over an hour. I think his eczema is really bothering him. If I put his lightweight sleeping bag on him he wakes up early because he's cold. If I put his winter weight sleeping bag on he wakes up early cos he's itchy. I can't win! I know that SiL was given piriton for her ds when he was really itchy but I don't know if he's too young or not. I can feel another trip to the GP coming on.

He's really suffering with it, and struggling to recover from the outbreak on Tuesday. His ears are much better but he's got another open crack behind one knee which is refusing to heal

Thankfully dh has been at home the last two nights so he's done a feed for me but he's off again at 5 tomorrow so tonight and all sodding week it'll all be down to me again. And now he's informed me that instead of taking all of the next week off he'll probably be working Mon-Wed. So much for our pre Christmas trip to London then

However, whoever said about Christmas decs is inspried. I'm going to buy a load more fairy lights in the sales and drape them over everything everywhere

button I've had piriton for my DS a few months ago so there is an infant version. Can you find an open pharmacy today as the pharmacist will be able to help - you'll just need to pay for it.

spanner I'm living proof that it gets better :) Honestly, it does.

Those of you feeling trapped by BFing, maybe looking at it the other way, that at least you have a way to soothe your LO is a positive thing? I felt so sorry for a FF friend who had days and nights of hell when her LO was teething as she had no way to soothe her.

I know that's hard reading for FFers here and you know I'm not in any way trying to upset you :( :( . You know I'm trying to be positive for those feeling like they're the only ones who can help their child, which can make you feel so trapped and resentful :(

Just being a parent is hard and having a HN baby is unbelievably hard but it does get easier. Hang on in there :)

With regards to diet. What you eat will not affect the quality or quantity of your milk. But babies can be sensitive to certain foods via breastmilk. That may be where the confusion is? Trial and error is the key and stick with what works for you - although sensitivities can pass so it's worth trying again with something every 6-8 weeks. You might find therefore that mix feeding isn't necessary for that reason, unless you still want to of course!

I'm nearing the end of my exhausted tether :-( Last night DS woke every 45 minutes from first going down, full on screaming. I was starting to get a bit upset with him, so took him to DP for a break at around 10. Took DP 45 mins to get him back to sleep only to wake completely when put with me. Then it was total hysterics. To the point that we were about to call a doctor or something, he was just screaming horribly. [Sad] Gave him some calpol in desperation and after another 20 mins screaming he finally fell asleep. It was midnight by then. Then he woke crying every hour til 6, having to be walked around for 15 mins to resettle. I'm fucking knackered. But worse, I'm racked with guilt for getting upset with him for not sleeping when he clearly wasn't feeling well. I should have worked it out earlier and been more sympathetic. I swear I'm just not cut out for this.

God I love this thread. I just woke up feeling knackered (lots of feeds & a two hour whinge from 2am till 4am), resentful (come on DP! Pull your weight!) and guilty (got so cross in the middle of the night that I had to put LO in his cot alone and go downstairs for a 5 min time out) then came on here & felt normal. Thank you.

I don't have the energy for a full post but hugs/arm punches to all those who need them and for those with suitcases under their eyes.

Jen You are SO cut out for this. I too have days that I feel that I'm not, and get frustrated with DS not sleeping and then, after trying to feed him and failing, realising he is wet through down one side from a leaky nappy. Sleep deprivation is a hideous thing, and I too felt like shit knowing that I'd totally misread the situation and my boy had been laying there all uncomfortable. But the difference is, it is not intentional and you would never leave your little fella feeling poorly intentionally. We are not mind readers and as soon as you thought maybe he wasn't feeling himself, you acted, despite your fucking knackeredness. You are a great mum, lady. Nights are just unbelievably hard on no sleep, as we all know.

Sending hugs.

JeewizzJen what everyone else said. I've done it, everyone's done it. You get upset and angry at them for 5 minutes and then feel guilty for 5 days. Or longer. I mean, I remember Every Single Incident and they were almost always linked to something wrong (teething/illness etc) and I felt like shit :(

Try to be kind to yourself. No one is at their best in the middle of the night so the time to judge yourself is after you've been out for a nice walk/played with them for 10 minutes without getting too bored/had a nice compliment from someone about how cute they are (you made that :) )

If there's any way that you can catch up on a bit of sleep today it would be a good plan. Days following those nights are for you to recover, not for shopping, housework or cooking.

Well, he wasn't too bad in the end. Went off to sleep eventually, and although he woke a couple of times, he went back down super quick so i did get to enjoy some of the party. DH was even able to settle him once, which is a first! And this morning, he was being super cute - entertaining the masses doing his BLW thing, munching on a chipolata and looking like Groucho Marx!

Thanks OCC. Agree that the boob is a marvel - had to listen to my ff niece scream, she was so unsettled by the party, it was horrid. DS was unsettled too, but the boob soothed him off to sleep so I was grateful.

Chin up Jen, you're doing a marvellous job. We all lose it at some point and get frustrated, but that's normal. You're a human so cut yourself a bit of slack!

Aww glad you got to have a bit of party fun Queen :) I so can't wait to try BLW...if my little dude loves food as much as he loves his mama milk, the cupboards will be bare

Saying that though, my DS has been spitting up a lot more than usual the last couple of days. Has me a little worried but I read on Kellymom that it could be linked to his teething, what with all the excess saliva and stuff in his tummy.

He is definitely eating more often most nights than he does during the day. I asked DH to ask the HV at his childrens centre about what we could do (if anything) and she said we should offer water when he wakes to feed (and he really does feed, not comfort suck) - isn't that almost like starving your baby?! Perhaps I'm being overdramatic, but I thought advice like that was reserved for older babies/toddlers who don't really need the milk in the night?