How to stay awake during night feeds part 2, sleepy mice need not apply

[technoduck]

Hello!
Carrying on are good work from the first thread , how do we keep are selfs awake? By chatting to each other sleepy heads!

baby j won't sleep

He went down at 8.30 then woke about 10.45 and hasn't gone back to sleep, feeling very frazzled

babylon at the poonami for DH
We're on our first feed since DH gave him his late bottle which he hasn't tidied up and I can see baby small didn't finish it. Do you think a 7 week old should take 4 oz of expressed milk? I think if he had more at his 11 feed he'd go a bit longer......... mimmyvicky I thought formula might work for us too and wanted to introduce one bottle a day baby small had other ideas though and would not drink the formula so we are back on boobs full time! Those hv's are ridiculous about pushing breast feeding on people I find it them just too much.
I have woken up with a very sore throat hope this is not the start of a rotten cold.
Hope everyone gets lots of well deserved sleep.

babylon and evil congratulations on missing the poonamis!

Heffalump your snacks sound quite superior - where do you get chili and lemon crisps? They sound yum!

marbles us too tonight. Last night Kid slept beside me for the first time in weeks, but tonight? Nope. I am the only acceptable mattress.

Funch I use a sling loads, aren't they great? Means I get lots of comments too about how cute he looks! What kind do you use?

Vicky sending an infestation of sleepy mice your way.

Baby j is 17 weeks old and only takes a 4oz maybe 5oz bottle when we do give him one dispite me making up the recommended 7oz on the tin.

I have also got a cold coming which is making this night feel even worse

2nd feed here, think we got another 2 hours or so.

Sounds like there are lots of colds lurking - I'm still feeling like I'm coming down with something.

Can't wait for mum coming tomorrow, I think she will be more than happy to give me a break

I posted at about quarter past one before no? Went back to bed shortly after only to be woken again just after 2. Fed, winded, too tired to read thread, then...... Fell asleep in the chair whilst being used as a mattress I'm cross with myself and suspect I'm going to have difficulty doing a transfer. Totally exhausted and really not liking this 2 hourly overnight feeding. I do thought we were going in the right direction Were going on holiday tomorrow, gonna stuff up the routine I thought we would have by now further and gonna be great if I'm too knackered up enjoy it.....
Whinging over.
Hope everyone else having a better night.

Aw marbles sorry you are having a hard time and i hope it improves soon! On a brighter note, where are you going on your hols?

marbles babyloo did exactly the same with the two hour overnight feeds for about three nights and then he did 8-1 and the usual 2 1/2 ish after that till morning again. Tonight's been a bit more scrappy but no where near as bad as it was. We are on 3rd feed since bed at 8pm.

I've just had to raid the fridge and managed to eat some leftover apple crumble and custard cold, it was v yum!!

Sorry there are a few rubbish nights out there, im always dubious about babyloo settling after this feed and find it quite stressful to be just nodding off only to be woken again straight away.

Oh rubbish I knew we'd be up at 5........ And I've had to change him due to pooplosion so now he is wide awake. I'm not sure if there is much hope for tonight now
Cold crumble and custard sounds delicious susieloo, I must have a better stocked fridge I get jealous of all the delicious food on this thread!

Up again, or morning???
Baby evil changed and fed in a record time, 30 mins. Now pumping again, who knows I might be able to get some sleep before we have to get up to regisrar office.

The medula teats are long and thin,mimicking a nipple. To get the milk out the baby has to suck. We got a couple but baby evil likes tommee.

Evil.

Mummy- i hope you get some sleep tonight, thinking of you.

Evil

Huge sympathy marbles, vicky and anyone else having a bad night. We are up again but after much snuffling and some yelping it turned out she didn't want a feed at all but her nappy changed which DH (v early riser) kindly did. Now she has decided she DID in fact want a big old feed so here we are.

Have a fab holiday marbles - hopefully you will manage to enjoy it - where are you going?

Well I'm happy to report that baby Babylon is yet to wake tonight

After his 9 days worth of poonami, I swear he could have skipped like a spring lamb if he was able to!!

He had a huge feed at 11 and I'm awake before him

I guess he's had tummy ache the last couple of nights which has made him feel yucky - but last night was a good night

Sorry to hear it's not been so great for everyone else Remember, this too shall pass

For those with babies who are not sleeping as well before, or suddenly being more clingy, have a google for something called the Wonder Weeks.
At times of growth spurts (when we already know they want to feed more often) and developmental leaps, the babies can often become more clingy and more unsettled.

It's going to happen several times in the first year, so try not to stress too much if LO isn't following their "routine" - there might be a couple of weeks of unsettledness (is that a word?), but things should improve again after. It's so hard when you are feeling knackered and sleep deprived, but it can be very disheartening if you expect them to sleep well and they don't.

And having had a DS who could never sleep more than 3 hours at a time (if I was lucky) for at least the first 3 months, I promise you it is possible that they will sleep longer eventually, when they are ready - DS just slept solidly for 9 hours

(reeeeeeeallly hope that didn't sound preachy just wanted to say there is a light at the end of the tunnel!)

Minipopsmum really want to hear about the scan - fingers crossed it was beneficial.

Another feed here and probably up for the day woken up to a lovely headache

Loving the cold apple crumble and custard at 5am - I like your style

That's great babylon! How old is your LO? Do you dream feed at 11 or is that their natural last feed?

Awake again, but this time it's cause I have to go into town:( to registar him.
I'm showered and dressed, and now eating breakfast.

Now do I wake LO now? Or wait til he walks up?
Evil

Well done babylon! teaandhobnobs when did yours sleep a but longer? Baby small is 7 weeks and only does 3 hours max- last night it was 2 hours and I have basically been awake since 3am there gave been tears and I am incredibly tired! Just wondering if that light at the end of the tunnel is close or if I should psyche myself up for months of this.......
Also been reading that formula milk is fattier than breast milk so keeps them fuller longer. Small hated aptamil but I might try a different brand. Not sure how many more nights of no sleep I can do

Small for BabyTea it was just after he turned four months, so that's comparable to two months. Not every baby will be the same, of course, but generally things settle down after 8 weeks, and you might start seeing the odd 5-hr stretch.

Just before that point, I also dabbled with the thought of introducing some formula, as all the ff babies I knew were sleeping really well. I didnt though, and lo and behold he suddenly started sleeping a bit longer anyway!

Formula is harder to break down and digest, which is why ff babies go longer between feeds than bf ones generally. But it won't necessarily make them sleep better, and you could find it causes other problems like constipation/wind/discomfort potentially.

You've done so well to get to 7 weeks - I think this bit is the "darkest before the dawn".

Btw things we tried which got me the odd longer bit of sleep to start with:

• I went to bed after the 10pm-ish feed, DS stayed with DH who gave 1am feed as bottle of EBM, so I could sleep until about 4am
• DH slept in the same room as DS and only came to wake me for feeds - it seemed BabyTea would go a bit longer between feeds if he couldn't smell me.

And now he can be right next to me in his crib and sleep for ages!

Hope it's not long before you can get a longer stretch

Thanks MrsN We're going to Wales. Really looking forward to it just being me DH and the DDs.

Missmarbles and Babyloo really do mirror each other don't they, Susie? Some good nights then a run of rubbish ones and back again. After waking at 4 she stayed asleep til 5, but DD1 had had a bad dream so left the landing light on and Missmarbles was giggling and squealing and having a thoroughly grand old time. I should have just left her bit I worry about them not getting enough sleep, so brought her in with me and she went back to sleep from about 5.45 to 7.15.

I feel much better in the cold light of morning. Even though I'm tired once I'm up it doesn't feel so bad.

Right, got jobs to do for jollies, so have a good day everyone.

Oops! Missed a whole page of posts. Thanks Tea, didn't sound preachy and you're right, this too shall pass. Good to be reminded if the stages as well.

Excellent Babylon!

Mini how did the scan go?

Now I really must start my jolly jobs

Got another hours sleep clever boy didn't shift the headache though.

marbles lovely, hope you have a great time and glad you are feeling better this morning! Hope the weathers kind too. And you may still post during night feeds? Lol

Thanks tea perhaps magically at two months he'll change and sleep longer too- fingers crossed! He's been smiling away at me this morning so all is alright again and having no sleep is suddenly worth it! We shall have pyjama day and hopefully he'll have a big long sleep at some point and I'll get my head down too.

You are so right, once they can smile at you it makes such a difference. Having an extended newborn phase due to prematurity is so bloody relentless, because it feel like forever before you reap any rewards for your efforts.

But now DS is smiley and giggles lots, it is helping the memories of those traumatic early months fade into the distance

MrsN really hope the headache shifts soon.

Thanks tea me too!

Hey here's a question for you all, how did you all come up with your user names? Mine is a play on RPattz cause my last name is Patterson! Clever heh lol