5wo breastfed baby first time away from Mum

[AmenGirl]

Having my DNephew for the first time tomorrow and tbh I'm bricking it.

DSis is going to express bottles for me but he cries constantly to be fed, hates to be put down, has awful reflux and just does not seem content ever. I'm pretty sure i'll run out of milk early on in which case I'll have to give him formula (which she knows) but other than that, is there anything you can suggest I should do/prepare to do?

The nerves are setting in. It's from tomorrow morning right through to about 10pm and this will be his first time.

Get a sling!! Pop him in the sling and carry him about. If he cries, change him, feed him and then back in the sling. Breastfed babies have smaller feeds more frequently than bottle fed ones, but they also feed for comfort, so prepare to be cuddling him a lot to make up for that.

get a t-shirt or clothing that his mum has been wearing and that smells of her. you can either wear it or wrap it around the mattress or just put it over your shoulder. It should help him to feel more settled.

Does he like being walked around? Does wearing him in a sling help him to sleep? His mum should be able to give you some tips.

Oh and the crying is not personal: if he's safe, fed, comfortable and has a clean nappy, don't worry too much.

Good luck x

and i meant to ask: will it be at your sister's place? If not, then take the sheet from his cot to put on his new sleeping place

Got a soft, stretchy ring-sling to wear him and will definitely take his blanket with me. But tbh this isn't normal crying, this is non-stop, red in the face, painful howling. And it's all the time. She puts him on the boob to shush him but after a short while he pushes off again and howls some more. The only quiet time is when he's asleep, no exaggeration.

I'm going to try everything I can, my first thought would be to drive for a long time with him next to me in his seat, but my sister says he cannot stand being in his seat/in his cot basically he can tell as soon as he's put down and cries harder.

Poor baby! Bit of a side issue but has your sister taken him to the GP about the reflux? They can sometimes be a bit dismissive but there ARE things that they can prescribe to help him. I'm slightly evangelical about Ranitidine as it helped my own DS so much.

In a weird way the fact that he cries all day means that you shouldn't be nervous as there's not much you can 'get wrong', if you see what I mean? If he cries all day then it's not like he is usually happy and content with his Mum and that it's being with you that's making him unhappy - he's just doing his crying with someone else.

Loud music and dancing helped with my DS' crying at that age. Good luck! If it gets tough just remember what a wonderful favour you're doing for your sister.

My boy had reflux too, and for a while it felt like he was either unhappy or unconscious. I found a stretchy wrap best for carrying him as he was upright in it, but he still cried if I was still and he was awake. He slept in the pram quite well once I raised his head up a bit with blankets, so that might be worth a shot? By 5 weeks he was starting to show interest in grasping a bit of crinkly cloth, so that might hold his interest? He also enjoyed being read to while sat in his bouncy chair from surprisingly early.

Honestly, though, I reckon this sounds like a sling and earplugs job!!

She's been to the GP plenty, the rinitidine gave him a terrible rash and now she's jumping through all these hoops in order to get this baby omeprazole. Fingers crossed it helps.

I feel a lot better now, I'm sort of realising I won't actually be able to do anything differently to what she does and him crying will just be part and parcel of the whole experience. I'm really glad she's getting a break, she needs it so badly, it's been awfully difficult for her.

I might pop back in here tomorrow morning with my earplugs and babe strapped to my chest to see if there's any company

You sound awsome - can you come mine when mine has finally made an appearance!

Just nipping back to report it went really well! He took a dummy so no crying involved at all. He didn't like being put down much, but that was fine, I had a sling to help. He took the expressed milk in a bottle just fine, but spat the formula straight out.

DSis had a great time, was so grateful. Doing it again on Saturday!