Mums of lockdown babies

[frillseeking]

How are you coping with having a newborn in lockdown? I found a lot of support online pre baby but nothing really now baby is here. Be good to talk to other mums

My daughter was born 23rd March (lockdown began on the 24th) and I also have a 3yo. I found it really hard not seeing family or friends for the first 9 weeks. We did meet up with my parents as soon as we were allowed to meet in groups of 6. But I feel very sad that they all missed out on the scrunchy newborn phase which she is now well and truly out of. I have a big family and very few of them have seen her at all. Thank goodness for WhatsApp etc so they have at least seen photos.

If did give us a chance to bond as a family and find a bit of a routine and to be honest I think 3yo has transitioned better because she has spent lots of time with the baby. I'm looking forward to next week when I can take her to play areas and see more family.

Selfishly; robbed. I’ve waited 4 years to have my baby with ivf thrown in. This is not how I had pictured my maternity leave. My baby was born the day before the peak. It’s been extremely hard not having family support. Post natal support iffy at best. I have a third degree tear and a prolapse from the birth. I have had one midwife visit on day 5. That’s it. All HV appointment over phone. I had to practically force the doctor (who was a locum) to check my many many stitches and my new wrecked vagina at the 8 week jabs (6 week check cancelled). Selfishly I’m disappointment I can’t show my baby off like the proud parent I am.

I doing a few online classes which have been ok. It’s tough

Totally agree and feel your pain. I've been trying hard to be positive but it's difficult. I've come here hoping it will help and talk to others going through the same thing.

Hello! I’ve got a 15 week old, born a few days before lockdown. Second child, eldest turned 3 in May. It’s been a very mixed bag. Some days have felt totally fine & enjoyable and then periods of feeling pretty down & angry about finding ourselves in this scenario.. DD2 is a delight of a baby in many ways. And she sleeps OK. We’ve got into such a routine from not going anywhere that I now feel oddly anxious to take her anywhere in case it doesn’t fall with nap time! 🙈 it’s easier now DD is back at nursery for sure! Although does anyone else get horrible guilt at the thought of shipping elder children off to nursery/school & knowing they know you spend all day with baby sis/bro?! My DD has always loved nursery & still does but now she constantly checks that we’ll come back for her and ask when will baby sis start nursery too 🙈

@rainingoutsideagain, definitely too early for a routine. Don’t worry, you’re doing the right thing. You probably know already, but there will be lots of times over the next few weeks/months when he’ll feed feed feed for what seems like hours on end. Thats how your milk supply is established and increased. It can be relentless and bone crushingly exhausting, but do what you’re doing and I promise it will get better. Mother of 7 month old here, waving. Oh, and the kellymom website has lots of useful info on breastfeeding, including cluster feeding.
Did you do an antenatal course? If so, do you have a WhatsApp group and/or any video calls set up?

Yup this is me.... 5 months old baby locked down from 7-8 weeks okd

Baby was 6 weeks old when lock down began, at first it wasn't so bad because my husband was wfh so he could help out and it was nice having time together for the three of us to bond. Struggling more now because she's 5 months old now and she's missing out on so much, plus it's lonely as we don't have any family or friends nearby that we could meet up with so was hoping to make friends locally at baby groups.

@Whatelsecouldibecalled I had IVF too and just feel like I spent years hearing about all the fun stuff other people did on mat leave and when it's finally my turn, the Lockdown meant we spent 4 months at home and cut off from extended family as well.

I've got a ten week old and struggling with not being able to see family properly and no mum and baby groups. Feel like a lot of mums I'm speaking to are ignoring social distancing and having parents round to help. I don't want to risk it but I'm finding it all very frustrating. Nevertheless my little boy is an absolute joy and my husband is WFH so getting loads of time with our son he wouldn't have got otherwise so it's swings and roundabouts.

Hello

I've got a 5m old, a 4 year old and an MSc dissertation to write by September.

5m old is easy and smiley, and the 4 year old is doing fine too but I am a bit disappointed my ML plans (driving lessons and spending a month in Italy with my nonna) were ruined, especially as I spent about 7m in bed last year with hyperemisis.

On the plus side DH has been wfh so has spent lots of time with DS2, and my parents are only 10min drive away so we've been spending a lot of time in their back garden since we've been allowed.

I have a 10 week old and he was emcs as he couldnt wait 1 more day for the planned section. It's been hard as the recovery seemed a lot harder than my previous 2 although those 2 are 14 and 11 so I was a lot younger when I had those. I hate not being able to have my best friend and my parents round, one of my friends called and dropped a present off when he was a few days old and looked through the living room window and I just wanted to cry, it was harder seeing them and not inviting them in than it was not. I was signed off from dec with sciatica and coccyx pain so didnt really go far before having him as I couldnt walk far with the pain, and now I feel like my maternity leave isnt what it was going to be as we a stuck in most days. I work in a supermarket and was so excited at the thought of taking him in to see everyone when he was born, we did a visit through the window at checkouts on Sunday when he was almost 10 weeks and it was so sad to not go in and see my colleagues.
My parents and my husbands parents are desperate to hold him and we havent let them yet. My mum in particular keeps saying about holding him before hes much bigger which is bothering me, but my brother works in the same supermarket as me, my dad works and my sister works in a care home and has bubbled with my parents, plus mum accepted a lift from her niece after going to take some shopping to her sister who cant physically get out, the buses don't run from my aunts in the next town down to ours so mum would have had to have walked down and with bad knees couldnt manage it. I feel like I'm being nagged to let them hold him when she not following any of the 'rules' and wasnt with my sister from the start, she carried on as normal walking in and out of my parents and they never said anything. I discussed yesterday with my husband letting the parents hold him provided they wash their hands, use sanitizer, have clean clothes on and wear a mask, hes not sure and wants to think about it. I dont know how I'm going to feel letting people hold him for the first time, and I know once we have done it the floodgates are open and there's no going back (unless we go back into lockdown). Its just not been at all what I was planning for a maternity leave!!! Never mind our time in hospital being awful!