April Babies

[MrsDoolittle]

Well there had to be one...
Thought I might as well start it at Fennels suggestion.
You have all read enough from me how about you?

Mrs D - maybe that would work as a strategy. I find if I just start feeding always from the right then it evens up and then the right starts to overtake the left.

we've made that mistake with bio washing powder too!

Well I took ds to be weighed today and he's put on a nice amount of weight, so I'm trying not to worry about his spaced out feeds..! And last night he slept from 7pm - 6am!!!!! I count this as sleeping through, as ds1 is up at 6am-ish anyway! It was kind of by mistake really, as we'd been out last night to see Troy (get us - going out!) and didn't get to bed until gone 11pm. Then I heard ds2 wake up at 1am and I was just too tired to leap out of bed when I heard him start to moan - so I left him and he must have gone back off to sleep - hurrah! Next thing I know it's 6am! So this is the new strategy - leave him for a couple of minutes if he wakes up before 5am/6am, to see if he goes back off. Usually I race to him in case he wakes up ds1, but he didn't last night so fingers crossed...

I've got one boob that fills up quicker than the other - I always start him on it 'cos he's often such a screamy feeder at the beginning, so the fuller one calms him down quicker!

Hi everyone. Dot - my ds is the same - he's done 7pm-6am for the last 3 nights!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm still in shock However we're going away this weekend to my family up North and I'm a bit worried it'll disrupt his rountine but fingers crossed it'll be okay. He'll be sleeping in our room - for the 1st time ever so I'm sure we won't get much sleep! Like your ds he does wake up sometimes and cries a little but not enough to get up and feed him. I did the first time and by the time I'd warmed up his bottle he'd fallen asleep again!

Hi all,

Just got back from a 6 night break in a cottage in North Cornwall. Weather atrocious!!! - but despite this managed to have a reasonably good time.

Hi there and welcome to chonky, and hi to chuffed too.

Fennel - what a bummer that dd3 was so good for your dh during your business trip. Ain't that just typical!

Dot - are you sure that your ds might not be suffering from reflux if he struggles with his feeds sometimes?

Good to hear that all babies are fine at the moment - although some of you are not getting much peace.

My ds is quite easy actually, but thank God for that because his older dd is such a handful.

Does anybody elses breastfed baby have poos that regularly 'breach' their nappy staining their clothes? I don't remember this with dd. Its not a significant problem - was just wondering.

Hello! It was 5am last night and I almost felt cheated..! However, last night we had friends round and I had a couple of glasses of wine for the first time - and today ds2 was the calmest he's ever been!! It was like having a different baby - no screaming and lovely feeds - lots of smiling and laughing. So, I've been off down to the co-op and am currently working my way through a glass of wine..! Not sure if this is just co-incidence, and I'm not mad keen on red wine, but I'll drink it if it calms ds down! I don't think he has reflux, as he's never sick - doesn't even posset.

Anyway, I'll report back on my alcoholic baby over the next few days!

dot1 - I drink red wine a lot of evenings and have calm mostly cheerful babies
but they are the same when I don't drink as well.

dd3 gets windy with chilli refried beans as well as curry. am sad to cut out all spicy foods but at least I still get the wine!

Hey dot - again I share your experience the only difference being I drink Gin and Tonic! (Slimline, I should add)
Dd has been a different baby, feeding really well, relaxed and happy. I wondered if it was the feeds were spaced out she was more satisfied at each feed? Anyway, I am truly grateful because she slept from 9.30pm til 6 this morning and the night before 8.30 til 5.30am!
The only thing is, I am convinced I have to drink more water when I am drinking Gin because I think dd dehydrates. She was sounding very croaky in the evenings but she is fine in the mornings?!
Welcome back Chuffed But where is Lesley?

Mrs D - that's fab! I might switch to gin and orange - I much prefer it to red wine..! Ds continues to be less screamy - not perfect (!) but much calmer - I think it's also that hopefully he's growing out of his colicky phase - he's doing nice big burps and trumps (!!) now - hurrah!!

Fennel - if I had 3 children to cope with I think I'd be having to have more than the odd glass of wine - I'm still hugely in awe of you...! Our ds1 got a bit of a shock today when he tried leaning on ds2 - as he does when he's in a naughty mood - ds2 grabbed his hair (his new trick) and inadvertently hurt him. hopefully this will put ds1 from doing this again - it's the only 'naughty' thing he does at the moment in terms of trying to hurt ds2, but we've explained that ds2 likes pulling hair at the moment so he should keep his distance!

Gin and tonic is my other favourite drink. have to take back what I said about having calm babies, dd3 has been a whiney pain the last 2 days. feeding almost hourly afternoon and evening, she seems to be growing very fast and is very hungry. I am tired, she seems to be sucking the energy out of me.

dot you would not be in awe if you saw me in real life. comments from friends with just one child seeing us lately include "you've made me realise ther e are some advantages to having just one" and "seeing you has made us decide not to have two"! My sister was considering sterilisation after looking after dd2 and dd1 for a few days. The good thing is that the dds are very nice to the baby and seem to take out their frustration on beating each other up - since the baby, before that they got on better. so DP and I bicker, dd1 and dd2 bicker, and everyone adores dd3.

Family dynamics eh? . Have just had my mum here for a few days - was nice to have an extra pair of hands, so to speak. Didn't feel able to go off and 'mumsnet' much though (is mumsnet a verb in your house?)

My dd is feeding a lot at the moment too, Fennel.

I hate gin & tonic. Do like wine though...

yesterday dd3 fed 4 hourly and was cheerful, after 2 days of feeding almost hourly. Far better!

HD I would also like another pair of hands, sometimes I consider an au pair or mothers help but I keep assuming it will just get easier as the weeks go by. I don't know if that's realistic.

Well we've just changed dd's schedule and now everything is topsy turvy. I've been bathing in the morning but have changed to the evening this week as once she is nursery (october) she will have to have an evening bath. Problem is that she loves it so much and gets so excited she can't sleep. She fed 4 times between 6.30pm and 6am last night and on Monday night although Tuesday was almost OK.
I'm hoping it is just the 3 month growth spurt or the schedule not a change in her character.
She rolled over for the first time by herself yesterday and I missed it, she was on her back on the mat in the lounge, I went to the computer to download some photos, turned around and she was on her stomach. Hopefully I'll catch it on video as both sets of grandparents are dying to see it.

ds is trying to roll over at the moment - very sweet- he looks like a fish out of water trying to flip himself over!

He's also feeding more - so I'm having angst about waiting another month to start him on baby rice... He was sleeping until 5.30am/6am, but last night it was 4.30am - bad baby..! And he's back to feeding 3 hourly during the day. If he starts waking up again at 1am/2am he's going straight on the baby rice!

Meanwhile the alcohol experiment seems to prove he's calmer when Mummy's had a drink - I haven't the past couple of nights and he's being horribly screamy today - so I'll just have to force a glass of wine down tonight...!

Is anyone else thinking about weaning by the way? I know the new guidelines are now 6 months - but like I said, I'm going to struggle to get through the next 5 weeks...

I'm aiming to wait the 6 months to wean - although whether we do get that far or not remains to be seen. Weaned ds at 16 weeks (which was the recommendation then, i think).

I'm aiming for the 6 months before solids, though did the other two at 4 months as was then recommended. I was going to aim for 6 months without formula either but am not sure I can be bothered with exclusive bf for much longer!

I think it's supposed to be better to give formula milk than solids, if you think the baby needs more than just what you can supply by bf. formula being the next best thing to breast milk.

oh no - you're making me feel bad now..!

I think my angst about wanting to feed him is also to do with me returning to work in September - I want to get him started on solids myself - don't want to miss out on this... (I know - not a v. good reason). So, I'll stick it out until 4 months - I think it's a good idea to maybe do another bottle of formula before then if he's getting really hungry - I was thinking about this this morning, as I think I haven't got tons of milk 'cos I'm used to him sleeping through and then only feeding every 4 - 5 hours recently.

I just hate the thought of him being hungry - he's started chewing on his hands like mad - but this is probably just a developmental thing??

I'd forgotten about all the guess work babies make you do in the first year..!

Didn't meant to make you feel bad, dot, was just answering your question
DD chews her hands from time to time too. I think it's either because she's hungry or she needs to poo (and the sucking helps?).

Hadn't thought of the poo thing - re hands! I don't think it's that with ds though, as he's in his usual pooing every 2 - 3 days routine...

There's a really good thread in the breastfeeding section that Ghosty started re: when did you really start weaning. The majority seem to be 4 months, with a few holding out until 6 months + and a few starting earlier. I think we'll be OK for the next few weeks - we're going on holiday next week anyway, so I wouldn't think of starting until we're back, and he'll be nearly 14 weeks then - so only 2 more to go after that!
(Isn't it scary how time's flying by??!).

By the way, I tried ds2 out in a bumbo chair my friend's got for her slightly older baby, and it's soooo fab - he looked so cute in it - just needs a bit more neck strength, but he seemed to like it, so after the holiday I'll be getting one from kiddicare.com (much cheaper from there)!

Have been wondering about those bumbos...

don't feel bad dot, I'm not sure I'll stick to what I'm saying about 6 months. it seems a long time.

I was really glad to go back to work when dd1 was 4 months just to avoid the weaning! same with dd2, I don't enjoy that phase, I find it very boring (pureed carrot or pureed potato today, hmm...)

I'm also not convinced giving solids really improves a bad sleeper. dd2 was sleeping through, then stopped at about 15 weeks, solids only marginally helped.

Hi everyone. Dot1 - I've also got a hungry baby and i'm definitely going to start weaning at 4 months. My sil said none of her friends could wait for 6 months. My ds is on bottles anyway so it's less of an issue than if breast feeding. At the moment some nights he wakes up at 5am so I give him a bottle and then he sleeps from 5.30am - 8.30amish or other nights he wakes at 6am so I just get him up. So some days I get a nice long lie-in and others I'm up at 6am (good practice for nursery and work in September). So if you go back to work before they are weaned Fennel does the nursery start it for you? It doesn't sound like something I'd like to miss out on, hos first taste of solids.... No sign of ds rolling and his 3 months tomorrow - should I worry?!

Why is it less of an issue if not bf Lucy? (genuine question, not judging!).

DD isn't rolling but keeps lurching forward when I put her in her bouncy chair - as if trying to sit up. Not sure we've had much value out of that chair actually as she didn't go in it for a few weeks (when we tried it initially she kind of crumpled).

Hi HD - sorry I don't know! Just what I had heard! Would it be because it's recommended b/fing exclusively for 6 months but maybe not bottles? My ds tries to sit up too - it's so sweet isn't it I think if he doesn't react well to a mouthful of baby rice i can always leave it a bit longer. It's all so confusing isn't it?!

my dd is not trying to roll, sit or anything but she does wave! my other dds never really rolled before crawling at 7-8 months, I wouldn't worry Lucy lots of them don't roll.

dd3 is very hungry. tonight is the first time we had to break into my stock of frozen expressed milk and she glugged it down, suddenly not minding bottles it seems.

my sister goes on about weaning and how we should give formula not solids if baby seems hungry. health visitors say otherwise but they are not always right. there's recent stuff about babies guts not being mature enough for solids at this age so you could be encouraging allergies, but formula is safer as specially designed for young babies.

I left dp to do the weaning, not nursery, but actually I left the little pots of mashed and pureed stuff and instructions on what to do.