Shielding with 8 week old

[walnut87]

Hi all,

I posted on here a few weeks ago about finding things hard with my newborn & everyone was really lovely. We have been co-sleeping which has helped a lot when I can’t put her down (most of time) & my mum has been helping during the day so I can catch up on sleep & get some housework done etc. I don’t really have a routine because some days I’m at mums/some days I’m not.

I can sometimes get her down on her own to sleep, (she struggles with wind) but I haven’t had much confidence with it. I’m breastfeeding. Was trying to get her into some formula but she has been really unsettled afterwards whenever we’ve tried. Also maybe not great to rely on that now we are dependent on online delivery for food.

I have been really anxious since she was born (been to GP etc) and I’ve now found out I have to shield myself due to health issues which is 100% not helping! My partner is going to do the same as otherwise the advice on staying apart is just crazily depressing. He is working from home in kitchen but his job is intense so he can’t help out really during day.

I guess my question is now I’m not allowed to see my mum for help because of a) lockdown and b) shielding, is it too soon for some sort of a routine? Has anyone else got one at 8 weeks? Or should I just go with the flow do you think?

Thanks all x

Hi,

Just wanted to say I feel your pain on this. I have an 8 week old and in the beginning was getting help from parents due to being unwell post birth.

We also have to isolate due to a health condition so knew we couldn't see family and it is so upsetting although we understand it is completely needed.

We make our days bright and noisy and the evenings quiet. Limit day naps to 2.5 hours (though he does less of these now) I try to put him in the moses downstairs when napping as he could easily end up napping on me each time! With music or white noise if needed. I've noticed he sleeps for less at some naps now.

Since this week i have been feeding his last feed in bed with his grow bag on, with lullabies/white noise, and dark to show this is 'bed'. He sleeps in the snuz pod. We don't bath daily so that is not a routine, but when we do we keep it dark and lullabies on to make it part of the bedtime routine.

I am not great with changing pre feed, i often do it afterwards. However there is a routine online called 'feed change play sleep' (or change feed..... i cant remember!) which gives a clear routine for each 'section' of the day.

We do give x 2 formula bottles a day randomly throughout so that gives me a break. Have always mixed fed and it works well- various reasons why we did this.

Husband sometimes takes him until say 12am to give me that chunk of sleep at the beginning of the night as that helps me the most, especially mentally- you get to go into the night with sleep banked.

I don't think you can have a routine at 8 weeks if you breast feed as their life revolves around eating! But I wanted to at least say what I do and that it is hard, especially now.

X

Thanks so much for your reply @bookish83. Bizarrely it really helps to know there are other people in the same situation. Is your husband isolating with you too?

I have been trying most of the things you have actually so will keep trying! It’s almost like I wrote your post haha.

How do you manage to limit naps during day? She’s got used to sleeping on my mum a lot so have got to figure out how to keep her awake...! I have her playmat and sometimes she likes sitting in her bouncer and just staring as I potter around. We are lucky that we live in countryside so can go out in the garden to get some daylight although she just falls asleep out there ha.

Hello,
I'm in a similar situation, I have a 7 week old who won't let me put her down she will only sleep on me day or night.
My husband has to shield for 12 weeks due to health problems and is also working from home in the kitchen. The baby and I are just camped out in the lounge and have been walking round the garden.

We don't have a routine other than a bath time routine and feed at 10pm before bed she normally sleeps for 4 to 5 hours at night before waking for a feed. I'm trying to get her to sleep in her next to me at the moment so sleep to prett6 broken at the moment

Hi all!

Following this thread as my little one turns 7 weeks this week. Come 8 weeks, I am planning on focusing my attention to getting him into a routine. I am breastfeeding although give him one bottle of formula usually around 8/8.30pm which he has upstairs and I then attempt to settle him down for bed. Some nights he is down by 9.30pm and other nights it's close to 11pm! Every day is different (including his wake up time) and I would love to get some form of structure going eventually as the past 6 weeks have felt understandably very all over the place.

The only thing I feel works really well at night and during night feeds is to keep lighting dim and interaction to a minimum. My little one seems to now know that 2am is not playtime! And settles down to sleep between feeds really well.

I had a routine of sorts , for my own sanity, not really for the dc. I think at this stage, just do what you can. I always got up, and got washed and dressed before going downstairs as I found I'd struggle to do it otherwise! Obviously I was able to leave the house so that's different. Can you get out for a walk with her? Maybe try that for a nap. Otherwise , sit and feed her and let her sleep, read a book or watch tv while she snoozes on you. I spent a few short stretches of the day holding dc and dancing to the radio. Go in the garden. Read to her. Potter around the house doing a bit of housework, I did mine with the babies in a sling, or a bouncer which I moved around with me. Many a time I washed up standing on one leg, bouncing with the other.

The Hoover made my first cry horribly, made the second fall to sleep!

Try not to worry, you'll get through it.

@walnut87

I was having to wake him after 2.5 hours (midwife told me to) as he was sleeping so much in the day! Now usually just one nap is a long one and the rest generally under 1 hour. Some just napping on me, some in the moses.

I have noticed that if we are out and about of had noisy visitors, he seemed not to nap as well. So then I would try and get him to nap and be less stimulated.

I also potter around where I can eg put him in the bouncer. He enjoys parts of the day lying alone 'exercising' ie waving his arms and legs around. He lies there smiling!

I agree with the above poster, I keep light and interactions minimal in the night and each morning greet him when i draw the curtains to show the day has started.

I vary when I give formula as though he eats regularly, it is not at the same time. His supper feed could be 6-9pm depending on the day.

Xx

Thanks so much everyone. It sounds like we are in fairly similar positions. I’m going to try go for a walk with her in sling if my back is up to it (were out in the sticks so won’t actually see anyone, live in a village full of elderly people so everyone’s hiding, not just us).

Her naps are pretty much always 2.5 hours if she’s on me. But if I put her down she wakes herself up sooner and then grizzles because she wants to nap more! We’ll get there.. thank you for the suggestions of what people do, I felt like I wasn’t doing enough somehow. We do a lot of chatting mostly, she’s like her father I guess haha.

She’s actually done really well tonight, although mostly sleeping next to me in bed. I think she has reflux which is waking her and making it tricky to get her to sleep on her back. Reflux plus impossible to burp, great combo. I’ve done the minimal interaction thing tonight which worked so thanks :)