IVF Pregnancy Club - now IVF Baby Club!

[CloudyIvy55]

Hello again ladies!

The IVF Pregnancy Club thread was so helpful for me throughout my pregnancy — there’s nothing like the support of people who just get it. Now that our babies have started to arrive, I thought it would be nice to start a follow-on thread so we can keep chatting, sharing advice and supporting each other as we adjust to life with our little ones 🥰

Ahh I’ve not tried the rugby ball flat on my arm one yet! I’m a bit scared but will try on the bed to get the hang of it, thanks!

it’s strange that the health visitor has inadvertently strengthened your worries about vaccines by emphasising the fact that they’re a choice. Mumsnet have a group atm where a midwife is available 2 hours a day to ask questions of, it would be a good place to ask a med professional questions about vaccines, maybe there’s a space on one of the groups? You’re so right about the abundance of information out there and how it can make things confusing and what is especially when it’s hard to discern what’s real and not real. I was saying the other day to my mil, I wish in a way we were in the days of blissful ignorance and I could just sleep beside my baby without worrying. But then again things are safer than they ever have been.

In relation to vaccines Callie got the Vitamin K and HPV ones at birth. She has since had 3 more lots at 2, 4 and 6 months. She was cranky after the 2 and 4 months ones but totally back to herself by the next morning. No bother on her at all after the 6 months ones when she got them last week and was in great form. As has been said I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if she became ill from not having them.

For co-sleeping I done this the odd time when she was younger and I really needed sleep - you just need to follow the safe sleep guidelines. Now she sleeps in her cot all night and for an hour after her morning bottle, if I am lucky she will come in beside me for an extra hour 😂

I’m so sorry everyone, I have started typing a message and then the babies eyes ping open and I am summoned by him 😂

@AmberRose26 well I thought the long stretch might be a fluke but we are 7 days later and it’s continued. Not always 7.5 hours but first night stretch is between 6-8 hours and second stretch is between 2-4 hours. Honestly I never thought he would sleep this well as he’s breastfed 🤷‍♀️ thank you for the birthday wishes! We will be having all vaccinations at the time they recommend

@Nosejug I’m so sorry your baby isn’t sleeping the best, but honestly I think my baby is a freak of nature. But he’s only cat napping during the day now, which means I can’t do the ironing or hoovering… so very very sad 🙃😂 well done for feeding in public, I did this for the first time today! I went and met a friend for coffee and I kept going “can you see anything? Can you see my nipple? Are people looking?” 😂 was all okay, couldn’t see anything. There was a group of business men sat close to us so I put the pram between us so they couldn’t see anything but I could see out of the corner of my eye one of them kept trying to look round the pram, not that he could see anything anyway as my friend assured me no nipples we’re on display!

@CloudyIvy55im so over the heat! We did get blinds fitted before baby came and I do highly recommend. Good for the heat too!

@Sara237no I’m not getting 7.5hrs too lol, I’m rubbish at sleeping well falling asleep. But have been spending some time with my partner once he’s asleep watching tv for a hour or two. So I’m getting about 5 hours a night. He’s good in the day but not having long naps anymore, we are cat napping apparently and that fills him up with energy apparently lol. I may get one 2-3 hours nap in the day but not guaranteed. Like right now, he’s been asleep for 20 mins and I thought I could finish this message but alas I cannot!

soz will carry on my replies when he next decides to cat napping lol! X

Hey everyone, well had HV again and baby girl now weighing 8 lbs 13 which is amazing, nearly a whole pound above birth weight and only 3 weeks old .. baby girl has a really bloated stomach though and been slight fussy /unsettled when lying on back, just pulling knees up and not sleeping as long periods as was starting to get into .. so thinking it’s really bad trapped wind, not colic as such as she’s not screaming with pain and not reflux as not being sick, so she recommended infacol
,so started today for her giving her drops before her feed so will see if it makes any differnce, anyone used this before ? Once she is 4 weeks ill use the gripe water as I think that’s got better reviews but can’t be givien this young.

Hope everyone else is doing good @pastelheart that’s great the long stretch of sleeping is continuing ! once the wind /gas has gone I am hoping my girl will start to get longer spells of sleep 🤷🏼‍♀️
@nosejug thanks for the advise on the group.. I’ll check that out ☺️, and thanks everyone else for sharing the vaccine thoughts etc, still thinking I am going to ask for some separate /space them out and wait a bit longer till she is a little old and her immune system can handle them better ✨💛

That’s ok, no worries, I did think it was a message for pastel heart 🥰 that’s nice re the groups, I am thinking about a baby massage group which looks ✨💛

How is everyone doing? We're ok, he's 6 weeks on Monday. Sleep isn't great and I can feel the effects of weeks of it so making sure I eat and drink well plus get out and see people. It's easy to get isolated but having another child forces me out! I'm glad I know this is all temporary; I've had days where I've felt overwhelmed and honestly almost afraid but it's such a big change going from 1 to 2 children. Surprisingly so. I hope you're all giving yourself plenty of grace, resting up and coping with this heat. He's contact napping ATM and his little squishy face melts my heart ❤️

@Sara237hey! Glad you are all okay! I hope you have got a little more sleep over the past couple of days since your message.

im so glad it’s slightly cooler the last couple of days, baby boy probs feels freezing as it’s been boiling since he was born lol

we are all okay too 🩵 I have found a mum and baby work out class so hoping to start that next week… I don’t feel ready this week lol. I have my 6 week check this afternoon, I have a couple of small issues since pregnancy/post birth so glad to be able to speak to a doctor about them today

baby boy is doing good, breastfeeding is going well. Think my supply has started regulating a bit now so feeling less uncomfortable and engorged each day so that’s nice, less leaking too! So I now don’t ask my partner 20 million times a day if I have leaked… he got very confused at the start as he didn’t know if I meant from my boobs or from bleeding post birth 😂😂😂😭😭 xx

Hi @Sara237

I can completely relate to how your feeling. Sleep hasnt been great for us either and its TOUGH! Sometimes I feel like everyones babies sleep but mine - not true I know. Getting out and about, trying to eat and drink well and taking my multivitamins all help me feel a little more sane. Your right, its temporary, and just know that if your awake in the night, I probably am too so your not alone!!

Also sometimes when its really tough at night, I tell remind myself how lucky I am and that I could still be on the other side of IVF with no baby, and that I would take the sleepless nights over that anytime!!

Hello everyone! We are getting on well I think? I’m just happy she’s putting on weight. A bit worried as her heavy preference for sleeping on one side had given her a flat skull on one side. NHS website and health visitor say it’ll just self correct but it makes me feel guilty. But no matter how many times I get her to turn the other way for sleep or play she always goes back. Trying to up tummy time to rectify it! Are you guys putting baby on floor already for TT? My lo isn’t yet strong enough for it but I do it on my chest and shoulder a bit every wake time. Tips/links welcome! Starting to get more smiles atm which is glooooorious like the sun shining. What’s bad and good sleep overnight? I have the luxury of not working rn and no other kids so I just go back to sleep with her till I’m sated/sane. Some nights are bad (sleeping an hour at a time what with feed change burp) but last night I got 2 x 2.5 hr stretches of sleep and a top up which to me is good? Trying to get out for a walk everyday and getting stuff done in the house. Because we were decorating right up to my waters breaking a lot of stuff was just dumped in rooms so am making my way through organising! I fantasise about putting stuff on vinted but in reality it’ll be charity shops I think!

Hey @Nosejug glad everything is going well!

I have started putting baby on the floor for tummy time (he’s 6 weeks now) he will do tummy time on his play mat or on a blanket with either another blanket or tummy time roll under his chest. Just for a few minutes at a time. And I will move a toy infront of him so he follows it by moving his head, this could help with the side preference with your LO? Not that I know much about this, but this is what I do to keep him occupied and get him moving his head a bit xx

@pastelheart ypur little guy is pretty robust now isn’t he? My hv said my baby is still quite little for it, but I might be brave and give it another go! Even when I put her on my chest until recently she’s just fallen asleep or wiggled furiously down for more milk hehe. (Btw I sent you a pm a while back but I think you haven’t seen it!)

@Nosejug omg, I don’t even know how to look at PMs LOL let me go have a look, please don’t think I have ignored you!

yeah baby boy is 6 weeks now and…. 11lb 7oz so he’s a big guy, he’s following the 75th percentile. I think it helps that he’s the nosiest human in the world so has to keep his head up to look at everything. I can’t put him in the baby wrap as he just bends his head back to see everything 😂 xx

That’s soooo cute! Curiosity had got to be a sign of intelligence. My wee one falls asleep in the sling for as long as I wear it hah. Though has started bending her head right back when she’s with me but hears her dad’s voice 🥰

Any experienced Mums out there who can give me some advice on sleep? Baby is now 3 months. In the day, we tend to use the sling for naps as transfering him elsewhere nearly always fails. Thing is, he will sleep for ages in it, sometimes 3 hours or more and our night sleep is very hit and miss. Are we still at the stage where I let him sleep wherever and for however long he wants? Or when do I start thinking about gently cutting day time sleep to try and help our nights.

I still let Callie sleep whenever she wants. I’ll get her into more of a routine when I return to work

@CloudyIvy55 so I wouldn’t say I’m an experienced mum… I just wing it and sometimes it works out quite well (take from that whatever you want lol)

but I have had two babies that sleep well at night, I wouldn’t say it’s anything I have done directly. I haven’t ever controlled sleep either as such but I can tell you what baby sleeps during the day to maybe help?

When he was smaller he had a 90 min wake window and then would sleep for 3 hours. In the evening, 60 mins after he last woke up, I would start bedtime routine (I use this loosely, we just went upstairs to our bedroom, made everything dark and quiet) and then I would feed him, if he fell asleep I would wake him either by moving him or changing his nappy etc and then I would feed him again, he wouldn’t take much more but would always take a bit more and then let him fall asleep on me and put him in his crib and he slowly started taking more on that second feed and then sleeping longer and longer.

now he’s a bit bigger, he follows 90 min wake window in the morning and then sleeps for 30 mins, he will do this twice so two 30 min naps. He then has a longer wake window and this can be up to 3 hours and he will then go down for a longer nap at about 4ish. The only time I control his sleep is I make sure he’s awake before 7pm.

I then repeat the above night routine between 8-9pm depending on when he last woke up and starts showing sleepy Qs

hope this helps, he is averaging 11 hours at night now with one wake up at about 4pm, he averages about 4-4.5 hours for naps during the day xx

Oh also a key point… he feeds a lot during the day. He’s stilll breastfed so I don’t know how much exactly but he feeds on average every 1.5-2hrs and he has good feeds of more than 15/20mins each time. I think on average he feeds about 10 times per day but basically all of this is during the day. He’s gaining about 1lb a week so he must be getting loads lol 😂

Thanks @dubkittenand @pastelheart!

Somehow out of nowhere, he did almost 10 hours last night! He did have 3 feeds but they were quick and he went almost straight back down after each of them. Of course I couldnt sleep because I was worried he was sleeping too well 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️😂

Yeaterday was a busy day, in and out of the car seat so I guess he had shorter naps and less day time sleep than usual. I also noticed he had a much bigger feed before bed than normal so will try to encourage that more.

@CloudyIvy55 amazing!!!!

well my baby decided it was party time at 11pm,3am and 5am so I pooped today, I am guessing he’s learning a new skill… it better be something good! Xx

Just caught up with everyone's news, glad all is well - sleep is the challenge at this stage and it's so unpredictable I don't even try to control it. He's 7 wks today. It's been a rough few weeks due to some physical complications I've had which would be too outing to post but hopefully things will settle soon. I've struggled to enjoy much if I'm honest it's just feeling relentless and repetitive and exhausting. Forgive me sounding negative but I feel I can keep it real on here! It's just a lot and I want anyone else who is struggling to know you aren't alone. Of course I'm grateful for him, love him, thrilled to have him but I'm also really struggling and wishing the days would go faster! Hugs to all.

@Sara237 sorry to hear you’re struggling - you can be as honest as you like here. I hate the line of thinking that we can’t be negative or have bad days due to the way we conceived the babies!