April 2011 - Hello Grindstone. Nose here, reporting for duty.

[DairyBeetle]

Plumps comfy pillows, shakes warm fluffy blankets, passes them round, sleeps

Sorry, been checking the thread but not posting. Still sleep deprived, I'd love a long stretch until the alarm goes off at 7.30. I can deal with wake ups til about 5am, then I lose the plot. I'm now spending all day following M round stopping her from eating wires and cables too. I was glad to get out again to a baby group this afternoon so she could roam around without me worrying.

I know what you mean about wires and the like chilli. I missed having an extra pair of hands around today to prevent P chewing an electric cable or launching herself off the coffee table!

We've had a couple of really good nights with no nighttime feeds (including one proper night of sleeping through ), so I'm feeling refreshed at the moment. However, I've got the fear about there being a shocker around the corner now. We never have more than a couple of good nights in a row. At least I know she can do it though and I CAN believe that we WILL get there at some point.

I'm going to make a confession though - we've done a little bit of CC over the last few days. It took about 25 minutes the first time (luckily she didn't get hysterical - not sure I could have done it if she did) and resulted in the night she slept though . I've also put her down completely wide awake for daytime naps for the last couple of days and have let her have a bit of whinge in the cot. It's taken about 10 minutes for her to fall asleep each time (and has involved me going in and shushing her a couple of times) but has resulted in some hour long naps rather than the 25 minutes that we usually get -again.

I genuinely think that I might have spent too much time trying to rock her to sleep for daytime naps in the past. I've always been afraid to let her cry (I'm not talking about letting her getting upset, I've never even really let her do that winding down type crying) and wonder if I should have given her a bit more of a chance to get herself to sleep in the past.

She looks so much better for a couple of longer naps though - and so does the house. I feel like I'm finally catching up on all the jobs that I've been putting off for the last eight months!

Ha I play the wire game too! I feel like I'm saying "Not for babies" 100 times a day!

Hey all!

Glad things are looking up Star.

If that's your definition of CC then we've done it too. F cries when he's tired, not full on, but has a distinct "I'm tired and grumpy and just want to go to sleep now" moan. He gets angry if he can't sleep like I do!. We'll often give him a few minutes to grumble to himself, and he usually falls asleep, and then sleeps longer (day & night). He does sometimes go the other way and starts working up to a proper paddy, at which point we shush/pat/pick up/feed/change/cuddle/read to him etc.

I didn't ever think about it as cc, since we didn't ever leave him to properly cry, just a bit of a moan.

He still doesn't sleep through though!

Thanks to whoever reassured me about milk. I suppose by now we should be looking to wind back milk feeds anyway. I think he'll hang on to morning & evening BFs for a while yet!

Back to work today after a lush break with F. He's developed so much in just a couple if weeks. It's been great.

Hope no one's been blown away!

Night

It was ILike, thanks!

Am of babies that will go to sleep unrocked/fed. Still no joy at all with H on that front.

Will start trying again once he's over his bug.

No problem Buck

Sometimes I settles himself, sometimes he doesn't. It's like settling roulette at night. Dh and i wake up and lay in bed thinking 'will he? Won't he?'

DH is back to work today. I most defo have the post Christmas holidays blues. Once today is over I will be fine and dandy, but I have a feeling today will be a looooong day, especially as i stupidly have nothing planned..... Maybe i should book a holiday to cheer myself up?!

I is still not crawling. He seemed to stop when he was poorly over Christmas. No doubt he will pick it up again in a few weeks time. He does manage to bum shuffle somehow though. I put him down in one place then I come back and he is still sitting up, but in another place. He always does it when I am out of the room so i don't know how he is doing it. It reminds me of the Andy and Lou sketch on Little Britain, with the character in the wheelchair getting up and moving around when the other one isn't looking!

Ha. I knew it wouldn't last. There was no sleeping through or self settling in this house last night.

Normal service has been resumed! Oh well, it was nice while it lasted!

Was it a full moon? because B had the worst night he has had for ages! Typical when DH has work today and I need to be not tired for my meeting at work! Anyone got any matchsticks? He's back sleeping now, but I can't have a nap I have too much to do!

Oh and the trains are still off here so its likely that DH will be late home too! Gah!

Morning ladies!

I am having a sneaky 10 mins at work to MN. Hee hee. Happy new year to everyone. Hope Christmas was fun. Thank you, Secret Santa, for the lovely dribble bibs. Rockets and diggers are C's two favourite things and we had the first two teeth break through on Christmas Eve so they were beautifully timed!

Ali, how are the Pox? Hope you are all ok.

Aussie, C has about 15 - 20oz of formula in 24 hours on top of his food. I have read that babies should have about 20oz until they are 1 but we don't often hit that.

Star, sorry you had a crap night again. I have decided to contact Nicola Watson of Child Sleep Solutions. We have some terrible nights and we have some OK nights but C has never slept through and quite often wakes for an hour or so and I can't find anything wrong - not hungry, not cold, not wet, not stuck at the top of the cot etc. He is perfectly capable of self settling and I'm just at a loss. I've decided that I could use some help. I'll let you know how I get on and if she's helpful.

We also do some cc, not really because I decided for sleep training but because there is nothing else left to do. I used to rock C to sleep as a last resort but now he gets frustrated in my arms because he can't get into his sleep position. I never leave him if he's properly crying and will always go in to reassure him if he's been going for a while but if it's the stop/start chunter and yell type and I know he's ok I'll let him go.

Fizz, are you snowed in?! Did you manage to get someone to look at your scar? Mine has been healed a long time so your's sounds like it needs some attention.

No crawling here and no sitting up. Our pediatrician has refered C for physio, but he is almost sitting so I'm not too concerned.

HAHAHAHA at the notion of trying for another baby (though lots of luck to those who are). Not bloody likely, I can just about manage this one.

x posts, Fizz.

Tis the wind JoEW! I'm now in Oz searching for the wizard to take me home!

And re the physio JoEW, my friend had her 2 early (30 and 27 weeks) both of them took ages too sit unaided. Neither of them crawled either, just bum shuffled then walked round the furniture! The youngest has just been signed off by the physio and she'll be 2 in a few weeks. I know you aren't worried, but thought you might like to know! :)

Phoned GP this morning first non urgent appointment is in 3 weeks !

Jo I don't blame you for contacting someone for help with sleep, we were a hairsbreadth away from doing the same and if I was working then I am sure we would.
T never falls asleep unless fed/rocked/bounced etc. DS1 had a dummy and would just drop off after a feed - quite a change! He loves being in our bed and burrowing into the pillows and will then sleep. 3 months until he can have his own in his cot!

The pox is on the way out. He has got off lightly really, very few spots and only one really awfully disturbed night.
Just hoping T has my immunity still from BFing, I can't be doing with him having it too just at the moment!

Glad to hear the pox is on its way out.

I remember having MAJOR dilemma's over introducing a pillow into M's cot. So much so I don't think he had one until 18 months

Don't blame you for getting some help with C's sleep. I would too if I was in the same position. You do know that you will have to report back with every little detail don't you?

We are half way through the day and we're all still alive! M keeps getting teary about his daddy being at work. On the inside I am agreeing with him, but on the outside I am reasoning the situation with him.

Good luck for today Fizz. And at 3 weeks for an appointment, that is dreadful.

M is back to pre school tomorrow I feel guilty about the air punch (well, kinda) but we all just need to get back into the normal weekly routine. No more pj days (there were A LOT during the Xmas break), i made myself get dressed this morning.

God I'm grumpy today aren't I?!

Hello lovely ladies and happy new year! Touch of the PCB here as well. We had a quiet Christmas day at home, just the three of us then set out on an epic trip to see the three sets of grandparents. So London - Portsmouth - North Wales - Milton Keynes -London in 6 days. Needless to say Joanna was ridiculously spoiled with presents, cuddles and attention and bedtime went totally up the spout. Worth it, though, it's so nice to see them with her. Sleeping has been dreadful of late but a combination of the excitement, her first tooth appearing (and second on the way?) and the stinking cold we've both developed since getting home. I'm going to give it a couple of weeks to get over the cold and reestablish some sort of routine and then think about some sort if sleep training / cc if she's no better. I really want her to be sleeping well when I go back to work in a fcouple of months.

Daft question - when do you start cleaning their teeth? She's only got one so far and it's only a few millimetres tall. I'd feel a bit daft brushing it. But when should I start? For that matter, when should I first take her to the dentist ??

Start brushing now. Register her at your dentist and take her whenever you go. Ds is 3 and all they have ever done is count his teeth.

That's some epic travelling you done over Christmas, you must all be knackered.

I am sitting here drinking coconut water, I don't like it much

Fizz, I don't think you're in Kansas anymore!

Thanks for the reassurance re physio too. It is alway helpful to hear positive tales from others. Wow on docs too, three weeks is bonkers.

Ilike, will be happy to report back on sleep help. Spoke to Nicola earlier and she sounds lovely. Hasn't been beaten yet, so surely my little angel will be a doddle. Hmmm.

It must be hard for those who are at home with DHs back at work. I always had DH working from home and I think I was very lucky.

Ali, pillow burrowing sounds too cute. It hadn't even crossed my mind that they would have a pillow (doh), when is that allowed then?

Ecuse, good qs on teeth. I was going to start brushing (trying to stuff silly baby brush into clamped mouth) the teeny little stumps. No idea on dentist.

I'm back from the dragons den! Will tell all but first...

Teeth - Blair came with me to the dentist before Christmas and she didn't even look in his mouth. I said I was giving him a toothbrush to play with and chew and she said not to because he was too young wait until he was a year old. She also said to only use childrens toothpaste, even thought the dental lady at our how many ways you can kill your baby new mums group said any non whitening toothpaste was fine. So, to surmise, he is still getting his little toothbrush to play with, but no toothpaste until I can find a proper answer. Also, I think the dentist has a bit of a cheek too because I had to sign an exemption form for B so she'll claim on the NHS for his consultation. He was asleep in his car seat the whole time!!

So, my meeting! I'm getting the hours I want, on the days I want, on the team I thought I would be going too!! Yay!! All the cloak and dagger stuff my manager was doing was because she didn't have a clue what was happening I think. I personally think they only got the decision finalised yesterday! All the talk about needing formal HR representation there because there were difficulties with my request were them being over cautions, they didn't need the HR rep there because they agreed to everything I asked for! I am so relieved, I've had so many sleepless nights about it. And I was getting a bit paranoid thinking they were beign difficult to try to get rid of me. Why they would do that though I don't know because I'm bloody good at my job !

Can I just do a final WOOOO HOOOO! :o

Thats fab Fizz. Well done you! [claps]

Q. Would it be ok for me to discuss ttc no2 here? If so, for those of you with more than 1. Did you get early symptoms with no2? I'm impatient already. And so it begins.

Look at me, back again. On my own in the office and concentration on work is rather lapse!

Brilliant news, Fizz. That must be such a relief. Woooo Hoooo.

Yes, Kitty, please discuss! We can join in the excitement without having to acutally BE ttc/pregnant. Am very impressed with you.

Thanks Jo. Well i have twinges in the lower right ovary area. hmmm. AF due next Fri, so cant test yet. Am sooooo impatient.

We also had a terrible night :( I'm losing the plot and getting really angry with her, shouting and shushing very sharply. Well, if I can be bothered getting out of bed. DH did all the getting up last night eventually bringing her in to feed when she didn't settle. This morning I felt so tired and upset I didn't even want to touch her which is tricky when BF. I'm probably beginning to worry DH but if I could only get a decent stretch of sleep... my periods seem to have returned too which won't be helping. It's been spotting since Christmas eve and now seems to be getting a bit heavier. I'd hoped the mini pill (and non-stop breastfeeding) was keeping them at bay but apparently not :( Oh and no naps today either so who knows what tonight will bring.

Good news with your job Fizz. Must sort out my return date and flexible working this month.

We're trying to clean M's teeth every other night or so but it's not regular yet. Using baby toothpast but only because i got a free sample. The Children's centre told me it wasn't necessary.

well, I know why she hasn't napped this afternoon. That was a major nappy filler!

We're trying to clean P's teeth every night Ecuse but keep forgetting . Not sure there's much teeth cleaning going on TBH, she generally just seems to want to chew the brush

Sorry to hear that things have got to the point of calling a sleep consultant in Jo. After our couple of good nights, we had another tricky one last night - it really makes you feel crap doesn't it. P's and C's sleep problems seem quite similar (unexplained loooong nighttime wake ups), so I'd be really interested to know the general gist of the sleep fairy's advice. I hope it works for you. I'm a bit worried about lack of sleep when I go back to work, so am hoping we manage to iron things out a bit in the next few weeks.

Fab news re work Fizz. When are you actually back? T minus 10 weeks here. I'm dreading it now... :(

Hope you have a better night chilli. I know that feeling so well. Sounds like your DH is a keeper though. It makes such a difference when they're on board.

Oh, and Kitty, yes, you MUST use us as your TTC sounding board. We can all live vicariously though your (hopeful) pregnancy! Who knows, maybe you'll even inspire another one of us to get on it!

kitty I realised I was PG much earlier with DC2. I had implantation cramping and light bleeding. I thought it was a bit as it was the wrong TOTM for AF. I didn't want to get my hopes up too soon though so waited until 6 weeks to do a PG test but lo and behold .

Fizz Glad work is sorted for you, it must be a great relief.

As for pillows DS never had one until he went into his proper bed at 3.5. Before that he was quite happy in his cotbed with the side bars still on and in his Grobag. Even now I often find he's turned sideways in bed and is alongside the pillow as opposed to on it.

P now has half a tooth poking out. She loves her Bite & Brush Teether

I'm a bit at people being told babies don't need their teeth brushed. My dentist has always said to do it as soon as they appear and it says the same on the BDA website here. Although if you live in an area (like me)where the water is not flouridated you use a stronger ppm than the recommended. Another useful tip from my dentist is to make sure they don't swallow a lot of toothpaste as it can cause dental flurosis which can cause the developing adult teeth to become mottled/streaked.

I'm in my library assistant mode tonight - all these links, I shall say goodnight before I bore you all to tears. If anyone is still reading that it! .