October 2005 Babies - it just keeps getting better and better!

[Elf1981]

Thought I'd steal the honours of setting up a new thread

we always said we were blessed enough to just have the one, but i can't imagine not being pregnant again. I'm one of 2, as is DP. I don't like the thought of Joey growing up lonely. Time will tell...!

RTL, can't you do a test?? It would be a lovely age gap for them if you conceived now

I'm just about to phone the hospital to arrange my sterilisation appointment. I'm 34, have a 17 year old, dd1 who's 2yrs 8mths and now little ruby. Ds was always an only child so when i decided to have dd1 I wanted another one mainly for company for her but I have definately done my bit and don't want any more. I've been trying to talk dh into the snip and he keeps promising to make an appointment but is definately stalling. I don't want to risk falling pregnant so am going to sort things out myself! (hope it doesn't hurt too much!!)

ruby's still unsettled at night but her eczema has flared up so i think a lot of it is down to that. Trying her with a new cream that's supposed to be good so fingers crossed. I feel so sorry for her seeing her trying to scratch

I am the middle of five siblings. My memory of being in the middle was when things were for "the big ones" or "the little ones" I always had to establish whether I was big or little for each occasion. My lasting memory is of always being the wrong one eg if the big ones were getting a treat, I was a little one and if the big ones had to do a chore, then I was a big one. I'm sure it wasn't like that, but that's how I recall it.

Johnny woke at 4.30am this morning. I went through to find that he had shuffled round 90 degrees and wiggled all the way to the bottom of the cot where he had got stuck. I am so glad that he was in a sleeping bag. MIL thinks she saw sleeping bags somewhere with extra flaps of material on the sides so that the baby can be firmly tucked in and not wiggle about. Does anybody know anything about these? I'll have to watch though, I don't want to be nurturing a bondage obsession

Apart from the wriggling episodes, he is now sleeping through pretty much every night and has settled into two regular nap times in the morning and afternoon so he is getting around 15 hours sleep out of 24 which is way better than the 12 hours he was getting a few weeks back. Makes for a happy Mummy too.

I was saying to DH yesterday that we should try for another baby now, but firstly my periods haven't come back yet and I am not giving up b/f just yet. Secondly, common sense tells me it would be a good idea to wait a bit longer - especially as I had a c section.

MB

Ah! I want three as well, but I'm not sure I'll convince DH! He hates the baby stage and misses our life pre-children - holidays abroad etc. I love babies and I'm one of 3.

I DEFINITELY want a large gap again though - 3 years has worked out really nicely and it's been quite an easy transition all round - not too much work really.

I REALLY don't want to do the pregnant/give birth bit again - I bloody HATE that!!!!

nope 2 will do me just fine!
i am one of 5 too; the middle one - so i know all about it
my 2 are so close in age i don't think there will be much of 'older or younger' - at least for the first few years. i guess at a later stage i'll have to give ds his 'big brother status'!

caitlin seems sooooo hungry lately!
she has 6oz (! - never heard of) before she goes to bed at 8pm - and then still wakes twice
don't really want to start weaning just yet!!
firstly she's 'only' 18 weeks and secondly we are going away for 2 weeks - decisions decisons ...

Ds will be starting school in september which will cost a fortune. When Hannah starts as well we will be living off baked beans. We just couldn't afford to live our chosen lifestyle if we had three.

That is what my head says. My heart on the other hand.....

Terrible night here! Evie went to bed as usual at 8:00. I woke at 2:15 to her crying, which was a bit of a shock as she has been sleeping through since around week six. I got her up and fed her, waited a min and then put her back in her crib, but she woke up again. I brought her back into our bed, lay her on my tummy and got her to sleep again by stroking her hair, and I watched Star Trek for a bit. When I was sure she was asleep, I tried to move her back to her crib, which I usually do by swinging my legs over the side of the bed and heaving myself up with Evie still on my tummy so that she's hardly aware of moving. Which would have been fine if the bed hadn't collapsed!
It woke DH up, Evie was still asleep but I couldnt get off the bed without waking her, so she was awake again. DH put the slacks back on the bed (some of them had worked their way loose over the past year or so, but I've not put them back in and it just gave up last night!). Then I had to get back into bed and refeed Evie (not hungry but she always sleeps on the boob ) and finally put her back in her crib around 3:45.
Ah well, can't help but smile. Interesting episode of Star Trek as well

elf lol at image of falling through bed - i've done that before!!

Poor you at sleep just starting to be disturbed

How is she eating during day?

How is everyone else doing?

Cameron taking less out of his bottles again!!

elf lol at image of falling through bed - i've done that before!!

Poor you at sleep just starting to be disturbed

How is she eating during day?

mummygow - I kind of have the feeling that she woke during the night becuase she didn't have much to eat in the day, and she seemed a bit off colour. I even buckled and gave her some calpol as her temp was up and her ears looked like they were burning off her face! She's currently asleep on the (fixed) bed and has been fed about four times already rather than the two feeds she'd had by this time yesterday.

Up again at 2:15... what am I doing wrong?!!?!

Elf: you are going wrong by setting your expectations too high

Mine still wakes a couple of times - I think that's normal at this age.

If they ARE sleeping through it always seems to go wrong at around 16 weeks or so - there are lots of threads about this, have a search. xx

MP, I think I just expect her to sleep through as she has been doing it since she was six weeks old, and even then she'd only wake once.
She's 19 weeks on Thursday. Five weeks left til I go back to work
A friend of mine goes back to work today after her baby was born in August (we work in the same office). Am expecting a tearful text, I know I'd be sending them if I were back first!

elf what weght is she?

how many oz a day does she take?

how many hours does she sleep during day?

what time does she get up/when will you need to get her up when you go back to work?

when does she have her last bottle?

I know lots of people dont follow routines but I do and I may have some wee tip that you could try putting into your day.

Depending on her weight it is normally 2.5 x weight = oz milk in a day ( for me this is between 7am and 11pm)

Not enough sleep during the day is as bad as too much because they can become overtired and fall into a really deep sleep then when they come into a light sleep they waken completely - during the day they could be having roughly 3-4 hours split into about 3 naps, 1 short one in morning, 1 long one at lunch time and 1 short one in afternoon (Cameron sleeps 45 mins in morning 9am, 2hrs 15mins at lunch 12pm and 30 mins afternoon 4.30 awake by 5pm if want him to go to sleep at 7pm) Cameron had cut the afternoon nap last week and started wakening earlier again and it was for this reason I started putting him down again because by bedtime at 7pm he was so tired and falling into such a deep sleep that he was wakening fully when he came into his light sleep. (bathtime is also nicer at 6pm as he is not overtired)

I have also started keeping Cameron awake for an hour and a half at 9.45 - 11.15pm he only takes about an 2/3 oz at this time and plays under his gym for about half an hour during this time - I wake him 9.45 make sure he fully awake offer him bottle at 10pm usually under gym by about 10.30 at 11.00pm Change nappy, dim lights offer fresh bottle and back in bed for 11.15pm he then sleeps till about 7am.

Dont know if this is too regimental for you elf but I like knowing that he doesnt have to cry because he is hungry or tired. Her's how my day goes

7am Awake feeding by 7.30am
9am Nap (45 mins)
9.45 Awake (play/get dressed)
11am Feed (cameron also get pureed carrot at this time)
12pm Nap (2hrs 15 mins)
2.15pm Awake
2.30 Feed
3.00 Play
4.30 Nap
5.00 Feed (small)
6.00 Bath
6.15 Feed
7pm Bed
9.45 Awake
10.00 Feed
10.30 Play (not with me under gym)
11.00 Feed (small)
11.15 Bed

I always put him in cot 10 mins before sleep time to let him settle himself.

Sorry for such a long post but just want to really help especially as you are going back to work soon and you will be getting tired!! As I said maybe there are a few thing you could use!!

Elf - I was given a snippet about a study which was done on infant regression in the first year.
The theory is that as new skills are developed, periods of regression are noted.

When the baby is in one of these periods of regression, behaviours such as increased crying, increased body contact with mother and decreased sleep are noted.

"For example at around 5 weeks, a baby begins to smile, relexes are combined and are differentiated to form flexible and voluntary actions. As these changes occur periods of regressive behaviour are noted.

Plooij & Plooij hypothesise that these changes may increase stress levels in the baby and result in the regresive behaviour reported by mothers"

I was also given a chart which mapped out these periods in terms of sunny periods and thunderclouds.

As far as Johnny's behaviour is concerned it has been accurate almost to the day!! Unfortunately we are under a thundercloud just now which is forecast to last for another four weeks!!

I don't know if there is any truth in it, but I don't stress myself by wondering what I am doing wrong. I just sit tight and wait for the thundercloud to pass.

I think I still have your email address Elf. Do you want me to scan it in and send it on to you?

MB

mummygow - she was last weighed on 24th Jan and was 13lbs 9oz. I am taking her to be weighed on Thursday (dont go too often, the HV do my head in!)
Our day routine (roughly) goes likes this :
7:00 - awake and feed
7:30 - play on bed
8:00 - up, dressed
9:00 - feed, sleep for maybe 30mins
9:30 - up, play
10:30 - feed
10:30-12:00 - play / out and about
12:00 - feed, sleep for up to two hours
2:00 - wake, feed, more play / out and about
5:00-6:00 - feed (depends on when she wants to) followed by quick nap.
7:00 - bath
7:30 - ready for bed, feed
8:00 - 8:30 - transfer her to her crib.

When I go back to work, for a week or so before hand, we'll be changing the morning times slightly as I've got to be at work at 8:00, and I'll imagine her to feed more in the evening as she still struggles with the bottle.
I dont know how many oz she takes in milk due to breastfeeding (the biggest downside of breastfeeding is not knowing how much they take!!)
Last weigh in was 24th Jan, was 13lbs 6oz. Taking her Thursday to be weighed (dont go often, the HV do my head in!)

mawbroon - I'd love to get a scan copy, that would be fantastic! It sounds very interesting, I like reading things like that, especially when I can go "ah, I get it now!"

Elf - are you still at spirit_of.....?

DH has been messing about with the ports on the computer. If I can't get the scanner to work then I will ask him to do it when he gets in

Elf could you not maybe give her a feed at 10/11pm I know you might not want to interrupt her sleep but if she's wakening at around 2 anyway her sleep is being interrupted maybe just not when you would like and when you do decide to move her onto solids and they are established this would be the first feed she would drop - so it may not be for a long time.

Need to go now and waken Cameron

Yes, still the same email address. No rush! Thanks!

Oh, I'd settled on the idea of Evie going to nursery, then I saw a fantastic advertisement for a childminder who lives near me, who a friend used. Thinking of pulling her out the nursery and using the childminder, just waiting to hear whether she has a free space.

well ruby still wakes up on average 2 - 3 times during the night. she's on solids now but that hasn't improved anything at all. She usually drinks 6-7ozs when she wakes so is obviously just hungry. She wants to get up properly around 5.30 - 7am and I have to get up with her between these times every day! can't leave her as she makes so much noise (just vocal noises) that she'll wake up dd1. Very tiring but I know it won't last forever (at least I hope not) Other than that she's great and really easy to look after.

am in admiration that you all know what you and baby do in the day! I have no idea how the days go - waking, feeding, playing & napping are 'whenever'!!

however, nights are better after i decided to catch myself on about her not sleeping through. she goes up to bed around 8ish and then sleeps until she wants a feed which is anything from 2 to 5am; so waking up and feeding once is fine, she settles straight away afterwards and i'm feeling must more rested.

We are just back from baby massage. Johnny enjoyed it much better this week than he did last week. He was just lying there chilled out afterwards when all the other babies were crying!! He passed out in the sling on the way home and he cried for a moment when I was transferring him to his cot. The class is very relaxed and the HV is very nice.

Hopefully he will sleep for a couple of hours now (but more likely only 30 mins) so I can get caught up with the housework. Erm, why am I on MN when there's so much housework to be done...

Moomin, I don't know what I do all day either. My DH comes in from work and asks what I've been doing all day and why isn't his tea on the table. (It is completely in jest BTW as he knows how time consuming a baby is - it's a standing joke that we have!) Once the washing/feeding/nappies/cooking etc etc are all done, there doesn't seem to be much time for anything else!