March 2012 - Brewed to Perfection!

[TroubleAndFyfe]

Hello all, come and add your babies to the list and let's see what adventures they bring!

Ugh, broody, wishing nighttime gets better for you soon. With the ear infection we're back to only 2-3 hr sleep at first. And I used to be able to put her back in her crib after feeding, but now she wakes up after 30 min if I do that, and I end up cuddling her on my arm the rest of the night. I'm hoping we'll return to better sleep once our ears get back to normal.

We've been to see the house, but I think we'll go again. It got more real this weekend as DH just got the message from the mortgage advisor that we could actually get a mortgage. We've had our estate agent-solictors by, and so the next step is a surveyor in for our valuation and home report. But that is actually spending money and needs all the work: some minor DIY (grouting, painting, etc.), but mostly it's packing up stuff and putting it somewhere (garage, shed) so that people can move around. We've just got too much stuff for the house - for example, the pram currently rolls back and forth between the front door and the bathroom, depending on what we need to use!

I agree with the early bedtimes broody but could you start the routine later so it is shorter say 6.45 instead of 6? You're probably right though it's just a stage! Fyfe started day time naps around 5 months so fingers crossed for you. I find if he has slept well during the day he sleeps better at night too.

That's very exciting mad! Difficult timing yes, but exciting. We are (slowly) managing to get our new place done up, it does mean however that you will end up holding the baby a lot more so your DP can do DIY and clearing up in the evenings and at weekends. Sounds like it'll all be worth it though!

Thanks for the link, broody! Hmm, we may try an earlier bedtime. We've been going to bed around 10 or so. But we don't have a baby monitor, and I'd not like to leave her alone without one. Any advice on products, there?

Oh, also, I remember someone mentioning reusable wipes a while back: what are those, where do you get them? Now that most nappy changes are wee-only (she tends to do one big poo a day), I can imagine using something like that.

Yeah, I think we're going to continue pursuing the house thing. One issue is that DH has CFS/ME, so we have to be careful that he doesn't do so much he gets really ill (he's really bad at that, as he hates to admit he needs to rest and so does too much).

mad we have a tommee tippee monitor with sensor mat. The mat, I thought, was a bit ott/neurotic as it sits under her mattress and flashes a green light with every heartbeat; if it doesn't detect movement for 20 seconds, the red light goes on with an alarm.
However, I can honestly say it has been a true life saver on a few occasions - little lady has fallen into such a deep sleep that she had stopped breathing. The science bit of those horrid occasions is that babies between four and six months are developing at such a rate of knots that they need their sleep to digest everything that's happening to them/they've seen/learnt etc. They are more likely to drop off into a dangerously deep sleep between this age as a result. Luckily the mat alerted DH and I to the fact Poppy had stopped breathing so we were able to intervene before it was too late - we gave her a shake (I don't mean child abuse shake by that, I mean a purposeful but still gentle wobble of her body while she was still lying down) and she stirred within about 10 seconds.

Has anyone read that book 'French Children Eat Anything'? I've got it on order from the library, it's not arrived yet. There's a bit about it here: joannagoddard.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/french-kids-eat-everything.html

Bit scary about the breathing thing, Broody. We don't have anything like that mat.

Also, is there anyone like me who's DP doesn't get in 'til late? I think the 'all eating together at mealtimes' thing is really important, but usually he gets in at around or after Ivy's bedtime, then we eat a bit later. If she goes to bed at about 7, her dinner time can't be any later than 6pm really, I'm going to have to work out if I shift to eating with her during the week..

mad, there are lots of online places to get them. One of the bigger brands is www.cheekywipes.com/ but they're very easy to make of course, you can use cotton or towelling, just cut up and hem if likely to fray.
We use a BT monitor. It is great as is so sensitive, we never worry about not hearing him, never had a scary moment like broody though!
It works well, we take him up for a bath at 7.30 and he's asleep by 8. This is creeping earlier, used to be 8-8.30 but we're trying to follow his signals of when he starts to get tired. Good luck with it.

So I kept a note last night of dd's sleeping pattern to show you guys just in case you thought you had it bad. Is this damn regression ever going to end?!?!

Bath - 645-7 (accidentally a bit later)
Dress/feed - 7
Sleep 8
Wake 1030
S 11
W 1145 (fed, slept, woke when put back into crib)
S 1245
W 145 (rocked back to sleep)
S 2
W 240 (fed 20 mins, wouldn't be put back down)
S 330 (downstairs on DH)
W 530

She had a good few naps yesterday too - between 30 minutes and an hour - so a frustrating night.

I went to a weaning talk today and the group leader praised us for sticking it out this long without giving her food. I can't remember if any of you have weaned early so without wanting to cause offence, I shan't pass on her considered thoughts on the subject

I would love to have the recipe for baby biscotti pls whoever offered - it was suggested today as a great little snack or pudding. And I am awfully fond of baking so any excuse to get my mixing bowl, whisk and baking parchment out

I feel (some of) your pain broody frequency of wakings about the same and a 5.30 start here too but wakings only for 5 mins so would maybe seem like a good night to you. I've really had enough of it though, thoroughly fed up with the crap sleep; just want one full night, would be bliss!
We starting weaning one week early (25 weeks) but because BLW he didn't actually eat anything. Still hasn't swallowed anything on purpose at 27 weeks so feel we made it to 6 months. I think it is very rare to do so, almost everyone starts early. I'd quite like to know what she said!

Oh, broody, how horrible! Wishing you some sleep! And not to rub salt in wounds, but Tessa slept 8 hours Mon night -- of course, I kept waking up in anticipation of her wakenings and perhaps slept less than normal since I didn't have nursing hormones to get me back to sleep :) Last night back to a 3.5 hr sleep, with following 1-2 hourly wakenings. But we're only up 30 minutes or so. I hope something changes for you.

Tessa is over her ear infection, but I had to go back to the Dr and get more antibiotics. I hate feeling ill. And it presents an interesting wrinkle about working from home: before, I'd make the decision that I was too ill and stay home, or go in and probably be less productive, but now I sort of think I should be working but aren't doing much and then feeling guilty. Feeling considerably better on second course of antibiotics, though. So hopefully that is over soon.

thought it couldn't get worse.....

Bath 605
Feed 625
Sleep 720
Wake 935 - feed, rock
Sleep 10
Wake 1030 - rock
Sleep 1040
Wake 1045
Sleep 11
Wake 1130 - feed, fell asleep, won't be put back down
Sleep 1205
Wake 1230 - feed, fell asleep, won't be put back down
Sleep 150
Wake 205
Sleep 210 on me - can't keep battling!
Wake 445 - feed
520 - downstairs with DH
Sleep 550 on DH
Wake 645
Nap 815-930

Goodness, sorry to hear about all these sleep problems & ear infections!

broody-can you mostly identify what's woken her? Do you think it is usually teething trouble etc? Unless she's really feeling poorly or especially hungry I'm fairly sure Ivy only wakes before midnight due to a sudden noise outside etc, or because she's woken herself somehow by rolling (we keep a rolled cellular blanket alongside her now, to minimise that) or by her basket creaking (I'm trying to get the paint job on the new cot finished!)... As long as we reach her in time, we can almost always settle her back with a dummy with this kind of thing. Other more sustained waking-i.e. hunger/ tooth pain she has a proper feed/ Bonjela rub etc. If this doesn't help, or if she wakes repeatedly we tend to keep her in the bed with us which minimises the waking-up-when-put-back-down thing & we usually all fall back to sleep quicker that way. It's not perfect, but we're getting by on that at the moment..

There is no obvious rhyme or reason for her waking kiki. I did think the first wake - about 10-1030 - could be down to me or DH coming to bed ourselves (she's still in her crib next to our bed) so a few times I've stayed up here when she goes down to minimise the risk of disturbing her. I think her waking this regularly throughout the night though is teething, sleep regression, separation anxiety and just general 5 month old-ness. Whatever it is, it's flippin exhausting!! Xx

Okay broody, you have actually made me feel like I've got it good bring woken for 5 mins every hour ish. That's pretty horrendous, you poor thing.

How often are you changing your babies nappy in the night broody? MIL looked after my 5mo niece for the first time last week and mentioned baby waking up three times (twice more than normal). Thought it might be down to teeth or missing her mum.
Turns out she didnt change his bum from 7pm-7am because 'you didnt do it in her day?' poor mite!

Seemed really obvious to me but apparently not?

Haha trouble! Yeah you know when people say "there's always someone worse off than you" - well, when it comes to nighttime, that's me!!

Oh. My. God. milky errr, thats a *%%23€ing good point actually we tend to only change her once overnight I haven't even considered it could be an uncomfy botty that keeps her stirring. I'm so with that! Could you have just saved us?!?! I'll tell you tomorrow morning... for suggesting that!

I dont want you to feel !!!! Might do the trick though? I cant tell you the amount of moments i've had in the past 2.5 years of motherhood lol!

Like when ds2 was about 8 weeks and he was really gulping his bottles and then coming up for air crying... Repeat over and over again for 3 days. My sister came over and fed him (she has no DC!) and said 'maybe you need to change his teats?'
Needless to say she solved the mystery of squeaky gulpy baby poor sod!

I thought about a hundred different reasons why something was happening that i forgot the obvious ones
Aw well, a day in the life of a mum!

I don't change Fyfe overnight at all, he is in the same (cloth with bamboo booster) nappy from 8-7 ish, but then I haven't since he was about 2 months old and he slept well until 4 months....? About 80% of the babies I know that are his age (including formula fed, dummy using babies who have been sleeping through the night in their own rooms for months) ate now waking every hour ish so thought it was probably just a phase/age thing?
Anyway, I decided last night just to try a few environmental changes, last night dressed him warmer than usual (no change) tonight we're going to swaddle and tomorrow we'll try nappy changes (good idea) just in case! Otherwise though, I think it's just something we have to get through!

I mean i'd never wake them to change them (i would like SOME sleep ) but, they have no control over their bladders until around 18 months so I figure i wouldnt leave him in a wet nappy for 10/11/12 hours during the day so why at night?

Iam also an Anti-Rocker hahahaha! Babymilkys get laid down and patted instead of rocked in arms as i believe babies have an inbuilt system of eyes-wide-open as soon as the lie them down. Little beggars!

Hope you all sleep well tonight!

I know what you mean but during the day he feeds a lot, at night he doesn't, his nappy is not saturated by morning. How often do you change them at night out of interest milky?

Iam sorry i havent been following this thread that closely so not sure the personalities of all your babies.

I have a very easy going baby who goes to sleep at 8pm wakes at 2am (nappy change!) and then up for the day at 6-7am.

So only the once but DS1 was a milk monster who needed changing every 3 hours.

milky I think you're right - I wouldn't change her just once from 630am to 530pm and the last week or so, she has been eating much more at night than she did before so she could be wetter than we think and is protesting but we haven't heard her properly.
We've received our copy of "the no cry sleep solution" today. Should be interesting reading - the author is anti CIO (as are we) but apparently offers a tear-free alternative to being "a sleep deprived martyr and roughing it out from dusk til dawn"....

Good luck broody, let us know how it goes. I'm interested in your book too.
We are on our swaddling test night! He has been asleep swaddled on his back sine 8. Very odd for me as he has slept in a sleeping bag on his from since he was about 6 weeks old!

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