May Baby Mayhem!

[Bodeccia]

Hello fellow May mums. Let's follow on from our lovely ante-natal threads, here's the first of the post-natal ones. Join us as we work out how to handle nappies, feeding, colic, crying and all things newborn, or just to celebrate the joys of a new baby!

DD is 11 weeks now, she started doing longer stretches at about 5-6 weeks I think. I'm a huge fan of swaddling - I think it really helps them to re-settle if they don't have flailing/wandering arms and feel secure and snug. You can by really large muslin wraps here - 120cm square is ideal - they are perfect as they are breathable and light. My mum made me them for DS and he still sleeps with them now as his cuddle rug.
We also play a lullaby cd during all her naps and at bedtime, mainly because I have DS banging around up and down the hallway and feel that having a steady noise in the background makes sudden ones less noticeable if that makes sense.
Speaking of sleep...night all

Sorry I haven't been on for a bit. What was actually quite a nice but busy week went really bad on Thursday, as the decision was taken by my DDs nursery to close down permanently for financial reasons as of Friday night :( . DD1 and DD2 were there from being babies, and DD3 had a place booked for September / October. DD1 had been there for over 4 years, and they have helped us out way beyond the call of duty lots of times over the years. We all really loved the nursery and staff, and it is so sad that they have had to close. Evesham isn't very big, so now everyone is scrabbling round for nursery places. I actually cried looking round a new nursery on Friday (which was really embarrassing!). I think the one we saw will be OK, so will decide on days etc this evening, then hope they have places left when I phone up tomorrow. I know one of DD1s friends is booked there now, and one of the children DD2 liked was looking round just before us on Friday.

Lime hope the mastitis is a distant memory now. It's horrible how fast you go from feeling normal, to feeling like death warmed up.... DD3 is 7 weeks tomorrow, and the bleeding has finally almost stopped (sorry if tmi, but now just a very faintly coloured cm type thing). Went on for this long with all of mine - I'm just lucky I guess!!!!

cupcake glad you liked Evesham! We live in one of the surrounding villages rather than in town, but it is a lovely place to live. So glad we moved here!

LittleSarah congrats on the offer of work! Glad your DS measured up to the checklist! I try not to obsess about things like that, but always end up feelin relieved when I'm told things are going well (ahh, the joy of maternal guilt!).

Ladybee the bed / bath bit is always a bit dodgy round here too! I often do it on my own, as DH is away part of the week, and usually try to feed DD3 right before we go up, in the hope she'll drop off for a bit. It works maybe 50% of the time (being optimistic there possibly!). Otherwise, she usually cries, and DD1 and DD2 end up late to bed, but we get there in the end.

Cydonia the fennel tea is meant to aid digestion, which means it should stop the wind getting trapped. I guess some is meant to go to the baby in your milk, but you can also give the baby 5ml before and after a feed. We put it in a 5ml syringe (you can get from the dispensary in Boots) and just give it to DD3 before and sometimes after the midnight feed. I think it does help a bit, but it's one of those things that it is hard to prove the effectiveness of!

SirCharles I made a wedding dress for someone who wanted to bf on her wedding day a few years ago. It was a Spanish inspired long circular skirt, short jacket and a camisole type top with zips instead of side seams. She was really brave and went for some gorgeous silk fabrics for everything (hope she had some bridal-white muslins to catch any sick!!!) Could you go for some sort of skirt / trousers and light jacket, which you could wear a stetchy vest / cami type thing underneath, so you can undo the jacket and pull up the top to bf? Or would there be any sort of nice tunic / dress you could wear over fitted trousers / leggings (depends how formal a wedding it is). I had a beautiful embroidered chiffon tunic / dress from Monsoon after I had DD2, which I wore with leggings for nice evenings out - it was actually quite like the top half of a Shalwar Kameez. A large chiffon scarf / pashmina would help as "cover" too.

Hi everyone. Hope you don't kind me updating the list with my new arrival... Caitlin Lisa Bea was born by ELCS and squealed before she even came out!

I haven't said much on these threads as I had quite a tough pregnancy and the consultants had prepared me for the worst - my baby was diagnosed with severe ventriculomegaly in utero, which can have horrific consequences.

I lost both of my parents during my pregnancy, within three weeks of each other, and my sister was hospitalised for much of it due to an unexplained gastric disorder.

My parents are still gone, my sister is still poorly (having lost over 7 1/2 stone), BUT an MRI on Day 2 of Caitlin's life showed that, despite enlarged ventricles, there doesn't appear to be any increased pressure in the brain caused by the excess fluid, which is AMAZING news :-)

She developed jaundice due to lethargy following sedation for the MRI, so she lost 10% of her birthweight and then had trouble latching on so was slow to get back to her original weight, but once we got the hang of it, she flew - she has now been discharged from the midwife and the neonatal nursing team so her weight and head circumference will only be monitored monthly by the health visitor. Hard to put into words how happy we are. My Mum and Dad would be so proud and would completely adore her.

I feel so lucky to have her and can't quite believe it's true but am trying hard to just enjoy every minute and not worry about the little things. She seems to love her sleep (her mother's daughter!) and now at 9 weeks tends to sleep for a 7 hour stretch at night, then settles down again for another 3-4 hours after a sleepy feed, with a couple of long naps in the daytime. I'm pretty sure this won't last, so am making the most of it while I can...

DP resigned from his job in preparation for her birth, with the likelihood being that we would have to trek back and forth to hospital and I would be unable to drive after the CS. Fortunately, that scenario never materialised, so he has been able to share these precious weeks with me, which made my recovery easier and he has been a shoulder to cry on during the sad times. Very lucky to have him (even though on his first night out to wet the baby's head, he managed to fall down a flight of wooden stairs and broke his orbit - the bone in the face that holds his eye in place. Cue a call from A&E and a trip there with Caitlin at 4am, to discover one very battered, bruised and, quite frankly, terrifying looking Daddy. Brilliant)

It's so heartwarming to read all of your fantastic stories and reassuring to know that someone else is experiencing the same things as I am. We live in between two places as we are in the process of selling our house and we don't know where we'll end up moving to, so I don't know any other mums with babies, and I no longer have my Mum to ask, so thanks.

One positive thing I need to share with you all - the neonatal nurse told me that chocolate is REALLY GOOD for breast feeding and in fact she MADE me eat some while I was feeding. She might just be loopy but I have decided to believe her and follow her advice. Frequently :-)

Wishing you all a restful night x

Born:

08.02.12 (26+6) - Gotmylittlelamb #1 GIRL Sophia Diane
21.04.12 (38+1) - Goodname #2 BOY, Finlay 7lb 12oz
22.04.12 (38+3) - LadyMaybe #2 GIRL Rosalind Eliza, 7lb 8oz
24.04.12 (39+1) - Yorky #4 GIRL Pippa (Philippa) Kate, 8lb 2oz
27.04.12 (39+2) - Mikocat #1 GIRL April, 7lb 8oz
30.04.12 (39 weeks) - Wrigglebum #2 BOY Adam Zachary, 6lb 4oz
03.05.12 (38+5) - Sugarx #1 GIRL Caitlin Lisa Bea 7lb 15oz
04.05.12 (38+6) - beeboles #3 BOY Tom
05.05.12 (39+6) - oltob #2 BOY Toby, 8lb 4oz
06.05.12 (39+1) - chocolatesparkle #1 GIRL Imogen Grace
08.05.12 (40 weeks) - myweeangel #2 BOY Noah, 10lb 8oz
08.05.12 (40+6) - DialMforMummy #2 BOY
09.05.12 (39+1) - PreciousPuddleduck #1 GIRL
10.05.12 (40+4) - tara0202 #2 BOY Cameron
11.05.12 (39+2) - googietheegg #1 GIRL, 7lb 7oz
11.05.12 (39+3) - Katykuns #2 GIRL Emily Edith Harriet
12.05.12 (41+6) - Harecare #3 GIRL April Edith 9lb
12.05.12 (41+1) - saggybaps #2 BOY
12.05.12 (39+6) - bonbonpixie #1 GIRL Cameron
12.05.12 (41+2) - Mythical #1 GIRL Isabel Helen 8lb 7oz
13.05.12 (41 weeks) - purestcocoa #1 GIRL Imani 7lb 8oz
13.05.12 (39+3) - ballroompink #1 BOY Sebastian Henry James 7lbs 8oz
13.05.12 (39+6) - alwaysanauntie #1 GIRL Cora Regina
14.05.12 (39 weeks) - LittleSarah #3 BOY Finlay 5lb 14oz
15.05.12 - MrsHoarder #1 BOY
15.05.12 (39+4) - Newtothisstuff #2 GIRL Jessikah 6lb 3oz
16.05.12 (41+1) - dreamingofanallotment #1 GIRL Isla Grace 8lb
17.05.12 (39 weeks) - Cewafwb #4 GIRL Savannah Darcy Ailsa
18.05.12 (41+6) - Bodeccia #1 GIRL Adèle Johanna 8lb 11
19.05.12 (40 weeks) - Russki #1 GIRL Rose Frances 7lb 1oz
21.05.12 (39 weeks) - Catsycat #3 GIRL Zuleika Seren 9lbs 1oz
22.05.12 (40+5) - imissbrie #1 GIRL Heidi Anna 7lbs 15oz
22.05.12 (40+6) - cupcakefairy #2 BOY Sebastian John 10lbs
23.05.12 (40+4) - SirCharles #1 BOY Theodore Harold 7lbs 8oz
23.05.12 (39+6) - mixedclassbaby #2 GIRL Rosie Eris
23.05.12 (41+1) - Heidihole #1 BOY James 10lb 6oz
23.05.12 (39+2) - Cydonia #1 BOY Max William
24.05.12 (40+1) - tostaky #3 BOY Areski 9lbs 7oz
26.05.12 (39+4) - BlueCrane #1 BOY Maxwell 6lbs 9oz
30.05.12 (40+5) - Karatekimmi #1 BOY Toby
31.05.12 (40+10) - luckynumber11 #3 GIRL Tessa Elizabeth 8lbs 5oz

EDD:

2nd May - MidwifeWithABump #1
4th May - Ariane5 #4 - scan = boy
8th May - SAF1610 #1?
9th May - cherrypie55 = girl
10th May - Marmite123 #1
10th May - Pickle54 #1 = boy
11th May - Cairnterrier, #2
13th May - musicalmrs, #1, surprise
14th May - Montymum, #1
16th May - Failsafe, #1
17th May - MandaHugNKiss #4
17th May - Sunshinela, #1
21st May - Basse, #1, scan = boy
22nd May - Knittymum, #3, girl (confirmed by 2 scans)
25th May - LimeFlower #1, surprise
26th May - GingerLemonTea #1, surprise
26th May - BebeBelge
27th May - SESthebrave #2, surprise, ELCS
28th May - openerofjars #2
30th May - Langoria - surprise
30th May - Twittwoo #1
31st May - CluelessPro #1

Lovely to meet you Sugarx. Sounds like you've had a rollercoaster ride these last few months. So sorry to hear about the loss of your parents and your sister's illness, but it's wonderful that your baby is doing fine. Great news about chocolate too - I always new loving it so much must be good somewhere along the way!!!

Hi sugar I remember you posting on the antenatal thread.. fantastic news about your dd, and so lovely u & dh have been able to have all this quality time together.

catsy so sad about the nursery :( hope u get a place in the other one.

sarah did swaddling help? Hope so.

Seb is sleeping quite well which I'm v grateful for as ds1 is being a pain at the mo messing about at bedtimes & getting up at 5.30..and as of last week not napping unless I drive round for ages in the car :( meh.
Seb sleeping for long stretches also causes problems for my boobs though! They're so full by the time he wakes that he can't cope with the flow & ends up choking & coughing then doesn't want to latch back on.. stressful! Hoping the supply will lessen over next couple of weeks as I don't want to get up in the night to express, or confuse my supply by doing so..

cupcake, have you tried one of these or similar? We bought it for DD1 when she was about 22 months old and getting up earlier and earlier. We managed to get her from waking at about 4.30am to 7am in a couple of weeks. There were a few tears, and we had to send her back to bed a couple of times each morning at first, but she seemed to understand what the clock meant. We were also able to use the sleeping rabbit to "prove" it was bedtime - also used the cbeebies bedtime song for this (in fact DD1 used to just get up and make for the stairs with no prompting from us whenever she heard the song!). The good news is, now she's teaching DD2 to check the clock too! Might be worth a go if DS1 is persistently "experimenting" with bedtime and getting up.

We also had to drive round for ages in the car with DD1 to get her to take naps, once she got to around 2. DD2 hasn't napped consistently, even with driving around, for months (she is 2 1/2 now). She will sometimes drop off on the sofa or in the car, but only if she has had a late night or exerted herself, not just because its nap time iyswim. The other thing we did to help with bedtime with DD1 was to put a CD of children's songs on in her room every night. 5 Little Speckled Frogs etc. seemed to keep her entertained until she dropped off...

I've got places for our 3 in the nursery we looked at on Friday. Quite a few of the children from our old nursery are there too, including one of DD1's best friends. DD1 and DD2 will be going one day a week in the holidays, then when DD1 starts school, I'll put DD2 in for 2 days - hopefully she'll be well used to it by then. DD3 will be starting in January, once DD2 gets her grant, then DD2 will go up to 2.5 or 3 days. They took this rather complex plan in good part, then took loads of details of DD1's allergies / asthma / eczema so they could "train the staff on it" before thursday, when the girls have their first taster session. DD2 just wandered off and started playing when we looked round, and DD1 was more shy, but also went to play and said it was nice. Now she knows her friend is going, she is keen to go too. So it all looks good at this point... :)

Must go and feed DD3 now. DD1 and 2 are making me laugh - DD1 is teaching DD2 ballet, she has made her wear a tutu and shoes (each shoe is a different size and colour!) from the dressing up box, and has just been putting her in Bras Bas (sp?), now she is making her point her toes and jump while holding the back of a chair!!!

Catsy I can completely understand why the nursery closure and search for a new place was an emotional minefield - it's such an important part of your life and you trust them to take care of your precious LOs. You chose the original one because it was the best choice for you and now you're being forced to chose another. I'm pleased you've found an alternative, especially with other parents also looking - at least there are places available.
Sugarx goodness, you deserve about a million of these What a lot to go through all at once. How are you feeling?? Did the midwives pay close attention to your emotional state pre- and post-natal, it seems like if any situation was going to put you at risk for PND that would do it, but you sound very bright and I love that you're trying to enjoy the small moments and not worry too much. Looove the advice re: chocolate. Not that I need much encouragement, after getting the all clear from diabetes I've been indulging a little too often already. Glad you're with us - do offload and ask anything, it's the best thing about MN, somewhere, someone has always been through something similar. So sorry to hear about the loss of your parents, it's must have been a horrible to shock to lose both within such a short time period.
Cupcake it sounds like you're suffering the same issue that I had when I last posted. It is starting to settle down here, so with a bit of luck your supply will equalise a bit soon. I still had quite a few sessions where I just had far too much and DD didn't seem to realise; fountains of milk were returned to me.
I'm feeling pretty good, although we're undergoing a bit financial stress at the moment which is no fun but has to be dealt with. DD is being lovely, lots of smiles and gummy grins and I think she might be crying a little less, or maybe I'm just getting used to it. I've managed to achieve a few small projects too which is helping me feel a bit better too - really small things like listing a bundle of clothes on our ebay, sewing some basic curtains to help keep out draughts and filling out a form and posting it off. It's amazing how long it was taking me to get them done and it was starting to get me down. I had PND with my son, it kicked in quite late at around 4 months. Actually, looking back, I think it started earlier than that but escalated quickly at this stage when I started on the mini-pill. I've been very very conscious of the symptoms this time around, and have had several calls from the maternal mental health team to check up. I think I'm ok this time around but it's a bit like walking around the edge of a crater, every so often my foot slips and I have to scramble a bit to stop myself sliding down. One of my warning signs is isolating myself, which includes not using MN for support, it's one of the reasons why I disappear and then pop back. Anyway, I just wanted to put it out there in case anyone else is struggling, and feeling alone or like they're the only one.

Thanks catsy we definitely want to get one of those clocks.. just need a bit of spare cash one month! Think he prob would get on quite well with it.

ladybee can totally relate to things taking forever..it really gets me down too when I know there are loads of little jobs that need doing & it's just impossinle. Even on weekends dh & I barely get a thing done between entertaining the boys and actually feeding ourselves!! A dishwasher & tumble drier would definitely help in this household but not happening anytime soon! Hope u can avoid the pnd this time, will u not be going back on the pill then?

I'm off to a perineal trauma class in physio dept of hospital this afternoon.. joy of joys. Dh is looking after ds1 & I'm hoping the close sling will keep ds2 quiet!

It's v quiet on here! Is everyone on their holidays?!
Not much going on here thank goodness. Our 6 month old nephew died last week. Such a shock. Found dead in his cot after his afternoon nap. Truly awful to have to attend that funeral with a 7 week old. I do not know how DSiL is coping. MiL & great granny both distraught too. There are no words to comfort anyone with. Awful.
Was a beautiful funeral but just wrong to be at it for one so young.
Now I am wondering if I should get a baby monitor & one with a movement mat at that..,.., should I? We have resisted having any monitor at all up to this point.

Gosh SirCharles, that's awful. I can't imagine how terrible that must be for the family. We don't have a movement sensor on our monitor but I know a friend did and found it very reassuring. In fact she started using it again when her daughter was found to have bad sleep apnoea at 2 1/2.

It is very quiet here, I hope it means you are all enjoying your babies. I see some of your names across the various boards on here.

Was lovely to have some sun today, things always seem better in the sunshine.

Oh SirCharles how terrible. It gave me such a sick feeling to read that, it must have been absolutely shocking for you and devastating for your poor SIL. I only have a sound monitor, but I still consider getting a movement one, probably one that clips onto the nappy like the Respisense or Snuza. Have just had another look and will probably get one as it's something I feel very anxious about.

wriggle glad you got some sunshine at last. We're having the deluge now, right after I got three loads of washing out on to the line thank goodness we have some line under cover, I can at least get some of the wet stuff out there for a bit before getting it into the tumble dryer to finish off.

I was thinking of getting started on the washable nappies soon, especially as DD seems to have got into a pattern of pooing only every 4-5 days or so. But if the rain is going to continue like this I might reconsider!

No pill for me this time around, it was such a disaster last time. In fact no nothing for me at the moment, I was considering getting a coil, but didn't in the end. I have to say lack of contraception hasn't been too much of an issue though, BFing seems to lower my libido, and I'm always knackered when I go to bed that the only thing on my mind is getting to sleep as quickly as possible. DH is abroad for two weeks for work now, but maybe I should make the effort when he gets back

cupcake I am slightly baffled at the idea of a perineal trauma class. Is it a group thing? What do you do at it?

ladybee it doesn't involve sharing your perineal trauma with the group if that's what you mean!! This was basically a lecture on pelvic floor exercises & explaining the consequences of not doing them etc.. was really interesting actually & certainly has me clenching more often!! I downloaded an app last night actually to remind me to do them! It was for all women in last few weeks who've had 3rd/4th degree tear. In a couple of weeks I go for a personal appointment for the physio to assess if it's healed & I'm doing the pelvic floor exercises properly.

sircharles how awful for your family :( I too am terrified of sids and constantly checking ds2 throughout the night (esp as he's a tummy sleeper ) but will definitely look into getting a movement sensor now.

Sircharles that's awful, I can't imagine what your family are going through.
DS and I had our routine post natal check yesterday and happily all was well apart from the doctor was a bit concerned that its taking a while for DS's head to go down after the ventouse. I thought it had gone down quite a bit but I suppose looking at it with fresh eyes it is quite pronounced. Anyone have any experience of this? He's 8 weeks tomorrow.
Routine wise it's all going wrong! Last time I posted on here we were going in the right direction, now we've gone backwards! He's sleeping for shorter periods at night and not really napping through the day properly either. He'll fall asleep in my arms but as soon as I try to put him down he's awake and crying within 5 mins! He's just generally more unsettled, screaming for hours of an evening, won't sleep til about midnight then awake again a couple of hours later. Am worried he's going to end up being very needy/clingy, plus it's awful not being able to stop the crying.
From what I've posted on here I think he has silent reflux possibly as well as colic! Dr didn't seem too concerned, gave me some gaviscon at my insistence but said it probably won't help and that he will grow out of it! Then told me one of his children was just the same and that they just had to carry him round in a sling all the time- thanks, really helpful! DS still cries in his sling if he's that way out, literally nothing soothes him :( Got his first injections on Thursday so not l

Oops, wrong button! Not looking forward to it.
Hope everyone else is doing better than me! I think its time for more chocolate.....

Oh SirCharles, just wanted to say how sorry I am, what an awful thing to happen.

Must go, as Z has started crying. Will post properly when I can...

Cydonia that sounds really hard. Sorry I don't have much advice about the head. I had a ventouse and DD's head in the first day was a bit cone-shaped, but to be honest the next day it looked normal. Did you ask your GP what could be done about it? I mean, what's the point the GP saying something if they don't offer a plan, even if it's just watch and wait for a couple more weeks?
That goes for the reflux as well, I would suggest that if the gaviscon doesn't work, then you need to go back and ask for something else (omeprazole) and referral to pediatric gastric specialist for help. Or at the very least a plan of action.

Feel free to ignore the following but here are tips based on refluxy babies (but nothing serious):

Combination of reflux and overtiredness is affecting sleep. Try to get into a pattern of feeding when he wakes, so that you can then keep him upright for a little while before putting down to sleep. Do feeds in 2 halves: feed, wind then change nappy, then finish feed. It means you're not having to lay him down with a full tummy, also gives him a chance to do
For naps and sleep in general, first establish the habit of napping somewhere, no matter where. So on you is fine if that's what works. Just watch him like a hawk after feeding and the moment he starts grimacing, hands going up to face, arms waving about wierdly, little short cries, and yawns, start trying to ease him into sleep. (Try Happiest Baby on the Block DVD - the techniques in it really work for settling). One yawn could be an accident, 2 means it's time, three he needs to be picked up now and got ready for a nap before he gets past the point of no return.
Try napping in a bouncy chair or rocker so he's more upright, or put a wedge under the mattress so that he's elevated by at least 30 degrees.
If you're having trouble seeing tired signs etc because he's worked up or always tired/sore, then use the clock and start trying to get him to sleep after he's been awake about 1 1/4 hours.
Once you've managed to get naps happening again you can work on where they happen and try to get him back into bassinet/cot/basket wherever, so you get some down time. But honestly, don't worry about him being clingy/needy. He's an 8 week old baby, he IS needy. And that's perfectly fine. How they are now, is nothing like they'll be in three weeks and that's nothing like they'll be three weeks after that . Nothing lasts forever in this game.

So I bought a breathing monitor last night. I was looking at them and found one on our ebay equivalent. Am just waiting for it to arrive. My worst time is the feed at 5AM, I sit there holding her once she's gone to sleep wanting to keep hold of her, knowing that I'll fall asleep, willing myself to put her back in her bassinet because I know that's the safest place but wanting to hold on to her just a bit longer

Thanks for the tips Ladybee! It is hard to spot his sleepy signs as he gets distressed straight after a feed and then at some point will just 'drop'! What's strange is that it's not all the time, he starts the day ok, happy and smiley and has a couple of good naps ( he's asleep on me now ) then gradually goes downhill. By about 10pm we're both in meltdown! I don't know how long the gaviscon takes to work, but I would've thought that due to the nature of it it should work straight away? The only effect I've seen so far is that his poo has thickened up, it's like lemon curd!
I think it'll be hard to get the dr to take me seriously as DS is otherwise healthy, gaining weight and not generally bringing anything up with the reflux. Get the feeling he thinks I'm over reacting.
He didn't really give a plan about his head, just that he'd check it again in a month! I don't know what you can do anyway, from what I remember the drs and paediatrician in the hospital just said it will go down with time.
I'm going to cut my caffeine intake and see if that helps ( I'll really be a zombie then! ) and am thinking about cutting out dairy, though that seems a bit drastic. Oh and there's colief, we've not tried that yet. Or cranial osteopathy. Aha see I haven't tried everything after all!!

Oh and I'll definitely try the feed, wind/change, then finish feed. Might help to get him to take more as he gets fussy after about ten minutes so if I give him a break then he might settle. God it's all so time consuming, how on earth do people do this and have other children/jobs as well?! People keep asking me when I'm going back to work! God, never at this rate!!

Cydonia- I think the problem with reflux and doctors is that as long as the baby is gaining weight nicely they are medically ok, but it's miserable for the whole family. The advice from your doctor to use a sling is actually really good, keeps them upright and close to you. If you want to give it a try without too much financial commitment I recommend trying a stretchy wrap from Victoria Slinglady. Mine was £15 plus £3 postage brand new from her eBay shop. A quick watch online will show you how to use it- just tie it on in the morning and pop baby in and out. I can have Adam in the sling for hours it's so comfy.

Ladybee's advice is all very good too, Propping up the bed makes such a difference. I always put ds1 on his side to sleep too. The other thing to remember is that it will pass and you'll barely remember it in a few months.

I do have a sling Wrigglebum, got a second hand sleepy wrap off EBay. Getting it tied right is a bit hit and miss though, sometimes his head isn't supported and wobbles about. He also gets a bit frustrated at being near my boobs but not able to feed as he roots a lot and drools all over me! Have watched some videos but not convinced I'm doing it right!
I got a sleep positioner wedge thing for his cot but not convinced by that either, he slides down it and ends up squashed at the bottom. Saying that I think it does help with the reflux, I haven't heard him regurgitating as much though he's still very 'grunty'!
He's not been quite as bad today, whether that's down to the gaviscon I'm not sure, I've only given it 3 times so far today as its such a pain to mix up and give while he's screaming!
Part of me can see where the doctors coming from, he is medically a healthy baby. Just want some kind of diagnosis as I'm not convinced it is reflux, could be colic, could be a milk oversupply issue but noone seems to take me seriously! Perhaps the best thing for me to do is relax, stop googling every tiny symptom and overanalysing it and wait for him to grow out of it like everyone tells me he will do! Doesn't help that DP works nights so I fill in the long lonely hours glued to my iPhone obsessing about stuff. Thanks for the support!

I've found with the wrap you need to tie it tighter than you'd think. When I tie mine on I don't leave any slack iyswim, the natural stretch in the fabric gives enough room for the baby. You can always pull it about a bit to tighten it around the head. If you pop him in when he's full up and should be getting sleepy then go out for a walk then he'll probably doze off, fresh air does great things for both of you. If it's too rainy a bit of a dance round the house should work too.

Likelihood is that he'll grow out of it and you'll forget all about it. Their tummies are so delicate and need time to mature. I know a diagnosis helps make sense of things but it won't necessarily get you any more sleep . When ds1 was tiny someone told me that babies gain control of their bodies head down, so head control, then hands and finally legs. Control over the valve at the top of their tummies (reflux occurs because that doesn't really close properly) comes just after they get a bit more control over their hands, that seemed pretty right with DS. I just realised one day that I hadn't been covered in baby puke for ages and that he seemed a bit happier.

Don't worry about clinginess, babies are supposed to be clingy at this age and cuddling him is giving him what he needs, not 'making a rod for your own back'. Enjoy having him sleep on you because very soon he won't at all and you'll miss those sleepy baby cuddles.

And I second the suggestion about cranial osteopathy, but maybe after the doctor has checked his head again post-ventouse just to be safe?

Thank you, you are my voice of reason!

Hello again all :)

Cydonia - I second the advice you've been given and have also heard good things about cranial osteopathy

SirCharles - there are no words :( My thoughts are with you and your family.

All going well here. Aoife is now over 5 weeks old and weighed in at 10lb10 today. She also gave me a stint of over 5hrs of sleep in her crib last night so all going well. Completely different to DS who never slept on his own for months! Just goes to show it's all to do with the individual baby rather than so much what we do as parents!

Tomorrow is my Dad's birthday and the Olympic torch goes down my parents' road so we'll be heading over there for the afternoon. Just hope the rain stays away! At least it looks like better weather next week :)

Summer is officially on its way, said so on the weather tonight. Then they gave a warning for heavy rain tonight!!

Hi ladies, good to hear all your updates.. cydonia and others suffering with sleep problems hope you're all ok.. everything seems so much more difficult when you're not getting enough sleep so I hope you're managing some rest during the day. Really feel for you. My ds2 is sleeping well at the moment but I don't take it for granted at all as I know their patterns and habits change constantly so just trying to enjoy it now.. with ds1 around when we strted weaning he was waking constantly in the night ..yaaaawn.

Had 8 wk check and jabs on thurs.. nasty! But ds2 weighing 13lbs, and 61cm length ..big boy!