April 2012 - Feeding, Facebook and finally summer!!

[Flisspaps]

Apologies for the rubbish thread title - thought I'd cobble something together though!

Poor you too Newmummy (my screen has just refreshed & I now see your post). Crying babies in the middle if the night are hard to deal with. My DH doesn't ever 'do' nights. He's still sleeping in the spare room. Wouldn't dream of helping out at night. (Sometimes I think his support in BF has s'thing to do with the fact I can't ask him to help out!)

I'm down about my weight today. Feel shallow letting it get to me, but it does. Am gaining rather than losing, despite exercising. Am prob eating too much....

fliss another one with tummy sleepers here. Ds1 was same as yours, wouldn't be put down, wanted to co-sleep and feed all night. It does get better. We persevered with a co-sleeping cot with ds1 and cracked it at 10 weeks when we put him to sleep on his front. I would also feed him while half lying in his cot then slide away after he finished feeding so the smell of my milk wouldn't wake him up. We were down to 3 hourly wakings. Then at the 4 month sleep regression I would get dh to pick him up to try and settle him first and if he wouldn't stop rooting on dh then I would feed him. Whenever the nights got really bad we would always revert to co-sleeping and try putting him back in the cot after a week or so.
You could try expressing for an early morning feed (eg 4am) that your dh could do - then after you feed ds at 7/8am you express for the next morning's feed. At least then you have a chance of getting a good chunk of sleep between 2 and 7. We often did this with ds1.
Or you could do the classic dream feed with formula. One ff at 11pm shouldn't affect your supply too much. I've read that feeding between 2-4am is when hormones are at their highest for maintaining supply.

My night was ok. DH slept in with ds1 from 4-6:30, in contrast ds2 did 9-5 again. This was after insisting on napping in the moby all day. He's a funny little thing.

Icky night with F, he has a cold and can't feed properly or sleep well. fliss i'm with you on the 0-6 month stage being my nemesis. Give me a tantrumming toddler any day, at least you know what they want even if you say no to it.

Apart from the cold, F is generally feeding and sleeping better (by better i mean one 4 or sometimes 5 hr stretch at night, 2 to 3hrs in the day, it's all relative). He's over 11 wks now and i think has been through a big growth spurt covering most of wk 9 and 10 - frequent feeds, cluster feeding, green poo etc. Hope things settle for those of you with frequent feeders/poor sleepers soon.

jelly give yourself a break, you've got two others as well as a baby haven't you? You must be exhausted, i know i am with just 2. It's difficult to eat well when tired and busy. Also, some people - including me - find it hard to lose weight when bfing. I lost initially last time and then gained 2 stone! I am also trying not to mind, but it is difficult when some folks are back in their jeans and i'm digging out my fat trousers. But i lost it before and i can lose it again - and so will you.

I have a very out of sorts baby - she's been waking at 2-3am the last few nights (after previously going until 5-6am) and super-fussy/cluster feeding. I got a wonder week alarm yesterday so a leap is imminent so expect it's that. She's asleep in the carrier at the moment thankfully so I can potter around a bit/put feet up!

We've had jabs today so I'm expecting a grumpy baby tonight, but right now she's fast asleep in her bouncer so hoping she doesn't get too wound up later.

At the moment, I think DD would sleep through to 4 or 5am some nights given half the chance, but at the moment I still wake her at 2.30 or 3 if she doesn't wake herself, to give her a bottle of expressed milk.

Feels like pure selfishness on my part as it means I can take the bottle with me when we go upstairs, usually around 9.30, and know it will still be good to use for 6 hours.

If we do start trying to let her sleep through I will have to be prepared to go downstairs to get milk from the fridge when she does wake! Still, a fairly small dilemma compared to some of the stresses you are having.

Hope that things get better for you as the babies get bigger! I bumped into a friend from my yoga class whose baby is 2 weeks and already the stuff she was going through seems a million years ago to me - kept telling her 'it does get easier!'

Definitely not too soon for teething. I know DD is at it already, although I suspect the teeth themselves are still a couple of months off. Her gums are really lumpy and she's very dribbly. She loves to chomp on a muslin or her hands.

Keep going with the bf Fliss, you don't strike me as a quitter!

My DD1 cut her first tooth at 9 weeks.

digital I can only get about 1oz through expressing, and an 11pm FF was what killed my supply with DD

Have block fed today and will try a pyjama top tonight.

Good luck, Fliss!

DD is also chomping at hands and Muslims and my shoulder! dribbling like crazy too!

Good luck Fliss; sending you some of DD's sleeping dust!

fliss Have you tried expressing recently? You might find its easier now ds has properly established your supply. But, yes, totally understand as it used to take me three sessions over three days to make up enough for one feed for ds1. Good luck tonight with the block feeding and nightwear!

I haven't expressed since the first couple of weeks when I had mastitis, F is now 10 weeks old and hasn't ever had a bottle. I can't see myself wanting to go out in the evening anytime soon. Perhaps in a couple of months I'll be more inclined - but right now I'm happy to stay home feed him and get an early night. These weeks seem to be passing so quickly it feels like it won't be long till we're weaning him.

Oh and F is shoving his fists into his mouth at every opportunity too! Very cute as he looks so pleased with himself!

Why is it that the first night DS sleeps well (and in his own cot!) for ages, I can't get a wink of sleep!?? Grrr! Very proud of my little boy though... even though he'll probably go back to his old ways tomorrow

jam - oh my gawd, I had no idea they could cut a tooth so early!

Fliss - hang on in there, not long until 12 weeks then fingers crossed it will get much better. It sounds like we both have big and hungry mummy's boys!

Woke up this morning to a little visitor in our bed. Ds1 had snuck in during the night. He's done it a few times and not woken us but as cute as it is we need to get him out of the habit as Aaron has now woken him up at 6am so could have a grumpy 4yo later.

Last night didn't seem so bad, wore a top and had a dummy at hand. Have block fed again and the green poo is gone. DS has been really smily last night and today so that's making me wonder if he's been hungry due to just getting foremilk for the previous few days. Much more settled now so fingers crossed.

digital I'm going to have to try expressing this weekend anyway, have my two mammoth dentist appts this week so will need to leave DS with my DSis, if I can't get anything then I'll have to leave a carton with her as that's far preferable to the poor bugger starving, although I'm sure 90 minutes without eating won't kill him!

Bah. DD woke at 3am and again at 6am. Went back to bed but had baby massage so up again at 9am.

She's being really fussy on my boobs, and I think my blocked duct in back :(

Ooh Bah! That sounds rough, Holly. Hope baby massage went well. I need to get some training on that.

Feeling kind of funny today. Went into school yesterday with Bill. It was lovely but it has made me realise just how much I never want to go back. I can stay off till February, but am just dreading being separated from Bill at all. DH doesn't earn enough for me to quit: the best I could go down to is 4 days. I know it's early to be worried, but my priorities really have changed.

...On another subject, Bill's feeding habits have changed in the last couple of days. He's upped his usual feeding time from 10-15mins to 20-30mins, but has been going 3-4h between feeds; not 2-3. I'm guessing this is usual at 9-10 weeks? I'm loving it, anyway!

Holly hope you've had a relaxed afternoon!

Henrietta I had the same realisation when DD was born. Didn't go back. Registered as a childminder. Earn much less in £ but when you factor in childcare costs we were no worse off and now with 2 children then we'd effectively be spending the equivalent of my pay on childcare anyway so even with no minded children we'd be in the same position financially as if I WOH.

Do need some mindees though, if DS will put me down I need to get on with some advertising. For the first time in my life not being able to drive is a massive disadvantage

Glad there was some improvement last night fliss

henrietta it's way too early to be contemplating going back to work. But you might find you feel differently further down the line. When ds1 was 3mo I was convinced I wanted to be a sahm. By 8mo I was putting out feelers for freelance work (expecting to line up a project for when ds hit 10mo) and was working part-time within a week. It was simultaneously scary and thrilling to be out of the house talking to adults and being able to finish a cup of coffee while it was still hot. Everyone feels differently though - but just wanted to reassure you that going back to work (even purely for financial reasons) can be rewarding, although heartbreaking to begin with.

F set a new record last night sleeping 9-6. Celebrated by cleaning the bathroom and changing all the beds . I feel like I have to grab the opportunity to tackle the horrid chores whilst I'm fully charged because I may not be again anytime soon.

Thats brill news Digitalgirl i can only dream of a night off 9-6 hehe.

Welldone fliss I hope your getting there with DS, and hopefully he will go longer soon?

L's been feeding better- less crying with wind, and she has been going 3 hrs plus in the day now. Feeding does times change sometimes 5 mins- then 10-15mins, dont normally get to 20 mins. And down 7-8 feeds per day. Im still doing one expressed bottle a day, and i manage to pump 4-5oz with the meldela pump. If i miss a feed and DH gives her a bottle, i tend to express before the next feed. We keep 2-3 bottle in our fidge at all times! It means i can go out without DD and do any work if i need to.
Im working for a photographer a couple of times a month just for 2hrs, i do make-overs. Also Ive been booked for 5 wedding make-ups for this year. I have a years MAT leave from boots, but im just doing these as extras!
I plan to return to work for just 2 days, dont want to leave L for more than that!

Just got in from my first post-baby night out. This is the latest I've been up since the night DD was born, exactly 2 months ago.

Am even sleeping in the spare room because I thought I'd be a bit drunk. Ah well - an undisturbed nights sleep for the first time too.

Hi everyone- wrote a long message and the old thread would not accept it.....
hope all are good- will read more when i get a chance.
my son has had hand foot and mouth and the poor thing was so agitated he literally did not sleep for an entire night and could not stop trying to rub his feet....horrid virus.

all for now....Bo on my knee and she is now crying......

Ah, back to the 3:30am feed...

jambalaya good for you!

Thaleia hasn't been on for a few days, hope all is well...

Yes I've been wondering about thaleia too. Hope you are doing ok.

More crying at my house. God I hope 12 weeks brings a magic cure.