October 2012 babies - over here nobbers!

[Smorgs]

This really will be the thread where all our babies start sleeping through the night... right?!

[weezl74]

Hiya, hope you don't mind a quick question, I posted a little on a couple of the ante-natal threads, a while back.

When you are talking about/thinking about/praying for (!) 'sleeping through', what is everyone meaning by that? Like do you mean 7pm to 7 am ish, or do you mean from a (say) 11pm dreamfeed to 7 am ish?

Weezl x (DS3 born 18th October)

[Beeblebear]

Weezl. Yes sleeping through is about 5 to 6 hours continuous sleep. Was 1 to 6am here. Now moved up to 1 to 7 or 8 am at 11 weeks. Last night ds slept 8.5 hours. An exception for sure.

Re: bumbo. Have one. Ds has great neck control but seems to scrunch him up too much at this point and does not like it. Heard more ppl have success around 5 or 6 months and say its a good spoon feeding place.

[Katla]

Hello - wow, a whole shiny new thread. Happy new year everyone - it's so helpful and supportive to have this group for all the ups and downs so thank you all for sharing .

Have done a mammoth catch up reading posts over last two days as Erin has a cold/cough and is feeling very sorry for herself so I've been sitting on the sofa with her sleeping on me all day as she's so miserable I can't put her down anywhere without crying. Poor thing has wee red eyes, coughing (which makes her cry and then she panics cos she can't breathe and gulps and splutters which is most alarming) and lots and lots of mucus. We have now invested in a 'bogey hoover' to sook them out her little nose. She hates that though but it does seem to ease her breathing and makes it easier for her to feed.

We had her at the doctor yesterday after a call to NHS 24 as she really seemed to be struggling to breathe - who said we were doing all we could with the inhaling steam, baby vicks and the saline spray and it would just pass. Doctor said it was some kind of virus (bronchio-something medical that I can't remember - my brain power is a bit fuzzy anyway as I couldn't remember where the nurse on NHS 24 said to go for my appointment with the out of hours doctor as Erin was screaming by the end of the phone call and I had to put her in the next room and close the door - most stressful).

It was reassuring anyway to get her checked out and the doctor said she was the cutest patient all day which cheered me up. This has meant that our lovely sleep has been disrupted as Erin really struggles when laid down - even with the moses basket propped up at one end and bedtime is a two hour screamathon. She was previously going from 11pm til 7am - or sometimes a long lie til anything up to 9am. I also had a couple of free evenings with DH as she was in bed upstairs at 8:30pm with a dream feed at 11pm which lasted til the morning (or until she exploded with a giant poo at 5am...)

She is also trying to sit up herself and can launch herself forwards if I'm sitting with her propped up against my arm - just can't keep herself up for any longer than a few moments but she is trying. She is 12 weeks on Friday.

Best go put the tea in the oven now - sorry no namechecking, will try to catch up more later.

[Orenishii]

I had a big long reply typed out on my phone - took most of the day, on and off, thanking everyone for their support, opinions, thoughts, experiences and sharing them all on this thread - because if it wasn't for this, I would have dissolved into a pit of doubt a long time ago. Then MN went weird and wouldn't post it.

So - thank you for creating this thread to allow the space to rant like i did today, and thank you for responding, for sharing, for giving different opinions and for the support because the single hardest thing - I find - about being a mother is the doubt. Am I doing the very best for my child? Days like yesterday with the HV and the weight thing make me doubt myself and I hate it.

Weezl i'm happy with DS sleeping from 12 til 7/8 - that counts in my book!

[crazypaving]

orenishii totally with you on the doubt and worry. wish someone could tell me definitively whether or not to get ds2's tongue tie cut. or the doctor would just leave us alone so I could stop getting him weighed. I wouldn't have a clue if she hadn't weighed him in the first place - he's doing really well otherwise (apart from the perma-cold )

[Orenishii]

crazy I have some experience re tongue tie. We were right up to the point of having it cut - at Kings they have a day clinic, get you all together, give a big talk, examine all the babies, confirm the tie or not, and then decide to cut or not. It was a stressful day because you had to have at least four hours after a feed and ds was the only one screaming the place down - with everyone giving me this expression

Anyway, they confirmed DS was tied but they watched me breastfeed and decided since he seemed to be feeding well and was gaining weight - albeit at his own pace - that he had adapted and it was better not to cut.

So - all i know is - the less intervention the better and they didn't want to do something unnecessary. In the end, the tie wasn't interfering with feeding, though I do have to keep reminding the HVs/community MWs that it makes his weight gain a little slower.

If he's gaining, wetting nappies, happy and contented, crying actual tears - I say leave him be. He might be tongue tied but you know if he's feeding or not. Is he gaining weight?

[smile4me]

Ha famous last word about not screaming too much after jabs... I must have touched injection site on DDs thigh when changing nappy last night... cue 1 hour screaming grrrr. And since hitting the magic 3 month supossedly more settled mark she's also forgotten how to selfsettle at night arghhhh... can the 4 month sleep regression hit a month early?

orenishii to your GP over trying to convince you to FF... It'd be pretty obvious if he was hungry! I was told growth rates go up and down anyway, so a bit less one month might be more 6 weeks later. And I hate how they always use average grrrrr... where in real life are babies average... how can they be average when they all have different size parents? Hope you ignore them totally Healthy happy baby with lots of wet nappies is the best way to tell.

OMG huffle that must be one looooong baby you've got! We are in 6-9m as 3-6m are too tight around the weeble's tummy but the legs flap in the breeze! Next clothes seem really big though... have some under 3m tops which we're only just using now!

Erin's cold/cough sounds yuck Katla, hope she's feeling better soon. Love the idea of a bogey hoover... might have to get one of those as we get lots of spewing out of DDs nose which leaves her totally bunged up! Is it a bulb syringe or something more technical? That's awesome that she's trying to sit up! We are nowhere near yet.

Great news on the dummy trick Mickey, keep going with that one (or keep DP going with it anyway!)

[Orenishii]

Has anyone managed to measure their baby yet? I sort of did the other day when DS was crumpling his toes in his 0-3. He's nine weeks and 61cm - give or take a few wriggles! He's now in 3-6 purely for the length. I think he's going to be a sprinter like his dad

smile hope DD feels better after her jabs! And katia hope your DD feels better soon. I picked up something in Superdrug - like a natural vapour rub full of herbs but haven't had chance to use it yet because it's from 3m+ - would your DD be old enough?

[crazypaving]

orenishii that's interesting, thanks for the info. he feeds ok - very noisy, clicky and takes in loads of air. he is gaining weight but I've been told this can all go tits up when milk production stops being hormone-led and starts being simply demand-supply, or something like that.

everyone's just been a bit unsure about it except the private lactation consultant who cut ds1's tt, but she's scissor-happy, largely I think because of her £160 fee

I'm not sure cutting is a good idea at ds's age (13wks) but I don't want to do the wrong thing by him and stunt his growth or something. it doesn't help that ds1 was over a kilo heavier than ds2 at the same age. different children and comparisons unhelpful I know but still. ds1 was smaller than ds2 at birth.

sorry epic post all about tongue tie but I'm really struggling with this one

[Beccus]

ha ha, laughing at elpis's mix tapes to pull her man, so retro, & babymickey's poo that caused her dp to spew. grrr, outraged by orienishi's nobber gp. dd self settled twice today - there was a bit of grizzling as i shushed and patted and her swaddle cloth was as tight as a straight jacket, but i am so proud. xmas pressie arrived from grandparents - lovely fisherprice mobile with projected pictures! i hope it helps her sleep!

[Orenishii]

crazy we too have the clicking, air gulping...we just have to be so on the winding. Sometimes he won't feed longer than 3 minutes per side and it's hard...My perfume right now is gripe water.

In this instance i was happy to be led by the NHS as i knew they wouldn't do it unless he really needed it. Maybe get reassessed by them?

I know it's hard but if it helps i was tongue tied as well and not cut.

[crazypaving]

thanks again orenishii. my instinct has been not to cut but I find it hard to trust my instinct when healthcare professionals are probing. dh and I aren't small so it's unexpected to have a smallish baby. we'll see what the doctor says next Friday....

[Orenishii]

Good luck :) I know it's so hard...everything else - the relentless feeding/winding/changing/sleep is hard but it's hard work. The doubt, the having to be an adult making decisions...is hard.

[hufflepuffle]

Oh so much chat! I can't possibly respond to all so not even going to try. Too too tired. Please please more than 4 hrs straight tonight!!

The 6-9 months have been tumble dried...,..... Just so u don't all think total monster..,, but still, bit mental!! I find the Next ones lovely and long but they shrink worst!! So will be buying more of those and drying on airer!

DS was so good today at hospital, smiling at everyone!! Had multi offers to watch him while I went for my physio!! But he came too And was a poppet!!

First tIme I had third degree tear. 3c I think. Hav had two physio apts,mostly verbal and advice, but had internal exam both front and back to assess recovery. No mention of ultrasound. There was machine in room tho. Obstetric review not til 17th Jan. I assumed just exam again, had internal ultrasound in past, not nice!!

Bean asleep, that's me.

Good sleep wishes all round.

Oh. Smorg thanks for new thread!!! I am useless........

[nenehooo]

Orenishii - YES! The doubt, the DOUBT! As if the physical stuff isn't hard enough... The little doubt demons creep in and make it even harder. One of my colleagues gave me the best advice when I started my teacher training - simply, 'don't doubt yourself'... Easier said than done, but it's become a bit of a mantra.
And them there's MN to the rescue... Had minor crises about feeding baby to sleep and not doing tummy time as mini hates it. I have since found that both of these things are FINE because baby is happy, i'm happy and I shouldn't have doubted myself. Nobber.
Stupid bloody phone won't allow name checking, but sympathies to those with tongue tie issues - crazy? Orenishii? Have no experience of this but just wanted to say I hope it gets resolved and... Don't doubt yourself! Ha! Think I would try to go for as little intervention as possible but it's hard when professionals are involved and give their opinions even though they can be nobber HVs who don't have a clue
On that subject - one of mine suggested I carry my baby around the house 'in something' rather than just in my arms as it would be much safer. Right.

[Katla]

Thanks Orenishii and Smile - the bogey Hoover came from Boots, called a baby nose clear. It's a tube you suck with a bulb and filter to collect the bogeys - but Erin absolutely hates it so we only use it occasionally, seems to be good after using saline spray to loosen them off first.

She's just gone to sleep after a very unsettled evening -bouncing a newborn for hours in your arms appeared hard at the time but now she's about three times the size it's so hard, my back is aching!! She has really red eyes and they were so sad, she was just looking at me pleadingly as if I could help her feel better. Poor wee baby

Re thoughts on clothes, I agree re babies wearing comfy sleepsuits, cardigans and Erin has leggings/soft jersey jumpers. Erin wearing 3-6 month sleepsuits for leg length but arms about 4cm too long for her. All makes of them are the same strange proportions.

We got given loads of dresses (Erin only worn one for Christmas as my MIL gave it to her), rest were returned and I've returned 6 coats for ages 0-6 months as I can't think when she'd need one as if she's outside she's in carseat or pram, neither of which need a huge puffy jacket. I did return loads of stuff - have over £100 on various gift cards - people are so kind but rather impractical. We also have 8 blankets which look nice but also unused. Some of the baby jeans/cords are so stiff I can't imagine being bothered to wrestle her into them and dresses always end up around her armpits.

I have to watch too though with my comfy outfits as being in house most of time means I'm in slobby leggings and top, normally with a light coating of baby sick/bogeys and hair pulled up into topknot as otherwise it gets boaked on or Erin grabs it when I'm carrying her. No wonder I'm not doing well on romancing DH...

Sorry another long me, me post (I'm posting on phone from under the bedcovers so Erin won't be disturbed by light waiting to see if she is going to remain asleep). Night night, hope you have a good long stretch of precious, amazing, previously undervalued sleep.

[nenehooo]

Haha Katia snap! Am also reading/ posting under covers! And am similarly attired most days - often with a boob hanging out. I once answered the door to the postman with one on show - luckily I'd dime up my bra, just hadn't pulled vest top back up. Not sure if he noticed, if he did he wasn't bothered!

[Katla]

Also thanks for link re spoiling babies. After reading Baby Whisperer I thought should be doing more sleep training (before she got ill) for napping during day (pat/shush thing) but Erin got so upset I have now decided just to go with my instinct and keep Erin happy as I can. She is a good baby and agree that she's too small to be being manipulative.

The sleep thing is like potty training I think, there will be a time when that's appropriate but not when a baby is too young. So with the tongue tie I'd do what you think is right, you know your baby. Erin has a slight tt too but it's just been left (although was doctors in hospital suggested to leave it).

[OctoberOctober]

Just catching up and marking place

[hufflepuffle]

Do you see what time it is??? 5am?? Asleep from 10!!!!!!

Yay baby Huffle!!!!! And again, woken by farts and poos! What is it sbout poos and 5am?! But hey, no cause for complaint here!

My DH says I need to see the positives, my outlook is pessimistic. Nevertheless I shall assume this is a blip and we will be back to 3 hrs tmrw night!!

[Smorgs]

My son just slept for 8 hours! Then woke up, had a massive feed and puked it all up over my fresh clean pjs and bed sheets

[Smorgs]

Yay huffle! Yes hard to be positive all the time but good to be realistic I think. Last night was The Worst Ever - he was up every hour at one point so think we deserved tonight.