October 2012: onwards, upwards and rolling over?

[YompingJo]

Is this part 5 already? Where did that time go?

Hello all.
London UANBU!!!! I have a friend like that. She actually stopped annoying me when I got married. Another poor mate gets it now. I second the just fake ignore it advice. Followed by text of sorry, baby had my attention, only saw that on middle of night feed. But it is next day now anyhow!

Thank you for all replies. Angelico I still can't find info on Kellymom. Duh.

Given that I do have lots if time I think the plan will be to start replacing day feeds gradually and hope I can keep morning and evening ones, as most if you suggest. I think if I start now this is more likely rather than hanging on until I go back and hoping the expressing works or adding formula then. Think that would be more likely to make him reverse cycle or make me have supply issues. Then I can see how nights go.

What would happen tho on growth spurts or wonder feckin weeks?? If he starts wakening thru night loads again will I produce enough milk to keep up if I've gone down to only a few BF?

4hrs, 2hrs, 2hrs. Significant improvement master Huffle.

Injections this morning. Probably throw a total spanner in the improvements!!

Thanks Smile for double advice! I cannot believe your DS has an actual tooth!!!!!!! Is this the first in our thread????? Wee poppet. Hopefully get some respite from teething for short while now?

Beccus well done on attempted settling. I have decided that until we get some kind of sleep pattern I give up on daytime cot. He is becoming more predictable than I though tho, so hopefully that is not too far away. I need to learn the art of one step at a time. Once I come up with a plan I'm guilty of trying to implement immediately! So for now it is pram for day naps, on a regular predictable cycle. When I kno what to expect I will start putting him in cot before those times.

iPhone users. Did u know that hitting the wee black bar at top of screen will scroll u to top of page? DH got one 2 days ago. He had taught me more shortcuts in 2 days than I've worked out in nearly a year........ But he doesn't have DS to look after.....! This scroll tap makes much easier to reply!!!!

Not looking forward to injections. Think this is largest set. Please don't knock the wind out of my slightly happier baby!!!!!!

Omg huffle very grateful to your DH for the double -tap scroll!! That'll save a lot of thumbing on long threads (like this one!!)...

Bah my first attempt to get back to gym this morning scuppered by my jetlagged baby waking 3 times last night, the latest at 3 and he didn't go back to sleep until 5! Needless to say I wasn't going to get to gym by 6 the plan (in theory) is for DH to look after DS 6 mornings a week before work so I can go to the big sports facility with Olympic size pool (and more importantly for my backside, spin classes!!) near where we live. Tomorrow!!

I went back to work when ds1 was 4.5 months old and did the transition from ebf to bf for morning and eve feeds in about 3 weeks. He was also still waking fairly frequently at night at that stage so still did bfs for those feeds. Don't remember it being a problem , wasn't overly engorged and he was quite happy once he got the gist of it. In fact, totally refused boob by 6/12 in favour of bottles. I had planned to carry on bfing for as long as poss but I think he preferred the faster flow of bottles by then. Having said that, I know several women who carried on just doing the first and last feed beyond 1 yr.

Nice to hear you are out of the 4 month regression smiley . Hope it won't be long for us. I have an interview today. Hopefully the fact that I've slept in 90 minute blocks for two weeks won't be detectable!

Huffle Kellymom link here For access to all articles hover over 'Ages and stages' at top of main home page, hover over weaning and then there are two options.

Bean had inexplicable feed at 3am. DH had her ON and had turned off nightlight / white noise etc. She probably woke up in pitch dark and silence and thought 'WTF?!'

Just sat down to write and then got totally distracted by massive poo (DD not me), DH on Skype and the cat, then mumsnet logged me out so 2 hours later and I've no clue what I wanted to say...memory of a goldfish springs to mind.

livvy congrats on the sleep, hope DH wasn't too traumatised. I still live in hope of a full nights sleep.

We're going in the right direction though and seem to have pulled out of the hourly awakenings.

Half way through DH being away 4 more nights to go and we're managing ok. It's a bit lonely without him but I'm staying busy during the day - off to Pilates in 10 mins.

yomping great to hear you had a good chat with DH, communication is so important - not that I have heeded that advice. Last time I said i was struggling with lack of sleep we ended up having a big row.

Daytime routine for us is getting there, she doesn't nap in cot but I'm not worried about that yet. I don't have access to a car which is a good thing because most of DD's naps are when we are walking to and back from baby groups or the shops etc. Plus some exercise for me.

zara in awe of your exercise plan. I couldn't even think of doing anything like that at 6am.

iphone users do you not have a button that brings up the option to "flip this thread"? just brings all the most recent messages to the top...

oren im totally with you. you know your baby best so just do what you do; dont let HV tell you any different.

glad most of you all got better sleeps last night.

dd has a proper snotty cold and cough. she had a proper meltdown on dp last night... i felt quite good cos she only does it to me sorry for him really...

dd's naming party on saturday. slightly worried about how she is going to nap.. people still havent quite grasped the concept of "if the baby is sleeping we'll leave her alone and only pick her up when she's awake"... and it really fucks me off. its lovely that everyone wants a cuddle, but when your asleep and someones poking you going "oh please wake up please we just want a cuddle then you can go back to sleep", you wouldnt be very happy either!!!!!

Mickey we are having our 'welcome service' for DD on Sunday. The christening bit of it will be at the exact time when she is normally asleep. I am bracing myself for a whole lot of faces when she turns into devil child at the exact moment they fling the water on her...! :o packs earplugs and a facial disguise in handbag

Mickey scrolling is for purposes of replying at bottom of page and trying to remember posts at top of page. Incredibly useful! Enjoy naming ceremony. You too Angelico. Babies r supposed to cry then anyhow!!! Hopefully the new surroundings will be enough to distract them!! We waiting until moving house sometime in next fucking decade and mother is getting antsy. In old days folks didn't leave house til baby christened. Hmmm

Smile did u just gradually replace feed by feed? We will start in Saturday with one middle of day feed and towards end of week do another. Is it as simple as that? Totally need to stop drinking fennel tea now tho!!

Angelico thanks for link. V v kind of u. I am just a bit fick...........

Livvy. So delighted on your sleep!!! Bet you feel a million dollars!!!!!

Thank you all for help and info on change over. I must say I feel strangely empowered. I have a plan and I like a plan and return to work and worrying about feeding is not filling me with dread. If I had a normal maternity leave I would keep this up. But I don't and there is nothing I can do to change it. If I can manage to keep couple of feeds then I think I will be as content with situation as possible.

I still plan to use medela teats to stop him from guzzling whole lot in one go. Had half notion of going straight to feeding cup but I think that might be a fast feed disaster.

Squashed thanks for that. Your DS situation sounds like me timing wise. Interesting that he preferred bottle quite soon. Good to know that can happen too so I don't freak out!!

Olives well done on being DH-less so competently. I'd be worn out!

Angelico do u have nightlight on all night? Anyone else do this? Am I wrong to have lights out after he goes to sleep??

Must lunch while DS naps, silly mummy

Oh and DS rolled over last night!! Front to back. Twice. Don't know which frightened him more, the actual roll or our shrieks of delight!!!

PFB syndrome big time........

yomping I am very well, thank you! After a pretty nasty delivery we seem to have been blessed with a happy and contented baby (I've probably jinxed it all right there). Feeding has been easy and enjoyable right from the start and she sleeps well too - everyone keeps on telling me it won't last, but while it does we are enjoying it!

I haven't really posted as I don't feel I have a lot of help to offer Abi is one of the youngest on the thread, so you guys all hit the turbulence before we do, and I haven't really had many problems to contend with as yet

I have been lurking quietly, but feel guilty posting about what a nice time me and the bean are having when so many of you are having to struggle with so much. I am in awe of all of you. Of course we have our hard days, but mainly I count my blessings and wave pompoms from the sidelines for all of you!

I don't really read much about childcare as I am firmly in the 'making it up as we go along, and hoping we don't screw her up in the process' camp

lovely to see you mutley and great to hear everything is going so well!

livvy, yay for the sleep! a good night like that every so often makes the difficult ones so much more bearable.

huffle we all sleep in the dark, doesn't seem to bother her. As I tend to pop her down still a bit awake, I have a night light with an automatic dimmer so it's dark after 10 mins or so (it's pretty good- made by Babytec I think). Glad you're feeling in control of the feeding situation. Are you looking forward to going back to work?

Packing is underway here for the big move on 16th Feb. I feel very sad to be leaving London- I've lived here ever since I left my home town in Yorkshire 10 years ago! But am happy to be moving to a new city and replacing our 2nd floor 2 bed flat with a 4 bed house- and paying £400 per month less in rent too! And I'll have a garden for the first time in my adult life! Will have to get out socialising though as I won't know anyone... Feeling very emotional really.

huffle DS rolled for the first time this afternoon! He's so fat I thought he wasn't going to make it.

Where do u put your 4 month old baby to sleep during the day? Won't go in cot, too big for moses and only likes laps! Don't have a carrycot either

Friend with two much older DSs and a 9mo DD came round today. She's still on maternity leave. Was shocked when I said I'd only had three hours away from both DCs since DS was born - along with three quick swimming trips with DD only.

I feel I can't ask DH to do more because he works so hard (and I wanted kids - he wasn't bothered). His parents will only really look after DD if we go and stay, which is fair enough as she's 80. Mum is dead and my father is 81, lives hours away and is quite hopeless with kids. I don't have siblings.

I feel I need to somehow find a babysitter, but I don't know how I could entrust DS to a stranger.

Thoughts, ladies?

It's a tricky one elpis. I too have had no time away from DD - just 2 hours to go to a funeral before Christmas! And a trip to mothercare the other weekend. Hardly exciting. I also can't really ask DH to help because he works so hard all the time and when he is free I want us to spend time as a family. I do have parents nearby but not so forthcoming with help.

In the old days you used to get a 'mothers help'. My mum had a 16 year old girl who came after school to help with us. I also used to do quite a bit of babysitting after school. Does that happen anymore? Though can't imagine trusting a teenager with DD!! Were our parents generation more relaxed?

I suppose you could ask a friend to look after them for a few hours...tricky though to find someone with free time happy to do it.

Huffle we have the little angelcare monitor and there's a lovely light on it - a sort of turquoise halo shaped light. I like it because it's easy to check on bean (e.g. to see how awake she is) without her being able to see us checking.

Elpis on childcare - getting some alone time is essential. Our closest family member is 70 miles away and we don't have friends who can babysit for us (especially during the day). We have started the bean in creche on trial basis (2 hours x 3 afternoons) and so far she loves it! We're lucky that it's through DH's work and is very small so she gets more attention than she might in a bigger creche. In the next couple of weeks she'll be going more - aiming for 2.5 days ultimately. This will give me proper writing time but still give me 2.5 days to do baby yoga / baby groups / fun stuff etc. Tbh I've noticed that when I get away for a hour or two I'm so happy to see her again afterwards that it's the best of both worlds! :) It will be interesting to see how BFing works out. So far I just take my laptop and work on site so if she's unsettled or needs a feed I am 30 seconds away. But when she's doing full days I want to be able to go further afield so will either need to express or start introducing some formula.

I am so sick of the common cold. Seriously, somebody somewhere must be able to cure it?!

Dosomething don't feel bad!! We love to hear about well behaved babies- gives us hope!!

Elpis yay for rolling!!! I thought DS was just plain heavy. Might be a one off!

London that's great on the move. Yay for a garden for DD!

Angelico crèche sounds like working well for you.

Elpis apart from my ocasional Sunday hour and half in work to do wages etc I've not been parted from DS. And this was only with DH. Tbh I'm not ready or willing to leave with anyone yet. Don't trust MIL not to leave him crying and my own parents are too out of practice. Will have to wise up soon! I was a little helper as teenager to lots of relatives. But no one of that age seems interested in helping me!! Probably all too busy acting 25.

Light wise. I have a great little push LED light that lived in our hot press. Keep beside bed. Push it on when DS fussing or feeding. Gives just enough to see without brightening room. But it goes off as soon as he asleep. Guess better to keep this up. But I often wonder if when he does wake is he freaked by dark?!

Sorry London, work. Part of me is looking forward to going back. I miss the routine and predictability. Everything is a arranged around 15 minute time slots and this suits my need for schedules!!!!! I've worked from age of 16 and this 4 months off is longest without 'work' though my, what a hard job being at home with newborn. So much harder than I ever anticipated!!!!! It's also hard leaving your own business on so many levels. Never mind the fear of destruction of 10 years hard work. 6 people's wages need paid and I am trusting everyone to do so much.

On the other hand I'm a new mum. And I don't want to leave my baby at all. 'Nuff said.

You were only asking for a yes or no......!

Huffle I would say whatever they are used to lightwise is grand - if your DS is used to the dark I would stick with it, will save you some electric bills down the line...

London sorry I went straight past the bit about the big move. You won't know yourself :) I keep looking at the garden and thinking I can't wait for the two day Irish summer and for the bean to be able to play outside :o

Hooray for all the rollers!! Ds2 is such a fatty that I can't imagine him mustering the strength to shift his centre of gravity for another few weeks at least!

elpis I think you are a hero for going so long without any respite. Much as I love my two, I do live for the nursery days for ds1. Longest I've been away from ds2 is a couple of hours today. Was quite liberating but I was so delighted to get him back!

milkyman ds2 naps on our bed . Not really an issue at the moment as he's not rolling but it can't continue. He seems to have a deep dislike of his (very expensive) bedside cot and prefers the luxury of our mattress topper!! Don't blame him.

DH was born in South Wales and the mothers in their suburb had a babysitting group going. If one wanted the night off she'd just ring round until she found someone who could do it. Heaven.

Wouldn't it be great if we all lived in the same town and could do that? I'd trust you ladies with DS! [wistful]

Thanks for insights, everyone. I guess it 's partly because I do all the nights that I'm going a bit crazy.

Btw, off to see a friend with a newborn tomorrow. She's single and conceived through IVF after a couple of very traumatic failed attempts. I'm really delighted for her and pleased DS will have a little friend in the next postcode along. But ... She has a maternity nurse (FT, live-in) for TWO MONTHS. Imagine.

DD just had a huge screamathon for 45 mins. Same yesterday afternoon. Very distressed and inconsolable, I thought maybe teething pain or painful wind. Gave her calpol just now but she also did a huge fart (and it was a big poo yesterday) so still none the wiser. I hate feeling helpless! But she's sleeping now so I've got my fingers crossed.