October 2012: onwards, upwards and rolling over?

[YompingJo]

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

My wise mum's philosophy on babies/sleep/etc is "go with what works".

Aha! Sounds lovely! Used to do similar with DS but rocking him to sleep now in day nigh on impossible. He will only do it if standing and takes at least 20 mins. I'm afraid given weight of him and my dodgy back I quite simply cannot do it! He used to let me rock him on sofa.

So now he's back on me feeding and appears to be feeding to sleep.

Don't pay attention to anything I say cos I'm clearly incorrect!

Hmm, well she gets very miserable when she's tired, so I hold her until she falls asleep. Some times I rock in in her basket. If I'm holding her and she falls asleep I might try and transfer her. She often wakes though, and even if she doesn't wake up straight away she won't sleep as long as if I'm holding her. So like Squid I tend to just hold her. She is significantly more delightful once she's slept, so its worth it (but yes, a bit restricting). Kindles are good for this! It also lets me read work-related papers, so I don't feel completely like I'm going brain dead.

My baby is loosing her lovely hair! Sob! Its only the cradle cap holding it on in places!

Sleep - such a flipping minefield...

I often feed to sleep which depending what you read is either absolutely fine or completely the worst thing you can do. Feel like I could think about it more clearly if only I could get a bit more sleep! Catch 22 or what!

All sound familiar to me, dummy with gentle rocking or feeding to sleep for naps here. Also sleeps best on me but slowly trying to get her into her crib, very slow progress!

Really want the snow to go away now! Loads more overnight, can't get the car off the drive so no swimming lessons today and too much snow falling to venture out with the sling or pram like Squid in need of something to do!

Haha yes squid but my tribal name should be Worriestoomuch!

Our non routine is:

6/7am - Wake up, feed, go back to sleep - DS, not me, I take this time for myself!

10/11am - wake up, feed, play, go out. Sleep for a few hours here and there usually in the sling, on me or in the pram if he happens to be in it. Or on lambskin on sofa, or in bouncer. Anywhere really.

5/6pm ish onwards - sometimes a bath but generally spends the evening cuddling/feeding/napping with a random chat or play around 10pm.

11/11.30 pm - up to bed with me, in his gro bag, has a feed, lie him next to me and off he goes.

I don' know why it worries me but i might experiment taking him up about 8pm and put him down earlier. stay up there with him, and creep downstairs for a bit. but i don't know why i want to try doing this.

What happens with you guys?

We sort of have a routine

5am - start feeding marathon- I mostly sleep through this
6.30am - I get up and have an hour to myself, usually exercise
7.30-8.30 am - sort clothes, nappies, brekkie, chat before boyfriend - she is very happy at this time and usually sits in bouncy chair
9-11am - feeds, nap time
then i usually go out
we have another nap (or 2) any time between 12 and 4
5.30pm - dad time
6.30-7.30 pm - dad puts her to bed while I cook tea, I take a break to give her a final feed during this, and we eat when she goes to sleep
8-9pm - sex more often we just collapse with books on opposite sofas
I go to bed at 9pm. Like a loser.

I have an easy baby and a helpful boyfriend.

Oren my daytime routine goes in 2-3 hour blocks. wake up about 7am, try to feed, play for about an hour and a half, pop her down in the moses basket with dummy, she doses off for 45 minutes, wakes up, feeds, plays for an hour and a half, pop her down in the basket... and so on until 8pm when I give her a bath, massage, naked time, last feed (which she usually refuses), then pop her in her cot. she has a quick chat with Ewan the sheep and then falls to sleep for god knows how long (anything from 2 to 9 hours this last week).

oh. she's just done a really loud poo. first one in 5 days. I may be some time.

Our 'routine':
8am baby awake for day (I've usually got up and showered before this), feed, dress and activity of 'watch mummy eat breakfast/put washing on/load dishwasher etc then mess on play mat
10am either leave for morning group at children's centre or other activity in which case dd naps in car seat on way or if staying in feed/rock/white noise to sleep in crib (usually get about 40mins grace!).
12.30/1pm After both had lunch go out for walk with pram, either to local shops or park during which dd again naps about 40mins.
3pm At some point in afternoon when in good mood do baby massage
4.30/5pm Attempt 3rd nap, not always successful sometimes in crib with curtains drawn and white noise blaring and sometimes in sling/on lap!
6.30/7pm bath/final feed/bed, resettle once or twice then usually asleep around 8pm
8pm to 8am anything between 2 and 8 night wakings/feeds at the moment!

So not great sleepwise but prob better than some and usually liveable with!

Our days:

8/9am: get up, bath, dress and feed
Mid-morning: leave for activity or play time
(Normally a nap around 11am for an hour)
Afternoon of playing, singing etc, with a nap around 2pm for 45 mins and again about 5pm for anywhere between 15mins and 2hrs.

Evening of Daddy time, watching us cook etc, change into sleeping bag at 9pm, feed to sleep then up into Moses basket at 10pm.

Feeds happen at random times in the day, no routine to those at all!

with regards to routine I do think it's best to be baby led. mine naturally fell into a routine which I was comfortable with, then the feeding crisis changed it and she found a new routine. but if you tried to totally schedule feeds and naps for them, surely you would be completely ignoring their needs?

Totally baby-led here (God I was pleased to discover that this was a thing, and not me just being lazy), to the point that I'm struggling to compile this. The only things that seem to happen frequently.

8:00 - wake, feed, chatting to daddy.
9:00 - up, change nappy. More chatting whilst on bed or under gym whilst I do a bit of house work and get dressed.
9:30 or 10:00 ish - Nap
10:45 or 11:00 ish - Feed, nappy change
11:30 - we go out/ play. May have another nap if we go out and in the sling/buggy
13:00 - feed, nappy change. Playing and chatting.

This is where it all gets a bit hazy. Can then be asleep all afternoon, or can be awake all afternoon. Depends on what mood she's in, where we are, what we've done in the morning, etc. Either way, she'll eat about every 2 hours. Can still be colicky-nightmare child between 17:00 and 19:30, but is improving every week.

18:00 - Daddy time whilst mummy has bath.
18:30 - Sometimes she gets in the bath with me, about every other day. This is all daddy time. They play, listen to music, generally hang out.
20:00 we eat dinner. She's normally asleep on one of us by now. Sometimes she'll go down in her basket which is next to us. If she's being fussy, one of us will hold her and we take turns to eat.
22:00 Daddy does final nappy change whilst I get ready for bed. Then I take her to bed with me and we feed to sleep. Daddy joins us after he's tidied the kitchen.

We bed share and I couldn't really tell you how often she wakes in the night as she doesn't cry, and we feed half asleep. Works for us!

Yes, very pleased baby led is a thing - I often feel quite lazy too, or a bit helpless/anxious/wondering what to do next.

DH can often be working from 7am until 9pm so I'm on my own a lot. Sometimes he has no clients in the middle of the day and so will come back home, other days he won't leave until 11am/12 so it's not so bad.

Feel very sick and head achey since I woke up. Please don't be the start of something.

Poor Oren . Rubbish you're on your own so much! Seriously, we should meet up for coffee once the snow's gone and introduce our ethnically similar babies!

Bora yes definitely!

Hahaha I told my mum, in front of DH, that I would be getting DS an ethnic doll as I didn't want him thinking white is the default, and DH was all: Those dolls are darker than I am, sweet cheeks!

orenishii are you getting enough water? sometimes i feel like that then realise that i havent had a drink for hours.

we're baby led too- couldnt tell you when she feeds cos it changes all the time. generally:
up at 8/9ish. feeds, chat in bed for a while. put clothes on.
downstairs at 10/11ish depending on how lazy we are being how warm it is downstairs (crap heating system here), and wether we are doing something.
feeds generally about 11.30.. naps for a bit.
playtime, feed nappy etc.
1.30/2ish, sleeps for a good 3/4/5 hours depending on how she feels. if she doesnt go to sleep by this time starts getting very crabby.
wakes up, feed/nappy/playtime/chats with whoever is around (we are usually out in aftetnoons/evenings).
bedtime at 10pm. i take her upstairs, put clean babygro, nappy on. feed with dim light and total silence. loosely swaddle and into moses basket with dummy/thumb. (her thumb). at this point i turn the light off and either go downstairs or go to bed myself. generally she goes straight to sleep all night, but if she stirs i put her dummy back in. however shes getting pretty good at finding and sucking her thumb, so doesnt really need my help.

all naps in day are either in gym or chair with some help from our dummy friend! with general noise like tv/hoover/washing machine/conversation in background.

i also have a very easy baby. i usually have a bath after one of her feeds in the evening when dp is home to wind/play. she also has started sleeping through the night... oddly this has coincided with the new skill of sucking her thumb. i am in denial that sleep regression is a real thing

Our routine... Such as it is...

Up 7.45, feed both DCs. Dress DD, prepare her breakfast, change DS into day clothes. Supervise breakfast, brush her teeth. If I'm taking her to preschool I shower and dress while she's eating. Otherwise empty dishwasher.

8.35 DD off to preschool, either with me on bus and DS in BabyBjorn or with DH. Back by 9.20. Feed DS, chat, nap, perhaps read paper on iPad. Nap if I get chance

11.15 Get DS ready to pick up DD. Return with her by 12.30, unless I need to do some shopping or we go to playground on way back. Make DD's lunch. Feed.

1.30 Snakes and ladders, Lego, etc etc. DS on playmat. At some point I cave and let DD have XBox dancing or Jungle Book. Struggle to stay awake. Snack for DD.

5-6.15 start cooking dinner. DD plays in kitchen, DS in bouncer. DH returns from work, sets up office on kitchen table.

7:15 Dinner.

8 When toys put away and table cleared, DD is allowed iPad time (Angelina, Ben and Holly, Nigellissima). Collapse on sofa. Watch Daily Show with Jon Stewart with DH. Play with DS.

9 Bedtime. Bath every other day - every day for DS since ghastly perianal abscess. DD into pyjamas, DS into sleepsuit. Attempt to moisturise, floss etc while DH chats to DD. Up to bed. Quick feed and story of her choice for DD, then goodnight. Feed DS, into cot.

10.15 Read, send emails, Facebook, Twitter, MN. Should try to sleep earlier but usually have burst of energy at this time. When DS wakes around 1am I take him into bed for feed. Generally wakes about three times.

This is without French classes, play dates, medical stuff, lunches with friends etc... Can hardly believe how organised and regimented I am these days.

PS

I am so effing sadly organised that all the week's dinners are listed on a whiteboard in the kitchen, with expiry dates for stuff that needs eating.

Ooh this is interesting! Our routine is this:
8.30am wake up, play in bed, feed, change etc
10/10.30 first nap of day usually in pram as I'm on my way out somewhere or in my arms still in bed if I'm having a lazy day.
11am feed and play - at baby group etc...
12.30/1 sleep in pram sometimes for an hour or sometimes 2 hours
2ish feed and play etc...
4-5 sleep on me whilst I watch some tv and have a cup of tea.
5-7ish feed, play and i get dinner sorted then up to bed. She is usually settled after a last feed by 8ish.
Then I go downstairs to wash up, tidy kitchen and do a bit of knitting.
DD wakes anywhere from 3 to 10 times between 8pm and 8 am. She comes into bed with me after her last feed of the night at 5ish.
This is very approximate though as it depends on what we're doing in the day. She generally has 3 naps though with a longer one at lunchtime. She is always rocked/fed/walked to sleep.

Londonmrss - Both DCs had BCG jab. DS' injection site didn't really blister, though you can see the scar two months later. I wouldn't worry about it!

mickey you're probably right about the water! Thanks for the reminder :)

All these "routines" are very interesting and reassuring - I love that we're mostly doing baby led and it's mostly making us secretly feel lazy, hahaha!

London I had the BCG done as a baby and I have an "innie" scar; most people that had it done at the standard later age seem to have an "outie".

Ahhhh! She just rolled over. From on her front. Laughed about it very happily.

Exciting times :)

Ooh. Lots to read. Will catch up in while.

Warning. Self obsessed post alert.

I feel vindicated. Well maybe that's the wrong word. Had private lactation consultant visit today. DS has posterior tongue tie and lip tie (who knew latter even existed?) He can clearly suck well due to massive weight but he is chomping down to 'hold on'. I also have 360 degree crack on sore side. This has probably been here all along and never healed. I though it was anatomical.......

I say vindicated is wrong word cos I don't feel pleased that this is the case but I truly had just come to the conclusion that I was crap at BF and how the hell could I still hav pain after 3 months?!

Plan is new feeding position, saline rinse after every feed and try to solve cracks. There are no surgeons in NI who recognise and treat anyhow so would have to travel.

FFS.

On other news. DS height is now outside any centiles at 69cm. Weight 91st at 16lb13. HV very helpful on weaning info and v supportive of 6 month target. Advice good on needing iron after 6 months which may be issue if BLW. Could not comment on BLW much as their training is soft foods but secretly supportive and suggested I go online to sites like mumsnet for BLW support!

My lovely boy cried whole time lactation consultant here except when she poked about on his mouth when he smiled and laughed!!!!

Oooooof.

It's reassuring that most of us have to rock/wear/feed our babies to sleep in the day - no self settling going on here. angelico the website you linked about sleep last night was really interesting but it did panic me a bit as we are nowhere near being able to put DD down awake yet. Still it gave some good ideas though.

squid we are close to rolls here. Today at Pilates DD lay on a rug and managed to turn herself round 180 degrees. Think she was trying to roll but instead could only wiggle her bottom around. Still it's more movement than we've ever had before. Love how she can do new things nearly everyday.

My favourite part of the day - sleepy cuddles and the great British bake off on demand. And a cup of tea. And a biscuit or three.