December 2012 - Smiles all round!

[SpottyTeacakes]

And the one where Spotty's gang gets some sleep

I often check DS at night but sometimes to wake him so he feeds properly otherwise he'll want a little feed every hour

Once when DP was changing him he was in the middle o getting te clean nappy on web DS weed all over it, twice poor DP. At least is one time DS didn't get us

Just finished pramactive class. Great workout and good social thing too. Poor Oz happy during jogging but very cross at the still exercise bits though. Will try for a longer feed beforehand next time I think!

Now having a feed in the car and some heroic pooing it seems

Ds only wants to feed if I rugby hold him no matter which side he's on

I don't change A at night unless I can smell a poo. It's silly waking him up if there's no need.

I've fallen in love with the play mat. I don't want to overuse it, but yesterday I managed a run and a shower while happily swiped at the dangling monkey & lion. And when I put him on it for tummy time he enjoyed it for a bit, then fell asleep for 2 hours.

Well done inter - unhelpful mils are really best ignored! That's a very mean thing to say and frankly none of her business.

If lo is clingy, have you tried a sling? Dd won't be put down in the day and I've found the moby invaluable - she has a nap and I get hands free time.

Don't be scared of going out alone with lo, just take a deep breath and go - what's the worst that can happen? Go to a nice coffee shop and reward yourself with a lovely coffee and cake combo!

interwebmum your mother in law can, frankly, fuck off! What awful things to say.

I was terrified the first time I took out little Z by myself, and still really struggle to psych myself up to do it. My tip is to do it on a sunny day - makes everything feel that much easier. I also tell myself that there are teenage mums out there managing to take out their children, so I, a grown woman, should stop being scared!

Oh yes I hate doing the nursery run when it's raining, it nearly causes me to breakdown but when the sun is out it's really not that bad! Roll on sunny weather and picnics

Please can I join?! I've been on the Jan thread since finding out I was pregnant but had my DD2 on 27th December. I also have an 18 month DD.

And I need your help! I'm desperately sleep deprived - DD wouldn't sleep without making straining and crying noises for more than a few minutes last night. Every time I sat her up she would burp and go back to sleep. Then the same thing would happen over and over. Could it be the chocolate I ate yesterday, I had three massive cookies?!

Also she doesn't open her eyes to feed in the night so I find winding her really tricky and also she falls asleep whilst feeding so isn't on for long. Then wakes for more not long after. I try to change her nappy to wake her a bit and she then feeds for a bit longer but still falls asleep at the boob again. I daren't wake her more or I could be up for ages trying to settle her again.

Can anyone give me some advice?! I didn't have this with DD1 so I feel a bit clueless as to what to do. I know if I had DD2 sleep on me all night she'd settle but I wouldn't even get a few minutes sleep if I did that.

Welcome, Birdies!

That sounds like tough times with your little one. Could it be that the straining/crying is unrelated to burping/gas? My girl went through a stage at about 4-5 weeks of grunting and crying, but on close examination it was in her sleep and if I ignored it she would sleep merrily, though loudly. Someone on here suggested it was just her response to unfamiliar sensations in her immature digestive system. She still does it but less frequently. It's weird though, I was convinced she was in terrible pain, but someone pointed out that such pain should wake a baby!

I also find that my girl doesn't really need burping at night - it just wakes her up, when usually she can feed half-asleep and drop straight off again. Are you breastfeeding or formula feeding?

As for keeping her awake - it sounds like things like burping, nappy changing, etc are your best bet. I find my little one responds if I stroke her neck, or push on the palms of her hands. Have you also checked that when she's waking soon after she's definitely hungry? She might have become a lot more efficient at feeding - my little one went rapidly from 45-minute-long feeds to feeding in 12 minutes flat! I always thought she must still be hungry but she seems to have adjusted to it now.

Sorry if you've tried all of this - just brainstorming! It's a delicate balance between keeping them awake enough to feed, but not so awake that they don't go back to sleep!

Welcome Birdies, i'm the same as Mama i don't wind H during the night. As i'd often be sat up for half an hour trying and nothing would happen but i was exhausted while she was sleeping. She often makes up for it by farting (mostly sharting) of a morning when she's starting to wake up. I also feed her lying down she won't stay on my breast unless i hold my nipple in place for her though have you tried that? Sorry if you have.

Thanks for your replies. Mama it's interesting you say that as last night I left her for a minute and went for a wee and when I came back she was asleep again. But she's such a noisy sleeper - she grunts and strains and pulls her knees up and down and struggles to get out of her swaddle. Then she does a few 'wahs' and I just think well I might as well wind or feed her as otherwise she'll start up and wake DD1 and DH.

I'm breastfeeding her. DH thinks I should give her formala last thing at night but the bf has been going so well I don't want to give up even for one feed. Maybe that's daft though.

When she feeds its always only been for only about 5 minutes but at night it's even less. She slips a lot at night though and I hear her swallowing air. And her mouth doesn't open as wide as in the day...hmm maybe she's just not that hungry.

Sorry, am waffling on!

Hales thanks for the advice about lying down. I do prefer it but I find it so tricky getting her to latch on like that. I sort of half lie on my elbow but then I'm stuck in that position once she's on!

Mama also thinking about it you're right that my DD can't be in that much pain as if she does cry I can settle her very quickly.

Hi Birdies, my LO is a noisy sleeper too. It's really annoying because I wake up at the slightest grunt or squeak she makes. I'd agree with what the others have said about being very minimal at night. She'll cry properly if something is wrong.
Well, I had a go at going put today and it was a bit of a disaster. There was about a foot of snow on the pavement and it was slippery and icy in some places, so I gave up pretty quickly. Also DD didn't seem very comfortable in the sling. I think I need to practice a bit more.
Maybe using the sling at home for a bit is the answer. Thanks for the suggestion WL.

I'm being a bit unfair on the MIL actually, she's normally very nice. She's just a very stressy person and I think she was projecting her own fears onto me. Apparently when she had her babies the doctors used to weigh them before and after feeding to see how much milk they'd drunk. It created so much pressure that lots of women of that generation gave up on BFing. As for my weight, she's just being French! he he. (sorry to any French people who may be reading this). I'm sticking to a policy of smile and nod. I need her for baby sitting later.
People with play mats, how many weeks are your babies? My DD likes to watch stuff like her music mobile but she doesn't reach out to try and touch things yet.

I change at both night feeds cos otherwise he has leaked by the next feed and It's more hassle to change his clothes and bedding in the night then one extra nappy. He always settles back easily though

Welcome birdies. My little Z is very noisy when trying to get himself to sleep sometimes - he also grunts and kicks, no matter how much he's been winded. What I'm about to say is controversial but it works for us: a dummy. We use it with caution but I've found that sometimes nothing else does the trick when he's clearly tired but can't get himself off to sleep.

seconds very very controversial... My DS has a dummy too. Has done for a few weeks - he is just over 5weeks. It is sometimes the only way to settle him. He has ever had any problems feeding (he has put on over a kilo already) and if he's hungry he will not be fobbed off with a dummy - he gets V angry and spits it straight out. I think as long as there are no latch / feeding issues a dummy is fine. IMHO.

birdies my DS also makes a lot of grunty straining noises. Sometimes he will settle back to sleep. Other times he wakes up and screams. I have no idea what causes it. I try and avoid things that might make it worse but I can't say I've identified anything that might upset him

Second we use a dummy too, not all the time but if you put it in when he stirs you get an extra hour from him

We use a dummy seconds and we use it quite a lot to settle him, although less since he's discovered his hands for in his mouth. Weirdly e spits it out before he'll actually drop off to sleep.

We use a dummy too - C doesn't like it much, it definitely gets spat out if it isn't what she wants, and she can't keep it in herself. we mostly use it to help her get to sleep - that's about it.

I am reassured that I am not a dummy-using pariah! Y, if he doesn't want it, he spits it out; and I'd never get away with a dummy if he's hungry.

He's been fed, he's been winded, he doesn't want to sleep, he doesn't want to play, why the hell will this child not stop screaming?

Oh, and hitting me

I feel your pain honey Felix is exactly the same

I only change in the night for poos, its always at least one change though

We use a dummy, took ages for dd to take to it and I only seem to need to use it during the day. Talking of during the day, dd doesn't ever seem to sleep longer than 10min stints sand they are often on me. She's not grumpy and is very smily the majority of time of her being awake-do you think I just have a babe who doesn't require as much sleep? I worry as I know how important sleep is for their growth and brain function.

birdie I second the trying to master laying down feeding, it requires so much less energy and its fine for your dc to continue to feed half asleep, I find it better as dd will carrying on sleeping once shes fed. Oh and normally no need to wind.

Joined slimming world today, dd was a little super star and didn't make a murmur despite her desperately trying to sleep through the clapping!

Is he overstimulated honey? I'd put him down and leave the room for 10mins, see if he just needs his own space?