December 2012 - Smiles all round!

[SpottyTeacakes]

And the one where Spotty's gang gets some sleep

honey + spotty is it evening fussy time? A friend tells me it is A Thing, after I spent a recent evening in despair as he would not stop screaming. She said it only lasted a week or 10 days, for her.

No we get it all day if he's not asleep or feeding he's usually screaming. We get the odd good day and usually a happy five minutes after a feed but that's it!

I know nothing about it spotty but could cranial osteopathy help? I always hear good things about it.Apologies if its been mentioned before.

I don't think so, he's not in pain of uncomfortable just grumpy!

can't help you there then!

Yup spotty think I've just got a grumpy one too. But then occasionally is all smiles and loveliness when other people are around

Got really scared earlier as his cracky joints seem to be worse at the moment and i keep thinking I've broken him. If he was in pain he'd scream, right?

Also, ridiculous worry, bouncing him up and down on my shoulder or sat on my knee won't give him shaken baby will it? I know I'm being silly but bouncing is the only thing that vaguely settles him and I got scared. Shaking means proper shaking doesn't it? I can't break him that easily can I?

Sorry, sleep deprivation brings out the anxieties...

Its the violent snapping of the head back and forward that causes the problem, I'm guessing your bouncing isn't that extreme

No, and always have a hand supporting his head. :)

Spotty and Honey, I really admire your patience, we were really struggling with the screaming before he was prescribed gaviscon.

Our bed time routine doesn't seem to be working so well lately, F fell asleep before he could have his bottle, so put him to bed, then woke up 5mins later and struggled to get back off to sleep after his bottle. He's asleep now, but not sure it will last.

I try to stay calm I only really mind when dd's here as I feel really bad for her

Honey i bounce H quite hard and shhh while i'm doing it to calm her down but worry about shaken baby syndrome. I also get annoyed when i tell other people to bounce her hard to calm her down and they do it dead gently meanwhile H is just getting more and more angry

Going to take dd to a singing class, they have instruments and puppets and the ladies who run it have a background in theatre. £55 a term though but ds is free until seven months all the time dd is going so I suppose that's something...

spotty that singing course sounds fun - I want to take Z to some when he's old enough. I do lots of singing (well, DID lots of singing) and the early years can make such a difference.

Z has had a couple of nappies recently that are quite watery - not entirely, but some watery poo and some normal poo. What can that mean?

Well done for getting out inter. The snow and ice must make it harder, not sure I'd want to be wearing a sling in slippery conditions. Each time you go out it will get easier.

Another vote for feeding laying down, and for co-sleeping if you feel comfortable enough - totally saved me for the first 6 weeks when dd would not sleep alone. It can take a bit of practice but gets easier as they grow.

Quiet day today - had C weighed this morning at the clinic, she is gaining about a pound a fortnight and is maintaining her line on the chart.

I also asked the HV about her not pooing - she advised giving her water, and maybe orange juice. However, I have heard that orange juice isn't at all recommended at this age due to the acidity, so I guess I will take this particular HV's advice with a grain of salt. C has seemed less grumbly today and I don't think she's constipated, so I haven't given water either. It sounds like bf babies can go quite a few days between bowel movements, so her having gone 3 days isn't out of the ordinary.

Husband out for dinner tonight - I think it might be the first night in ages when I have been home with C alone. She has been good, went to bed at 8 and now I am about to join her. Here's hoping she gives me a few good hours!

Happy sleepy dust to all your babies!

Welcome birdies my LO grunts all day but particularly worse at night. We use a dummy which stops the grunting but she's not very good at keeping it in so as soon as it falls out there's more grunting and she wakes herself up so I have to spend a good 45 mins rocking her Moses basket and putting her dummy back in before it falls out and she's in a deep sleep.

Isla has never liked swaddling she's always throwing her arms around and kicking her feet but the BEST thing we've found is these little baby sleeping bags that do up like a vest... I think they're called grow bags? And then I just put another blanket on top

And again the mothercare app with the white noise is brilliant!

Jealous of all the dummy action! Personally I think if babies (and parents) find them useful then great - dd won't take one, have tried on and off since she was born with little success really hoping she finds her thumb. I'm def a bit of a human dummy at the mo, but it's so much less effort than rocking her for ages - lazy mummy!

Gro bags - that reminds me - TK Maxx had loads the last time I was in there, a couple of weeks ago.

Mama bf babies often don't do for days. Ds1 was a once a week baby. Just think what you save in nappies! It's because there is no waste in breast milk

Typical, the one night I ask dp to give a bottle ds does a four hour stretch!

WL ds refuses a dummy too and he's still pretty rubbish at getting his thumb in. I'm pretty sure once he has more control he will be fine with it though (hope so anyway!)

Holy moly, C went 6.5 hours between feeds! And now 3...

Wow great news mama. Ds2 did 4 hrs then 2.5 hrs. Not bad at all!

That's what ds's done is that

7.5 hours! Wahoo! But I was up and down like a jack-in-a-box all night checking he was okay

We have a viewer today. I had to run round like a mad woman tidying last night. You can imagine what the house looked like!