January 2013 Part Two: Coos and smiles but not always so much sleep...

[SpringFlowers]

Our first thread has almost finished so I thought we'd need a new one!

birdies I'm doing 1800 - my fitness pal said to lose 2lb a week I should have 1300, and then I add on 500 for feeding :)

Feel guilty now. Perhaps i should calorie count ive had three cakes and two chocolate bars today! On a plus ive got dexter down to two bottles today and i did a successful 40mins on the bad boob... With a nipple shield. I definatly think that and the lansinoh are making it much more supple and useable for him. Relief.

Is it bad to find it funny that hes amused by tv for hours? -and curtains lightbulbs and doors- im finding it cute now he can grab toys and they go directly to his mouth

so the abcess has gonr just left with red skin at the minute but because lifes inproving im dealt a new blow, looks like some kind of conjunctivitis in my eye ffs

Hello all,

I wanted to get some advice as this is my first baby so whilst I feel my wee one is doing okay sleep wise I thought I would check in with you all to see what you think and if you had any advice.

My LO is 10 weeks old, I am loosely following Gina Ford but to be honest have found my baby has sort of settled into his own routine anyway. He is formula fed and during the day I feed him approx 5oz every 3 hours. He tends to wake most mornings at around 6.30/7am, should I wake him at the same time each day or let him wake me?

I find he doesn't tend to sleep for long periods during the day now and tends to sleep after a feed whilst I have him out in the pram or in the car. If we're in the house, the most he will sleep will be about 30 mins. I do have a bedtime routine which is usually a 5pm feed which I split so that he gets half at 5pm, change nappy, bit of naked time on mat, changed for bed, rest of milk and listen to lullabies in a dark room then put down about 6.30pm. He tends to sleep till 11pm or we wake him then to give him another feed. He tends to take about 3 to 4oz during his night feeds so I feel he is getting enough milk.

During the night he tends to wake anywhere from 2 to 3.30am, he can wake earlier but I leave him to gurgle etc until he actually cries as don't want to pick him up when he is just gurgling away to himself as opposed to crying? He takes another feed and then I put him back down and he tends to wake again around 6 to 7am so I never get the longer sleep spell that I get when I put him down at 6.30pm, does that sound right?

Does this sound okay to experienced mums and should I be changing anything to try and cut out the 2/3am feed?

Thanks in advance!

X

tomorrow we are supposed to be going for a longish drive, and I am the only driver so we decided dp would give a bottle of expressed milk in the night so I could get some sleep. total disaster - dd screamed while he tried to warm the milk, then he didn't put the lid on the bottle properly and spilt most of it all over her. she cried even more while he changed her clothes. by then I was totally awake with boobs full of milk so I fed her myself.

those of you who ff, do your babies get used to waiting while you make up bottles? dd goes from zero to starving in seconds just like her mum

lora I am stuffing myself with cake and chocolate too. I am constantly hungry and don't always have time to make a healthy meal. plus I think tiredness makes you crave sugar.

newbie also a first timer, but your pattern sounds a lot like dd's. she is 12 weeks and has fallen into a vague routine by herself. unfortunately her cough keeps waking her at the moment so this has now gone out of the window

Mrsbugsy, ff DS is the same. I'll leave him (quiet and stirring) with DP while I run downstairs to get jug and, within the time it takes - about 2 mins - he's turned into a screaming wreck.

I can't stop grazing on crap - actually signed up at a gym last week. God knows when I'll have the time or inclination to go! Tut.

Newbie I'm also following GF altho a lot looser/less strict with ds than dd ... don't know if this will help, but at about 8 weeks, I also wanted to cut out 2 am feed...thought he was getting enough milk as he was waiting 3 hours before feed, but in theory if they get their calories during the day, they wont need to get them at night (once they are old enough), so I did offer him more (he was on 5oz, so offered him 6) at the 7 am feed and he guzzled it - since then we've given him 6oz at every feed, he doesn't always finish, but he does mostly and since then he's gone till 5am (and isn't drinking well at 7, so doesn't actually need the 5am bottle)...what also helped was waking him properly at 10 rather than 11, giving half feed, letting him play until 11, then the rest of the feed - he seemed to go longer then...also are you swaddling well at night? It defs helps Ds sleep longer if he is. I found a Gina babies group on babycentre which has been really helpful (even though we are a cross between gina & baby whisperer)...hope this helps.

Another one happily eating crap! I'm starving and i try to eat well but the crap stuff is so much easier

Newbie that sounds fine. I think most babies fall into a similar routine at this point. They are still.so little i wouldn't worry about trying to cut out any feeds, if she id still waking for them then she probably needs them. As long as you and baby are happy its all good! :)

Making easter bonnets here today!

Sorry Newbie have just referred to your ds as she! Really must start proof reading Oh also should mention i have never done gf and all mine were bf i think ff can sleep longer and seriously considering introducing bottle for last feed in hope of more sleep x

Lora Charlie giggles away at the light fitting whilst he's having his bottle. He finds it far more amusing than his mum trying her best to amuse him

Half four?!? Whats he playing at. I think ts because it was mainlt boob milk last night, ungrateful sod :-D i think hes judging my light fitting hormonal cos its got one of those old fasion polysterine things round it which looks awful.

With you on the pain that is expressed (hard earned expressed) milk leaking out a bottle i seethed inside when dp didnt check the lid and that happened. He has offered to do the complete night shift today (guilt over my bad eyes) so im going to make every effort to just boob feed so he has a rubbish night

I've stopped buying biscuits and crap. Otherwise I would just turn into Jabba the Hut and eventually explode .

We are having difficulties with the whole bottle last thing at night deal. Daniel has stopped taking more than an ounce at all, even if he's really hungry. He snacks and waits for me an hour later instead. Trouble is, I really want him take an evening bottle to give me a break and DH really wants to feed him and I want to be able to leave him with granny occasionally. We are persevering, I am not letting it get to the stage of complete bottle refusal.

We had wakings at 2 and at 4am last night. About average for him. I'm barely awake when I feed him so really not a problem.

I don't think ivy really needs at least one of her overnight feeds as last night she was mostly just messing about (ie off/on; smile at ceiling; smile at boob; wriggle about madly..) in the end i gave up and put her back in her crib and left her to it! she went back to sleep for 3 hours so she can't have been very hungry. Trying to leave her as long as possible and i.never jump to her just let her wake herself up and hang in her crib while shes reasonably happy

I'm the same apples. If he was really that hungry when he first wakes up then he would be making more noise!

We got 9.30-4.30 last night! Didn't get the benefit of it though because I had to express what he hadn't taken (he'd had a small bottle around 8). Put him down again at 5.45 and got til the back of 8. I'm hoping this is the start of sleeping longer...

Thanks all, louise85 I'm not swaddling him anymore as GF said not to after 6 or 8 weeks I think and only to half swaddle them so have him in a gro bag thing. Will try your suggestions so thanks so much!

For the lady asking about ff babies waiting for their milk to warm up, I just feed my baby at room temperature and he takes it fine or you could put your bottle in a jug of boiling water for 5 mins to heat it if needed?

X

Pasch what bottles you using? I use tommee tippee nature something or other with no problems. Someone said to choose a system which is most like your nips

for the night bottle problem people could you have a spare kettle in your room? Dexter takes them at room temp or warm which is good

The thread moves so fast I can't keep up! Someone was asking about playing with their baby... When ds is having an awake / playful time I do different things. Sometimes I walk around the house with him pointing out stuff and talking to him. He 'talks' back and intently watches my face when I'm talking. Sometimes I stand in front of the mirror and smile and wave - he loves mirrors. I aso put him under the play gym which also has a mirror - he loves it and will happily lie there for 20/30 minutes. I also lie him on his tummy on the poor so he can practise hiding his head and shoulders off the floor, only for a few minutes. We also have a rainmaker (elc) which he loves watching and listening to and a pull along crocodile which he follows with hs eyes. He's also interested in the tv althgh I don't put it on just for him. He's nine weeks.

We still have a baby determined routine. He feeds / plays / sleeps as and when he wants to during the day, baths at 6 pm and then stays downstairs with us in the evening. Last night he fed at 9.30 ish and then was asleep until 3.30 when he fed on one side and went back to sleep. It all seems to be working well and we are very happy. I'm not that worried about sleeping through the night as I barely wake anyway.

I hope everyone has a good weekend!

Are we meant to stop swaddling? I still swaddle but I'm not sure when to stop?

Birdies It's fine to swaddle as long as it is working for you. Some babies really need the feeling of being snuggled in tight when they are little. Gf is all well and good but you know your baby and she doesn't.

As an aside, why is it bloody snowing???

Lora we were using Tommee Tippee closer to nature but Daniel kept flooding everything and he struggled with it so we're on Nuk now which he is happier with in his mouth, he just plays with it, looks like he's taking milk down, swallowing etc but when you right the bottle only a very tiny bit has gone. He's using it as a comforter I think. He's obviously not starving is he?

Birdies I gave up swaddling on about day 3 when it became obvious he wanted to rave on with his arms instead and slept better for it.

We still swaddle - tried to stop but ds woke up so often...you can swaddle safely until they start rolling over...anything for a good nights sleep :-)

Totally agree with Spring - you know your baby best - take what you like from people like GF but do what your baby needs/likes :-)

Thanks all, re swaddling please don't think I was being critical of anyone who does, totally agree us mummies know our babies best. My baby is a bit of a wriggler and I used to think from about 6 weeks he got annoyed cause he couldn't wriggle so the gro bag seems to be better for him but as you all say, you just need to do what suits your LO.

Am trying the 6oz at each feed and will wake him at 10pm tonight and split his feed so he can go on the playmat for a bit to see if that makes a difference so will report back! He always is down by 6.30pm and sleeps till between 10 and 11 when we wake him if he hasn't woken himself but tends to be about 11pm that we wake him so will see if this change helps him have a better sleep.

Thanks again

X

Hi all

So hit rock bottom on Thu night with bf, the constant struggle to get a latch and gnawing for hours without getting out much milk. Decided to make a slow transition to ff. Gave LO three bottles of formula yesterday, surprisingly he took to it right away (at room temp) and was displaying a much better latch on the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles than he is on my boob, frustratingly!

We don't try and put him to bed before us in eve as it has never worked! He feeds and dozes on us. Last night he went down in his basket at midnight and slept til 6am, I breastfed him (he didn't take much) and changed him, he went back to sleep from 8am to nearly 11am and woke up starving. I fed him from both very engorged boobs for ages then he boaked and boaked and cried for about an hour. He is sleeping now but can't be much food in him as there was so much boak :(

I feel terrible now - have I wrecked his delicate digestive system now by giving him formula??

Oh meringue please don't worry you haven't wrecked his digestive system! Ivy does this all the time guzzles like mad then blurgh! Tbh it probabky looked like more than it actualy was. Also if he is hungry he will let you know!

I keep meaning to start putting Ivy up to bed earlier but once i've got everyone else to bed frankly i can't be arsed!!! :) silly really as am.sure she would sleep better if i did...

I wouldn't have thought so meringue. When I moved DD1 to formula it was a straight swap and she was fine.

newbie dont worry you didn't sound critical at all :) I was just starting to think maybe I should stop anyway but I'll keep going until she can roll I think.

We must be in a growth spurt here. Back to feeding on demand and being a Velcro baby

dd spits her milk out if it isn't warmed exactly to her liking

we are also still swaddling, dd still sleeps much better for it.

in other news, she is 3 months today. where did it go?