Is there a September 2013 group yet?

[Gingerandlemon]

Just that really! I gave birth two weeks ago on 1st September and am so ready to start asking everyone if they're going through the same stuff as me!!

Hey all - my eyes are on stalks as we had a rough night. For the last two nights LO won't go int the Moses basket at all. She was great before and had slept for 5-6 hour stretches. Now she won't feed or rock to sleep, won't settle herself (which is fine for a 3 week old). My DH takes her after she's been feed at 10 and midnight, tries to settle her but she just screams which makes me feel gulity and then hands her to me. We ended up co sleeping from 3 til 8 which isn't something I wanted to do!

I was all set to avoid trying to lay down routines until 12 weeks or so but feel like I'm losing my sanity. I even picked up the Gina Ford book my sister gave me, but I can't envisage it working - as she is BF and doesn't go long between feeds. Also I can't see her settling without help.

Anyone doing anything at all structured at this point? I wonder if I could at least make day and night more distinct somehow - all is totally random at the moment!

Roller, it sounds like we have the same child. They were born on the same day after all. Not happy about the co sleeping going on at the moment either.

Ha! At least we're not alone! Maybe they are right on trend. My DH thinks its a grin and bear it phase to get through. (Mumbles:easy for non BF parent to say). Are you going to attempt a routine / change of habits anytime soon?

Roller & dakomponist, I'm in exactly the same boat as you both... DD will not sleep at night, at all, anywhere (except the sofa, eventually)! Her preferred bedtime is between 3-5 am, sometimes she'll go down til about midnight then stay up, last night she went from 9.30 to 3.30 awake and crying a lot, am totally frazzled today. Haven't tried co sleeping but was talking about it last night, and wasn't sure whether it was too soon for a routine (4 weeks old) - interested to know what others have found works? Am praying it is just a grin & bear it phase! She's a bit sicky, but that doesn't really seem to bother her, it's more she just can't switch off and keeps waking herself up more & more...

Yes - it's exactly like that - can't switch off and gets upset. But sleeping loads during the day.

My instinct is saying it is too soon for a routine but have read a few things that have confused the hell out of me.

Sounds like a growth spurt- famously one at three weeks. We had it here (Robin is now 5 weeks old) and I promise it will (probably) pass. I refuse to contemplate much of a routine yet (baby feels far too small currently) but I keep him more stimulated during the day and at night it's all hushed voices, lights off, lying down to feed etc. Too soon to be conclusive but it seems to be working at the moment. The growth spurts are TOUGH but keep at it :)

Yup, same here Roller - great sleeping in the day, different child at night!

Fl0 - how long did the growth spurts last for Robin?

Redbird thanks for the info on the Cocoonababy, I'd probably be more tempted if I could get one quickly, there's a seller on Amazon who wants £200! Thieves! Am going to try the carrycot tonight rather than the crib as she seems to like the enclosed-ness of it...

Is it constant feeding at night? With LOos was like that for a few days so I thought it was a growth spurt but last night just wouldn't settle but didn't feed a lot.

She is asleep next to me right now buying just waiting for her to turn...

But not buying!

Also I've just realised I feed with rugby hold with her propped on pillows where she generally falls asleep and I just leave her snoozing next to me. Maybe this is part of the problem as if feeding in arms I'd have to put her down?

Growth spurts lasted a few days. We had one at 3v weeks and I've at four. Now waiting for the 6 week!

I think my DS has hit the 6 week growth spurt right on schedule! Almost constant feeding from 6-10pm. I'm shattered!

DH working late shifts all week so it is hard to juggle constant feeding with another DS to think about and get to bed!

Yikes batbear. Sometimes Robin cluster feeds like that anyway so with any luck I won't even notice the 6 week (haha yeah right).

She isn't really feeding more often, but possibly drinking a bit more each time (EMB in a bottle, so can keep an eye on quantity)... Dunno really, feeling pretty despondent (and f*cking knackered!) now, after sitting up for another six hours watching her fight going to sleep... She gets to the point of nodding off, then wakes herself up again... She's exhausted, and to make myself feel even more annoyed about it she was pretty much asleep at 1.30 and I bloody woke her up by moving her! And since then she been getting herself in a state.... OH will have to take over at 6, need some poxy sleep!

Hope you all got sone sleep! I had two chunks of 1.5 then one of three so shouldn't complain but feel shattered. She did go down and stay asleep in basket but only from 3.30-7.40am.

I've a mad urge to go to nearby town for shopping / change of scene. But am by myself with LO and invokes a short train ride (15 mins). And I've not BF in public before.

somethinglovely- I had a bit of a night like that. DH had popped to spare room around 1am because he had a crappy day at work. I got 2 hours sleep then baby was awake, feeding, winding and crying from about 2:30am. I did the same accidental wake baby up trying to move him (and kicked myself for being such an idiot), and dh came to rescue me at 6am and took the baby downstaitrs for nappy changfe and a cuddle, so i got a little more sleep..phew!
rollermum go for it!! bf in public is fine :)

sorry for bad typing, snoring baby in one arm!!

Wow fl0, we had the same night! Glad you managed to get some rest, I did too from 6ish - amazing how grateful I am for 3 hours sleep these days! It's a bugger when you wake them up by accident isn't it? Hopefully the all-night waking a will pass at some point...

Roller - hope you did go out in the end, once you've done it once it'll seem so much easier - maybe just have a plan for where you'll feed & change when the time comes... Some shops / centres have nice family rooms, was super impressed with westfield's, armchairs and cubicles for feeding etc, nappy change bays etc, brilliant! Are these new? Never needed that sort of thing before!

roller you should totally go for it. Bf in public is absolutely fine, if a little nerve wracking the first time you do it. I wear a vest top underneath my clothes so I can pull up my top layer and pull down my bra and vest so my tummy is still covered. I use a muslin cloth too, but a friend uses a scarf to cover up the boob. Good luck!

Just read through quickly, finding it hard to keep up. Neither of mine had any kind of routine for a least the first few months. I think some babies naturally tend towards a routine so with a little shove can do it, but plenty can't... I have some days where DS seems to be awake all day, others asleep all day! Mostly asleep still though at 7.5 weeks!

And with BFing in public I'd try to have someone with you the first time, makes it so much less scary! I have some giant muslins which are great to cover up as you try to get them to latch. I try to position myself so that therevisntblikely to be anyone standing behind / over me. The worst place in a cafe is by the queue!

Another night like last night. Been in bed two hours.. Baby had one 40 min feed and fell asleep. Woke up windy when I tried to put him down. Dh did a nappy change, baby screaming. 25 mins into another feed. He seems pretty restless. ..I wonder if we are hitting the 6 week growth spurt early?

Anyone else find winding the baby their last favourite job? I'd rather change a hundred nappies then wake up my sleepy baby to jiggle him about for an indefinite amount of time. Can't help that he didn't seem to enjoy it either.

yes fl0 I really struggle with winding. I try all the positions but I can get anything out and the little one keeps squirming and ends up with hiccups. dh is much better at it than me.

Well I didn't make it to town in the end - partly because DD was really restless in the morning, and partly because when I googled prams on SW trains it was unclear what would be allowed. I agree re breastfeeding in public - if I make it to the local bumps and babies group today that would be a good first attempt!

DD had a very similar pattern yesterday - only goes in basket from 3 until 7. Awkward, but it's a start!

On winding I find it easier now than at the start but she still ends up with hiccups a lot.

Good luck today then Roller if you do get out! I find public transport tricky, stairs everywhere on the tube (and only 5 weeks post section can't lift pram by myself)and only one space in the bus, so have been using the sling, but it's tricky to get her in & out to feed, change etc while out & about!

Agree fl0 about the winding! but if you don't you know it'll bite you on the arse later - couldn't properly wind DD yesterday while out because she was cocooned in the sling insert and she was sick by the time we got home, I felt like such a bad mum. What I find does help is feeding, changing happy then winding - by the time she's laid down flat and been picked up again it kind of works it's way out more easily.

& Livvy you are by no means alone with the sleep deprivation! We had another 6 hours wide awake in the night, my child is nocturnal it would seem, so I get an hour or so before midnight and go back to bed at 6am for a couple. Hope I can reset her body clock, but I'm so desperate in the day I do tiptoe a bit, TV on sometimes though, curtains open.

Can I ask what people do about changing in the night? Do you feed and change in the semi-darkness to keep things quiet? I don't really have room in the bedroom to change her so end up taking her next door, but it's brighter and it probably wakes her up a bit more. Might see if I can create a changing area somewhere in the bedroom...

I only change at night if he's definitely done a poo, otherwise just leave him. I change him in his room and it's really bright and does wake him up a lot, but I don't think I could get him very clean in low light!