October 2013 Bus Graduates - Routines?! Our babies clearly haven't read the manual.

[Shirehobbit]

Apologies for the x-posting that meant there's no thread link in the last thread .
I'll start this one and hope people find it.

Shooting I love getting my Xmas tree we have really high ceilings this year in our new house so going to get a 8ft one much to dp's dismay also going to buy mine next weekend.

We're doing our Christmas tree tomorrow DH and I both love Christmas, and we've got family staying next weekend so the tree is going up earlier than usual this year!

As for routine - we are so incredibly not in any sort of routine that it worries me when others Mums on here say that their LO goes to bed at a certain time or naps at a certain time etc. Some nights A will go to sleep at 10, some nights it'll be 3am. Whether she naps during the day or not doesn't seem to make any difference. The only thing I can guarantee is about 4 bowel movements from her a day, and a fussy period at some point in the evening.

Does anyone else feel like they are sometimes fighting a bit of a battle to get your baby latched on/keep them on?! A is generally very good and will latch on and feed no problem, but then she has phases throughout the day when anyone would think I was feeding her against her will!

Rox we have the same baby ditto everything including the routine .

We have no routine as well as J is unpredictable sso far!!!! Ican guarantee he will pee on either me or dh at some point everyday though.....

Hi.

no routine here either & this is baby number two who has had no routine at this young age (6 weeks). I'm not worrying. She's so little & I'm so relaxed this time that i really like having her with us in the evening.

i can also relate to the faffing occasionally during feeds. She's usually totally focussed on filling her tummy,but probably one or two feeds a day lately are a bit of a battle. She seems to refuse to latch on if she isn't in perfect alignment with where she thinks she should be,so if i move her about a couple of centimeters forwards or back she'll latch. I should be grateful i suppose that she is sparing me painful nips!

DS also fought at the breast,but that was a totally different thing. He just loathed being a little baby i think. He was the least-interested-in-food baby i have ever met. He still hates sitting & eating. It's a bloody nightmare.

sympathies to all needing them & I'm still taking strength from you other toddler mums telling me about your trials & tribulations :)

No routine here either. I'm so much more relaxed about it thus time as it's number 2. With ds I was so stressed about having a routine and nap times etc but not this time. To be honest in all my stressing over ds1's routine he didn't really settle into proper naps until about 6 months when he just sort of found his own rhythm anyway. Honestly wouldn't worry about a routine at this age other than making sure they know difference between night and day.

So baby B has just gobbled 5oz if milk,the most he's ever had in one feed. Hoping it means we get a good stretch of sleep........
Hope everyone is snoozing happily.

The only routine A has is pooing an hour after she has gone to sleep at night. It doesn'tatter when she goes to bed, an hour later she will wake up to poo! Tonight, for example, 1am - into Moses basket fast asleep, 2am - wakes up, grumbles for a bit, big poo.

No routine here either and trying not to mind!

Slightly green poos today for the first time (and a red, angry bottom) which is a bit concerning. I've also felt pretty engorged over the last few days, so guess its too much fore milk or something. Poor little girl.

Difficult night here...3 hours sleep before screaming the house down and he's been feeding on and off now for 3 hours - hoping he's finished soon so we can get some kip as I am absolutely knackered!!

Went for dinner with some of DHs hockey team and Thomas was amazing. So alert most of the time or slept quietly and and didn't cry the whole time from 7pm until 1am, let others hold him at sat quietly in his bouncer while I ate. So proud of my little boy! He is obviously at home in rowdy, drunken noisy environments. Oh dear... Made up for it with a difficult night. Still got this cold bless him so is forgiven. Willing my boobs to sort out the antibodies soon.

Sounds lovely, orange.

G surprised me yesterday by sleeping all through my NCT lunch - no feeding issues after all. She cried for 3 hours after we got home, but I can't have everything!

We don't have a routine here at almost 7 weeks. We are finding that some things will happen at the same time for a few days running but, just as I start to plan around it, it changes.

I'm a bit of a punctual control freak by nature but am trying really hard to go with the flow, accept she is too little for any routine other than the one she selects on a day to day basis and that she is the boss.

Hope you get some sleep soon untitled

Can't remember who posted about green poo - we get that sometimes too. I've been told its nothing to worry about and, in G's case, has only ever lasted for a couple of nappies before going back to mustard.

Lesson learnt today : Brand new not-yet-washed muslins are not very absorbent and make for excellent milk slides, taking your fast let down milk straight onto the sofa.

Do others let their babies nap in the sling? I've taken to putting C in the sling a lot in the morning as he just will not stay asleep in his bed during the day. He sleeps in the sling and I can get on with jobs. He is very happy in there. He's 5 wks tomorrow. Once again I'm really anxious about habits I'm creating but he needs to sleep and I need to be able to do things. I do have doc appt tomorrow re anxiety and pnd but I doubt everything I do and it's wearing me down. I need to get a grip. He's pretty good otherwise and sleeps in his basket from bedtime. I just have no idea about babies and when what you allow them to do might start becoming an issue for the future.
Hope everyone's having a nice wk end. Xx

Naps in the sling- YES! Only place he'll nap. At some point we will get him into his cot but I don't expect that will be until he's 6 months or so. Naps in car/sling/pram/bouncer are all fine by me as long as he does nap!!! Honestly don't worry about bad habits these guys are way too young to be creating any.

Ready, I too was stressing about things and know very little about babies. A is 7 weeks on Tuesday and I can honestly say as each week passes it gets easier. I feel at nearly 2 months I finally know my baby and have started to feel less stressed and relaxed about the whole motherhood thing, but that's only in the last week or so when I've realised that I'm missing out on enjoying her at a young age because I was stressing and worried. Speak to the dr, I did but for me it was just a case of adapting to my new role (being a mum) I've always struggled with change, I don't embrace newness too well, so it's come as no surprise that I struggled with my new role. Please be easy on yourself and have faith and trust in yourself that you are doing the best you can for your baby.

Hi Ladies. Feeling much more relaxed regarding routines second time round. Mainly because it's second time but also because I haven't read any damn baby books! LO has no routine during the day and just has to fit around me and DS. This usually means napping in the buggy or sling while we're at toddler groups (Ready- if this works for you then go for it!). She's then wide awake during DS's nap time so no daytime sleep for me. We have started popping her in the bath most nights with DS which they both seem to enjoy. After I get DS to sleep at 7.30 I tend to feed her in the dark in our room until she falls asleep so that we have a few hours of "grown-up" time each evening. I found this saved my sanity last time!
Flyer- I totally agree with your last post about adjusting to a new role. It took me a good few months last time. I think it took me longer than other new mums because I'm a bit of a control freak/like routine and couldn't understand why me new baby didn't get this too! I also hadn't anticipated the impact it would have on me and DH as a couple. However, life gradually settles into a new and much better pattern! Just keep reminding yourself that you are doing your best for you and LO- as long as they are fed and getting lots of cuddles that's all that matters xx

Exactly and completely everything that Pink said!!! We do the same re routines to a T. Babies fit in and we do a bedtime routine with DD. That's it! Last time I really got my knickers in a regard over the routines crap. I ended up rejecting it (along with all the controlled crying stuff) and fed her whenever she cried at night etc. After Nout 6 months life became v predictable to her routine and now, 3 years on, she is happy, confident, sleeps great (through the night agrees quick goodnight, in a big bed etc), eats well with no fussiness, confidently goes to anyone etc.... So I'm happy with that!!

That said... Naps in the cot will be good when they come!

Ha ha!! Knickers in a regard (twist, obvs)!

DD napped in or at lest fell asleep in the sling for at least 6 months.

Thank you all for the reassurances. Flyer, I feel like I really need to figure out how to accept the changes and go with the flow. I did not expect it to be this hard. My logical brain tells me just to go with it and enjoy it but my emotional side just can't seem to manage it. I am putting him to bed around 7 so that we can have a little time downstairs alone. I'm just so tired so head to bed as soon as I've eaten! I never thought I'd be so clingy and start to dread my partner going to work! Also, and Im aware this sounds mad, but I was totally unprepared for how much I'd love this little guy. It's amazing I know but terrifying. Again I can't really understand why I can't just revel in how fantastic it feels and how lucky I am to have a perfect, healthy baby instead of letting it overwhelm me! I need to stop thinking!
On a positive note....first post birth run today! 4wks 6 days. No leakages from anywhere so that's good. I know you're supposed to wait til 6 wks but physically I'm fine and thought it might help me with my spiralling emotions to get back to exercise I'm used to.
Thanks again flyer, shooting, pink, legally. It really helps. Xx

Ready this is such an emotional roller coaster. I understand your anxieties (and share a good few of them) but it all sounds normal. We have less of a routine than you do and we're increasing our sling use because it's so helpful for us. Running sounds like a great way to get time for yourself.

J has been eating for longer each time, and he's clearing more out of his nose, so I hope he's getting better from his cold. How are the other babies doing?

Thomas is napping in the sling right now so I can have some time not sitting in a chair and have my dinner. I have only ever managed maybe 3 daytime naps in his bed. Most naps are on me, in his bouncer/car seat/ push chair or in the sling.

Ana glad to hear baby j is getting better. It's awful seeing your baby unwell. A is feeding more today and less mucusy so it must be a signs she is feeling a little better also.

Ready it is so blimin tough this new parent thing, no matter what people tell you about how life changing it is, nothing can prepare you for the immense change and upheaval a baby brings, I was shocked at how tough it was and never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be so hard physically, emotionally or mentally! You are completely normal with the worries and anxieties.

Sigh... Just won an eBay auction for a used medela swing pump for £21 incl shipping. I then googled what parts I need to buy new for myself, and am reading about how milk gets into the tubing and machine so it's never sterile and you shouldn't buy it used. Now I don't know what to do. I was hoping not to spend £90 on a pump this month.