October 2013 Bus Graduates - A gummy grin and all is forgiven

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[Post edited by MNHQ]

Good luck Mnippy! We've been trialling putting DD down to bed in the evening. Tonight she was down by 8.35 so I'm hoping she's not p at 1am for a feed as she normally would feed at 11ish. Good luck to us both!

Hi, I've got a ds who was born early October. Can I join you guys? I've been a lurker through the pregnancy and post natal boards but missing all the chat on here. Would somebody be able to add me to the Facebook group please?

Hi Blondie32

Welcome, of course if you pm me your real life Facebook name and a brief description of your profile pic I will add you.

Blondie - we're struggling to find you on fb. Do you have super tight privacy settings?

So how did it go without the swaddle mnippy?

Hey mnippy, hope junior slept for you?

Rox I think mnippy doesn't like/trust FB but I could be getting things mixed up......

Well, the first couple of nights were a bit of a disaster! He used to be a baby that went almost straight to sleep once the swaddle was on, didn't make a sound until he was hungry, and went back to sleep once he was fed. He metamorphosed into an outraged arm-flailing monster who woke up crying several times and needed petting, and who wouldn't go back to sleep after feeds. I gave up and reswaddled him the first night!

Then it became clear that he was on the verge of rolling over, so we simply couldn't swaddle him (babies sleeping swaddled on their front have a 7x increased SIDS risk). I took a deep breath and prepared to take the hit, and after more nights he is much, much better. But still cries out in the night when before he didn't 't make a sound. I think it is because he gets to the end of a sleep cycle, shifts around, and whacks himself in the eye with his fists.

Anything, how are the early bedtimes going? We were worried about those but in the end it really worked for him - after the first fortnight he didn't wake up any earlier than he did when we put him to bed the same time as us.

I'm on FB but don't trust my grasp of FB's ever changing privacy settings - and I spill (and have spilt) much on these threads that I wouldn't want anyone in RL to know!

So glad he's got the hang of it Mnippy. I think those middle of the night random shouts are just their equivalent of turning over. DD does them and we hold our breath!

Early bed times are great. We're putting her to bed about 8, feeding to sleep mostly (but she self settled last night). She sometimes wakes and wants feeding when we go up but she goes through until between 6.30 and 8am. I don't like to talk about it as many of bus aren't getting any sleep at all!

Mnippy how about making up a profile with a fake name and no pictures just for mumsnet group? Much busier there now and we'd love you to join us.

Yes mnippy I know littleducks did this

Very quiet here these days..... But my love and prayers go all of you...always..xxxx

Hello hello! It's been a very very long time (think I last posted around Christmas time, or earlier...) - sorry!

I just thought I'd drop in to say hi.

Hope everyone's well. I see some are having ups and downs - notably Flyer, so sorry about you and "D"P. Its not uncommon.

The twins.... Are thriving! They're 6 months now and I started weaning them at exactly 6 months. I'm doing baby led weaning only (no purées at all) so they're munching merrily on veg, bread, chicken, salmon, baby biscuits and crisps etc). The beauty of BLW and waiting until 6 months is you can just chuck anything at them! They sit in bumbos with trays on the table . Actually, I can't give Hugo dairy as he is super allergic to it... By way of example, last week, a friend brought over a loaf of soda bread from a local artisan bakery and she and I munched loads while the kids ate tea. H was up ALL night screaming in pain. I went to the bakery the next day - they make if with soured milk (who knew...?!). So that was just through the milk in bread through my breast milk... On that note, apart from the good since 10th march, they're still ebf.. They're sleeping really well though - they are reliably asleep by 7.30 (all three kids are - bliss!!), I feed at 11 then the wake for a 10 min feed at 4am or v rarely sleep through till 6.45ish - so I've had a few evenings out!

What else? They're not sitting independently yet - they still need bumbos. Both can roll, but get stuck once they do, and V has taken to moving herself across a whole room, very quickly, by arching her back and kicking her legs (she shimmies backwards). There's a yelp and you realise she's shimmied across the mat and has her head stuck under the sofa or something...

And they've just started fighting over toys... So that's going to be fun!!! DD is really really starting to enjoy them now they're eating and properly playing!

Naps are fairly reliable now, although all goes Pete Tong of we go out for the day or something. They've just about dropped their afternoon nap, so they have 1.5/2 hours at 8.30am in the pushchair and 1.5/2 hours at 12.30 in the cot (but I do sometimes need to re-settle with cuddles and shhs after 40 mins or so). They'll have an afternoon cat nap at 3.15 ish if they need one and they're in the pushchair or sling...

Like I said, thinking of you Flyer. Our marriage has certainly gone through some dark patches since the twins... We're just so bloody knackered, it exacerbates all existing issues... I think we're coming out the other side though.

How's everyone else??? I'm not going to do Facebook, so please do summarise here if you can x x x

Hi Legally! It's so nice to hear how you and the twins are doing. You probably don't remember me as I didn't post often. I will go leave a message on FB Flyer, Clapham and all the other regulars to tell them you have posted here and would like to hear from them. They will be thrilled to hear from you ( the mantra " what would Legally do" is stilled banded around when someone has a baby related obstacle to overcome).

Hi legally! So lovely to hear from you

Hi legally
So good to hear you and the twins are doing well, I can't imagine how hard it most have been at the most challenging times to have two to look after. You've done so well to get to 6 months all in tact, here is where things get easier and predictable and we can start enjoying them more!
Harriet is 24 weeks, still ebf, and going to do BLW at 6 months. DS (3.9) is the most cuddliest loving brother ever, she has brought out the best in him and it feels like our family is so happy and complete (although may fancy a 3rd in a couple of years!)
Take care xxx

Hi Legally! So glad you've popped by to leave an update. We've all been thinking of you.

So glad the twins and DD are doing well. I was worried something dreadful had happened and is missed it in my postnatal haze!

My DD is doing brilliantly. She's honestly the loveliest little thing I've ever met, and at 21 weeks is sitting, grabbing, making lovely noises, and mostly sleeping like an angel. Nothing to grumble about - many of the other bus graduates are having a much tougher time. The support over on fb is brilliant though.

Maybe we can keep this thread alive alongside fb if this is better for you legally?

Hi Legally, we've all been wondering about you and the twins.
Just to update you on Eliana. She's 5.5 months old now and is such a smiley happy wee baby. she had a cardiac catheter procedure on Thursday and we're facing open heart surgery in the next 2-4 weeks. scary times bit all for the greater good.

Really good to hear from you Legally, lovely to hear how the twins are getting on

Harry is 6 months on Wednesday and he's my most favourite little person! His little personality could charm anyone and his smile melts me daily.

We've had our ups and downs with sleeping but he went into his own room last weekend and it's slowly improving, although not as bad as some people on the bus have had it.

He's such a boy and is determined to get moving. I think he'll be crawling very soon as he can get on all fours now which is both exciting and terrifying at the same time!!

Keep updating us, we've missed you!

Hi Legally great to hear from you. Glad you are all good & healthy and enjoying your baby led weaning.

J is 5.5 months and is my big boy, he did his first kind of roll onto his tummy today . He is very low tone though and still has bad head lag and keeps going blue. Waiting on an appointment with paediatrician but sure he's just being lazy.

The other 2 love him and give me a running commentary of what J does, usually it's DS1 moaning that J is looking at him - he is definitely a threenager!!!

Love to you all x

Legally woohoo, so bloody lovely to hear from you we've been worried as hell over on fb about you!

So pleased to hear the twins are doing so well and are good sleepers, I've become obsessed with sleep in recent months.

I remember you saying you found the 4-5 month mark tough with your dd as that's when the months of constant sleep deprivation kick in, and I completely agree with you.
A bear is an awful sleeper, she wakes up anything from 3-6 times per night and can only get back to sleep by going on the boob, and when I say boob I mean one boob as I'm feeding off only one boob now (it's nicknamed the super udder on the fb group ) I'm very lopsided and have been bf one since early December! Also baby A is a bottle refuser so it means no nights out here . However today marks big changes in the flyer household as ex dp (who is now known as the rat on fb group) and I have had a maternity nurse/sleep trainer/baby whisperer in to deal with the bottle refusal and the sleep and napping.
I'm pleased to report we have seen instant changes . She hates naps and was so overtired I went to extreme measures and was going out in the car and driving around twice a day just to get her to nap!! Extreme to say the least hey. However today she slept 1.5 hrs at 9am and 1.75 hours at 1pm in her cot, hooray

Thanks for asking about me, it made my night.

As you know I'm now single and living with my mum and dad Monday-Thursday then I come upto Liverpool on a Friday where I spend Friday-Monday morning with A and the rat. He's a big fat sewer rat but a very good dad to A, and we are happier off apart. The good news is I'm moving into out old apartment in the summer time and we will have joint custody of A....he will have her for 3 days a week and i will have her for 4 days.

In other news I've been to London and stayed with claphammama for 3 nights ( she's lovely) and even bought me some Yorkshire Tea for my stay it was lovely and we met up with the London girls.

We also meet monthly up north in Manchester and some fantastic relationships have been formed from this board.

All is good and it's so lovely to hear about you and the twins. We have missed hearing your wise words and advice.
Please please stay in touch.
Xx

Lovely to hear from you legally, glad the twins are doing so well. Noah is doing well a giggly, independent and very long baby. Our sleeping is a bit of a disaster but for the most part I'm able to cope with it I dream feed in the sence I hardly wake up. I would just love an evening out though.

I'm still ebf which I attribute to the support I've been given at the local bf drop in centre but also on mn. I distinctly remember you saying how much easier it got. Not sure I've found that to be true with a very easily distractible baby but equally I'm very glad I've stuck with it as I love our time together when we get our act together. So I'd like to say thank you. I think we all feel bad that the FB area isn't the place for you it just became more private, easier to group topics and best of all allows photos. I totally understand that FB isn't for everyone but you are definitely missed on there.

Gosh... Guys... This is overwhelming! In a lovely, lovely way. I'll do FB - I would love to keep in touch. Give me a couple of days and I'll figure it out... X x

Hi legally. Just a quickie as I've got to get some shut eye. Could we see a pic of the twins? It's lovely seeing all the babies on fb but would love to see them.
Will post more in the morning but just wanted to say that it's good to hear from you.

Hi legally,

Lovely to hear from you! So glad all is well, things seem to be going pretty marvellously. So impressive that you've bf twins all this time. Bf going well here too after a tt snip. He refused to take a bottle since then and we aren't having much luck with a cup either so no nights out for me, just a couple of quick trips to the gp/hairdresser so far! I'm sure I will be sad when he is no longer always with me though.

I'm really looking forward to starting BLW in a few weeks (been trying to explain it to MIL today!). Sorry to hear about H, my niece has cmpa and I think T does too - huge amounts of sick whenI had lactofree cheese this week and more this afternoon after some cream in soup.

T is at a lovely happy stage, rolling over, bouncing, smiling and babbling lots. He likes kicking in the bath and chewing on a soft rabbit. I'm enjoying being able to go out for more walks and picnics with him now it's sunny. He did sleep well from mid January but things have gone a bit pear shaped with teething/colds/trying to bring bedtime a bit earlier over the last month. I have faith it will settle down though.

I've met quite a lot of mums at Kingston, London and Brighton meet ups and they are a lovely bunch. Perhaps we could message you details of when we meet up in case you are able to make it to one near you.

Keep in touch xxx

Legally, you returned, we sent out search parties several times! ;) So pleased to hear from you, what a lovely update. Sounds like the ever changing gorgeous kids are keeping you on your toes. My little guy has just turned 6 months, so we are very slowly starting to BLW. He isn't anywhere near sitting, has no interest at all. He is such a happy and for the most part easy, so feel very lucky, especially after having a non sleeper first time.

Looking forward to seeing you over on Facebook xx