July 2014 - sleepless nights but lots of smiles

[NancyinCali]

The old thread is nearly full so here's a new place for us to chat about our July babies. Help yourself to some tea & cake to keep you going through the sleepless nights .

Good luck Zing!

Liquid I completely feel for you now as my DH also had a nervous breakdown last night. But we will get through it like we've gotten through everything else. I guess having a baby puts a strain on even the best relationships. Everything will be ok with time. And that's the advice I'm going to give you as well Liquid.

I think men generally can't handle as much as women

ickle my friends ds has 8 teeth already and he's only 8 months old! She swears ibuprofen calpol is better than normal calpol for teething pain. DS had a right old day of teething pain on sat poor love but still no sign of the buggers despite having been bothering him for at least 2 months now!

good luck with your diet zing... I signed up to do the low carb boot camp but didn't last past breakfast!

I really feel for you ladies whose husbands are having breakdowns - I really couldn't cope with that atm.

We are now living/sleeping in the living room as problems with building work we were doing has affected our bedroom... its not so bad now but packing and moving stuff really tried my patience!

Good work zing I'm going to get fit- went to a very intense class last week but didn't enjoy it. Going to try and go for a jog with ds in buggy each day- after this week when I'm on holiday! This and not buying choc/biscuits/cake should make a difference!

Was beautiful in the peaks yesterday should be ok today but looks like it might chuck it down tomorrow! Ds went to bed normal time but slept until 5, considering I've been up at 3 every day the last week feels amazing. He's now snoring away on me! He has also been moving in his cot had turned 90° in the night!

Thanks for the advice auntie will buy some of that. Ds has an awful cold and yesterday was all blotchy and had high temperature so dose of calpol was required- we've bought sachets for when out and find the spoon much easier than the syringe! We are finding it hard to get him to feed sometimes he just screams even though hungry! Yesterday I ended up standing rocking him to get him to take any! Really worrying especially as he's still got diarrhoea my parents came up for the weekend and my dad called me cruel for trying to force food but I can't let him get dehydrated - was in tears when they left. Can't get it off my mind even though I know I'm doing the best I can!

Oh and finally I bought a fab book for ds Christmas called Dear Santa is a flap book in style of Dear Zoo- I bought him a.... but it was too... love it!

Oh ickle You're doing brilliantly. If you're worried about dehydration you can try to give him some cooled boiled water. ds will drink a bit before he realises what it is.

I was contemplating that book but got that's not my santa instead...

Oh dear Auntie! I think it would try my patience too! Dont worry & Just hold, the house renovations will be over in no time & what a story it will be for you to look back on & laugh hopefully lol

Awwwww Ickle you're doing great! Don't put yourself down or let anyone judge you.

Things slowly going back to normal with me now. DH is much better & we talked it all out so we're good. And DS has been getting into a routine-ish lol but I am more able to deal with him now than I was when he was a new born. Either he's getting better or I'm getting stronger haha. Can't believe he's going to be 5 months now, it's like time flies when you have a baby. I think he might be teething soon too because he's been dribbling a lot! Which teething gels would you ladies recommend? Or any other helpful advice?
I have noted down what you said about Ibruprofen calpol Auntie lol

Good luck Zing! I desperately need to lose weight but at the moment I seem to have an unstoppable addiction to chocolate and cake. I'm trying not to eat too much, and to walk every day, but I'm going to leave dieting until after Christmas I think.

Ickle your'e doing great, but I know the feeling - my PIL always seem to have something to say, and sometimes it gets me down a bit.

Both DS and DH are driving me crazy at the moment. DH keeps moaning about how tired he is, but he hasn't helped in the night since his paternity leave. He does get up early for work, but he gets up early on the weekends too to play computer games, and the first thing he does when he comes in from work is turn his computer on, even before he says hello and asks how DS is. He also gets one evening a week which he spends with his friends, as well as some time on the weekend, while I have absolutely no time to myself, not even to have a bath or something.

It probably doesn't help that I'm absolutely shattered as DS has gone from pretty much sleeping through to waking four or five times a night. I think he's teething and he's feeding for comfort a lot. He'll be 5 months on the 30th and I'm starting to think about weaning - what is everyone else doing?

Sorry for the very long moan!

teething I'm using calpol ibuprofen at night and maybe once in the day (you can only give 3 doses in24 hours) normal paracetamol calpol in between if needed, bonjela teething gel when needed, Amber teething anklet and Ashton & parsons teething powders. Not sure if the powders or anklet are helping but will try anything lol! Friend has recommended cold foods like cucumber and yogurt and nelsons granules.

Ds is 5 months this week so just a month to go til giving food - going to start with puree veg and then do baby led weaning otherwise known as what they did when my mum was a baby...

Becky you have my sympathies - I have no time to myself either compared with DP.

Awwww becky you're allowed to moan! & u should have 2-3 hours to yourself on weekends. I feel you should talk to DH about it. Talking it out usually solves alot of problems for me

Auntie my DS nearly 5 months too. I want to try & wait it out till he's 6 months before I put him on solids but recently we did decide to try & give him a bit of baby porridge. He seemed ok with it

Went to baby weaning workshop yesterday which just made me realise friends with older babies are useful! Ds is showing signs of being ready already- sitting independently, neck control etc but only 4 1/2 months going to wait until dh is off work for Christmas and try then am in no rush. Probably going to give finger food- fruit/veg and a spoonful of baby rice to try first!

I have survived my first full week back at work! It was even more hardcore than a normal week because DH was away for work for three days. Certainly a challenge getting me, DD and 3 year old DS out of the door at 8am on my own.

DD is getting on well at the childminder. I manage to express 1 and 1/2 feeds when I'm at work and then the other 1 and 1/2 feeds are formula. DD has a 3 hour nap in the afternoon!

No teeth yet and she's quite petite - just moving into 3-6 month clothes now at 5 months. I'm not even going to think about weaning until she is 6 months at Christmas. Then we will do BLW at home with purées at the childminder.

DH wants to kick DD out of our bedroom into her own room. That's not happening while she fits in the crib and is waking in the night to feed!

I agree foxtrot trust your instincts & do what you feel is right

True Ickle ! Friends with older babies are useful! Lol

Well done foxtrot sounds like a tough first week- I'm not looking forward to going back. Going to use kit days to build up to it- really greatful only having to go back part time which should help too...

Ds still waking every morning at 3.30 and tiredness from that is hitting. He gets so tired by 6.30/7 can't keep him up longer and he does normally sleep through which obviously I'm greatful for but just so early. Dh going to dream feed again tonight to see if that helps- didn't last night but will try anything!

Dd2 is 4 months old today. Can't believe how quickly that's gone. She still doesn't sleep during the day but will do a good 8 hours at night - except last night when she woke for a feed every hour.

ickle Can you try putting him in bed half an hour later each night and slowly make it better for you that way?

ickle ds wakes at about 4am but goes to bed between 7 and 8 pm. He wakes once for a feed about 1 am but he's only up for about 15 mins and goes straight back to sleep. The early mornings are exhausting though.

ds is 5 months now so will also look at weaning around xmas time and hoping to do a combination of puree and blw. part of me is looking forward to it but part of me is sad my baby is growing up so fast :( he is a funny loving little boy though which makes up for the hard times.

ickle how are his naps during the day? ds only naps for 30-45 mins at a time about 3 or 4 times a day. I've read conflicting info about day naps - some says these naps are right length and that ds should only be awake 2 hours between whereas other advice is that he should be aiming for 2 naps of 2-3 hours - ds has done a long nap like this a handful of times most of which have been when the builder has been noisiest!

Just an advice, I mix feed-breast and bottle. So usually before my som sleeps we give him a bottle which keeps him fuller for longer. So he has always been a good sleeper from the age of 8 weeks sleeping from about 8-9 ish till 4-5 or 6 in the morning. But im not sure what u can do if u wouldn't be willing to give ur baby a bottle though. But I will say that hang on darlings, this stage will pass one day

By the way, how long should a 4 months and 2 weeks baby be sleeping during the day? We get worried that DS might be sleeping too much during the day & I wouldn't want him to be a lazy baby lol

*Son

vip formula doesn't make babies sleep longer that's a myth - ds has been having a bottle in the evening but it makes no difference whatsoever. babies wake in the night for different reasons (hunger, thirst, comfort, pain, etc) the same as adults do but we don't remember it. Also many babies like my ds need a feed in the night.

Oh is it Auntie?
I'll read on that one actually. Hmmmm then I guess it hasn't been the bottle & we've just been lucky ...

Yep ff here wakes at 3.30 almost like clockwork!!! Have tried putting to bed an hour later- no difference. Have tried short naps in day, long naps in day- no difference! Am hoping when on solids might help but as its not hunger waking him I fear this may be wishful thinking!