September 2014 Babies leave the newborn stage behind. Thread 2

[SeptemberBabies]

New thread because our initial thread is about to max out.

For babies born around September 2014 - or just before for early arrivals and just after for late arrivals.

Speaking of peeing, I need to get a clean catch urine sample from DD! Any ideas as to how this might be possible? At the moment all I can think of is to try to dangle her over a sterilised potty for a bit, and hope for the best!!!

Red, I've had to move DD into 3-6m sleepsuits at 5 weeks old - she is so long! She's now 7 weeks and fits them properly, which makes me wonder when we'll be in 6-9m

In the 3-6 month girls box of clothes in the loft I found 21 pairs of trousers! 21 pairs. What the... ?!

I bought a super cute 12-18 month Halloween outfit in the George sale yesterday. Bargain for next year.

Mine has just gone into 3-6m at 9 weeks - I thought they'd be huge and we'd get a lot of wear out of them but they fit perfectly so they're not gonna last long. Shame cos we were given some lovely stuff in that size.

We seem to have gotten into the habit of getting up at 7.30am to drop DH at work, then sleeping from 9-12. I can't decide whether to let him or wake him earlier. It's nice to cuddle and watch tv all morning but thought they weren't supposed to sleep for such long periods during the day. He doesn't sleep that long at night!

Hello all.

Thank you for all of your kind messages yesterday it really helps to know others have felt the same and I'm not alone in feeling this way. I have been going to baby groups but all the Mums seem so happy and content that I'm not sure it's helping me feel better.

I've cried spoken on the phone to HV team this morning and they said she has classic colic symptoms with the hysterical evening crying and being impossible to settle to sleep, and apparently she's at the peak age for symptoms at about 2 months (she's 9 weeks today) which is probably why she's been so difficult this week. They've advised infacol every feed and not to worry too much at the moment about sleep routines / trying to get her in her basket, as the reason she probably wants to sleep on our chests is apparently the pressure on her tummy is probably helping her pain (and conversely why she isn't liking being on her back in her moses basket).

I spent all of yesterday sobbing on the sofa. I realised yesterday evening that something has to give or I'm going to drive myself into PND which I really don't want, even though I find it really hard to admit I'm struggling and ask for help. That's why I phoned HVs this morning and our HV is coming over in a bit for a chat. I also yesterday made the decision to mix feed. I've been exclusively BF now for 2 months and although DH is great at giving Jessica the odd expressed feed, I'm spending up to an hour a day expressing milk and it feels like an added pressure every time she's down for a nap, when I could be using the time to have a break. I'm still going to express some milk, but I've decided the odd bottle of formula (I'm still planning on BF in the main) may take the pressure off a bit. I feel stupidly guilty about this, like I've given up, even though I wouldn't even think twice about it if anyone else told me they were doing this with their babies (that eternal motherhood guilt eh)?

Anyway just wanted to say thank you for so many of you offering kind words and sharing your experiences. xxx

P.S. Team: Dangling over potty is all I can think of too!

Housework not homework

Emily is diddy (25th centime for height & weight) she's only just gone into 0-3 months stuff and she's 7 and a half weeks, it's huge on her but the legs are too short on the newborn ones now.

team the Dr should have something that you can put inside her nappy to collect the wee! If not the Dr check the pharmacy. One of the parents (I work in a nursery) used one when her son had a urine infection.

Eli is fitting nicely into 0-3 month clothes now at exactly 3 months or 6 weeks adjusted.

He has got into a mini routine. Last feed at 9 or 10 then sleep till 3-4am. Usually waking again at 7 or 8. However the last two days he has woken again at 6 and 7. So glad he is sleeping till 4 and in his bed.

Ooh I ordered a breathing monitor from mother care (as Eli likes to sleep on his tummy) and it was meant to be delivered today by the latest. Got a text saying it is being processed and will be with me on Monday. Talk about leaving it to the last minute

What is wrong with mn ; just wrote a long long post and it didn't post it :(

Nazly, what were you going to say?!

Cookie, mothercare are awful to order from. Always messing up! Don't know how they can't manage what every other retailer does. They do have good stock though - and I just ordered 2 Christmas sleep suits from there, too cute to pass up!

What approach are people taking for Christmas shopping for LO? I could spend a fortune on her but know that she won't have a clue what's going on so probably not the best use of money! And of course I want to get her Christmas outfits and a stocking etc. but with this being my last month of full pay and having everyone else who actually has awareness of Christmas to buy for I feel like I should probably calm down!

Kitkat - glad you spoke to the HV and sought help. I hope things get better for you soon!

Right, again- have been reading here for long but didn't get a chance to comment
Red; glad you feel better now but just wanted to say I wish ds was 95% of the time smiley - surely if he is all smiles he is developing well...
Ds is also feeding less than usual, but I am just assuming it is a phase and will pass...

Christmas - I've actually found it quite difficult. Most toys up to 6months are fairly similar I found when I started to look at it. Plus we don't really have the space for loads. Its very easy to get a lot which are just variations of the same thing.

We've pretty much done all our shopping now. He is getting a very cheap walker, some wondercubes and another set of sensory toys. We bought him an Oball too last week but have given it to him already as he's able to grasp it and wave it around now so really needs it (its great and I recommend). He has a number of rattles and soft toys already so I'm avoiding those. And he has a bouncer with an arch and a play mat, so I'm avoiding anything like that too.

We've bought him a santa suit and a penguin baby grow (from gap outlet). And a £2 copy of the Night Before Christmas from M&S (for use for several years...) And a couple of other books from M&S. And that's about it.

My parents have asked what to get him. I've pointed them in the right direction for clothes (age 6 months + as we have enough in his current size), asked for a couple of wooden cars and have given them a wish list of books.

I figure that is practical and makes 'best use of Christmas presents'. Books will be used in the future and they are nice to have. So anything that keeps him going until his birthday in September or will have a long use.

I was tempted to ask for a booster high chair seat, but I think that's beyond my parents. (They are getting on a bit and need exact instructions when it comes to anything they didn't have in their day.

The inlaws have apparently already done all their shopping, so I guess we get whatever.

Scared of missing the post again
Kitkat, glad you talked to hv - just wanted to say what you s
Describe is exactly my story and If my mum was not staying with me at the time I would feel frustrated... Ds would not settle on his back at all, it is all well and good different institutions and other mums telling you babies should sleep in their own crib/basket/pram on their back but if they don't settle the advice is worths nothing and if your baby has reflux, gas, tummy ache, ...,they are not going to sleep on their back...before he was born we bought an expensive bedside crib and I though lovely, I'll just roll him to his crib without waking him... All of that was out of the window, because no matter how deeply he was sleeping, he would wake up within a min of putting him down on his back..,
I had to sleep with ds on my chest for a while, supported my elbows by pillows...the day I discovered ds sleeps soundly on his tummy was a new start... In the beginning we would watch him in turn while he slept, but we then ordered a breathing monitor and everything changed then.,,

I would not worry about mix feeding and would defenitly not worried about sleeping routine yet... You just need to hang in there for another month and by then you are not going to recognise your own baby... I promise it is going to go so quickly...

DS was double his birth weight of 7.13 at 12 weeks - we have been in 3-6m for a while now and I am being careful with the number of outfits we buy as he didn't use many of 0-3m outfits;
On the other hand I am pretty sure the growth rate will not continue as before... The chart shows it will slow down soon...

Lil for Xmas ds is getting a jumpero - it is something I want him to have anyhow, and he will be 4 months by then...

Now off to check Red's recommended toys.

Red, will you please write us a little list of the books you are buying? It would be a great cultural help to me :)

Nazly, I'm worried despite him being happy for a number of reasons. The main one being that he wasn't putting on weight when he was a newborn (despite seemingly being happy) which concerned the midwife enough to put a note on his file and let the HV know to keep an eye on him. He had dropped from the 25th to the 9th centile and I'm worried that's happening again. I could really do without the stress of it and I don't want to have to give DS formula unless I have to. I've managed to keep going with the expressing despite the raised eyebrows.

DH is a strapping 6' 2" too. So I'm bothered that something might be wrong if he's not on the big side.

The books I've gone for or asked my parents for are things I remember as a child, ones regarded as 'classics' or one that just looked beautiful:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Any Miffy book
Some Mr Men books (I still have a few from when I was small. One of my first memories is buying a Mr Men book)
The Gruffalo
A Bit Lost by Chris Haughton (Just because its beautiful)
When by Emma Dodd
Forever by Emma Dodd (Again both because they are beautiful and sort of keepsake books)
Once there was a boy...: Boxed set Hardcover by Oliver Jeffers (4 books - ‘How to Catch a Star’, ‘Lost and Found’, ‘The Way Back Home’ and ‘Up and Down’)

All things that we would like to read to DS and don't think we will get bored of ourselves!

Red I hope your lo is putting on weight. Don't put too much stock in the fact that your DH is 6'2". My DH is a bean pole but he was a monster huge baby, just like DS. All I mean is that he may start off small but he could end up being any size.

As for Christmas we bought a Jumperoo type thing months ago in a clearance sale so that's his main present. We've also bought a book and a mega bloks dumpa truck (my DH couldn't resist!) We give our DCs a new pair of pjs on Christmas Eve so they go to bed and wake up in fun festive wear so DS has a pair too.

As for the rest of the family I have asked for Next vouchers so that I can go to the Boxing Day sale and buy his next years wardrobe. Yes I am one of the crazy loons there at 6am!! Thankfully we have a small in town store that is lovely and empty while everyone runs to the out of town one.

for christmas we have bought him a sir prance a lot and an elephant musical lamaze thing, some books and I am going to get a couple more 'grippy' toys. none of the family have asked for any ideas so we shall see what he gets

Red thanks so much for the list; am going to buy them all x

With regards to weight I am sure he will catch up ; the important thing is he is healthy... We still have some health issues hear and it is just worrying.... And I agree with banana, his size in future will not have anything to do with his size now...

Girls, what is happening to my ds?! He woke up every 1-2 hours last night wanting feed! At 3months as if he is 2 weeks old! after sleeping 5-6 hours every night previously for around 3-4 weeks... I don't understand...

Nazly it was the same here last night. DS is 7 weeks but usually has one 4 hour stretch at least but all eveninh and night was 2 hourly and at least half his usual volume (though total volume still adds up). We think he was struggling with wind and overtired but Im so glad DH was on leave and took over at 5.30!

Just wanted to say well done kitkat...even if it's a bloody struggle and you feel like it's really too much, you are doing it and you are doing amazingly. I 100% think anyone who gets through the day with a young baby is doing an absolutely huge thing. It's so hard and often there is no one to tell you you are doing great (specially if baby is just screaming...not the positive feedback you need) so tell yourself well done, really well done. I don't have much practical advice at all-other than to say my baby sleeps on my chest every night and I have totally given up with Moses basket for now as I need to sleep and can't handle crying all night. I can also recommend a book, 'The Baby Book' by William and Martha Sears. You may not agree with everything they say but every time I read it it fills me with confidence and makes me feel like I'm doing ok and will get through it rather than making me wonder why my baby won't sleep, why she screams and I can't stop her etc. I really hope you feel better soon, remember you are doing amazingly.

DS is 12 weeks next week and has gone from 6-7 hour stretches to 3-4 I can only think it's a huge growth spurt that they have at 3 months. At least this is what I keep telling myself. It won't last forever she hopes

When I saw the paeditrician on Tuesday he said they go through a growth spurt at 3-4 months and go back to feeding through the night for a bit- it will pass and oh back up how it was. Totally agree with the Sears book recommendation it is brilliant...

Was just on the October thread (since DD was born late Sept) and someone gave a great quote from a new baby card they got:

"Never congratulate or berate yourself too much. Remember everything is a phase, even the good stuff"

Really great and insightful quote I think. Very true. Everything is a passing phase and will change.

Book recommendation:

Bear Snores On - My absolute favourite childrens book. Much better rhyming and rhythm than Julia Donaldson

I second (third?) the baby book -sears- that Aisha is recommending. Brilliant, very understanding while totally based on medical science too. It can be used as reference book as it covers a wide range of subjects , everything about babies

Ive just ordered that book. Lets hope I get a chance to read it!

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