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.

Ilove are you OK?
Polka it is 760 pages! Don't expect reading it all, you may use it more as a reference on each subject that is relevant at the time.,.

Sorry. Yes im ok thank you. I was just saving the thread as it fell off my im on list.

Kitkat how are you doing?

Been a bit hectic with ds1 and his sn.

I've also ordered the book

When will Eli sleep through?

Bad night cookie?

We are ten weeks in and still feeding every 2-3 hours at night. Not sure if it's my fault though...we have a co sleeper crib and as soon as DS wakes a shove a boob in his mouth. Within fifteen mins he's asleep again. Not really bothered if it is my fault, means I get more sleep. So if a boob keeps him quiet then a boob it shall be!

This whole 'they start to sleep longer on their own' doesn't seem to apply to my baby!

Cookie I think it totally depends on your baby unfortunately.
We're 9 weeks in and DS dangled a carrot by sleeping through (dream feed at 1030 but didn't wake) for two nights before the weekend but has woken the last two nights.
How long is your LO going for at night?
Have you established a bedtime routine yet? Even though DS is screaming downstairs when he's ready for bed as soon as we're upstairs starting the routine he calms right down. Might help your LO to start sleeping longer.
As with all things it will pass but when in the midst of it all it feels like an eternity.

Honey, we have a co-sleeper crib too, but DS is sleeping through. I think it can be a mixed blessing to be honest. I can hear him breathing easily so don't visually to check on him so much. However I was also waking to feed him at his slightest stirring so I think the co-sleeper wasn't helpful in that respect. I broke the habit one night and left him thinking I would feed him when he got grumpy enough instead of getting up and feeding him when we were both half asleep. Instead, to my surprise, he stirred but then settled himself again and ended up sleeping through. If anything it felt slightly unnatural and definitely counter-intuitive letting him sleep as my instinct was to feed him during the night as I'd got used to doing it. I spent half the night waiting for him to wake! On the other hand I think DS is happier with the co-sleeper as he knows I'm close and feels secure more generally, and is easier to settle if I lie down with him (and yawn at him!).

Cookie, if your baby was premature then they are likely to take longer to sleep through unfortunately. I think most babies can by 4 months, but it can be up to two months longer for premature babies.

we are no where near sleeping through. we either feed then bath or bath then feed about 7pm and he is down by 8ish. last night fed 11.40, 2.40, 5.40 but is only up for about 25 mins now. however I am tempted to try a dummy to see if that sorts it

we have poop issues again here. gah.

Ok he won't go down at 7 or 8, he takes his last feed athe 9-10. Then usually sleeps till 3 or 4 then restlessly sleeps till 7 or 8. He sleeps so peacefully the first half of the night I wish he could sleep like that all night!

DS had his first cranial osteopathy appointment today, going back in a weeks time for another. He said he might be tired which he is, he was too tired to feed which worried me but after a power nap he's feeding, phew. He said he has tension in the back of his head which affects his digestion. I'm not sure I really believe understand it, but I'm desperate and will try anything!

Oh my favourite subject at the moment: sleeping
ds sleeps 5-6 hours from 8ish , then he wakes twice or some times three times till 7-8 am ; he too sleeps very deeply the first part of the night and very restlessly the second part of the night, so much so that the nights I am tired I give in and co sleep as it means we both get some rest

I don't quite understand what the sleeping time &period relates to, but my nct friends' babies all sleep through and all slightly younger than ds. Mind you ds is very slightly premature and others are not.. So according to red he has another couple of months to get there...

I just read something about how to get babies to sleep on nhs website and it talks about not nursing to sleep so it does not become a habit! Really? I don't know how I can change this as ds falls sleep when feeding ! Very unnatural to wake him and then put him in his cot

By the way ladies, it also says don't attempt a routine before 3m... And being a september thread most your babies are younger than 3m

I was telling dh we should be more restrict and get ds into a routine now he is past 3m, but dh is a softie and says we should wait another few weeks until his corrected age is 3m

P.s. Red, would you mine sending a link to wonder cubes or telling me the supplier, thanks x

In case somebody is interested
www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/getting-baby-to-sleep.aspx

Cookie my lo won't go down at 7. He seems most awake at that time! Does go down between 10-11 and that tends to be it til 5-6 although he sometimes stirs at about 3 when using a dummy sends him back down.

Wonder cubes - mothercare.

DS has woken at 4.30am the last two nights ravenous with hunger (we are having trouble feeding him in the evenings as he is either windy/sleepy despite being hungry which means he won't actually eat). Its killed me after having had several weeks of sleeping though. Its harder than it was before! Plus 4.30am is the shittiest hour of the night to get up as I can never get back to sleep after.

DS doesn't go to sleep at 7 or 8pm either. He'll dose for 20mins here and there in the evening with intermittent periods of wide awakeness. He goes to bed with us at 10 - 11pm.

cookie I think you're doing fine, baby sleeping from 9/10 - 3/4 is pretty good going. It sounds like a similar sleeping pattern to everyone else here.

My DS also doesn't go down for the night until late, anywhere between 9 and 11. And like I said before, I'm still feeding him every 2-3 hours throughout the night.

Naz I don't believe in not having some sort of routine before 3months. Ds was in a not too strict routine once I felt better. Ime it helps massively.

Red ds has started waking at stupid o'clock too. He wont take more than an oz of milk so ive stopped making him milk and just left him to it. He soon falls back tosleep.

Hes been sleeping through for some time now. All depends on baby. Ds1 never really slept through until he was around 2 and half years old but he had and still has gastric problems and that was why. Ds2 started sleeping through at around 4months.

ilove that's pretty much what we've ended up doing the last too evenings. I'm hoping today is going to be better. He's had 130mls on his first morning feed an hour ago and is already begging for more.

We are going out tonight (don't want to go) and MIL is babysitting so I am hoping he's in a better mood for her.

He had his 2nd lot of injections yesterday and has been very unsettled, woke up at 1.30 and 4 then at 7. I am so tired!

Thanks Red

Cookie we had the second round today... What should I expect? A tiny bit worried about how it goes afterwards...

iLove ds has reflux, it is so, so difficult to plan a routine for him- every recommended bedtime routine I looked at say put them in bed before they are deeply asleep and don't nurse them to sleep... ds gets very sleepy after each feed, but I can't put him down, I have to keep him upright for half an hour!!! Otherwise he throughs up! He almost always go to sleep during that half an hour... So right now he expects nursing, cuddling and then sleeping and it appears I can't do anything about it until reflux is settled, i.e. 6m (hopefully??!)

I have tried putting him down before half an hour every now and then, each time I regretted it

We do have a bath, massage, feeding while reading at around 7pm but he always falls asleep in my arms after feed

Sorry - was going to say we are having the second round later this afternoon

Further exploring on sleeping issue- I was always wondering how different experts think about bedtime routine and crying and whether all of them agree; as it is really difficult for me to let ds cry...
I found a summary of opinions here www.babycentre.co.uk/a1027930/crying-it-out

I have been pleased with our vague routine I have to say.

first lot of immunisations today. Dreading it.

I'm impressed by all the sleeping routines...we are struggling with it.

I put my LO to bed at 8.30 and he settles himself to sleep. Then he wakes every 2-3 hours until 7am. He is waking for a feed and just takes 1-2 oz at a time through the night. I'm really struggling to get him to have a big feed before bed and I think that's the problem. He does have a good idea of night time as once he's had his little feeds he goes straight off to sleep again.

it also says don't attempt a routine before 3m

How are you defining what a routine is? To me, routine is doing anything according to the clock rather than according to the baby's needs. In which case, what would you do if you had older children?

I have to do the school run at 8.30am. Baby feeds usually around 6am and would still asleep at 8.30am. But I have to wake her and feed her at 8am so that she is not screaming on the way to school.

Likewise 2.30pm. Exactly as above. She has to be woken and fed regardless, because I have to take her with me to school.

There follows other routines. I need baby settled around 4.00-5.30 if possible, because I have other children who need dinner, their school reading done, spellings and times tables to be learnt, homework to be done.

Plus general sibling WWIII to be avoided in the after-school chaos.

I have to disrupt baby's sleep for things like getting the older ones to Brownies, Cubs, Beavers, Swimming, Rollerskating, friends houses, the park, the shops, open days at school, and so on and so on...

Bedtimes for three older children to fit in. They need baths, showers, a story and need Mummy for at least parts of that (although Daddy does most). Baby's bedtime must fit in around bedtime for the others so while she's still little (7 weeks), her bedtime has to be later when the others are tucked up and quiet.

Fact is, baby has to fit in with family.

I don't know if that would be described as routine? But structure and routine comes naturally when you have a large family. I definitely don't think it is a bad thing.

so immunisations had. health visitor told me if he is ok tonight we can swim tomorrow (hydrotherapy pool). nurse said we shouldn't swim till alk immunisations are done. nurse also said I shouldn't be using sleeping bags. so now am thrown.