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.

Holls, I think the cold hands are to do with circulation rather than just being cold. Its normal for babies to have cold hands. DS gets them most when hes been asleep for longer periods (presumely as his heart rate slows due to him being asleep).

That said I've also noticed that there is an hour or so during the night that, even though the heating is set for 18 - 20 it dips a touch lower. I can noticeably feel the difference, even if the thermometer is showing 18. Don't forget they aren't 100% accurate and they round up temp. DS has slept better for us by adding a blanket mid way through the night. I think he was waking in part because he was a little cold (I was waking for same reason).

Inbl00m I am so sorry that you are feeling ill. You are being a fantastic Mum, please don't doubt yourself.

Have you got a local breastfeeding support group to go to? Your HV may know. It won't be that baby hates the milk in one boob or another, more likely that positioning on one side is better than another.

I always find positioning easier on the left than the right so naturally feed more from left boob than right.

Re: Cold Hands. DD has 2.5 tog sleeping bag, vest and sleepsuit. She always has cold hands in the night. This is normal and shouldn't bother her, it doesn't mean she is cold just to do with circulation.

hlls2000 As mentioned, kick DH up the arse. I would raise your expectations of him. Don't ask, expect.

Expect that he will do bathtime. Not with you, on his own, every night. Expect that he will get DC dry and ready for bed after bathtime, every night. Expect that he will read a story, every night. Then you take over to settle for bed.

Expect that you will get a lie in one a week. Expect that you will pass baby over when he gets home from work and you expect half an hour to yourself.

Next time DC needs a nappy change when DH is home, hand baby over: "DC needs a nappy change, you can do it this time". Then just hand baby over. Likewise clothing change. Likewise bottles needing to be made or given. Just expect him to do and let him learn how.

Most new Mums don't to look after baby fully when first born, they have to learn. Dads have to learn too. Mums have to give Dads the chance to learn by not doing everything.

That should have said:

Most new Mums don't know how to look after baby fully when first born, they have to learn

I agree Holls, make you DH do things for the baby. Its the only way they will learn. My DH helps out loads of an evening, and we share the get ups at a weekend so that we both get one day of a lie in. But even now, he sometimes gets upset if he can't settle DS of an evening. I was taking over, but now I try to leave them until DH asks, and now he is getting much better at settling him.

Blimey Ella, you have more patience that I would have with DH.

He was not only awake but was up and not even gone to bed. You bottle feed so its not as if you have to feed baby yourself. And yet you managed with a fractious baby on your own in bed when you were trying to sleep.

If it was me I'd ensure DH was in charge of baby until he came to bed, then you take over once both in bed.

OK a bit out os sync here with DH OH subject ; but who has done a research and has bought a cot mattress for the little ones? CN you tell me where you get the mattress from and what you got?
I am moving ds to cot next week but have not bought the mattress yet...

We got ours from Argos of all places Nazly as we really struggled to find anywhere that sold them. Mothercare only did cheap nasty ones and we even tried bed centres but none of them sold any cot-bed mattresses. xx

We got an ikea one nazly and it's great.

Oh god, I'm afraid I'm one of 'those' mums who does everything for the kids while dh does pretty much nothing
Most of the time it's fine and now dd1 is older he's more hands on but he works away a lot so I get into a routine and it's easier to do it myself at weekends. We sleep in seperate beds if he's working at home because I can't deal with him of he's had a disturbed sleep. Plus I can be as noisy as I like and I co-sleep so there's more space. I get 1 hour a month (apart from nap times) to myself when he takes them to his parents. It's not enough really but it's how it is for now.

sleeping: We use sleeping bag, I think its tog 1.5, ds has short sleeved vest and sleepsuit,scratch mittens as he scratches himself a lot and it helps with cold hands as well. In our bedroom is around 19-20 degrees but sometimes it dropes during night to 18.5, so we have a blanket ready for him.

Ds is 6 weeks and 3 days, sleeping usually 4 hours, then 2.5 or 3,then 1.5. After second feed its really hard to get him back to sleep,sometimes he's awake for up to 2 hours. Also he's very active and noisy even during sleep,so all that kicking and grunting keeps me awake.

In our family, I'm lucky that Dh helps a lot when he's home from work. If he has a later shift and doesnt have to get up early, he does some night feeds and nappy changing. When he comes home from work, I let him have a while to relax,later he helps me so I can get something to eat without interuption and get a shower,sterilize bottles or whatever else I need to do.

I'm still amazed how good he's doing with ds when I realize he'd never even hold a baby before. He was keen to learn how to change nappy, feed him,he bathed him 4 times (twice absolutely alone)

Lately he's just been sitting with laptop and playing games for hours and hours every day,which drives me crazy, and then he's not that willing to do something around ds,but when I get angry at him, he better goes (well,sometimes)

Cot Mattress: We have one from Kiddicare and we're happy with it. Ds not sleeping in cot bed yet as we couldnt fit it in our bedroom but mattress looks very good quality and firm enough. Wasnt very expensive as got it in sale and had excellent reviews.

Ladies I am in trouble - ds has decided he no longer wants to take bottle and my attempt to get him to feed from bottle have all failed...
Just to explain ds is exclusively breast fed but since I had to give him Gaviscon I expressed small amount of milk to mix Gaviscon in and he has been taking bottle since he was about two weeks old... I also expressed more for night feeds so he is used to bottle more and also feeds more hoping for longer sleeps

It all worked perfectly till yesterday - I did not give him bottle for 48 hrs or so (just because I didn't get to express and wanted to check if he still needs Gaviscon) and suddenly he started refusing bottle completely no matter what I do... I read in baby centre this could happen at 3m (ds is 3m) I am stressed out as I want to be able to leave him with dh as and when necessary and I am back to work soon

Nazly have you tried him with a cup? They don't really need bottles and maybe a cup would be better for when you need to leave him.
Also, for his meds, could you mix it in a cup and use a calpol syringe?

Thanks all. I have decided it's confidence or lack of with DH. when he got home last night b was on mat playing and DH sat on sofa to play - wouldn't get on floor. Then I realised he is nervous about picking b up and getting up at the same time. Anyway they had a cuddle and a chat bug he wouldn't do bath time, again I'm sure that is confidence - he did it last Friday and b slipped a little - not under water or anything - bug again, confidence. So I am now on a big build up his confidence kick. He is amazing with him and will always settle him in evening if he is fidgety, I think hethinkshe is a bad dad - he isn't.

Much better night here - instead of feeds every 2 hrs, b dad 7.30, 12.40, 3.40 and now. Helps that yesterday he was more alert than he had been the previous 2 days and he went back to his 3 hr feeds routine. Fingers crossed that his growth has spurted. He foes get woken up in early morning cos he us windy - am using aptamil do you think the co,fort milk would help.

The comfort milk combined with gavsicon for some of her feeds (she's only allowed 6 sachets a day) has made a huge difference to Emily. She's now sleeping from 11ish to 6ish most nights and is so much quieter in her sleep when she used to be grunting and wimpering from the reflux. Its a bit of a pain that you can't get premix to use out and about but I make mine in advance by using 4oz boiling water with 6 scoops of powder (she's on 6oz bottles ATM) I then keep them in the fridge and when she wants one I boil the kettle and measure another two oz water into the bottle, the milk goes very thick when you store it in the fridge and I've found this just thins it down a bit and also warms it up at the same time. You would need bigger teats for your bottles for the comfort milk, I tried level 2 but they weren't fast enough so we are using level 3

velvet, our sleep is the same. ds 6 weeks & 3 days. last night unusual - slept 17.45-21.45, 22-1 then up until 330 when he finally poohed and then slept until 7, after I changed him. he also settles pretty easy 1st feed but not 2nd. I wish I could make his bedtime later

Velvet our sleep usually goes 7-12, 1-3.30, 4-6 but there is a lot of grunting in between

Same here! Last night was great - he fed at 7.30pm then slept until 12.30 and woke again at 4.45am but only took 3oz (can take up to 6). He seems to feed more frequently in the morning and they are in small amoub

amounts Sorry!

He is 6 weeks tomorrow. We are trialling lactose free milk but Im not sure if itd helping - this is only day 3 though. Its thinner than comfort formula so I have gone down a teat size because I didnt want to flood him. Sonething isnt right though. He gets fractious during a feed and has started arching his back. Im not sure if this is a silent reflux or frustration - he is nearly 13lb and probably used to sucking harder to get the comfort formula so Im wondering if I do need to go back up a teat size to the ones for older babies?

Baby is nearly 3months. He slept from 9pm til 7.30am. Hes been waking at night as hes been cold but last night we added another blanket. Our house is more like a flat. We only have access to central heating during the day and at night its a halohen heater but cant put that on as it wakes everyone. In the winter we have all the dc with us due to the heating. Going tovbuy one of them stand up radiators.

Hes been very fussy with bottle

had tooth taken out yesterday to be told wisdom tooth is growing under it! Mum says that will need to come out too. Is that right?

Ella, is DP's Mum going to be babysitting at your house or her own?

At your house, it is perfectly reasonable (in fact I'd say expected) that she should never smoke inside, she should go outside for a fag. So could you suggest she comes to yours to babysit (and so not smoke around baby) since you have all the baby stuff to hand at yours.

My in laws also smoke. At ours they smoke outside only but in their own home they smoke inside. However when the children are at there home they smoke outside. That said, the house still smells of cigarettes which isn't nice. But at least they compromise to a degree.

ilove. I've just been to the dentist too. Might as well while it's free! I've got to have two old fillings replaced and having my teeth cleaned and polished.

I don't think they take wisdom teeth out unless they have to (ie it's bothering you in some way). They should leave the wisdom tooth alone unless there is a problem.

"when the children are at --there- their home they smoke outside"

I do know my grammar, honest