September 2014 - Into the new year!

[RedToothBrush]

Shiny New Thread for a Shiny New Year.

Happy New Year! Can't believe we are in 2015! It is a new year full of new possibilities and memories to be made!

Last year we found out we were prego mid January. It was a hard year emotionally & physically but all worth it for our little son.

Sorry Lilone for the harsh ending to 2014, sending hugs your way.

Well done FateDestiny for hitting the 2 yr mark!

We'll see what 2015 brings

Happy New Year Ladies!

I found out I was pregnant NYE last year, was going out so thought I had better do a test as I was a few days late. Made for a very different NYE than planned

Strangest thing happened last night. DD usually sleeps 7-7, waking for a feed every 2-3 hours but going back to sleep straight away. Last night she properly woke up at 11.40, so DH gave her a bottle whilst I opened a bottle of bubbly for us. She fed and chatted happily until 12.30 when she fell back asleep again. She's never done anything like that before, so spooky. It's almost like she knew it was NYE! So the three of us saw the new year in together and it was lovely.

Decided this morning to book a last minute short break as DH has a few days still before going back to work. Tomorrow morning we are off on our first mini holiday as a family. I'm so excited, but also a little nervous.

Team that's sweet x Good luck with the holiday x

Something I forgot to report here; a few days ago I took ds to doctor, because I mentioned runny nose and eyes and yellow discharge from eyes to HV and she said go to gp today; as it was a last minute appointment we didn't get to see his own gp whose interest is babies and is lovely.
For his eyes the gp prescribed antibiotics, but then I mentioned about his recent weird inconsolable crying that is going on -on and off- for a while now; and the gp said maybe he is ready for some solid?! (!!!!) what? I explained that his weight gain has been brilliant on breast milk only ; but she said sometime only milk does not satisfy babies at this age!!! Surely she is wrong?!?

This was immediately after I already decided to hold on and not to start weaning until our specialist appointment; The gp did not change my mind, I am just very surprised about this

You're so lucky Team!

The best we can manage is the fact that mil is having the bigger three for a sleepover tomorrow night - so just me, DH and baby tomorrow night, which is nice for us.

Definitely make the most of being able to be spontaneous because it doesn't last forever. I wish we'd done more stuff like that. Way too difficult to arrange now, with four children.

Nazly [http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/solid-foods-weaning.aspx#close NHS guidelines] suggest 6 months. There are the signs (that RedToothBrush already mentioned) that you need to be seeing first. The doctor must just have been a bit old fashioned in his thinking.

NHS guidelines suggest 6 months.

Waaaaaa awful night. Night five of being in his own room. Up at 12, 1.30, 3-4, 5. Gave up and took him to bed. Tired!!

Nazly that does sound like dated advice from the GP. Also seemed like a big leap to make, from crying to 'start weaning'. Just follow your own instincts, or the actual guidance which says 6 months.

lilone I'm so sorry to hear about your mum. Like the others have said, nothing is off topic here. Dad died a few years ago and I often tell to DS about him 'Grandad liked this...' I know it might be silly but makes me feel a little better, like I'm including him in the only way I can.

Ouch Honeybear. Hopefully it works out for you with little one in his own room. If not, just bring the cot back into yours. You know a middle ground would be the cot in your rom but away from your bed. So either not next to the bed or if that is not possible position it across the foot of your bed.

Personally though, I'd go completely the other direction. You could take one side off your cot and 'side car' it to your bed. That way you don't even need to sit up (or even wake up properly) to settle baby in cot. That's just me though, anything for the easy life.

I fully believe it was a fluke, but DD did a full night last night without waking. Upstairs in cot at 8.00. I normally do an 11pm feed and she sleeps to 7am or 8am. Last night I watched The Dark Knight (Mmmmm Heath Ledger) which didn't finish until midnight. I was knackered, just wanted to sleep. So didn't do the late night feed, expecting a night feed. She didn't wake at all until morning. So DD did her first 8pm-7am stretch last night.

Thanks ladies; yes I know about the guidelines ; I even spent sone time researching other country guidelines like USA and international institutions like Unicef and all of them suggest 6months at least exclusively milk, not even one say sooner, that was the reason I was surprised and I don't think ds cried cause his stomach was empty! If anything probably the contrary...

Ds wakes up 1 to 2 times between 8pm and 8am and I gave up trying different methods to get him to sleep longer; I just put him on breast... If I go to bed at 10pm or before I feel OK in the morning but that hardly ever happens :( for no good reason; just getting some house work done and then having some me time and it gets midnight! And then I struggle!!!

So sorry lilone, that must be so very hard. Thinking of you.

Happy New Year everyone. Didn't find out I was pregnant until mid-Feb last year... Big oops! We've just been away with dd for two weeks over the holidays travelling round to see family and I was so worried that her routine would go out the window but she's been amazingly good. Feeling lucky to have a sociable baby

Nazly - do you breastfeed lying down at night?

Mastering this with DC2 was what saved my sanity. It took him until 6 months old to sleep through (and bearing in mind his sister is only 14 months older and she was waking in the night too at the time).

Once baby can more or less find his own way to the nipple and can feed lying down, I stopped even noticing night feeds. Scoot baby across from cot into my bed (me wearing no top) and place vaguely near nipple, baby sorts himself out and I drop back to sleep. When I half wake and notice baby is finished feeding, scoot back into cot.

fate I did have DS in a co sleeper crib, so attached to the bed with one side down, and I was feeding lying down and also falling asleep like that as you describe. But we were disturbing each other, so when we came to bed he would wake and when dh was getting up for work he would also wake. His wiggling and snuffling was waking me also (DS not dh!). We thought we'd try his own room to see if it helped. So far it hasn't :( but I'm only I've nights in so need to give it a bit longer I think. If I turn into a zombie he'll be back in with us, the crib is still there. Not sure what dh will have to say about that but he's not the one who has to feed in the night!

We are still battling day time naps here. It's been weeks and weeks. I really struggle to get him to sleep longer than 40 mins at home which is just not long enough. I don't like going out for the sake of it just to get him to sleep. Will he miraculously get it one day or am I destined to have a grumpy overtired child?

• five nights in

Defo give it chance first Honey. You and he needs to get used to it before you can decide if it's working or not.

DD has most of her daytime naps in the bouncy chair still (with dummy). That way she can use the dummy to settle and be bounced back to sleep if she starts waking too soon. I am gradually starting to put her down awake in the cot for sleeps. With her dummy (vital sleep tool here). This works about 50% of the time.

Where is your DS having his daytime naps? Does he have a dummy? 40 minutes sounds like one sleep cycle, so it is that bit of being briefly disturbed at the end of a sleep cycle but going back to into another sleep cycle you need to work on. Putting dummy back in quickly at this point might work?

Early naps are in cot. Later naps are in bouncy chair or on me. Always use the dummy! Maybe I should try and sneak in his room around 30 mins and see if I can get the dummy back in when he stirs. Not a bad idea :) I tried bouncy chair and bouncing back to sleep but it doesn't seem to work anymore. Not sure if downstairs is too busy for him to settle, he is so nosy!

I think that having a baby used to sleeping in noise/light/chaos etc is actually helpful in the long run - not such a light sleeper then.

You can go too far the other way though. I was so certain DC2 would not be a light sleeper like DC1 that I would only allow downstairs naps in the day, would deliberately put the over head light on above the carrycot and the TV on loud when he slept. Right from Day 1 home from hospital.

He sleeps very, very heavily as a result and nothing wakes my eldest son once he is asleep.

I never thought of it like that. Well he has spent the last hour and a half asleep on me with the washing machine going, the tv on and the Christmas lights flashing away. Ideally I don't want him sleeping on me but after last nights antics he's knackered! Who needs to do housework anyway?! I have my phone and the tv remote within easy reach

Sorry to hear about the bad night Honey. Hope tonight is better for you.

Just to say DH now out of hospital but pretty incapacitated. He can get out of bed for short periods (E.G, to go to loo) but that's about all he can manage at mo, and in a lot of pain even with loads of painkillers. Quite hard to look after him and Jessica at same time. Hoping he's a bit better in a few days. Like you say Honey, who needs to do housework anyway?

Kitkat hope he is ok.

B has slept through over Xmas. Tonight he goes in his own room.....

He sleeps a bit during day but not much and us pretty grouchy by 6.15pm!

Good luck holls. If he's sleeping through then it should all work out well.

Anyone here live on/been to Isle of Wight? We're thinking of holidaying there this year. Would love some recommendations for where on the island would be a good base and which are the best beaches.

I have been to cowes it was lovely.

Also....now b is only having 5 feeds a day I am worried he isn't having enough. He takes anything between 100-200ml at a feed. Today gas been a bit odd as we have been travelling back home so feeds out if sync but he has only had 740ml during the day. If he needed more he would take it wouldn't he?

Kitkat that should be so difficult... I hope he recovers soon... Is there any family member around to help?

Holls good luck- let us know how it goes

Ella glad hip is fine :) how babies are different; ds hates being in his carseat!

Fate I do breastfeed lying down, but only sometimes on the last feed early morning... I feel we both sleep worse when he is near me because he smells milk (and he is greedy specially when sleepy) so I feel after each single cycle of half hour or something he starts looking for boob while half sleep and disturb my sleep!!! So when I have energy I feed sitting in bed and put him back in his cot which is just two steps from me, but enough for him to sleep between 6 and 2 hours (depending on when in the night it is) continuously without disturbing me! But when I feel tired I just give in and feed him while sleeping or half sleep ...

ella good news re hips.
teething here too. some lovely red cheeks at times and B trying to eat his entire fist whilst making grim noises!!!
he ate at 7, 9, 11.30, 2.30, 5.30, had tiny feed at 7.15 then had a top up making it a decent sized feed an hour later when he then fell asleep having been unsettled for an hour. he has loved his travel cot for the past 10 nights so am hoping it's the space and that he continues to sleep well. I can't quite believe je isn't in our room