November 2014 - the one where we all get a good night's sleep

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Here's hoping, anyway...

Ark, sending you a big hug, be strong and be support for your DP, he will need you around.

Have had a day in London with DD as we had to go to the embassy to register her for double citizenship. First half she was doing great- flat out with the city noises for about 3 hours, also the train journey did brilliant, but the way back must have been bit too much for her, she would not want to be in the pram, so we had to walk all the way back to the train station with her over the shoulder (the only way she would not scream her head off). Good job DH was with us, otherwise I would be trapped, would not be able to push the pram and have DD on top of me. At least I know where we are with the future visits of the capital, will have to have sling with me as well...
Though quick boob on the train sent her to sleep for the whole of the journey.

Thanks everyone

I stayed home in the end which was probably the best thing to do as theyve all been catching up on some sleep on and off all day. DPs just text me to say hes coming home for a few hours cause he needs a cuddle with his girls and has set me off crying all over again so need to attempt to compose myself while hes here. Last thing he needs is me blubbing too.

DD has been a total angel baby today, lots of naps and happy smiley cuddles so thats made things tons easier. DP is staying with his mum tonight of course which means its my first night alone with DD. Not feeling too anxious about it, my mums on standby too.

ark - thoughts with you, your dp and his family. x

Just catching up on this, So sorry for your loss Ark.

Is it just my dd that still sleeps nearly all day? I am having real trouble keeping her awake, especially in the mornings til lunchtime, but thrlen have real trouble settling her in the evening - its like her bodyclock is all out of whack & can't seem to reset it. I woke her at 7am today in hopes of getting her to wake up a bit but ended up having to wake her for all feeds & she'd zonk out immediately after.

Just done the late night feed & ,she is not settling back to sleep! Looks like we may be in for a long night.

Oh is anyone else cuddling/rocking to sleep? Wasnt my planned settling method but needs must. Anyway do you find their eyes ping open the moment you lay them down? Anything I can do to smooth transition from arms to cot?

Omama we've found putting her down onto a soft blanket keeps her asleep and seems go help get into a proper deep sleep. It's tucked round the Moses basket mattress so she can't pull it over her face but she's much happier to do down that way.

DD seems to go one of two ways, bad night with lots of up and down and a crappy day with small naps and being a bit grumpy or she sleeps loads in the day but will feed all evening then go to sleep for a long time at night

omama I have problems getting babydolly to sleep during the day - the she's TOO tired to settle! She was kind of nocturnal early on and mw said not to fight it as baby would win. We followed the usual advice of keeping nights boring (dark rooms, no tv, no stimulation) and she got there in the end.

We also rock to sleep (also never my intention...) especially since she has terrible wind. At 8 weeks it doesn't take long. I keep Ewan the dream sheep on to help transition to cot, soft blanket (helps if it smells of you) , make sure she's properly 'out' before laying her down. When we've been deaperate and she repeatedly wakes up, a hot water bottle in the cot before putting her down has helped... but not another thing I'd want to do all the time!!

omama DD has days when she sleeps more and others when less, we let her sleep as much as she wants and it does not seem to affect the night sleep. Apparently, "sleep generates more sleep" for babies.

Transition arms to cot can be tricky... Read in the baby massage book that keeping baby's tummy relaxed will make baby relaxed as well. Often when the transition fails, holding relaxed thus heavy hand on DD tummy makes her to drift off.

lady ordered Ewan and tried with dd last night, she was fascinated and had long talks with him, completely ignoring our presence

Thanks for the suggestions. We're already using a soft blanket & have done dimly lit room, no talking etc since birth. Since Monday we've also done no tv incase it was disturbing her. May try hot water bottle idea thanks.

On a more positive note she did settle a lot quicker tonight, started bedtime routine at 6, rocked to sleep by 7 & properly asleep in moses basket just after 8 after settling herself! Sadly she then woke right up at the 11.30 feed & took til 1.15am to settle her.

Just fed again so we'll see what happens when I try to put her down. This one is usually tricky & ends with her in our bed!

OMG, I have just had the best night by far since DS was born. Fed at 9, left him with DP who brought him upstairs to me still asleep in his hammock at 1am. DS didn't wake until 3.15, fed him, back in the hammock and he's only just woken up now. HEAVEN!

We used a grobag for the first time last night. It may all have been a complete fluke but hooray! a friend said yesterday that her little boy sleeps better in a grobag. Anyone else find that?

We had first night in a grobag last night cause it was so cold and she kicks blankets right off. She fell asleep at half 1ish and has just woken up. Hoping she will go back down for a couple of hours cause I'm still exhausted from yesterday's upsets

strawberry glad you handled the London trip well! I'm going in to meet friends on Sunday. I'm sure there will be plenty of feeds on buses and trains throughout the day!

Ark I'm really glad babyark slept well even if it was late when she went down. You're all in my thoughts today.

Strawberry, I take my hat off to you! London is far too much for me to tackle at the moment! Good luck Ladydolly for Sunday

Ark - glad you got a good night's sleep. Thinking of you all today.

Strawberry - up to now I have let dd sleep as & when she pleases, as we found the old saying sleep begets sleep was definitely true for my ds. Unfortunately she's choosing to do this during the day & then isnt settling at night & she's wide awake! Am trying to wake her up a bit in the day, only for a little while after each feed as dont want her overtired, but she's barely even keeping her eyes open through her feed & cries to go back to sleep. We've been up since 6.30am today & she's not opened her eyes yet!

thisis I won't pretend to be a brave one, I was very nervous about it. Hence winged DH to come in with me and I really would have been in trouble on my own with DD.
We had a plan after the paperwork go for nice lunch around Marlebone. Guess what, we ended up on Euston Square office area sat on the flowerbed edge, swallowing takeout from Pod while the other one of us trying to sort out screaming DD. Parenting gracefully....

Just had morning of dealing with output. Explosive poo nappy that ended up down leg, then on hands AND feet while sorting out, bath sorted that.
Then puke over kitchen floor (still stuck down cracks between floorboards).
Another big poo (contained this time thank fuck).
Now asleep on my chest - good job or we may have fallen out!

Amy, megapoo here this morning too. It erupted out the collar of her best at the back and splattered up my chest!

Ark, so sorry for your DP. Hugs for you both.

Strawberry We went out walking yesterday and stopped & had lunch etc and on the long walk back Little Man started screaming his head off in the pram. I picked him up & he started beaming cos he could see everything - thats all he wanted, the little chancer!

So DH said we were gonna have to carry him home but he weighs about 13lbs now so I said no way! I adjusted the back of the pram from flat to 45 degrees - DH was freaked out as L.M. is only 9 wks but I pointed out it was the same angle as the carseat.

Anyway we strapped him in and he LOVED it. Smiled at everything all the way home!

I'm starting to think DHs theory of those horrendous nights this week being a growth spurt might be true - after all he's 11 weeks adjusted. He's developed mad skillz (yo) this week. He can actually hold Sophie The Giraffe today! We're a bit freaked out by how rapidly he's changing. Its too soooooon!

anna we were carrying her all the way back, looked very funny that little person looking over the dads shoulder into the London's traffic noise. She is around 11lbs and in turns it was doable, but not easy. Like your idea about 45 degree adjustment though, will try this out next time.

Joining the big poo club... It was leaking from up and down and up again.

Yesterday I took both girls to the stay n play group that I have been taking DD1 to for a couple of years. It takes ages to get there at DD1's slow walking speed so we hadn't made it before. It was nice to speak to some adults other than DH for a change. DD2 loved it. DD1 emptied a whole box of baby toys to show her and she was actually reaching out to touch and explore them which she doesn't do at home with her own toys. Then she watched the big kids playing for a while and looked really alert and interested.
Last night she woke up every 2 hours to be fed, then moaned and groaned for ages after each feed. I was not impressed.

Ark, I'm glad things are looking a bit brighter and DD is sleeping well

Omama, maybe try a bit of white noise. Loads of vids on YouTube but I've found the 8hour one the best. Normally I let it run between his 7 and 11 o'clock feeds so hubby and I get an evening to ourselves.

Anna, I'm also looking at getting DS a Sophie the Giraffe. Which one did you get as I'm toying between the original or the teething one?as recently he's always reaching for the back of his mouth with his thumb and index finger.

Strawberry we stupidly did a trip to London the day before NYE. People are idiots and I believe go out of their way to get in way of a pram. Also I never realised how inaccessible tube stations are and thank God for DH who who carried the pram with DS inside up and down all the stairs. I never would have managed. That reminds me, I really need to buy a sling.

DH has Baby Wannabe today which has allowed me time off to go and get a wash and blow dry at the hairdressers. There's only so much looking like a fraggle I can take!

How little can babies have nightmares? DD was quite happy asleep in her Moses basket and suddenly woke up with the loudest scream I've ever heard her do, she was absolutely hysterical for a good 15 mins, wasn't hungry, didn't seem to have wind trapped and had a dry bum. She had tears and everything. She's calmed down and is asleep snuggled into my neck at the mo but still doing that funny breathing you get after crying that hard. Poor baby :( I've checked her all over, checked the basket etc, I was sat next to her watching tv so nothing happened that I saw.

Ark thar happened here once. Very startling.

Workfree we got the original Sophie as I figured it would last longer. He's prob a bit young for it yet as he still wants to suck rather than gnaw so he just covers it in spit. But he's very excited by it anyway as he can get his little fist around the leg AND it squeaks! This is amazing, apparently. Until Mummy got bored with squeaking it, lol.

Strawberry I Googled when you're allowed to have them out of the carrycot position and apparently its officially 6 months!!!! So apparently I'm the worst Mum ever! But hey, it saved our asses yesterday. It may have to be saved for emergencies though!

God knows how our long legged lad is supposed to last in the carrycot for another 4 months though. They're having a laugh!

Had never heard about the Sophie. Looks and sounds really good, I'm afraid I have not resisted... DD's mad mum will have her toy box overflowing before she starts playing with them properly.

Anna I know about the carrycot age, but I find your point about the car seat very, very reasonable. Agreed about it being emergency measure though.

Workfree I was shocked about the Tube being so inaccessible as well, it was basically either take a bus or walk, we opted for a long walk. Surprised no charity or NGO for disabled people has not taken the issue against TFL. They probably know in advance that all they will get back is the story about Tube being the oldest underground in the world and therefore they cannot accommodate everybody etc, just like they use this as an excuse for never ending overruns of engineering works. :(

Ark we've had that nightmare thing a couple of times. I'm certain it's a bad dream - the first time I wasn't in the room but my dad said she was peacefully asleep ans then suddenly gave a loud cry and woke up. The second time I heard her breathing change in her sleep and she started making little anxious squeaks before waking up with a proper cry. Goodness knows what it is that little babies have scary dreams about...

Morning all. A second horrendous night in a row here and poor DD still full of wind this morning. Can I ask for opinions please? DP is convinced that the amount of wind she has is an indicator that something is wrong, but I think it's just a maturity problem. She goes a couple of nights fine, then suddenly about mid afternoon she will start to wriggle and kick her legs and grizzle. I rub her tummy and cycle her legs and quite often she does plenty of loud, forceful farts but they don't seem to make her feel better. Last night she did lots of farting, but when I held her I ciuld feel her poor little tummy muscles spasming and going rock hard every few seconds. She also sometimes has green poo with mucousy bits in, though this doesn't happen every time she has a windy night.

Normal trapped wind? Or should I be pushing for some kind of testing?