November 2014 - The one where we figure it all out... Or at least try.

[Arkkorox]

Couldn't see another thread ladies! Crap title I know but I couldn't think of anything else!

Thisis how on earth did you manage to put the nappy in the wash!

happy we're having the same problem - the wee head wildly whipping around every time someone talks. He's leaving half each bottle behind. My utter utter sympathies to you BFers. Must be a real struggle. With a bottle its just a minor irritation. Do you think a poncho when out and about would help? I remember someone on the Antenatal thread swearing by them with her first. They seem to have come back into fashion too - there are loads on ASOS.

(ASOS & Argos are where I do all my non-food shopping these days, lol)

Oh and the last couple of nights I've been feeding DS in the Moses basket. Just sticking a bottle in as he's lying down. Its brilliant! He resettles straight away as he falls asleep on the bottle.

Yes to distractions during feeds, i even went to the dark room for the feed last night. Otherwise DD was getting really frustrated, she was hungry but could not watch TV at the same time. It is definitely easier with EBM, she can turn the head with the bottle. She also l?mes to stop feeding half way through to have a chat with me. No prob if at home, different when in public.
I have been always taking bottle with me when longer trips as DD is little patient, if she decides she wants food, it does not matter where we are everything must have stop. So will just carry on with them when out and about.

Babies are just odd aren't they?! Tiny little completely unexplainable creatures.

So Dd had a fairly Normal morning, lots of practicing our outside voice and finding being naked hilarious ( think she must get that from her dad!) ate her normal amount of both boob and bottles then had lunch with my mum and went into guilford, she slept for the whole 2 and half hours we were mooching round the shops - fab! Get home and she's hungry, point blank refused boob so offered her bottle ( she was screaming by now) downs 6oz in one sitting, still not happy, then downed another 4 oz, both boobs and promptly fell asleep on my shoulder, woke up crying had another 3oz, fell back to sleep on my lap for an hour and a half , woke her up at 9:45 for nappy change and put her to bed, she had another 3 oz in her Moses basket and is now snoring her head off. That's 16oz and both boobs from 6:30-10!

Ark, Happy last week there was a post on FB about what a mum of 2 young kinds would like most for her birthday: "To have a hot food... with two hands. And then a tea. Hot tea. With a chocolate biscuit" So easy :)

My favorite meal is breakfast because DD at that time is chilling in her bed extension cot with a toy or mobile while I am having coffee in bed. Bliss...
Lunch often is swallowed while standing at the kitchen island, pushing DD's pram back and forth with the other hand to stop her whining. The dinner is always a lottery, can hit a jackpot or it might be me and DH taking turns to shush her down.

Strawberry, it was my birthday yesterday and DD gave me a great present - instead of being wide awake after her 6am feed as usual she went back to sleep for two hours so I did as well, it was so nice! Having a baby certainly makes you appreciate the simple things in life! All she seems to be doing over the last few days is feeding, sleeping and crying, so that may have something to do with it. It is like having a newborn again. How long does this growth spurt last? She also seems the want to be on her feet all the time at the mo, when I prop her up sitting down she keeps pressing her feet down and lifting her bump up until she ends up laying down.

Lifting her bum up I mean!

Happy international women's day to you all!!

Caz mine is 17 weeks in two days (good grief!) but 19 weeks adjusted and he's out of it now. It was exactly like you said, reverting to newborn. I was exhausted. But I guess as long as you know its normal its doable.

I have been astonished by his new abilities and personality since this growth spurt ended though - its like all of a sudden we have a wee toddler! He's interacting with everyone and investigating everything with his fingers and sticking fingers in peoples mouths as they talk, and he's doing "horsey" on my knee and bouncing on it like the clappers! He stands straight up on your lap and noms your nose......He wants to watch the telly constantly too which i'm a bit conflicted about.

He won't lie down in his playgym anymore - he needs to be sitting up propped against your shins whilst he plays with the dangly things from above. Basically its like now he wants to be a full part of the world, rather than just watching it from afar. Absolutely astonishing. Where did this child come from???!

Do any of you use dummies? I'm just wondering if one might calm dd down as she's getting in a total screaming state when she's tired - sodding growth spurt!

Anna, thanks it's good to know that there's a reason for all this. She's 14 weeks (16 weeks adjusted) so I may have a while to go yet but she's definitely starting to develop more skills. She grabbed my glasses off my face earlier for the first time and loves standing up straight on my lap.

Ark, we used dummies for a while but she won't take one now, she just decided one day that she didn't like them anymore.

Hi all, very long time no see.

I had a bit of a mega personal crisis that drove me away from the world for a while, but new house and hopefully new beginning now so am making an effort to resume normal function. BabyFiend is doing ok, still very small (weighed in at 10lb 3oz three weeks ago at last check at 13 weeks) and I'm still dairy free but doing ok otherwise.

I might not be around regularly but just wanted to say hi and check in with you all. One day at a time, ladies. Love to all your scrummy babies.

Ark yes we use a dummy but tbh I'd rather we didn't!!! She only has it to suck before she goes to sleep but she mostly spits it out, sucks fingers then cries til it goes back in!! Very frustrating. DS lost interest in his dummy at around 6 months so hoping the same happens with dd & we can get rid. Personally if you havent used one so far I wouldnt bother.

Welcome back twiglet, I hope you're ok and things have settled down. xx

I've tried with a dummy buy she's not interested. I feed her to sleep so effectively I'm her dummy...

I do love the cooing and chatting from babydolly but she actually talks in her sleep, randomly in the night and naps and she starts talking in the morning before she opens her eyes! I've got a noisy one on my hands here...

Ark we use dummy mainly for when DD feels uncomfortable it calms her down. Eg., in first month she hated to go out so the only way to get her out of the door without purple scream was to give a dummy. Now it is mainly when she is overtired when parents have not known to stop playing with her. Then the dummy is the first step for her to wind down and be able to get on the boob.

Well she hates them so guess that's a no go lol

Hi everyone, kept meaning to find new thread for ages as I've been away a bit! Sounds like the babies are all doing so well.
Anna I'm just so sorry to read about your dad and I think you and your sis are frankly amazing. You especially because of tiny ds. Hang in there. One day things will be not so very difficult.

Twiglet hi to you to! Hope you are ok and minding yourself.

lady your baby is such a smasher!

All ok here. Not getting much sleep as the regression had hit hard. Evenings are a bit of a bore in and out resettling dd constantly, but she does seem to be doing 3 hour stretches or so at night which is manageable (hilarious that 3 hour stretches are acceptable, isn't it?!). Naps are short too, but still in the car or pram so we don't have to fight with each other. I am trying to really be zen about this stage, found myself getting quite angry the other night as I was so tired, so that has to stop. By day dd is much happier and less afraid of other people so that's great. I really do not miss the all - afternoon newborn cryathons!

Argh, after sleeping through most nights for the past 4 weeks or so, DD has started waking in the midle of the night-not hungry. Just wants to chat and squawk at us. Quite loudly! Not quite sure what to do about it but there is quite a lot of farting going on before she wakes, so have got some infacol and gripe water to try to see if that helps.
Question for anyone who's used it - have you had success with giving infacol before a dream feed (or gripe water) or did it wake them up fully?

The only time she hasn't woken in the night was at the weekend when we went away with friends when she was an absolute angel. Must've been the fresh air and new things to look at that tired her out (although DH in all seriousness said "I wonder if it was the high ceilings?" ). Much as I would love to be able to move to a farmhouse in Dorset permanently I'm not sure that's a realistic option...

Ark dD has a dummy at night, can't decide if it's a blessing or curse but I think it's here to stay now. I think it might be a little late to introduce one now, think the reflex sucking starts to fade from about 8 or 10 weeks so it's not such a miracle worker if introduced after that point.

Hi Twig, nice to 'see' you. Hope things continue to improve. xx

Welcome back Twiglet hope you're ok.

thanks so much Greenstone - we're keeping going here, Dad seems to have gotten a second wind being in his own bed and and seems contented enough. His deterioration seems to have plateaued, and this stage may last a couple of weeks. No way of knowing. We are shattered though, I was up 3 times last night with the baby and twice with him lifting him out to the commode. And then up for the day at 7am. Same again tonight no doubt but I keep thinking that if I made it through the newborn stage, I can make it through this. It was good training!

DS is being an utter sunbeam, smiling like mad at Dad and grabbing at him and he's such a tonic. He's gone total Disney Baby just when needed, bless him. Dad actually tickled his feet yesterday which was a big thing as he's so weak.

What age is your DD now - are you on the Oct thread too? Do you have an overlapper?

I do! Dd was born on Halloween so yeah am alternating between lurking and posting on both months. So dd is 18 weeks, 17 corrected. And currently snoozing in my arms after a pathetic effort of a boob feed so hunger wakings these are not.

That's really rough about all your night wakings but lovely that the baby is charming your dad.

Re. Dummies, we use them but mostly for the car, she's not interested at night. She also has a comforter teddy blanket thing which I am forcing her to love they can be very helpful for breastfed babies (or all babies) who won't entertain a dummy.

Oh strawberry your line about 'purple scream' really just made me laugh!

ark I'd second not bothering if not on a dummy already. Ds1 didn't have one and A doesn't - a friend of ours did but said that breaking away from it made her think she'd not go there again with a second baby.

A's had a hellish cough but is seemingly emerging from it. He's been so good throughout though (even if not sleeping, but very sanguine about it.) I felt awful not being able to do anything except hold his tiny body while he coughed and coughed. it's really not fair on them.

Also an electronic pat/hug for anna - you're coping amazingly in the face of a situation none of us would have imagined when pg.. Glad your dh is there tonight.

Morning all.

and to all who fancy them. Strong coffee needed here. DS is alternating brilliant and awful nights. Just had an awful night of fussing and grizzling fighting sleep till 10 and then waking up every 1-2 hours. Night before slept through 10-6 and then 7-9. Don't think we did anything differently. Just luck of the drawer I think.

We don't have a dummy. He doesn't tend to use my boob for comfort so I never thought sacking would really help much.

Crap all round here at the moment. I think it might be due to wind as I gave a dose of infacol yesterday and he fell asleep straight away! I've got a bottle coming today with the shopping so fingers crossed it'll make him more comfortable and make it easier for him to sleep. We've gone from 1 night waking to 3.

I have a feeling I've let dp off the hook for too long. I feel like death warmed up today and I asked him at 7 if he could take dd at half 8 so I could go back to bed ( bearing in mind we were asleep by 11 last night and he was snoring when I got up at 3 with dd so I know he's slept) and all I got was ' oh so I have to wake up and feel like crap all day instead' errrr yeah actually you do! Grrrr