November 2015 newborns and neurotics

[Ladypug]

Hi all,

I can't see a group for babies born in November so I'm starting one! My DD is 2 weeks old and we've had 2 weeks learning curve - breastfeeding, nappy changing, sleep deprivation and learning what cries mean, on top of poor DD struggling to go to the toilet and manic bouts of meltdown crying! How is everyone else getting on?

I'm sorted for Christmas but it doesn't feel like Christmas I'm not mentally ready for it!

Just popping on to wish our lovely November babies a very happy first Christmas

Happy New Year November babies and Mummies!!
Haven't been on here for ages - banned myself from using phone or tablet as night as the light wakes me and DS too much.

DS has started to 'chatter' back and grin when we talk to him now which is lovely :-) The 6 week 'relief' point really was true for us, the sleep deprived exhaustion did start to take it's toll on me so put him on a sleep routine. He's now just over 7weeks and goes to bed at 7pm when tired, whinges for 10mins. Wakes around 1am for a feed and sometimes 4ish then wakes at 5.45/6am wanting to get up, it's great and works well so long as he sleeps and eats enough in the day.

I have to go to bed at 10pm but to make and eat dinner freely and still have least 2hrs with DH is great.

Hope everyone is happy and well and still have Xmas choccies to see you through the dark nights x

Hi I gave birth on the 20th November and my lochia finished about 2 weeks after however I'm now 6 weeks PP and I've had 3 periods! It will stop for a day or so and then start up again... Is this normal?

Happy new year everyone!

No idea about the periods Cupcakes, hope you get some answers / reassurance.

Sophia, how long did it take you to establish the routine? Does he nap much in the daytime? Mine doesn't sleep as long in his moses basket as he can in the car or on me, though we're getting longer stretches of sleep now. I'm not willing to let him cry for any length of time (unless we're in the car and he's going to fall asleep anyway) though DH is! I don't think he's quite ready to go more than 4 hours between feeds yet, especially as he's gaining weight at the lower end of the spectrum. Maybe after 8 weeks he'll be ready.

Hope everyone is doing ok x

Cupcakes - my lochia stopped after about 2 weeks too. No period yet though. Im breastfeeding though so no expecting to see a period for a while. Think it's one of though 'everyone's different' things.

Austen - my DS has thrown the routine in my face today!! He's nearly 8weeks (Wed), took about a week to get the bedtime (7pmish) down. But the naps are harder. You need to have a shorter version of the bedtime routine and just be tough - baby may cry but let them (if they're dry, fed, not in pain and safe then they're crying just because they want you/don't want to be down), if he's still crying after 10 mins I go in and reassure or if he's REALLY crying I'll re-assess if he is actually going to go down (like today - nope he wasn't!)
But my DS has been quite good as self-settling - key being was not to have toys/lights around to stimulate. I'll use music but to be fair it doesn't work. He falls asleept to the TV or the vacuum!
I'd start doing it now as sure it was because he's still quite young that he's easy to take to routine. I'm not strict and won't force him to sleep/feed if he doesn't want to, the routine is as much for me than him.

Forgot to add - I read Alison Scott-Wrights book, the SEnsational Sleep plan book.

Hi Sophia, it's not lochia like you this stopped 2 weeks pp.., I'm going to the doctors tomorrow x

Hello all! Happy new year! DD is 8 weeks and things are so much better! We've been sleeping through now for 2 weeks solid which is lovely, still a bit fractious but generally much more relaxed unless we're in the car (which she hates!), I'm starting to feel like me again! How are you all? X

Happy new year everyone! I'm getting to grips with life with two kids, I've made it out of the house with both a few times and did nursery pick up today, although that was a disaster.

Ds has created his own little routine, he generally sleeps a lot in the day and is awake and feeding lots in the evening. I am a big fan of the 'path of least resistance' parenting method so I am just going with it for now. We're still cosleeping and he wakes quite a bit in the night but unless he needs a nappy change I don't properly wake up so I'm not too sleep deprived.

Cupcakes hope you get it sorted.

Hope everyone is OK.

Can I join? DD born at the stay off November. Compared to her two older brothers she's a breeze!

BUT she stays awake all evening. No chance of getting an early night, or eating at a normal time (sick of having dinner after 9pm). Has anyone had any luck getting them onto a routine yet?

At the moment, she's going to bed between 11:30 or 1:30, then sleeping for about 4 hours before waking. The length of time she sleeps for is good, it's just that it starts so late!

I can't remember what DSs were doing at the same age, I feel like I'm making it all up as I go along again!

We had a decent night last night -- DS was quite unsettled in the evening (luckily we were at our NCT reunion and everyone else's baby fussed too!) but slept for 3 hours til 1.45, then again from 2.30 to almost 5. It's when he wakes up at 4 and won't go back to sleep until after 6 or 7 that kills me.

Thanks Sophia, I think we'll see how we get on. Good luck with your LO!

Welcome marzipants! Ds is on my boob right now and I'm sitting on the sofa eating dinner at the same time so no words of wisdom from me

I'm going to have a bath with him in a minute, if he is full of milk then he enjoys a bath and it sends him off to sleep for a while hopefully.

Hi Snozberry DD has been on the boob on and off for two hours now. I hope this is a growth spurt, though at this rate she'll be bigger than me soon! About to hand her over to DH so I can sleep before it all starts again tomorrow.

I feel guilty because she's so lovely but I can't wait for this stage to end!

Ds is STILL on the boob . He had a brief break for a bath then went straight back on.

I bloody hope this is a growth spurt!

Meanwhile dp has done dds bedtime, washed the dishes and is currently making me tea... Could be worse

I got a hour in bed before she went mental for a feed. 40 mins later and she's beaming at me from her bouncer. Gah! How did I forget this stage? Bloody hormones.

Morning all
Marzipants & Snozzberry - how old are your LO's? My DS was 8 weeks yesterday and keep expecting a feeding frenzy growth spurt but no. Still weighed him yesterday and he's 13lbs, lovely!

Using the method in the book I mentioned I got my DS to sleep from 7.30ish PM (he'll go down at that time then self-settled within 15mins) from just over 6weeks. I accept that he'll wake in the night for a feed as he'll still young but MOST nights will only wake once before the 'get me up' call around 6am (half hr either side). If I'm really tired I just go for a nap when he does then at 8am - 10am and I'm set for the day.
It does involve being comfortable hearing your baby cry but I just assess his cries, they're mostly kitten-like mews of protest!

Cupcakes did the doctor help much on your visit?

Ha, although I happy with my DS's sleeping I do seem to have a slight issue of choking him with feeding

Something to do with let-down and too much milk? He choked the other night and couldn't get his breath (absolutely terrifying!), sat him up and forward, patting back and shouted for DH. Was about to do the forceful baby back pats when he started hacking/gagging (still not nice but it was 'sound').
I'm now not enjoying feeding him as scared of choking my child. Anyone else had this?

Sophia my letdown can be a little bit much for ds, sometimes milk comes out of his nose during a feed! He's never choked though, that must have been scary sounds like you did the right thing though.

Apparently if you feed lying down or leaning back it helps (any position where gravity slows the milk flow) or failing that express a little bit before each feed. It is only a problem when they are tiny so you won't have to do it forever.

PS ds is seven weeks (five from due date). I haven't had him weighed for a couple of weeks but I don't think he'll be much over 10lb yet so perhaps he's just trying to catch up!

Out his nose! oh dear- but that's good, your DS has learnt not to breathe it in, so out the nose it comes.
I'm now leaning back slighty and have DS sat upright, so far so ok. Haha, expressed a bit just before feeding as you said and squirted it up my nose!! No wonder he's choking if that's how it's going down his throat!

Oh my DS is 8weeks but was 12 days over due so 10lbs would be about right for your DS Snozzberry.

DD is 9 weeks and I've gone from feeling "I got this" on Monday to "I can't cope" today. Not sure if I'm feeling so bad because of bug and sleep deprivation or have s bit of PND. Have GP apt on Tuesday and plans for lots of sleep now.

Aww Marzipants, sorry to hear that. When I felt at my lowest (around 5 weeks) it was because of little sleep. A good chat with Mum, MIL and couple of friends made me see that my situation wasn't all that bad and with some help I caught up on sleep and felt better to face the days challenges but good you have GP appt to 'nip it in the bud' if it is PND.
Can you get anyone to sit with baby for a bit while you get some rest? My MIL took my DS out for a long walk around the block while I had near enough a 2hr kip. The walk made DS fall asleep so MIL had to do very little really.
You can cope really if you were managing on Monday, just need to get that sleep! ;-) x

Thanks Sophia, DH took DD this evening and I managed to get 4 hours sleep. I feel SO much better. Just have to get through tomorrow and it's the weekend!

Sophiaslullaby mine's occasionally sputtered/choked from the bottle and it is scary! I have a fast let down too and to keep him from gagging I'll either put a muslin in front of the boob to absorb some of the squirting milk then put him back on the boob, or use a more upright position like biological nurturing. It's not usually a problem as he seems to take all the milk we can put in him!

We're starting baby massage today--I hope he likes it. Happy weekend everyone.

Biological nurturing, the laid back position? That might help my back actually, since trying to hold him differently so he doesn't choke I'm straining my back as leaning sideways. I'll give that a go today thankyou :-) (although likely to fall asleep - little monkey thought 3.30am was the perfect time to properly wake up. Took hour and half to get him back to sleep and then DH alarm went off!!!!)

Happy day to everyone, I'm off back to bed x