March 2016 Babies Thread #11 - We've got smiley babies, screaming babies and farty babies!

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This time last year....my nephew was days away from being born, I was planning a wedding and looking forward to that holiday.....little did I know that I would fly home with a little souvenir

Thanks for the tip marmite. I've done it with just me (as DP at work) and I make him 7.6kg at nearly 14 weeks so that puts him on the 91st centile. I've looked at DS1's chart and he was exactly the same.

Good luck for the jabs tomorrow marmite and happy birthday to your DS.

Just a quick update.
Things are much better al be it hard work as her day naps are still very much cat naps and she is exhausted by 5:30am.
But she only woke up three times between 9:30-7 last night so much better and it's oh night with her tonight ( we do night on/night off ) as she's quite hard and then neither of us end up to exhausted. I'm so lucky his so supportive.
Things are also much more rewarding and she smiles everytime she sees me now and makes the cutest little noises when I talk to her. She doesn't like to be left alone though so whinges until I come and talk to her when she's awake.
These photos are what she thought of my singing this morning.
Also been doing some more tummy time recently. She has quite a flat head and has left side preference to so am trying to encourage her to look more to the right as per health visitors advice

And just now she's taken her self off after laughing for "talking" to me for half an hour.
Was just about to go for a walk but just had a rumble of thunder here. I do love a thunder storm

Oh time, C is just adorable. So so glad to hear your positive update. I hope she sleeps for more than a cat nap for you this time!! The more she sleeps, the better she'll sleep, and it really will get better eventually. A hopeful story for you: DS was a chronically overtired baby due to colic, but once he finally was rested enough, it was like flipping a magic switch, and he could suddenly go 7-7 (with a couple of easy wakings for feeds then right back to sleep), and nap 2 hours at a stretch. I'm hoping and praying C will be the same for you.

Doc I'm jealous of your haircut!! My hair is falling out and I am convinced I'll wake up bald I need to get it cut. And I need to do my colour too as I've got more than a couple of grey hairs

time C looks like a happy contented little girl. M does the same - she chatters away then all of a sudden she's out like a light.

M is 15 weeks old tomorrow. 15 rollercoaster wonderful weeks. Every day I look at my little girl and fall a bit more in love with her xx

Thank you. I am biased but she is adorable.
So are all the babies on here though.
Hmm oh has left me no bread after having four slices of toast this morning... it's ok to eat his biscuits right? Was going to go out but it's raining hard and thundering now. I shall try and make it out for a walk later though as I need to get dinner.

Thanks for the hopefully story. I also heard weaning helps some babies but then I also hear that's not true from other sources.
She will sleep un swaddled in her chairs now but still needs her swaddle pod for her cot at night? Bit worried about what happens when she starts rolling as I heard swaddling is dangerous then. What if she doesn't out grow the need to be swaddled by then ?

We have this one.
Previously she needed a swaddle me velcro blanket to sleep and be very tightly swaddled but now she accepts her looser swaddle which allows her to move her arms a bit more freely but enough to get her to sleep.

Oh one more thing she can sleep un swaddled in her carry cot as long as the prams moving ...

Time really glad to hear that C is sleeping a bit better. DS has the flat head thing too. He always favoured his right side but he has naturally started to do it less now.!

I'm trying to get DS to nap in his cot. His daytime napping is so hit and miss and a lot of the time he only has short cat naps on me. It took 20 minutes of him whinging with me going in occasionally for him to drop off today after his lunchtime bottle. He woke up after 20 minutes but I resettled him - hoping he can get about an hour altogether. We are often out and about and he usually sleeps well in the pram or car seat but I need to get him sorted if we're at home.

My third period since having DS started on Sunday and they are SO heavy now I used to have lovely light periods, will they ever come back? It's weird, the consistency had changed too, I used to have lots of brown and quite thick gloopy blood, now it's bright red and thin. Hoping it's temporary and they'll get better in a few months.

Hello loves,
Just waving hello.
George does not like the heat, was a major grump yesterday and would only settle in the sling which made us both sweaty (and makes my milk go into overdrive!)
So today we are hiding in the cool house doing washing.

Random question to those who wear nursing bras. How do you fold it down when unclipped for feeding? I always end up soggy. I feel daft thinking I might be missing the obvious!

Time oof! C just tugs my heartstrings! She's so lovely! Glad to hear things are settling down a bit.

Cuuuute bonnet and baby mrsE if you're a dab hand at sewing elastic, big bloomers are easy to cut and make.

ffaux beautiful picture, all the summery little girls clothes are making me irrationally jel. 😄

Me I'm dreading the return of my period. It was heavy enough before! Much 💐 and 🍫 for you.

oh my nursing bras always ended up soggy too - nowadays I just tuck a muslin in before starting to feed.

time glad to hear C is sleeping better. E was a bit grouchy in the heat yesterday but better today as there is more of a breeze through the house.

Love the bonnet MrsE I must get round to making one too.

Taken the plunge and trying reusable nappies from today (my sis kindly lent me a stash). Hard to wean myself off the handy blue line indicator though...

Having a mega awake day today with DD2 after two hourly feeds overnight. She's knackered but can't sleep, I've spent the last three hours trying different things to no success. Bloody knackered. Currently pacing round with her in the sling while she screams her head off which is very unlike her. I thought maybe the two hourly feeds last night was the 12 week growth spurt as she's 12 weeks on Thursday but the mega awake time suggests its still the developmental leap she's supposedly going through now. Or maybe it's both or neither! Who knows. Today is definitely one of those days where I'm repeating the mantra 'everything is a phase with babies'. Just hoping this is a super quick phase...

Sorry to hear about your period me I'm dreading mine as have always been v heavy and expecting it to be worse with the coil in.

Time good to see you on here and glad you are feeling more positive about things.

Jealous of everyone with their haircuts. I really want to chop mine off but need to grow my fringe out a bit first, plus need to gear myself up to have the confidence to go from long to pixie which is what I'm planning to do.

Hiya ladies,

MrsE, hope you're having an awesome break. Very impressed with your packing.

Marmite, I hope you've managed to get E to sleep. We've had a similar kind of day here for the last couple of days, totally knackered but fighting sleep even if being held, it's exhausting. Fingers crossed you and she get a rest soon.

Ffaux, cute pic and thanks for info, will have to have a look through it soon. Your last post on sleep definitely helped me to realise (despite having done this once before!) that Zach was making such a fuss coz he was tired and not hungry. It's definitely helped trying to spot his tired cues much earlier and not letting him get into such a state (well some of the time anyway!)

Rhu, hope the bigger bottles help. I'm sure if he's the same as Ds1 then you aren't over feeding him.

Time, really pleased to hear so much more positivity in your post. Cute pics too. I'm glad things are getting a little easier and I'm sure they'll just continue to do so. Are you still planning on returning to work soon or not?
Re the swaddling-Z sleeps in a similar type thing....we have a Woombie and a summer gro-snug which is great as you can release their arms to get then used to sleeping with them out. DS1 was the same as Z and Calais, only slept well in a swaddle but transitioning him into an arms out grobag wasn't a big drama. I think once their startle reflex calms they can sleep much better with arms out. I'm sure she'll be fine.

I've been to have a copper coil fit today for the first time. It hurt a bit and it was very weird sensation when she was poking it up there but otherwise not too bad. Afterwards tho I was making an app for the check in at 6 weeks and started feeling all faint so had to be taken into a room at the drs to lie down for 10 mins to recover! Got some nasty period type cramps now (forgotten what they're like as no period for over a year now!) not having to think about contraception for 10 years tho is amazing!

Also, in exciting news we started weaning Z this week! His last weigh in 2 weeks ago at 8lb 12oz means he is 'growing at just about an acceptable rate but not improving' in the words of the neonatal dietician. This is despite his vomiting after breastfeeds massively reducing to the point where we've stopped gaviscon and he's on two bottles of special prem baby formula a day in addition to breastfeeding.
The dietician said best to start weaning to see first if he'll take it and second if it makes a difference to his weight gain. She doesn't want the food to in any way replace milk or to mean he cuts any feeds (so she advised against just veg/fruit purées as they're not calorific enough) so we're starting on baby rice made with formula and a little tiny bit of so far, sweet potato and pear. He loves it!! It's crazy as he's still such a tiny baby but he is 6.5 months old and current advice on weaning prems recommend starting between 6-8 months actual age. It's amazing he can actually take it off the spoon and swallow but he is totally keen so really hoping it has positive effects on his weight gain.

Aside from this at the weekend we had our first 8.30-6.30 sleep! But unfortunately as he's still so tiny I can't really let him go this long between feeds so have gone back to an 11pm bottle after which he normally goes until 5-5.30...pretty goddam awesome for such a little boy. I keep telling myself though that soon he'll be 16 weeks corrected age and the dreaded 4 month sleep regression could be on the horizon....it was hideous with DS1, back to hourly wakings for a few weeks. Fingers crossed he'll sail through it!

Hope Beaut is ok, not heard from her in a while.

Fingers crossed this sunshine lingers for longer, I'm loving it!

Sorry all for the essay!

I'll keep doing that with muslins then french (or just stop wearing light grey which shows damp patches like billyo)
We have loads of washable nappies too! Currently being modelled by my old teddy bear 😄 My sister said her boy never had a leak (and he was an every ten day poonami child) and the cotton was much nicer on his bum. I might pluck up the courage tomorrow!

missi wow! I can't believe Zach is already weaning! I'm glad he is enjoying it. George is already eyeing up our plates with food envy and we've still got three months to go.

I'm watching Sewing Bee now G is asleep. The heat has thrown him all out of whack - I think he's getting too warm at the boob and falling asleep before he's full. I have been a buffet table all day.

missi wow he's weaning, such a huge milestone - congrats!! Can't believe he is 6.5 months already!! I can't wait to wean as am sick of all the sick (v refluxy baby!) I think we need another pic of Zach :)

Glad my info was helpful, the latest one I think mentions that the first nap of the day is one of the most important - I've had early appointments the last 2 days so DD has only had broken catnaps first thing and then has been really grouchy so there must be something in it! But she did sleep from 11pm to 7am last night! Unfortunately I was up from about 3am watching her as she was so restless I was convinced she would wake any minute but she never did. I normally pick her up for a feed between 3 and 5 when it looks like she's about to wake but last night I left it, so I think I have been picking her up too early. Instead she woke at 7 with big smiles :)

time the handout I linked to mentions weaning them out of swaddling by starting with one arm out at a time and seeing how they get on. If she's not ready wait a few days and try again. Once both their arms are out it's a lot less dangerous if they start to roll, then you can move to a wearable blanket. So glad to hear things are better, are you still planning on going back to work? Gorgeous pics!

DD was weighed today at 12 weeks and she is 11lb 2 so is up from 10th centile to 17th despite sicking up puddles every day! Feel so relieved she's picking up her growth curve again after a big drop!

ffaux S is beautiful, you're a great photographer too all the ones you show seem so well staged! Another v reflux one here too so I feel for you there.

missi that 6.5 months has flown by, so glad he's doing so well. I remember your message in here telling us he had to be born, seems forever ago.

I've just caught up on 2 days worth of posts and can't remember who has said what my apologies.

What time is everyone putting baby's to bed now? We seem to have a nap 6:30-7ish, then bath, dressed, long feed and cuddles and hes usually asleep between 9/9:30 but I'm starting to wonder if this is too late? He's 11 weeks.

Q oh thank you! I spent 2 years as a pro photographer in Paris (not half as glamorous as it sounds) but haven't worked professionally for a couple of years - S is my only muse these days!

I have been told that post 3 months anytime between 8-10pm is a normal bed time, and it will eventually get earlier. I guess people are just lucky if their babies can go down earlier and sleep through! But I'm FTM so not speaking from experience, just what I've read. We try to get DD to bed before 10

I meant 3-9 months in my post there, after that aim for 7-8pm bedtime (so I hear!)

q dd2 goes to bed around 7/7.30. She just sort of put herself to bed at that time as we found if we kept her up later than that then she would fuss and take longe to go down. We usually do her bath at half 6, I feed her then put her in her cot with white noise on and sit with her till she falls asleep by herself. Most nights she will happily just fall asleep in her cot. I was worried she wouldn't today after her mega awake screamo day but the magic of the bedtime routine obviously won out as she went to sleep with no fuss...

Hoping we have a better nights sleep today as all she's slept all day is 3 x 45 mins naps. I did manage to get her to sleep in the sling earlier after I posted on here and she woke up 45 mins later screaming her head off. Don't know what's been up with her today but hope it was a one off. I even took her temp earlier as was paranoid she was sick but it was 36.6 so she seems fine in herself, just overtired perhaps. Ffaux it's interesting that you say first nap is most important. DD2 missed early nap time today as DH had to rush off to London this morning to get a visa for his work trip comjng up and I had to deal with DD1 and do the nursery run and it ran right over DD2s nap time and she was massively overtired by the time we left. So although she fell asleep on the way there she only had a short nap so maybe that's why.

To all those considering cloth nappies I'd say do it! I use cloth for both DD1 and DD2 and prefer them to disposables. But I do use disposables at night to prevent leaks and if we go away for the weekend.

Oh and baby photos! Here's a recent one of DD2 doing tummy time

Ah so our 9:30 is ok then that's good I was worrying that we were doing it too late!

And to join in here's Rory playing peek a boo - and huge smiles.

Ah, Missi that's lovely about the weaning! It must be weird with him being so small though (still less than DS2's birth weight!).

DS2 has started drooling and watching me eat, too, but I'm fairly sure he's just watching more of his surroundings more intently and I've a suspicion he's teething already (DS1's first teeth were in by 4 months).

DS2 is all out of sorts this evening. Last night he had a massive poo at 3am resulting in an entire change (including woombie) and he we didn't really sleep again till 6am. Then we've had vaccinations today, so this evening he's had a good long scream and is now asleep on my chest. I don't dare move him!

Re: cloth nappies. I've still got a few more to mend (all the elastic went since DS1 was in them 5 years ago) but want to use them asap. DH would rather not though!

Lovely update Missi, can't believe Zach is weaning already! It won't be too long before the rest of our babies are. If it was up to DH, we would be already ... he wanted to let DS try his ice cream today I firmly put my foot down!

Re bedtimes, DS goes to bed at 7/7.30. He has his bath around 6.15/6.30 and last bottle at 6.45/7. He can't stay awake any later. I quite like having my evenings back again so not keen for him to stay up later, even if it might mean he sleeps in later (we are up between 5 and 5.30 every morning!)

Time I'm so pleased to hear that things are improving with you and I echo everyone else in saying C is gorgeous.

Missi wow! Weaning already, it's great to hear he likes it as well and hopefully it will help with his weight. I'm quite looking forward to weaning E as I enjoyed it with ds, all the finger food etc.

Q bedtime here is anything between 7-9pm depending on her day naps. We are still keeping her downstairs with us for the evening sleep. I don't feel ready to officially put her to bed yet though with the monitor she would be fine. I just like watching her sleep! Normally she sleeps on us or on a pillow on the sofa with one of us next to her. Tonight we have the Moses basket downstairs and she is in it now kicking around and avoiding sleep.

Today I walked nearly 5 miles! All locally, to a baby group, round a park on my way to the high street, then round the shops etc. I tracked it all on my Fitbit and felt quite pleased at the end if I erase stopping for cake from my memory E has slept loads today, I think the heat is too much but we've had a thunder storm and it's more bearable now.

Ffaux thanks again for the handouts, they are really helpful. Shame you are in the US because we could book you to photograph our babies! Our dds are similar weights, E was 10.12 last week so must be 11 ish now.

Marmite and Q lovely photos! What beautiful babies. Marmite I'm impressed with the happy tummy time face. E can't get her head that high yet and pretty much hates being on her front.