August 2016 - early arrivals to the newborn cuddles & graveyard feeding shifts

[rumisyum]

So many August bus babies have arrived already! Anyone else fancy a chat during night feeds or wondering what to make of the contents of tiny nappies? Might as well get comfortable...

Pear what times do you give the ranitidine?
I've been keeping up with the thread.
We seem to be going through a clingy period. Thought dd had cracked the sleep last week but now we're back to two hourly feeds and at least half an hour to settle her. She is also crying as soon as she's put down, even if she's sound asleep. Think her dose of ranitidine needs adjusting so back at the doctors next week I guess...

Bella I manage partly by putting her in the sling and partly by accepting that some things don't happen, or at least not when I want them to.

sloth and pear E has 0.3ml three times a day (she's 4kg). I give at about 10am, 4pm and 10pm.

She's also still windy but I didn't think it was meant to impact on that? Doesn't it just neutralise the stomach acid so it doesn't burn on the way up ? I'm giving her infacol too to help with trapped wind.

Pear what times do you give the ranitidine?
I've been keeping up with the thread.
We seem to be going through a clingy period. Thought dd had cracked the sleep last week but now we're back to two hourly feeds and at least half an hour to settle her. She is also crying as soon as she's put down, even if she's sound asleep. Think her dose of ranitidine needs adjusting so back at the doctors next week I guess...

Hi Sloth, I give it at approx 7am, 3pm and 12am.

The medicine did not help us one bit today Not a great reflux day for us! She's now feeding whenever now she fancies again to settle to sleep or stop the pain.

I wanted to hit DH with a frying pan as he's under some deluded impression that I got more sleep even though my sister was here last night. No dear...I still have to feed your daughter every 3 hours

Am going to join the grumpy & tired bench. DD woke at 1.30 & 4, DS woke at 11.30, 2.30 & 4. I'm blaming dreams for DS. But yaaaaaawn!

Grumpy and tired bench

I've just spent 30 minutes on the ikea website looking at storage solutions for the playroom. Nighttime shopping is dangerous!!

Two poorly children is not conducive to sleep! They're both full of cold and poor DD is struggling to feed. She was cat napping through the night until I eventually brought her into our bed and propped her up on pillows and she slept really well but of course I couldn't!

We're supposed to be going bed shopping today, too.

Good job Ikea website is predominantly for browsing rather than online shopping!

Sorry you had a guff night too Bella. Maybe bed shopping will let you lie down on some for an hr or two

I am going to heave myself off the bench in a minute with the promise of a long hot shower and a mug of coffee. I might love our nespresso machine more than anyone or anything in the mornings

Plimsolls you are right, ranitidine is to neutralise stomach acid, it doesn't help with wind, unfortunately.

Wish me luck this weekend - DH is on call so I am doing solo parenting for three - including the inevitable weekend activity taxi driving!

Good luck Dots!
Bella good luck bed shopping today. If you're buying a mattress, remember to get a mattress protector - our very expensive, practically brand new mattress is covered in milk/vom stains from before I managed to get a cover. Oops.
Re getting stuff done - the sling is a godsend, but my back is pretty destroyed so I'm trying to use it less (need to get my connecta back off my friend!). Otherwise I just try and stay on top of things as far as possible, and don't beat myself up if it doesn't happen!
pear your sister is lovely, send her to me please! IKEA storage solutions are v dangerous for the wallet - we have a kallax (finally bought after much nagging of DH - have had it a couple of years now and he agrees it was the best buy ever!) and I've got my eye on a Trofast next...oooooh

And just to prove what I was saying the other day - had a bloody awful evening yesterday! DD titting around at bath time so I shouted at her, then snapped at DS - both kids crying, me on the brink of joining in - all went horribly wrong. We all settled down in the end, but it's definitely not always sunshine and rainbows chez four! Just now I actually managed to put DS down on the sofa asleep - had just prepped my breakfast when DD woke him up, crashing about a foot from his head. Now stomping grudgingly around the lounge trying to get him back to sleep, looking longingly at my breakfast slowly going soggy in the bowl 🙄 sigh.

Think we might brave IKEA today - we're also in need of storage for the nursery and some photo frames. Might also hit TK Maxx as DD is definitely in 0-3 MINTH clothes now and needs some more tops since it's getting cooler. Have bribed DH with a trip to the local brewery so we can fill the growler and stock up for when my parents visit in a few weeks. I do miss breastfeeding, but it's nice to not feel guilty about having a drink

How do you guys control the sleep jeaousy?! I actually feel jealous of my DH snoring next to me. Anytime I say I'm tired he says he is too and reminds me he has to get up for work so he gets less sleep. It makes me feel completely raging everytime he says it because I actually don't think he understands what it's like when DD won't go down until 1, gets up at 5 and then every hour until 8. It makes me so mad that he thinks we are equally tired. But I know if I nitpick at it then nobody wins.

Alfie tbh I'm not very good at controlling it at all! I've just sent DH to sleep on the sofa because I think if he comes in this bed and dares to sleep I may injure him.

To his credit he has toddled downstairs without argument.

DD has a cold. Small babies with colds do NOT sleep. I never realised this fact with DS as he never slept anyway, so having a cold made no difference.

Ummm so we've recently returned from Ikea. Yes it has gone past midnight and yes I am barking mad Both children had a really long 2:5hr nap this afternoon so at 5pm I easily persuaded DH to drive us to Ikea. The traffic to Wembley was awful but I discovered that sitting next to Dd holding both of her hands with a muslin and dummy keeps her quieter in the car seat! Not 100% quiet but 75%, so a massive difference! Ds thought the adventure was a great idea When we got there it was a tad stressful as Dd wanted to be fed immediately and TBH it wasn't at all easy to browse with ds chatting and running in circles but we got to see just enough to have a better idea of what might work in the playroom. It was our cheapest trip as there is just no stopping to browse the odd bits you don't really need with ds about! Now we need to measure at home and order online.

Alfie I am rubbish at avoiding the "sleep" discussion! It winds me up a lot that DH complains he's tired. He's still sleeping on the pull out sofa and TBH I would never be able to watch him sleep right now! That would be the nail in the coffin for us

That sounds like a good, if slightly crazy, trip to Ikea! Totally get what you mean though about not being distracted by miscellaneous Ikea stuff though. I reckon we have saved 25-50 quid per visit since going there with children. The ability to potter just isn't there.
We are lucky (or unlucky depending on your point of view) in that we live 15mins from an Ikea so it isn't the same epic experience that it sounds like you had Pear

Am still in bed with DD. DH has taken DS swimming. We're starting to wonder if DD is having a patch of mild reflux. She's been much harder to settle over the past few days, crying in longer bursts, and getting quite rigid with it. But I suppose as they grow at the moment the digestive system is constantly adjusting and perhaps this is what she is taking the hump with. Or it's a wonder week. Or she doesn't like October. Or something.

Pear if I'd known you were going to ikea I'd have asked you to get me some napkins!

Biscuits I think it's October. DD is the same.

Right. I need to name change as the Dail Fail nicked my dog eating caster sugar story and published it. Don't know what to go with though. Hmm.

Urgh. I really don't enjoy having one good night (last night) and then one shit night (tonight) I know you can't choose but can I not have 2 good nights and 1 bad night! Dd threw up all her milk on me. Totally drenched my pyjamas.

Biscuits I know what you mean. On the good days I really question whether reflux is our problem but then she has nights like last night when she won't settle and she's over feeding and I know it has to be reflux related!

Bella ha ha, I resisted the napkins! I resisted Christmas tat too...quite proud of myself about that

I am sooooo crawling back to bed after nursery drop off

Those with 2 children...have you found yourself buying more entertainment toys for dc1 since the arrival of dc2? When Dd was a couple of weeks old I brought a second hand train track with a few bits. Now, I can't stop myself from buying extra add ons for it DH would be annoyed if he knew I brought more track and a train garage in the night It's just DS is really getting into it and it's the perfect game to play with him for 20 minutes whilst I'm BF or just needing to sit down and not go out. It's really not often that he's into something so when he is I tend to go overboard! I only brought the garage because I started thinking about the endless games I can make up around this garage Pretend play isn't always easy to think up and he's really into pretend play at the moment!

Biscuits - we are the same here. Default baby state is grumpy. Putting it down to being a wonder week and her ranitidine needing adjusting. Either way fun all round.
Spent all last night feeding. Thought fantastic we might get a good night sleep. Only for her to projectile it over the sofa at 10pm so I had to start the giant feed again. Poor ddog got caught in it too
Had a pretty terrible week here so hoping to start again this week. Managed an almighty row with dp, and spent all weekend with dd who is so fussy. Must have cried about ten times yesterday.
On a positive note in between all this we're getting some cracking smiles, she's just finding her hands which is adorable and she's starting to become a right nosey baby. Wants to know everything that's going on. After having mil round for lunch I'm going to treat myself to a giant piece of cake and vegetate on the sofa today

Sloth how old is your baby now?

My dream of sleeping all morning was just a dream I've pretty much spent the morning cuddling and feeding in bed. Each time I try and put the monkey down she's woken up. Kind of wish I had plonked myself in front of the Tv now. Oh well. Now she is sleeping and I need to get up to get ready for the nursery pick up. Sod's law eh

She's 7+4.
Is anyone trying the EASY routine? Making a start today - wish me luck!

Canvassing opinion....

I currently breastfeed E whenever she seems to want it (which probably means sometimes she is hungry and other times just grizzly or bored or tired or overtired). She's rejected the nipple once or twice but she usually takes it whenever offered, but sometimes just for a short feed rather than a proper meal. (Consequently?) there is no pattern to her hunger or feeds. Part of me thinks I am being very great & baby-led however the other part of me is wondering if I'm doing this purely because it's much easier and involves less thought.

Two people I know with similar age babies say they've stopped doing this. One will breastfeed no more than 3 hours unless baby is showing really clear hunger signals. The other will start the day feeding on demand but will stop when baby seems to have had a good feed and then use distraction stuff when baby grizzles for the breast (until clearly hungry when she then feeds the baby again).

Just wondering what you guys do and what you think about it?

I am similar and mostly feed on demand. If she's actually windy (for example) then she doesn't feed well and I know she isn't hungry. I figure that if I have hungry days and less hungry days, why can't babies? Also, as a rule of thumb she only feeds once or twice overnight so if it helps to facilitate that for her then I will feed on demand by day without batting an eyelid.
But in all honesty I don't think there's a right or wrong, just whatever you're happy doing.

DS was similar. He fed v frequently. And now he can still barely go 2-3hrs without food during the day! It must be his metabolism or something

Had anyone else got a daytime sleep fighter? DS seems to be unable to go to sleep without an awful lot of rocking and effort on my part and he fights it with all his might. He hasn't yet had a proper snooze today since we got up at 7ish and is whingey and fretful. Doesn't help that I've had to get 3 buses to a physio appointment so haven't been able to settle. I'm absolutely exhausted with be constant walking and rocking regarding feeding- I think I feed him too much cause I don't know what else he wants!