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

991 replies

rumisyum · 26/07/2016 20:42

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...

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peardrop2 · 10/08/2016 02:27

Biscuits I wonder whether it's any relation to something you've eaten in the last 48hrs? I'm now trying desperately hard to avoid cherries, strawberries, chocolate, onions, garlic, peppers and tomatoes. I know they say avoid dairy too but that's just one step too far for me! I just find winding so difficult when they're all sleepy!! Today I started using infocol again and I am praying it kicks in by the weekend!

LotsOfDots · 10/08/2016 04:50

Checking in.

pear I said I hope he hasn't done all the sleeping, meaning I was worried he'd be awake all night! Probably phrased it badly. It appears he had though, no 2.5h stretches tonight so far. 😡 My milk had come in though so at least there has been less rage from the wee guy as he must have been sucking and sucking beforehand thinking 'where's the good stuff?!'.

Did any of you watch the diving tonight? Wtf is with the green pool?? Ergh.

My MW has been really good, it's been good to see the same person pre and post natal and she seems very pragmatic and practical - we are on the same wavelength. Mind you, I had a different one on Saturday when we were just home as it was the on call team - she rang the doorbell, introduced herself and then said 'I know your face...' Turned out she had been one of my post natal MW for the other 2, 8 and 5.5 years ago before we moved house. Not sure I'd have recognised her without prompting. That woman has some memory!

rumisyum · 10/08/2016 05:04

lots that mw has an impressive memory!

sophia I like your style re the feeding station. I haven't been too hungry overnight yet, but I did the same thing with DS.

biscuits DD is the same tonight. Except she doesn't seem windy, she just creaks like the noisiest door in all of creation. She's actually keeping DS up at the minute, so I'm really unimpressed. I wish his sleep would settle down... Sad

Pear colic is the worst, no wonder you're feeling a bit negative about it all. I hope you got that crumpet & a bit of sleep in the end!

Right, DH has returned & DS seems asleep & the creaky door DD has quietened a bit (with cuddling Hmm), time to see if I can get a little snooze...

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Biscuitswithtea · 10/08/2016 06:03

Hmmm. That did cross my mind too Pear. I ended up being totally dairy & soya free for 6m while I was breast feeding DS. He grew out of his intolerance thankfully. Bit v keen to avoid that this time around!

DD has managed a bit better through the second half of the night. Swaddling was the secret for last night, and keeping her bundled up for feeds so that when she went back in her crib, she would still be cosy.

peardrop2 · 10/08/2016 06:40

Biscuits that's hard when dairy is nearly in everything! I had to give up onions with DS and that was a real struggle. I'm assuming it's going to be the same again however I have a horrible feeling that dairy might be involved this time Shock

My DD had her last feed at 2am (think more like 3) and then I can't remember how many times she woke for winding between 2 and 5am Angry I keep forgetting to use the infocol!!

peardrop2 · 10/08/2016 06:50

My Ds wakes up in 10 minutes and I'm still feeding Shock This is good news though... She has to show a good weight gain on the scales today so that I can get the midwifes off my back! If she doesn't I will definitely cry!!! 100%

Biscuitswithtea · 10/08/2016 07:28

Onions?? That's a faffy thing to avoid. Dairy free was easier than soya to be honest. I missed cheese; used coconut milk instead of normal milk, & lost the rest of my pregnancy weight v quickly because biscuits and cake were so rarely dairy and soya free.

Fingers crossed for a good weigh in Pear. We have HV again today, still waiting to be signed off from prolonged jaundice so will see what she says this morning.

peardrop2 · 10/08/2016 08:58

How long is everyone going between feeds during the day?

Biscuits Yes a massive faff as nearly everything has to be home cooked!

DD just slept from 7-9pm and by some miracle DS didn't wake up until 8:30am so DH has had an amazing night sleep! So Envy but at least I know he will be safe and alert with DS today. I'm feeling a bit more human after having 2hrs sleep too. I'm still feeling very weak though.

Biscuitswithtea · 10/08/2016 09:07

I have no idea how spaced out our feeds are Blush I don't think they are ever more than 3hrs apart; 2-2.5hrs is fairly normal. I reckon there are c9-10 feeds in 24hrs, but they are not evenly spaced out.

Last time I used a feeding app; this time I'm not bothering!

Biscuitswithtea · 10/08/2016 09:08

I hope you can take it reasonably easy today Pear. Your body is still recovering...

rumisyum · 10/08/2016 09:33

I ended up dairy free with my DS as well, for his reflux. No idea if it really helped in his case. I sure missed cheese, though!

I have no real idea how far apart feeds are. I suspect more widely spaced during the day than an night still. Sad And it's definitely uneven, with cluster feeding in the evening.

The cause of DD's loud creaking all night was revealed this morning as a massive poo that she'd been working on. Nice one, kiddo. Hmm

Well, DH has taken DS off to the childminder, & DD has finished her 2nd (or 3rd) breakfast, so I better get my head down for some kip. I don't feel like I managed to sleep at all last night. Confused Oh, the joys of the fourth trimester!

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peardrop2 · 10/08/2016 11:18

Thank you Biscuits. I feel a little less weak today TG.

Midwife came this morning m. New one today...surprise surprise. However she was really nice and reassuring. She didn't want to weigh DD so it was a waste of time but hey ho. She said it would be better to weigh DD tomorrow after 48hrs. Sounds sensible but still annoying that I have to be on alert again tomorrow. I think I better just get accustomed to daily visits as even if her weight goes up tomorrow I don't think we will get signed off yet...sigh!

Daytona79 · 10/08/2016 11:44

Well I hate to gloat but after the hell I endured with my first son who literally never slept . He was10.5 months old when he did his first 3 hours stretch

Anyway this new baby is amazing, he sleeps perfect I'm actually in heaven. Last feed at 10pm then I actually have to wake him up 5 hours later at 2-3am roughly for a feed. Then I wake him again at 6.30 (as that when toddler gets up) for another feed

Night times are bliss. During the day he eats much more frequently, I offer him every 2/3 hours and he takes it.

So I think he sticks up during day and would actually sleep all night if I allowed him to, but won't do that for a while yet I will just keep waking him up.

I've been back to doctors they rang re chest infection they found when I gave birth , had to be prescribed more tables to help fight it. Can't wait for my body to be back to normal again, and no so run down.

Biscuitswithtea · 10/08/2016 12:28

Oh that sounds heavenly Day I would love DD to do that! Am sure she will one day :)

HV had one useful thing to say - that there's a stage where the babies go from pooing all the time to being less frequent and this transition can cause some digestive angst. will gloss over her theory that, just like toddlers like to boundary test, tiny babies can also test our boundaries

Anyway, jaundice isn't causing concern any more and DD has gained more weight so she's not coming back for two weeks.

rumisyum · 10/08/2016 13:20

Daytona you won the sleep lottery with number 2! Amazing! Can't wait till we get there too.

Biscuits that is a fair point the digestive angst, cause DD seems to be largely stopping pooing by night at the moment. But did she really say they do this to test our boundaries? ShockConfused My word.

I have just woken up for the day. Blush Needed the sleep, though!

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Biscuitswithtea · 10/08/2016 13:42

Ah no, Rum, they were two unrelated points, at least. But regardless, I would suggest that babies aren't testing boundaries...rather that they are establishing attachments. Basic attachment theory, anyone? Sometimes babies need extra comfort. That's normal. HV reckons that babies can manipulate their cries to get what they want Hmm

peardrop2 · 10/08/2016 16:03

Daytona now If you wouldn't mind asking your child to pass the sleeping memo round that would be wonderful Wink Gloat away! I often find that when I gloat it comes back to bite me in the bum on many baby occasions Smile

Well...my mum changed DD's nappy and was being a bit weird handling the Velcro bits but I'm so glad she did as finally the chord has come off hurrah!! DH will be v happy about that!

I'm having the best afternoon snuggles Smile

rumisyum · 10/08/2016 19:46

All the eye rolls at your HV, biscuits.

Hurrah for losing the cord pear! We have been enjoying chaotic family baths (me, toddler, baby in bath, DH on lifeguard duty) since DD's fell off. No idea how I'll manage bath & bed time on my own, but I guess I'll muddle through! Any tips from those of you who've done it already (biscuits, coco, anyone else?) would be much appreciated...

The snuggles are pretty delicious, aren't they? Grin

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Biscuitswithtea · 10/08/2016 21:32

Oh I love the newborn cuddles :)

I must confess that I haven't quite done an entire solo bedtime yet. But if I were, then I would only bath a maximum of one child. DS has stories in bed each night; there's a cot in his room too, ready for when DD moves in several months time - but in the meantime is a convenient place to park DD while playing with DS, so she goes in there if quietly content, or I feed her while doing stories...

FourForYouGlenCoco · 10/08/2016 23:05

Day check out your DS2! Well jel. I had a crap sleeper first time round too so figured I earned a decent one this go - he is better but hasn't actually spent one single one of his 18 nights in his cot, so I think that may be why! Happy for you though and long may it last!
biscuits your HV is a nutter. DS still has to work hard on getting both eyes pointing in the same direction, I really don't think he's cunningly scheming to get his own way!
Re timing of feeds - DS is consistent 3 hourly overnight, then similar during the day, with a bit of cluster feeding in the morning from about 9-11 and the same again at night. We also seem to be establishing a witching hour when he's grumpy and nigh on impossible to settle - starts about 9pm and goes on til whenever I manage to get him to sleep, at which point he's ok again.
rum I confess that bathtime has gotten a fair bit less regular in this house! And I have a huge advantage in that DD is 4 so can be left in the bath on her own for a few seconds. But the key to duo bath time seems to be to have everything within arm's reach, get them both in, take DS out after 5-10 mins or when he starts to get aggy. She sploshes about for a few extra mins while I get him dried and dressed, then I prop him up somewhere and get her out and sorted (although she gets dried & dressed on her own, which makes a massive difference). Then brush teeth, with DS being jiggled over one shoulder if necessary, then we all snuggle up in her bed for a story. DS gets shoved on the boob if he starts moaning, then me and her usually end up having a little chat for a few mins about the day and I convince her to stay in bed and go to sleep. So far it's been ok - boobs are a very useful tool! We're definitely still figuring this whole thing out though.

Well me and DH haven't talked out our row from the other night - normally we come back when we've cooled down and kiss and make up, but not this time. BUT he rang me on his way home today to say not to cook and to just relax, then came home and got takeaway, then cleared the table and tidied up, so I think my message got through Grin

On another note, can we break the last TMI barrier and talk about bumholes? Mine suffered a lot during birth (felt like it was turning inside out while his head was coming down!) and is now a fiery ring of pain every time I 'go'. Obviously not looking for any answers, will mention to gp at 6-week check if it's ongoing (which it will be), but anyone else suffering?? Just need some sympathy really!

So tired, need to go to bed but can't be bothered to get off the sofa! Will definitely regret this in the middle of the night. Always the way.

peardrop2 · 11/08/2016 04:13

It's extremely quiet tonight! Does that mean that everyone is sleeping or madly rocking? SmileWink

I am going to attempt bath time with 2 tonight but I'll have DH on board to help me! Also might even do Dd first without DS around as it will be her first bath and I'm guessing she won't be happy but we will see!

I've had a much better night. First of all I came to bed at 9pm so waking up for the first feed was manageable. How boring though! DD fed at 8:30pm, 11:30pm and then woke up at 3:45am. However, this feed is proving very tricky as she is so so so windy!!!! I wonder whether my diet changes are starting to place an effect or whether remembering to give her infocol at every feed is helping! Infocol is a nightmare! Is anyone else giving it? I'm finding it fills her up and she goes straight to sleep so I have to do a whole waking up ritual prolonging the feeding time Sad

I'm still not really hungry in the night but I am considering going downstairs to make crumpets. Can't get this food station idea out of my brain Blush

peardrop2 · 11/08/2016 04:33

Forgot to reply to Four. No I haven't had any bum issues like that. Poor you Confused. My stitches are still sore but that's normal ( I think). I received a letter inviting me to make a physio appointment so I'll do that tomorrow. Perhaps your GP would refer you or could a midwife visiting do that? Unless you've been signed off. Oh the glamour of having a baby Sad

Also, night sweats were a lot worse tonight. Lucky DH got to sleep downstairs again because he's working today. Probably just as well because I woke up in a pool earlier. Really not enjoying this part at all! Mind you...none of the recover is enjoyable! Just the baby part!

Biscuitswithtea · 11/08/2016 04:59

Not sleeping, just not awake enough to think ;)

I went to bed at 9.30pm; am now feeding DD for the 4th time I think since then. Plus resettling DS briefly who wouldn't settle for DH. Yaaaawwwwwn!

Coco it took my, err, system a while to feel normal again, and that's with no stitches or grazes or piles to contend with. Worth checking at your six wk check though. I wonder if some sort of mild stool softener would help relieve some of the discomfort in the meantime?

Biscuitswithtea · 11/08/2016 05:06

You've reminded me about infacol pear. Haven't used it yet but may consider it. HV was suggesting gripe water or fennel tea (for me to drink) too.

LotsOfDots · 11/08/2016 07:12

Morning, after a rubbish night on Tuesday, last night was better again! We had a 3h stretch from 11-2 then a feedathon for about 90 mins a change another 30 min feed, but then he slept a again from 4 ish to now. Yay.

coco a fissure or a haemorrhoid would explain the pain, stool softener and GP if you are still sore. How many weeks post partum are you?

We haven't gone down the Infacol route, but mainly as we tried it with DD1 and didn't find it any benefit. If DS gets worse wind though I'll review the situation!

Bath time. Our other 2 are 8 and 5.5 so they get dumped in a bath every couple of days and left to get on with it together while we loosely supervise from a nearby vantage point. DS has had 1 bath so far. He didn't enjoy it... We're doing another one today, to celebrate him being one week old tonight!

Some fab Olympic action yesterday, wonder whether the medal rush will continue today?!