July 2016 #2

[Bluebell20]

A new thread as we (hopefully) move towards longer sleeps and lovely little smiles!

Just checking in! Mo been relentless last week or so. He'll only sleep in the sling on me and it's been 30 degrees here people! Also cluster feeding and just screaming in between. Supposed to be going to inlaws tomorrow but totally frazzled tbh! Also EBF plus tongue tie plus hourly feeds is agony! Losing my shit a bit. Mo also decided he HATES the pram so can even put him down and get out then, he has to be in the sling then too. Knackered tbh.

bluebell so sorry you're still having issues - bloody hell eh? Do try the laid back feeding that julf suggested - worked really well for us sonetimes, think the tt hasn't helped but now yours is sorted it should be good. Try doing it with some relaxing music on too, helps if you're dreading the pain of a feed. Xxx

primary when do you express? Mo feeding so often I'm worried if I express I won't have anything for him if he wakes up! Did you supplement with formula to start building up EBM stores....?

So sorry that I've dropped off a bit and that I've missed loads.

sock so sorry about your friend. Just awful and so unfair. Xx

Cheery I am super lucky in that I leak buckets so have been collecting milk in shells for a while. I have managed to express a couple of times when she's had an unexpected lie in too. I'm not regularly giving a bottle though (she's only taken in twice - once at 5 weeks and once this morning) so I have no routine, I'm probably not the best person to advise yet.

For those still mainly breastfeeding, Annie has no routine with day feeding - it can run between 30 minutes to 3 hours between feeds but tends to be quite short intervals. She goes 4-5 hours at night which is great... I'm generally ok with ignoring family members telling me I'm feeding her too much but it's starting to knock my confidence a bit.... Is it that abnormal? She's gained a lot of weight but that's a good thing surely! HV seems pleased anyway

primary - Annie has same feeding pattern as Mo aka no pattern! He's fed loads in the heat during the day but then had at least one longer 3-4 hour sleep at night.

P.s. Will look at shells for night time

Benny is back to his chilled self after his jabs yesterday.

Cheery I recommend not using shells at night as you may end up with milk everywhere! I use them during feeds so pop it on whatever boob I'm not feeding from then tip it out into a cup in the fridge then at the end of the day pour the contents into a milk bag and freeze it... If I manage to express at all I add this to the cup too. I've been getting between 90-150ml doing this! I know it wouldn't be enough if I was to exclusively bottle feed but it'll do for nights off/if anyone babysits etc.

A www Ben is so cute! Nobody has mentioned calpol to me - is there a specific one I should buy? Should I ring the docs first to see if I need to take some do you think?

Here's a pic of Annie showing me exactly what she wants... MILK

Thanks primary. With regard to calpol. It's the calpol infant suspension not the six plus one. Supermarket/chemist own brands are just as good. I gave Ben his calpol when we got home. This is the leaflet the doctor gave me.

That's definitely a photo for Annie's 18th!!

Primary - babies drink more in hot weather because they're thirsty. And also of course when they're having a growth spurts. So I would ignore anyone who tells you you're feeding too much (even when it's not hot or a growth spurt). Baby takes what baby wants/needs! And every baby is different. If she's gaining weight then that's perfect!

Re Calpol, I think I read somewhere that there's special Calpol for really little babies (two months?), although you might want to check that. Others who've already done their first jabs might know better. Ladies?

Apparently at 6 weeks, babies start fighting sleep, because they're now more interested in what's going on around them and don't want to miss out (my brother did this until his 20s - ha!). I've noticed jasper fighting sleep just this week. I don't think this phase lasts forever, but while it does, it's important that you make sure they do get enough sleep during the daytime. Ideally three naps in the daytime, amounting to around 3 hours total. Otherwise by bedtime they'll be over-tired and won't be able to sleep (a bit like when you've had a long day and can't get to sleep until you've had time to unwind). It might be necessary to put them down and let them cry themselves to sleep. As long as they've had everything they need (food and nappy change) then it's fine to leave then to cry for up to 15 minutes. (Longer than that and you should pick them up again and comfort them.) That's my tip of the day from my baby book (Take it or leave it, of course - different theories in every book, I expect!)

Pookie doodle oodle oodle oodle oodle puppy!

6w 2d

Primary - listen to Becks re Calpol, not me! Sounds like she knows what she's talking about!

So good to know about this fighting sleep phase julf makes so much more sense of last week! Thank you!

indians you have two gorgeous children! Although sorry Bertie hallie wins best hair. You look fab too! Where is hallie's jumper from? It's so cute!! Good luck for the sleep!

I've put some pics on as Grace is now 3 weeks, 5 days! Also look at this gorgeous bunting I got as a gift ! In love!!!

Am knackered so going to sleep now. Got a pool party tomorrow... I won't be inflicting my bikini body on the other guests though

No wonder Hallie's such a cutie - very pretty mummy! And Grace is adorable too! (And looks so small compared with jasper! Amazing how quickly they grow outwards!)

Cheery - glad you found the sleep-fighting info useful.

Becks - thanks so much for the Calpol info - really helpful!

Mum (ex pharmacist)told me that cal pol was licences for 2+ months only because of the jabs and the necessity for it fir those. So even though supermarket brands say 3+ months, it's the exact same stuff. In Scotland we have a minor ailments scheme where pharmacists can prescribe straight from pharmacy and we get things like carpool free on prescription for them. Will you have a similar scheme?

Thanks julf that's really reassuring!

Brilliant calpol info thanks becks!

Lovely pictures as ever Hallie and grace! anna zip up onesies what a fantastic idea!!!!!!!

Annie just did 9.45-4.15 that's 6.5 hours people!! I'm praying it's not just a fluke...

If anyone's after grobags(best thing since sliced bread in my opinion) amazon are doing a 2 pack 0-6 months 2.5 tog for £20. Says a 2-3 week delivery wait though. I bought them last week so got mine. Used them with daughter and loved them. Little ones just sleeping in babygro at the minute but will be in them as it gets cooler. Xx

Primary please ignore anyone who says you're feeding her too much. I once had to argue the case with MIL and to prove a point I noted down every time that she ate or drank something, then showed it to her. She was eating/drinking more than the baby!

Eg. 7am cup of tea
7:20 another cup of tea
8am breakfast
9am coffee
10am cake/biscuit
12pm lunch

Just a made up example but you get the drift! Babies are just the same - IMO to deny them milk, which quells both hunger and thirst, would be cruel.

If in doubt, whip it out!

Thanks flossie, I keep trying to repeat that to myself but it wears me down when that's all I hear from family members (many of whom didn't breastfeed) and most info seems to suggest there should be some kind of natural feeding routine so I was starting to get rather stressed :(

Can't wait for the baby groups to start again so I can meet some other people with kids! I only have one child-owning friend

Ha ha, "child-owning"!

Primary - I'd say there's likely to be a pattern, but I certainly don't think we should be enforcing a strict routine for feeding at this stage. I personally would be pissed off (and would probably get a headache) if people refused to let me drink anything more often than every 3 hours in hot weather. Totally agree with Floss.

When I'm changing Jasper's nappy, I lie him on his back and cycle his legs to help him release trapped windy-pops(!) and poo. It seems to work well and eventually stops him squirming. I've recently started singing Gin Gang Goolie on a Pushbike while I do it, which he likes even though I've got a shit singing voice that would make you weep. Does anyone know any other bicycle-related songs not by Queen?

6w 3d