April 2018 babies

[Aspenn17]

Hi!

Any mums out there with April newborns? If there is already a group going please point me in the right direction!

I’m a first time mum with a 2 week old little girl looking for some people to chat to with similar aged babies!

Thanks @Sam and @Aspenn for your replies. It sounds like we do a lot of the same things @Aspenn- Swaddle Up, sleepyhead, white noise, dummy, we also have had a bedtime routine since he was about 6-7 weeks. So I guess you’re right, it’s not something we’re doing wrong, it’s just how he is.

He has actually been sleeping a little better since I wrote that post, he still wakes up every 2-3 hours but believe me that is better than it has been! In the last few weeks we have got him falling asleep in his bed (he used to be fed/rocked to sleep too), and when he wakes up in the night and I know it’s not for food I can usually resettle him with just the dummy and shushing, without picking up. I am trying to gradually teach him to self settle but it’s a gradual process as I’m not one for any of the crying techniques.

Just when I finished weaning my LO off swaddling and she got used to sleeping in her wiggle blanket, she has almost outgrown her moses basket leaving her with a limited space so I had to put her to sleep in the cot bed. Unfortunately, again we are back to 2-3 hour wake ups through the night. She is not used to the cot bed and I'm not sure how long it will take for her to do so. Aspenn the only way my LO would fall asleep at the moment is also by feeding her to sleep. Daytime naps are horrible, too. She cries until she gets tired and falls asleep. Sometimes her crying goes beyond that and you know she will not sleep anymore. Are there any other ways to make her fall asleep? I'm sure if I wouldn't feed her to sleep before bedtime, she would also cry to sleep or would not sleep at all.

Alxx how do you teach your baby to self settle? My LO is sucking her fingers in attempt to self soothe herself but eventually either it wakes her up or makes her cry.

@yustynne He can’t self settle yet and he does wake up in the night, but he’s getting better since we started teaching him to fall asleep in his bed and not on me...

Basically I started putting him in his bed awake for all naps and bedtime, in his Swaddle Up with the room dark, white noise and a dummy. To start off I found he would fall asleep if I put him on his left side, pat his bum and shush, then when he’s asleep I’d roll him onto his back. Once he was settling really well with this I started reducing the amount of patting (ie. just patting until drowsy, not all the way to sleep) until now I’m not patting his bum at all. Then I started reducing the amount of shushing- at the moment I just do a few shushes at the start and stop before he falls asleep, so soon I think I won’t need to shush at all. Then I’m going to work on gradually getting him falling asleep on his back (he settles so much better on his side but I can’t let him sleep like that as he doesn’t roll well yet and is still swaddled). Then hopefully he’ll be able to fall asleep without any input from me. When he wakes in the night I try to resettle him in the same way I did at the start to be consistent. Obviously he won’t be able to completely self settle until we wean him off the dummy or he learns to put it back in himself, but I haven’t wanted to do that yet as I think the dummy helps with his reflux when he’s lying down.

One thing I found that really helped with this was getting into a good routine and making sure we have his naps at the right time, so we’re putting him down when he’s tired but not over tired. As I think I mentioned we follow the Little Ones routine which does seem to work.

It’s not a perfect method and like I say is taking a few weeks as it’s so gradual but it does seem to be working (fingers crossed) and hasn’t really involved any crying.

I'm giving up I think! From good sleeper to waking up 2-3 hours to not sleeping at all the last couple of nights. She keeps moving, grumbling and sucking her fingers all night long and she is not fully asleep. I don't know what to do. She also started not sleeping daytime. At best she goes once for 1.5h nap. She is not in any leap, nothing. Her sleep is completely not there. Also a week ago her poo changed its consistency and started stinking like toxic. Everytime she does it, she has to be washed with a soap under the tap, stinks so bad. Her diet did not change, she is still breastfed. Did anybody else notice such changes? I don't know what I should make out of it. My milk supply also reduced so badly when I stopped night pumping sessions. I can happily sleep all night without pressure in my breasts but daytime I have no milk. Now I don't know how to return the supply. It looks like that stuff not pumping at night doesn't work for me.
Alxx it's really nice when your technique works on your baby. I think swaddle helps a lot. Since I've stopped swaddling, you see what problems I am facing now. She is not sleeping at all.

@yustynne how old is she? I've heard there is a 4 month sleep regression, and literally babies sleep just goes out the window. It's something to do with their sleep pattern becoming more like ours as adults. Might explain why she's now waking every few hours and refusing naps. No idea on the poo, is she teething? My LB is very dribbly so his poos have become mucousy and less sweet smelling.

I'm still trying to move bedtime earlier but he's having none of it! I can't complain to much as at least he is actually sleeping at night.

@yustynne it sounds like you are going through it just now! It's awful when they won't sleep. Mine had started getting up 2-3 times again after sleeping through the night.
Are you in the same room still? Once we moved him into his own room he started to sleep much better, I think being in the same room kept waking him up.
Also, with the milk supply, and poop issues, has your period come back? That can affect milk supply. But it is worth speaking to out health visitor to make sure your LO doesn't have a bug or something which can be sorted out. If they have a dodgy tummy that could be affecting sleep?
My little man does have stinky poop recently, since the last set of jabs so it could be from that or maybe it just changes at a certain age?
I hope things get better for you soon

@yustynne poor you! My baby also wakes up every 1-2 hours in the night but he’s always done it, so at least I don’t have anything better to compare it too! Trying to slowly teach him to settle in his bed makes me feel like I’m helping him even if we haven’t had great improvements overnight. I also want to stop swaddling him soon but I’m dreading it...

It does sound like your LO might be going through the 4 month sleep regression though, I think it means they wake fully between sleep cycles and have to figure out how to fall back asleep. So it will pass! No idea on the poop though, sorry. Hope tonight is better for you!

In a week my LO is going to be 5 months old. I thought she had her sleep regression at 4 months old when 2 weeks in a row she was waking up every 2-3 hours every night. Could it be another sleep regression? She is still sleeping in the same room with us just we moved her from a moses basket to a cot bed. Wonder if moving her to her own room would help. Her poo became stinky exactly after the last set of jabs like what you said Sam but I'm going next week to HVs to weigh her and to ask if that's normal. The first sign of my period returning I had around 2.5 months ago but then I went on the pill and never had it again. Would it be related?

We found it made a huge difference immediately with the sleeping when we put him in his own room. he has gone back a bit but I stopped giving him a little solid food a day so I think he is just hungry (gonna start back on food, he definitely seems to want and need it).
I think periods returning can cause a little been in milk taste (I could be wrong) but if it was returning a couple months ago and now you are on the pill I would maybe assume it's not that!
With the poop, hopefully the HV can help put your mind at rest but I think sometimes they just smell 😂 it could be his digestive system is maturing and probably totally normal

My LOs poops are definitely smellier recently but not too horrendous. Still not getting much sleep over here, really praying it’s a phase!! We are off on holiday abroad next week, only a 3 hour plane but hoping she behaves! Interested to hear you’ve started on solids Sam, has anyone else?

Looks like I spoke to soon! Hello sleep regression 😪 my LB has been up every 3 hours since 9pm and it's killing me. The only way he settles is with a feed am I making a rod for my own back by doing this? Do I need to stop this and teach him to settle himself?

I'm so worried about what will happen with my not getting enough sleep as I know it makes my PND so much worse, I can't go back to how I was in the early weeks.

Amy try not to be upset. It may take just a couple of nights and then hopefully your baby will return to normal sleeping pattern. Meanwhile, you can try different settling techniques. The first (1 or 2am) wake up I try to resettle her just offering a muslin and a dummy. If that doesn't work, then I have to feed her to sleep. The next (4 or 5am) wake up I normally resettle her with a feed as she may be hungry but it was times when the dummy worked just fine so worth trying. I'm just finishing my early morning pumping session. Feels like eyes will fall out. At least my milk supply started slowly returning which I'm happy about.
Sam when did you starting weaning? How did you know that your baby is ready for solids? Anybode else started or thinking to start soon?

I started at 17 weeks cos he seemed to be showing an interest (and I had an exam and really wanted my partner had a way to feed him if he reduced his bottle..) and I would feed him once maybe twice a day if he seemed like a milk feed wasn't filling him up or if he was overly interested when we were eating. He did push good out automatically at the start but he soon gobbled everything! And he will stop eating when he wants to, now if we finish his bowl and he screams at me I know he needs more!
He definitely slept better again last night after a week or so of no solids.

When he wakes at night if he is really crying I go through and feed him. Sometimes he will cry a little and I leave him and he settles himself. If I go through when he is crying just a little he won't settle without a feed

Sorry to hear lots of you are having trouble with your LO's sleeping overnight now ... I don't have any words of wisdom, we don't seem to be at that stage yet.

I did question with the HV as my LO seemed to be very fidgety at night, like he was moving frantically but not awake. She said he was possibly practicing his movements, so I've just left him to it, initially I was waking up and trying to settle him but it didn't seem to do anything he just carried on regardless.

We've always put LO into his cot awake or on the verge of sleep, have never swaddled etc and he doesn't seem to have any trouble going to sleep.

Our LO's toilet has also become quite smelly, and it also changed colour, but I put this done to having to put him on special milk. Again checked with the HV and she said all was normal.

I know it's hard, and easy for me to say, but just preserved, try something different or what others have suggested, it's worth a try.

If anyone has any tips about getting LO to nap in the day more I'd love to hear them as that is our downfall

My little one does this really annoying screeching when he is tired and ready for a nap so it's very clear when he needs one 😂 but if we are out and about and miss that time he won't have a proper nap. I think the most important thing with naps is making sure you catch them at the right time otherwise they won't nap

Our LO doesn't seem to have very obvious tired cues, makes it difficult to know when he's getting tired. If he's not tired and I try to get him to nap with have some epic screaming fits 🙄

Had my LB weighed today and his weight gain is starting to slow down, he's still gaining but not at the rate he was. I've been told to attend a weaning class and prepare to start weaning him. Not sure how I feel about this as he's only 4 (very almost 5) months old.

We need to see a dietician as well due to his CMPA. I'm just really nervous about starting to wean him!

Why are you nervous @amysaurus87? How much is he gaining on average?

I've obviously missed a post somewhere, has your LB got a milk protein allergy?

I'm really excited to start introducing foods,
I keep thinking about whether my LB will be a sweet or savoury person, and all the fun (and mess) he will have trying out all these new flavours and textures

@forest not sure why I'm nervous, I think it's just that he's growing up so quickly! He gained 300g this month but has previously gained 500g in a month.

He has a milk protein allergy, not a severe anaphylactic one, but it gives him a really sore tummy, diarreah and hard skin on his face like eczema. I did an elimination diet to find out by going dairy free for 8weeks and then ate yoghurt, within a day or so all the problems came back.

Totally agree about timing being key for daytime naps, we are on a good schedule and he settles really quickly but if we miss the timings due to being out and about it’s really hard to settle him when he’s overtired.

@Amy how did you diagnose your LO’s CMPA? I have been going dairy free for a few weeks as I read it can help with his reflux (he’s EBF) and I do think it’s helped, but it’s possible he’d have improved anyway and I worry about doing more harm than good by cutting out dairy.
Also @Amy does your LO take a decent feed when he wakes in the night? If so he might be genuinely hungry, I’ve read they can wake more for feeding in the night as they get closer to needing solids. If he’s just having a small feed and falling back asleep I would guess he’s not really hungry but just needing the feed to get back to sleep.

@forestftm my LO is super fidgety at points in the night as well! It used to eventually wake him up but now he often does it in his sleep without waking. He lifts and slams his legs a lot- anyone else...?

@Alxx technically I've diagnosed him myself, he was having all sorts of issues in the early weeks, which we put down to colic, but a breastfeeding specialist suggested it might be dairy and suggested I cut it out, which I did for 8 weeks and then I ate a large portion of yoghurt, which brought all the symptoms back. I spoke to my GP and he is happy to take this as confirmation of CMPA, as it's what they would suggest I did to prove it anyway.

He doesn't actually wake in the night, he has a final feed between 9 and 10 and then goes to sleep until 5/6 am so I know he's waking up due to hunger, but he's clearly satisfied if he is sleeping for 7 hours.

@Amy just realised I was responding to your post a few days ago about your LO waking in the night and needing to be fed to sleep. Hope his sleep has improved again since then.
Interesting about the CMPA- maybe I’ll try eating some dairy and see if his reflux symptoms worsen again. I take it your GP wasn’t too concerned about you cutting out dairy then, in terms of the calcium, vitamin D etc?

He literally woke for 1 night every 3 hours and now has gone back to normal!

No concern from GP as I'm taking a breastfeeding supplement and my milk alternatives are all fortified with calcium

My baby is four and a half months old.... How did that happen??

Finding lots of things in common with recent posts (although I can't believe how many of your babies sleep through.... If he sleeps for three hours straight I think he's had a great night ). He also does the leg slamming thing,starts at about 4am and does it until we get up for the day. Very annoying!

We have a doctors appointment tomorrow as his poo smells like vinegar and he is so congested...im worried about CMPA but see a lot of you mentioning smelly poos so maybe I am just over reacting?