The March-ers 2019 - Baby Talk #2

[Angelmiracle]

Thread 2 for all our newborns ❤🤗👣

@ballanj I definitely think it's when she's over tired, she does eventually fall asleep whilst fidgeting on me for a while. Thanks for the tips, will give them a go. Yes she's more interested in sucking her fingers now too

Thanks for all sharing your weights

In terms of feeding after injections and when LO has a cold ..think it is normal feeding changes or they won't feed as good. Especially with a cold as I read up they can feed less.

My LO is BF and feeds 1.5 to 2 hourly in the day and won't go to sleep for night time till between 12.30am and 2.30am . But once asleep she goes 3 hours for feeds and then doesn't want to wake till 10 am properly for the day . Not sure how to get her to sleep earlier . She only cat naps in the day and if she does fall asleep before midnight it's only a cat nap. Don't know if I'm expecting too much too soon as she's only 8 weeks but would like her to go sleep earlier

Also I'm co sleeping as it just works best for me and I can only get her to sleep by Patting her bum and gently bouncing next to her to kind of rock her in a way . She used to only fall asleep on me so I feel this is progression but I don't feel she would ever just fall to sleep on her own

@jenlou1992 yay for Rose no longer needing to go to sleep on you!! That's proof in its self that she will get to fall asleep on her own even if it doesn't feel like it now. Could you maybe reduce the strength of the pats each night gradually until you no longer have to do it? I've read that at this age it takes about 4-5 nights to break habits so you could reduce your pats over a period of a week or so, then change something else etc. We're struggling with getting him to bed anytime before we go upstairs but again gave read that if you go back in time gradually by like 10 mins a day that has a better effect than just changing the bed time wildly so we are doing that atm, but we are at 12 weeks whereas your baby is a lot younger so don't feel the need to try too much right now.

@ballanj also lost all interest in the dummy, which is annoying atm as he'd rather scream than have the dummy but hoping that in the future we will see this as a good thing that he's not reliant upon it.

@Angelmiracle great news about the heart murmur and no thrush too! And wow, that sleep sounds amazing but can definitely see why you'd want the whole thing moving back earlier. @cardboard33 idea of moving everything back by ten mins slowly to move bedtime forward sounds good. I got George's Baby Bjorn down yesterday all full of hope and then have no ides what i did wrong but just couldn't get it to fasten to clip him in otherwise it ssened i would have squished him so I'm waiting for DP to get home from his work trip to help! Wow Majorca sounds fab. I was debating about whether I'd be abke to cope and take George to Cornwall in October so i feel a bit more confident now!

@kee80 and @cardboard33 thats a good idea to give a smaller bottle before bed if the ladtvfeed and bed are too close together, I'll try that!

@WhatALearningCurve ha glad I'm not the only one wondering about it. Sounds like a great nightime sleep, did it work giving him a top up before bed?

@ballanj another one here who prefers his hands now to his dummy to the point he gets quite angey if i offer him the dummy or move his hands. He hasn't had a dummy for his bedtime since about a week after we introduced it. That was the main time i wanted him to have it too. Since he's discovered that he has hands his dummy doesnt get a look in.

@melissa112 if I'm honest I don't know how useful it is but it makes me feel like I've got a routine

Sorry, just need to vent. It's my birthday today and the little man has been really difficult all day, struggling with his feeding, not sleeping even in the pram, just in the carrier on DH. It's 2 weeks on Ranitidine and I've seen no improvement at all. We also had the tongue tie checked and it seems that it might still be a bit attached. He drops of the breast quite quickly and arches his back, refusing to latch back on and won't take the bottle either. Like, how will I feed him if this continues? My husband's back and knees are hurting from all the carrying, as he can't stop at all when the baby is in there or he'll wake up again and cry. So DH is quite a bit grumpy at this point, DS is screaming and I'm crying while trying to cram my dinner in before we try and get some sleep.
This is really effing hard.

@Sheeni sending a virtual hug 🤗. That sounds horrific - hope you get a decent rest tonight.

We had a difficult evening yesterday as DH was out & DS was super cranky. Grabbing my nipple then shaking his head about & then dropping it then screaming for it again... the only other option was carrying him around & my back couldn't handle it either. We'll be 12 weeks on Monday & according to the Wonder Weeks we are in the middle of 'leap 3' so I hope that explains it...

@Sheeni we've been through it all with DS the silent reflux. He had ranitidine at 4 weeks but he did not improve until the paediatrician put him on Carobel at 7 weeks plus that was when we had to start mix feeding. The Carobel was much easier to give added to formula. And from a baby who was carried/rocked constantly by DH me and my DM DF DB DSis etc the very first bottle of formula with Carobel and an increased dose of ranitidine to 1ml with the paediatrician he slept instantly for 6 hours straight no difficulty I couldn't believe it we never looked back. I mix fed for 5 months then fully FF. A friend had to progress to Losec (Omperazole) and Nutramigen (cows milk allergy suitable) which worked for them. Go back there are other options to try that could make a difference!

@Angelmiracle Thank you so much for writing this, it gives me some hope. We are still on minimum dose for his weight and I think it might need to get increased. He's been obviously in pain overnight, so I hope the GP is willing to give the higher dosage a shot, as I don't know how I'd survive waiting til we get the paediatrics appointment. Also, seems like at least one of the local paediatricians doesn't believe in reflux, because "if it was an issue, evolution would take care of it by now" (as quoted by a friend who seen a paed in local hospital). So I'm a bit nervous to go there.
I am grateful that this is the worst we're dealing with, as there are things that are much worse, but it's still really hard to see him suffer and the sleep deprivation/disturbance is starting to get to me.
He doesn't bring back food more than is normal for a healthy baby, he's got more silent reflux than normal reflux. Would you say he might still need Carobel as well? I thought that was used to help keep food down? Also, how many feeds/day did you FF with it and did he get constipated from it?

@Sheeni Carobel is totally worth a shot and the Health Visitor should be able to prescribe it or the GP without much argument. DS had only silent reflux no possetting - the acid travels up and down their esophagus burning it and Carobel aims to keep the liquid down. It can be fed as a paste before breastfeeding if you don't want to start formula yet. The paediatrician just told me to give 1ml as a max dose because DS was over 9lb anyway GP might be dubious of that though if they've no experience of silent reflux (HV should provide more support getting you to paediatrician asap). That is awful what your friends paed said!! There has been research on some babies cord blood after birth where high acidic levels have been found in the cord so it's not made up!! Like I said DS was a new baby after the ranitidine and Carobel together. Ranitidine constipates whereas Carobel has a laxative effect!! We had a few weeks of exploding nappies then he got used to the meds and that settled. Carobel is a natural thickener extracted from a plant as far as I'm aware. So I would have breastfed first thing in morning then say at 11am gave 6oz formula thickened with Carobel and the next two feeds the same as this. Then final feed for bed was breast milk- kept him over our shoulder 30mins, then into Moses basket which was raised with a Next catalogue under the feet of the stand!!

Sat here packing away all his newborn and first size clothing! Feels really bizarre.

I also got emotional the other day because we moved him into size 2 nappies ha

@WhatALearningCurve it can't hurt to feel like you are in a routine and sounds like you've got a good one. Oh i was the same packing away all the 0-1 stuff! Baby never fit in the newborn stuff so still deciding what to do with it as they've never been worn and at nearly 11weeks he is almost out of 0-3 too 😥

Does anyone else have a baby that hates tummy time? George hates it to the point where i keep forgetting to do it but then I'm sure that doesn't help. On the odd occassion he doesn't cry he just lies there and now he has discovered his hands he just lies there on his belly with his head to the side sucking. We've tried rolled up blankets, cushions, my chest etc and he still hates it. This morning though he lay on DPs chest kind of from the side with his body on our bed and chest and head on DPs chest and did manage to lift himself up onto his arms briefly but then when i tried him again on a blanket earlier he hated it. As he liked lying on DP we are going to continue with that and I'm getting a cheap tummy time toy thing tonight. Should i just persevere if he cries as long as its just whinging and not distress? The thing is that is head is really strong when he's sat up or I'm carrying him leaning over my shoulder but he just really hates being on his belly!

On a funny note, he's learned that if he's on his play mat and stretches his legs out and then brings them back up really quickly he can roll onto his side. Worried I'm going to wake up in the night and he'll have rolled out of his next to me that's attached to the bed and onto me, in fact i dreamt he had last night so might be time to put the side up. Gonna miss that little face staring at me!

@Sheeni happy birthday for yesterday, sorry you had a tough day of it. When will you be able to see the GP again for the reflux? It sounds really hard for all of you

@Angelmiracle Thank you so much for the additional info. My GP is a bit young and shy to prescribe stuff herself (and same my HV), but she did increase his Ranitidine today from 0.25ml to 0.6ml, but said anything more will have to come from paed. She wants to see us again on Tuesday, to see how he's doing and to refer him to paediatrician if needed, which is likely, as his "maybe-torticollis" will need to be checked by someone more knowledgeable.
He didn't gain that much this week and actually dropped from 25 percentile just after birth almost to 2 percentile now, which isn't great. I was worried as he does pull off the breast now and I don't want him to be scared of feeding! Fingers crossed the higher dose of Ranitidine will make some difference and will keep us going until we get to see the paediatrician.

@Sheeni DS started on 0.5ml which seen an improvement but only slightly so hope the 0.6ml helps your wee man. The mix feeding was due to him dropping off the centiles altogether then the healthcare practitioners really panicked and got us an immediate paed appointment which got the 1ml dose and Carobel. Good luck!

@Angelmiracle Thank you again, you gave me some hope when I most needed it.

@melissa112 My LO is not a fan of tummy time on a flat surface, but will do it bit more happily when propped on my nursing pillow or on me/DH when we're lying at a slight angle. I think this is in part because he can see much more when at an angle and maybe his reflux doesn't bother him as much. But maybe you've tried that as well and he still hates it.
We still give it a go as much as we can (which is still very little). I've read somewhere that it's better to do it often and for a short time than less often for a longer time. Then if he cries, at least he doesn't cry for long! They suggested after every nappy change and feeding. I'm nowhere near that, tbh. It's pure survival at our house most of the time
Also, I think the head control when the baby is upright uses different muscles than tummy time (less tummy/core muscles). Which is why I'm trying to squeeze in as much of it as I can even though my LO holds his head up pretty well, too.
And thank you for the birthday wishes. Wasn't my best, but probably not worst either

@Sheeni oh no, after nappy feed and feeding, i definitely don't do it anywhere near that much, i don't even remember to do it every day so feel bad. We put him on the tummy time roll thing i bought tonight and he did lift his head quite well but hated it still, will make a conscious effort to do little and often. Thats a good point about using different muscles that being sat up, i didn't realise that. Ha I'm glad that it wasn't the worst birthday. Really do hope that the increase of the Ranitidine today can give your little one some relief, got my fingers crossed for you x

Evening ladies,
Not really baby related but I'm just wondering if anyone's had anything similar
I had the coil fitted today and the doctor said that I shouldn't be able to feel the wires/strings. However, I can feel them almost hanging out of me. I rang the doctors back to try to get an appointment but they didn't have any availability. The receptionist said she's get him to give me a call. About an hour later she called me back herself and said the doctor advises you to take paracetamol... as if I called them to complain about pain. She wouldn't let me book an appointment or speak to the doctor. My local contraception clinic is closed until Tuesday and I've rang the walk in centre who said it's not their area.
I'm now stuck with a coil which may or may not be dislodged with no one to go to until Tuesday at the earliest! If I can actually get an appointment. Any got any advice? I don't know what to do!

@AssumeItWasSomethingClever no real clue myself but could you call 111 for advice on where to go?

@AssumeItWasSomethingClever I have never had the coil but that doesn’t sound right. I second the suggestion of phoning 111 for advice.
Dd has just woke for a feed 7 1/2 hours after going down I hope that continues

@melissa112 I never worried too much about tummy time early on with DS1, and he did everything physical very early anyway (he walked at 9 months - I am not joking; it nearly killed me as well as I was still deep in the grips of anxiety at the time and could have done with him being a lot less mobile!). I've not done any at all with DS2 yet - is that bad?! I do let him lie on my chest while I'm lying back - I figure that is almost tummy time! If George hates it then I would personally stop the moment he gets upset and just try again the next day. My sister in law got a mirror on a wedge for her two and they loved tummy time after that!

@Sheeni gosh that sounds shite! I will wish you happy birthday for next year instead - it'll be much better! I hope you got given something nice to open at least. If not, I prescribe a box of posh chocolates. So cheering to choose from during a night feed!

@AssumeItWasSomethingClever I've never had the coil either but surely that cannot be right?! I second calling 111.

We are using condoms for contraception, which is what we have always done, but the GP did suggest the coil to me and I did think about it because she said it's not the same as the pill in terms of increasing cancer risk? (With my family history I have always avoided hormonal contraception.) DH is also looking at a vasectomy. But although I don't think I want three children, I don't think I am ready to make that definite yet! In all honesty this is probably because I haven't quite let go of the dream of having a daughter. But I would have to have the mastectomies first, and let my body recover, so it's probably not feasible really as I can't imagine wanting to go through all this again once I've got back to normal!

@Angelmiracle yes I wonder how accurate that 2-3 weeks thing is. Maybe lots of women just don't admit to feeling bad for longer? I'm so glad your daughter's heart murmur has gone, by the way.

I've been getting the itch to make things. Got the overlocker out while DS1 was at nursery and whipped up my first ever pair of baby leggings with DS2 sleeping in a sling! I am really pleased with them and have ordered more fabric to make others. Also going to have a go at T shirts for DS2. I can't cut out the fabric with J in a sling as I have to lean over it and his head flops, but if I cut the fabric out the night before while my husband is holding him then it gives me something fun to do for my own enjoyment in the day. I'm ludicrously pleased with myself considering how easy they were!

Oh I also wanted to say that I have been using Breast Angels silver nipple cups for the last two weeks and my horrendous crack has entirely healed! I'm so thrilled. They were forty quid but entirely worth it. Please do spread the word if you ever have a friend who is struggling with nipple cracks. I heard about them by word of mouth and I am so grateful!

@Badbadbeans Those leggings are so cute! You say they were easy, but for women like me, who can't even sew a pillowcase, this looks difficult even without a child hanging out on your chest!
Also, I already recommended the silver nipple cups to a girl in a local baby cafe, as you sounded quite positive last time you mentioned them. She was struggling to breastfeed and cried out of pain, poor mama. I hope they'll help her and will recommend to others if I know they're struggling. So glad you're healed!

I did get some nice gifts, including chocolates. Weird thing - I don't crave sweet as much as I used to?

@BadBadBeans Those leggings are lovely! I looked at the picture before I read your message and had no idea they were homemade. You're very clever, even if you claim they were easy, you should definitely be proud. I'm with Sheeni in not being able to sew a rip in trousers let alone make something.

,@badbadbeans leggins are amazing well done

What's everyone up to this bank holiday weekend