The March-ers 2019 - Baby Talk #2

[Angelmiracle]

Thread 2 for all our newborns ❤🤗👣

@cardboard33 Mine definitely doesn't sleep through, we're bf. On good nights he wakes up at least 3 times for feeding.

Btw. Any other mums have the same issue as me? After 5am he just grunts, wriggles, squirms and is generally quite unsettled. He's always been like that, but it means he wakes up cranky as he didn't really sleep properly for hours.

@shiny888 Hope you're doing OK. Let us know whether you're doing better, I'm sure other mums are thinking of you, too.

@cardboard33 breastfeeding here and not sleeping through the night. He's wakes once usually at about 3-4 when he goes down properly at 10pm but some nights he's up twice.

@Sheeni we don't have the grunting issue but is it maybe that the bedroom is too light at 5 so he isn't as settled as during the night? Mine definitely sleeps more lightly after his 4am (ish) feed than he does earlier in the night.

@melissa112 HV did baby's length at their 6 week visit but that's the only time that I remember them doing DS1's until he was 2 (we were supposed to have a visit at 1 year but that never materialised so they may have intended to do it then). I lie baby down on the floor and put a book above his head and right at his feet then use a tape measure on the gap. I doubt it's very accurate but nice for a reference, especially for car seats. I don't know about a maxi Cosi one but I think my eldests car seat had to have the insert removed at 6 months

@cardboard33 I'm ff she goes every 2 hours through the day then has her last bottle around 10am and sleeps till about 7-8am.
@Sheeni yes mine does the same, sleeps fine till about 5am then is really fidgety after that till about 7-8am. She has her bottle when she wakes then usually goes back to sleep about 9.30 for an hour if I'm lucky

@Gronk27 ah that's a shame about the labels! Mine seems to outgrow babygrows about 2 weeks before the top end of the size but even before that they are already looking snug. He's been in 3-6 months about a week but his legs are already at the bottom so not sure they will last til 6 months! Maybe with summer coming up you'll get some good wear out of romper suit type things so the legs won't be an issue?

@Jenfur I'm going to try your book thing for the height! He isn't near the top of the insert yet but looks quite squished in it and he isn't a big baby, only just under 25th centile, i guess its supposed to be like that.

@Sheeni mine does the same around that time and i do think its the light. He starts stirring around 5am and drifts between sleep and messing with his hands and finally wakes up around 5:30 so we feed him. He just won't go back to sleep after that bottle anymore. There were a couple of days of really bad weather when it was quite dark in our room and he slept til 6:30am both days so i do think its the early sunrises. We have black out curtains and they still let in a bit of light so not sure what else to do.

@shiny888 hope you and your LO are doing ok, as Sheeni says, we are thinking of you.

@cardboard33 we are formula fed and have been since birth. Little one will be 13 weeks on Thursday. We usually do 5-6 feeds a day, usually every 3-4 hours. Sometimes can be 2 and a half hours depending on how hungry he's been or if he's emptied his nappy. He usually has a feed between 5 and 6 to which he'll then go down for the evening. I then do a dream feed between 10 and 11. He doesn't wake while I do this and then he goes through until anytime between 5 and 7am. It's usually around 5:30/6am. On days we don't have any plans, I go back to bed with him when he has a nap after that first feed. Sometimes he'll nap for 30 minutes sometimes it's an hour or two hours. I really do think the dream feed between 10 and 11 is what is taking him through the night at the moment. Before that, he was going down around 7 and then waking up at 3:45/4am and then after that sometimes waking at 5:30/6am.

I also find he can be unsettled when the mornings are so light. We want to put him in his own room in the next few weeks so we've ordered a blackout blind for his nursery today and also for our bedroom while he's in with us in the meantime.

@melissa112 yes hoping the warm weather comes back as we have loads of 3-6 romper type sleepsuits.

A’s second sleep has never been as good as the first one! When she goes to bed early evening until her night/morning feed she sleeps deeply but after that it’s noisy and unsettled.

We're having such a bad night and I have no idea why? He does seem to have some wind, but that doesn't usually bother him at night that much as long as he sleeps on me. He was just hysterically crying before sleep, struggling to feed at first. Managed to calm him down, but he was up and hysterical again in an hour or so, then again twice so far. He feeds loads and long and is quite unsettled in between.
He's been a real pain during the day as well, very clingy, more snacking than eating, very little napping, even in the carrier, which is usually reliable. And he's drooling like mad?
I'm guessing it's the start of another development leap, but it's just so much worse than the previous few? Maybe because of the tongue tie revision #2?
Why can't mine be just sleepy like the other babies mentioned here to be going through the same?

@Sheeni sounds like you've had a bad night, hope you've managed to get some sleep. Just before my little one was sleeping a lot in the day during the growth spurt, she started off really clingy, fussy and irritable for a couple of days. She then started to sleep most of the day for the rest of the week or so

@cardboard33 mine is nearly 16 weeks old and maintaining a similar curve at just under 9th centile. We’re breastfeeding though she has the occasional bottle of formula, and feeding every four hours during the day. We have a bed time routine which starts with a bath at 6.30, then a feed and into bed around 7.30. It sometimes takes her 30 mins or more to get to sleep but she usually sleeps through then till around 1.30-2.30am, which is roughly 7-8 hours since the last feed (usually closer to 7 than 8). After that she wakes up again after 3-4 hours for another feed and then we get up at 7.30 and start with a feed. I’ve tried the dream feed at 11pm but without success so getting the best of our sleep in the evening rather than through the night unfortunately.

Thanks for everyone wrt sleeping ... I'm amazed how well some of your babies sleep!! We've got a proper bed routine but it starts at 8.15ish (although trying to get it a little earlier) and then he's asleep by 9ish. We wake up around 9am. He settles himself really well so I have no issues there. Do those of you who start at 6ish find that your partners/husbands are ok with that? Mine doesn't get home until 7.30ish and wants to see the baby during the week (he leaves at 7/7.30am so before he wakes up) meaning we can't push it back much earlier. Or are we being selfish? He can't leave until 6ish due to meetings etc and then it's an hour back home, so it's not like he can just leave earlier. Also find that baby tends to sleep less after 4/5am once it gets light... so maybe I do just start earlier and put him to bed before husband gets home? We aren't doing a dream feed as it feels too early when we go to bed... And I also don't get how you're supposed to get them up to feed without waking them? In the last week or so he's started napping much better in the day and having a predictable 2 hour sleep in the day around 1pm. Genuinely I didn't think his sleep was that bad until I've heard how much sleep you guys get even though I'm exhausted a lot, but I assumed all new mums felt like this..

@sheeni could have written that post at a similar time... Mine didn't really sleep until 4am... So tired today.

@gronk27 also considering cutting off the feet on sleep suits, he's way too skinny for the 0-3 month stuff let alone 3-6 month but then height wise he's getting too long for some of the 0-3 months.

Gah I just don't know anymore!

@cardboard33 my husband gets home a bit earlier, around 6.20, so after a very quick turnaround he does bath time to spend a bit of time with baby before bed. I guess if you’re getting 12 hours in total from 9pm to 9am you’re in a similar place just a few hours later. Could you try bringing it forward to 7pm - 7am and your husband could spend a bit of time with baby then before work? I guess for us we were partly thinking about how things would have to be once I go back to work as we didn’t want to get into a routine then have to try to change it all.

Our daytime naps have also got a bit better and starting to get into a bit of a routine. I’m trying to get 4 hours during the day with about 2 hours awake between naps.

I’m having similar issues with you re dream feed. On the few times I’ve tried it she hasn’t wanted to wake up, has probably only taken half a feed and then woken up at the same time she usually does anyway...so just an hour less sleep for me really. Plus I like to be in bed by 9.30/10 myself these days, which I agree makes it a bit early!!

@cardboard33 we are having a similar issue with regards to bedtime routine and my partner getting home from work. We had a bit of a to do over it actually. I thought 7pm was a reasonable bedtime. He gets in at 6:15 most nights and was upset that he would just make it home for his bottle (he needs to sit up a while after a bottle otherwise he brings up milk) and didnt think it was fair on either him or LO to not see him at all during the week. I do see his point completely and I wouldn't like that if it were the other way around I guess. We decided on 8pm instead but found LO was asleep by the time OH got in each night before we even started implementing a routine and would only wake after that for his 10pm bottle so I could see he needed to be put down earlier and might as well sort a routine while we're at it (before we just bathed him at whatever time during the day and didnt get him into his sleeping bag until his 10pm bottle). We've compromised on 7:30pm bedtime so if DP gets in at 6:15 he can have a quick play, do the bathtime, bottle and story while baby sits up for 20mins to keep milk down. We now get him straight into his sleeping bag after his bath. However we also do a dream feed but don't do it properly as we change his bum and swap sleeping bags if the temperature upstairs requires a higher/lower tog and he always wakes up. If he falls asleep during his bottle he won't take it at all so not sure how others are managing it so will be watching with interest.

I guess my point is that I'm also trying to do my best so OH can see him after work but also what works best for my LO. I also wanted to get into the same sort of time I'd want him in bed when I'm back in work next year and need him to be up early. Although i could do without the 4-5am starts I'm currently getting due to the light mornings!

@cardboard33 also meant to say that since we've started a 7:30 bedtime routine, although he is definitely tired he fights the sleep so we hold him and can't get him down in his moses basket til 8:30 but then once he's in it he stays asleep til we wake him for his last feed. He will never sleep in there in the day so i do think he knows it is bedtime sort of. We still keep him downstairs with us til we go to bed. So even though we have a 7;30pm bedtime it ends up being 8:30 that he actually goes down properly, hoping that gets more in line with 7:30 as the routine becomes familiar

Thanks both - we are trying to bring it earlier by like, 30 mins, but it's a gradual thing - a few weeks ago we were putting him to bed when we went to bed, so around 10:30, so we are getting better!! Whenever we've tried push it back even 15 mins earlier he doesn't seem to go to sleep until 9 (ie: the 8:15 start time) unless he's really tired but maybe we just need to keep pushing with it. Tbh we aren't really thinking about me going back to work yet as once my mat leave is finished I'll be going straight onto long term sick, so realistically I won't be going back to work until 2021, but maybe this should still factor into it because when/if I am back at work we'd all be getting up before 7am.

@melissa112 that's the thing, I'd feel so bad for my husband if all the way through the working week his "daddy experience" is just looking at a (hopefully) sleeping baby from afar because I wouldn't want that for myself. He generally does all of the bath/bottle/bed routine with me as a support role atm so I'd feel like I was stealing the time from him. It's so difficult!

He's currently napping atm - can't believe some of you ladies are now starting the bedtime routine!

@cardboard33 I’m considering getting some H&M bits as they are 2-4 months. As for dream feeding A just was not interested and once we stopped trying to feed her we found she actually slept longer when we put her to bed when she wanted to. It does mean 2 hourly feeds for us in the day. She has a bottle at 5/6/7 and then one at 7/8/9 and then bed 9/10 and mostly sleeps until 5/6.

I can't believe so many of you have bed time routines.
I don't take mine up till about 10 when I go to bed, that's when she has her last feed. I feel quite bad now keeping her up that late!! She usually has a bottle at 6 then 8 so doesn't really fall asleep and stay asleep until her last feed at 10. She's still every 2 hours throughout the day. Also she won't settle for long in Moses basket will only go to sleep in her cot and don't want to put her upstairs alone just yet.
I couldn't go to sleep any earlier than 10 or I'd be up about 4am

@cardboard33 thats what we had to do. We were taking him upstairs with us at 10ish and his last bottle before that was 6 and I found after that he just slept on me until we took him up. I talk about our routine but we're only on day 3..! Honestly though if you aren't going back to work next year and if it means your husband can see him then I see no issue with your current set up and you have some time to slowly move it forward over the next 2 years or so. I think your baby will let you know if he needs an earlier bedtime and maybe as he gets more mobile he'll be tired earlier and need that but i think yours sounds ok for now. My OH actually got quite upset about the thought of only seeing him at weekends apart from him being at the end of a bottle and asleep and so we've settled on the later bedtime but it does seem to work well for LO too so as long as thats the case then i think its ok

@kee80 we've only started a routine on Friday night. Before that like you we took him up with us, around 10:30. We still do that, i dont want to put him upstairs alone til 6 months,i know others think I'm crazy, one of my friends certainly does but me and OH arent ready to so we do the same as you. Does she sleep on you between the 8 and 10 feed? George only slept on us in the evening but actually on Friday we got him down at 8;30 in his basket downstairs and have done each night and he's stayed asleep. In the day time there is no chance,i dont even get 10 mins with him in it so if hes asleep then he's asleep on me. Spend most of the day trapped under a sleeping baby! I wouldn't worry at all about a routine if its working for you all.

@melissa112 yes she sleeps on one of us between 8-10 or in her bouncer. Quite a lot of the time she only really wakes for her 10 feed due to me changing her bum before bed and I offer the bottle just because it's 10 and that would be when her next one is due. She never usually finishes it so maybe we do have a sort of routine where she's settled for about 8.30 and the 10 feed is more like a dream feed

My LO is nearly 16 weeks so a little older than some on here. That said, we started the bedtime routine at about 8 weeks. Before that she was consistently sleeping most of the evening on my husband downstairs. As others have said, we weren’t comfortable leaving her on her own to start with so would take turns to sit up in the bedroom with her. I did start going to bed really early and got some of the best nights sleep of my life (if not for the regular wake ups). More recently we’ve been staying with her till she falls asleep (usually around 8/8.30) then leaving her with the monitor on. It’s usually only for an hour or so as I’m still earlyish to bed.

Nap time routine has been a more recent addition, probably from around 12 weeks though we are still making progress with that.

Dd2 is 16 weeks tomorrow we have been doing a loose routine the past few weeks we have gone from bedtime at 10/10.30 to currently 8pm in the space of about 3 weeks.
I’m normally pottering around upstairs sorting washing out having a shower etc and in bed myself not long after 9pm so she is only on her own for a short space of time.

She has her vaccinations tomorrow so the above may completely go out of the window after them.

All you mum's with routines I take my hat of to you . I can't get my LO to sleep for her before 11.30pm . I don't take her bed any earli3r than that as once I get her to sleep I sleep as well. She will then sleep for 3-4 hours and then wake for a feed and then sleep for another 2 hours and wake for a feed then sleep again for 1-2 hours. It used to be 2am before she fell to sleep so it has come forward . I will just bring it forward by 15-30 mins a week I think . But she is only 11 weeks. Anyone who's BF can I ask how long they feed for? I may of already asked this but my girl only feeds for 5-10 mins . She only feeds of one breast and she goes 1.5-2 hourly in the day till she goes bed at 23.30 . . She's on the 25th centile and gaining steadily not gone up or down but I can't help worry she isn't gettint enough . She is content and doesn't show signs of hunger but can't help doubt myself .

@Jenlou1992 I'm with you regarding routine. We have one but it's on DDs terms at the minute not mine. She was 10 weeks yesterday. Same as your DD she feeds 1.5-2 hourly during the day, she doesn't nap much, I'm lucky to get 1 hour in carrycot out of her! However its 1am ish before shes asleep for the night. Last week there were a few nights after 2am which was tough going. She is simply not ready to sleep no matter what we've tried. Once over she sleeps 10-12 hours without awakening. Sounds great but I'm still up with DS for school so I don't get 10-12 hours. HV advised not to try changing her routine till 4 months or she may start night feeds.

Morning and afternoon feeds are generally 15 minutes but evenings are 20 mins and bedtime will be a 30min feed roughly. I think its because boobs are so full first thing the milk comes out faster but they're more deflated at night so maybe she works for the milk more?! She also has remained on the same percentile from birth gaining steadily and plenty of wet nappies too. Sounds like your DD is on track too! My nephew would have been similar with only feeding 5-10 mins at a time- my sister had fab supply.

@Jenlou1992 it depends what time of day it is but the 1st feed of the day and the night feed is about 30-40 minutes I offer both breasts at these feeds.
During the day she feeds about every 2 -2 1/2 hours for 10 minutes ish
@Angelmiracle dd2 is not a fan of naps she sleeps better if we are at home and I put her in the crib but out and about she is far to nosy.

@jenlou1992 as long as baby is gaining weight I think you’re fine and it’s another case of every baby is different. Mine probably averages 25-30 mins but can be up to an hour, particularly if she falls asleep. I always offer both breasts. The before bed feed tends to be a long one, like she knows she has to fill up.

At one point her feeds were much shorter, maybe around 10-15 mins but more frequent (every 1.5-2 hours, now 3-4 hours) so I do think they’ve lengthened as the frequency has reduced. At the time I thought she’d just got more efficient, but now I think she was grazing / snacking. We consciously tried to space them out a bit as she got terrible wind made worse by constant feeding. I’ve always tracked feeds on an app and she’s been pretty consistent since birth at feeding for an average of 3.5 hours a day - sometimes more, sometimes less but that on average - the number of feeds per day has gone down from more than 12 some days to usually 6 per day now.