The March-ers 2019 - Baby Talk #2

[Angelmiracle]

Thread 2 for all our newborns ❤🤗👣

@Brobot Sorry about your brother, hope the visit goes well.
Not sure about the vomiting, I have very little experience with bottle feeding as the LO mostly refuses it.

@Hidcat I try to do the feeding on waking, but if I can't get him to fall asleep in any other way, I'll boob him. However, he will still only sleep: in my arms, in the carrier for my DH, pram, car seat. That's it. Not all of it is reliable, all of it results in 30 minutes of a nap.
He just really struggles with the sleep, don't know what it is.

Looks like we're properly teething here, too. He's been really difficult last three days, struggling with feeding, just very cranky and making pain sounds when chewing on things (which is all the time). Anyone got a tooth yet?

@brobot how did the visit yesterday go? Any better? It really can't be easy watching someone close to you die, regardless of your exact relationship with them. What do you think about your mum's plan to bring him home? And well done for taking a break afterwards - you need to look after yourself at times like this. Thinking of you.

In terms of bottles, it's no use now me saying this, but we started him on a bottle of formula once a day from week 2 so that we'd know for sure he's fine with bottles and formula for when I'm at the hospital etc. As it is we've continued bf way longer than I expected simply because I had no problems with it (I was v ambient when pregnant about whether to start, probs because I knew I'd have to stop as soon as I started treatment) .... Have you tried giving him a bottle at the same time each day? And maybe a small amount at first? Also what bottles are you using? Mine isn't fussy at all but a lot of people have success with MAM having failed on others. If you want/need him to take bottles at this stage you've probs got to preserve through the sick and continue to do it each day so he gets used to it. Also look up paced feeding on YouTube, when we started on bottles this is what we were told to look up as then the way you hold the bottle immitates the breast more. We find that we have to wind mine much more after a bottle whereas when he's on me he does it himself whilst feeding (as he's a greedy pig...)

@Sheeni we've got the initial stages I think as there's def something sharp on his gums and it has felt like he's properly biting me these last few days. If it continues I've said I'm going to stop feeding him as I can't be doing with getting bitten!

@Brobot we started off combination feeding (expressed and ff) after my c-section when I felt up to it. We had the same problem with him throwing up ALOT after drinking the breast milk. My mw said it was because babies drink more from the bottle than the breast and need significantly less breast milk than formula because it's so rich. They drink too much and it sits heavy in their bellies making them sick! She likened it to drinking a pint of skimmed milk vs a pint of extra thick cream. 😂
We ended up feeding him an ounce at a time and giving him a break of 5 minutes in between to let him have time to realise he's full.

@Cardboard33 the visit was very sad. He's in a very bad way. The consultant has said it could be 2 weeks as he could deteriorate quickly so we are being with him as much as possible.

As for the bottles, @AssumeItWasSomethingClever I think you're right. He guzzles the bottle (after we found a bottle he was take! NUK bottles are his choice it turns out) and when feeding from me he stops and starts at his own pace. However, today when I was at the hospital my husband said that Elliot was hangry lol so when he tried to stop every now and again to let the milk settle he would go absolutely mental 🤣🤣. So there goes that plan lol. But at least I feel satisfied that it is just a case of the speed in which he drinks it and not that the bottle wasn't clean or something.

Yesterday I decided enough was enough and started making him practice sitting up 🤣. He is very strong so it's not that he's not ready, he just prefers lying down or reclined lol. And I was right because after just a few tries, today he is very close to remaining sitting unsupported! Yaaaay!

Omg, I know some of you mentioned the last vaccinations were the worst and I was definitely preparing for that, but oh my poor boy! I think the Calpol wore off and he was screaming so much until the next dose kicked in.
He's already not a happy bunny what with the teething and the heat.
He finally calmed down when I let him hold (and pull) my hair. I guess the tickling is distracting.

How long were your little ones poorly after the jabs?

@Sheeni my dd was sleepy the same day and a bit out of sorts for about 24 hours after. The heat probably isn’t helping either

I am so hot, dd won’t feed properly and is very grouchy

@Sheeni Elliot was very cranky for the 2 days and started to calm down (ish) on the third day. But just like you mine is teething so that has continued since. In saying that, he's been in great form today (thank god since I'm alone) apart from when tired so hopefully he isn't just saving up his energy for tonight lol

@Sheeni my little one was off for about 48 hours then she was fine but then the sleep regression kicked in so she was cranky and fussy for about a week after.

My little one seems to be sleeping a lot more in the day these past couple of days. She's 18 weeks today, not sure if it's the heat or another g forth spurt??
Think she's teething as well she's slavering loads and getting really frustrated, shoving everything in her mouth

My L0 when feeding keeps pulling of the breast to stick her hand in her mouth . She is constantly chewing her hands . She still feeds but feel she finishes early due to this . Anyone else experience similar ? X

@Jenlou1992 yes my lo does this. He actually tries to get his fingers in his mouth while feeding and then gets really angry when he cant do both at the same time. For the past week his fingers have constantly been in his mouth- to the point he is now trying to get both hands in. I let him chew on my knuckle and it actually feels bruised because of the force he uses! Teeth are definitely coming!

@Brobot thanks .. not sure if she's teething too . I'm currently awake whilst baby is sleeping . Lovely thunderstorm here in Manchester after immense heat all day. Hope it clears the air .

@Sheeni mine was off for 2-3 days after the 16 week jabs. He was crying and feeding loads and also had a temp so we had to give Calpol for 24 hours which we didn't do for the 8 week ones as he didn't need it. The heat can't be helping either!

@Brobot so sorry to hear that the end is definitely near for your brother. Does he know about your baby? (I know you said you've distanced yourself from him for valid reasons) ... Thinking of you.

Mine has a full on sharp bit in his mouth now so I assume that's the tooth poking out. Yay for me. @jenlou1992 one of the developmental leap things this time is about chewing their hands... Mine has been eating them since birth but def cranked up in the last month. He's nearly 21 weeks. @kee80 we've also had much more erratic sleep in the last fortnight. He's now on both ends of the spectrum in that some days I wonder how he's so happy on so little then other days he's taking a 3 hour morning nap, then sleeping more in the afternoon too. Although the two could also be strongly correlated in that on the sleepy days he's catching up on the not so sleepy days.

Apparently it's going to be 37-38 in London tomorrow. We've gone into full on hibernation mode (which makes me sad as I love the heat normally) although also need to go somewhere with air con during the heat of the day as my house is like a sauna.

@Cardboard33 yes he knows about Elliot because although I haven't had contact with him my mum is always updating him. I would like him to meet him but not until he is home to my mum's house, but even then, I don't know whether he would be lucid enough to realise. Also, in the state he is in I'd be worried it would frighten Elliot. I'll play it by ear. It's likely that he will see him as I will have to bring him with me to my mum's when he's home anyway. I lay wide awake last night tortured with thoughts about it all.

As for Elliot, he was actually very content yesterday. However, he was unsettled last night and vomited a few times at bed time. His tummy sounded very rumbly too so I don't know what that was about because he hadn't had a bottle. Today he is happy enough and currently napping on my boob 🙄. He is getting more sturdy when sitting too yaaaay! But still a long way off being able to sit without slumping to the side lol. I managed to get a shower yesterday (it really is the little victories 🤣) by letting him lie in his cot watching the mobile for 5 mins- very good considering I normally cant pee without him losing his shit when I leave the room lol.

@Sheeni how is your little one today? The vaccinations really are a nightmare, and the timing of them is awful too because they coincide with sleep regression and teething so it's hard to know what is what in that week! I ended up having to give calpol and nurofen as he was that unhappy.

@Brobot He's a bit better today, thanks. It was quite bad yesterday and even with Calpol he was very warm (37.7°C). I barely slept as I was SO. HOT. That's one of the worst things about him sleeping on me - not only does he warm me up, I also have to wear long sleeve t-shirt, or he sticks to my arm and wakes himself up when he tries to move. I lied awake in bed for 3 hours in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, uncomfortable, but unwilling to move at all so I don't wake the demon up.
He's still struggling to feed today, I think his gums are really painful. He's crying in pain whenever he tries to latch on.

Sorry to hear about Eliot's still upset tummy. And congrats to the small shower time win. I usually just put my LO on the ground on the changing mat if I need to use the bathroom. He'll just roll around and drool for a few minutes. I used to sit him in the little bath seat, but the little bugger now tries to sit up/roll around while sat there, so it's not safe to leave him in anymore.

Also thanks all for your responses. Made me feel a bit more in control, knowing what I can expect.

Question, probably mostly for second time mums, as I'm guessing many of the FTMs here are as unsure as I am - what's REALLY helpful for the teething? Do the granules work? My LO wants to chew on everything, but starts crying in pain pretty quickly, so the massaging of gums is definitely no good for us. Even the cooling rings seem to upset him half of the time he's a bit more content now that he's high on Calpol, but I can't really use that for much longer, no?

@Sheeni when I tried to put him on the changing mat on the floor to shower he lost his mind so that's a no from him lol. As for the teething, why don't you alternate with nurofen. I had to do that and when I didnt feel comfortable giving any more I put some bonjela carefully and thinly on my finger where his teeth would touch and let him go to town. I know it's not supposed to be given until they are older but I was out if options and just kept an eye on him closely. It seemed to do the trick but I'll be keeping it for extreme situations!

@Brobot Unfortunately we can't do Nurofen as it shouldn't be mixed with Ranitidine, which he's taking for silent reflux. I've done one dose tonight, just so he was not completely meds-free, but I don't plan to give him any more unless desperate. He hates it, too.

How is everyone managing to keep their babies cool in this heat? We've tried everything to cool our bedroom down but nothing seems to take it down more than a couple of degrees. It was 29degrees in our room last night.
George has got his last injections today and it's due to hit 38 degrees here. Not looking forward to it whatsoever!

@AssumeItWasSomethingClever we've had to decamp to sleeping downstairs the past two nights. It was 28 in our room and walking upstairs felt like when you get off a plane when on holiday. We managed to get the living room down to 23 by midnight with the windows open and it cooled to 22 overnight so he could go in his 1 tog but our room was still too hot this morning with windows having been open all night. Apparently even hotter here too today so dreading it and another night on the sofa i think! He's been living in just a nappy for the past few days and even then has felt very hot at times. I did read elsewhere that opening the loft hatch allows a lot of the heat to escape up there. Also keeping curtains shut all day and only opening windows once its cooler to avoid letting hot air in. Very difficult and worrying isn't it. Hope the injections go ok today. X

@brobot sounds sensible to play it by ear, so sorry you've got to go through this with a little baby to take care of as well. Good that your mum is keeping him in the loop as they often say that people can retain/hear a lot more than they appear so it's good to keep talking to them and visiting them if you can even if you think they don't know you're there.

@AssumeItWasSomethingClever poor you (and everyone else) who've had their jabs recently. This makes me thankful that my baby decided to join the party early and is one of the oldest as we got to have them in relatively mild temps. We are experimenting with him sleeping on a sheepskin rug and also using it as a play mat in the day as I've read it's supposed to absorb the heat etc. I have to say he's slept MUCH better these last two nights since he's been on it but it does mean I'm more paranoid as it's a softer materess etc. I'm tempted to keep it in the crib and put a sheet over it so he can't eat the fluff but husband says once the heat has gone he can go back to how he used to sleep. We've also got rid of the sleeping bag as he was just thrashing his legs around and waking himself up, and letting him have a lot of naked time during the day. That said I think he's coping with the heat much better now he's older but I also think that could be because we are better as parents!

@Brobot I am very sorry to hear about your brother. My thoughts are with you.

@Sheeni ugh, teething! I found Calpol was the only thing that really worked. Granules didn't seem to touch it and bonjela had little effect. On my last MN group several swore by Anbesol but my DS's teething never really got desperate enough for me to try it out. (Just don't do as one DH did and get it confused with Anusol 😂). I don't know how young they can have it though.

@AssumeItWasSomethingClever either nappy and t shirt or just nappy here to try to keep cool. Yesterday I wiped him down with a cool flannel all over and he seemed to like that. Our house is old and cool, luckily, as outside is blazing hot. The highest I've seen on the thermostats inside is 23. When we had our first son we were living in a poorly insulated house and we had to decamp to relatives when he was only a week old because it was ridiculously hot inside! I'm glad I don't have a newborn in this heat I must say.

@AssumeItWasSomethingClever we also have injections today really dreading it. The past 2 days DD will barely let you set her down at all which is hard on DS as I can't have a little time to play with him. Jabs today will just make her worse!

@Sheeni my baby massage group 3 of the mums are swearing by the amber bracelet/anklet which baby wears for teething. I'd never heard of it before but if DD struggles with teething I might try it. DS nurofen or calpol was only thing that really gave pain relief and I usually just gave one dose at bedtime and upped it when the teeth were actually cutting through the gums.

@Brobot sorry to hear your sad news. I lost my 2 remaining grandparents while pregnant, (nan was 99, grandad was 92) It’s horrible seeing someone not as they were and knowing nothing can be done.

We’re really struggling with the heat, been in the paddling pool the last 3 days but trying to keep Freddie out of the sun while in the pool is tricky. He’s just crashed out on the boob and I’ve managed to extricate myself to get a few jobs done. He has his jabs on Monday when thankfully it will be a bit cooler, especially as he’s a calpol refuser! Can’t believe he’s 4 months this weekend - a year ago Sunday was when I got my BFP!

When DD was teething we used calgel but I’ve not seen it in the shops this time around. (It also came in handy to numb my eyebrows when I plucked them!) I’ve got Freddie some of the tethers that you put in the fridge to cool them down. He’s not got a definite bump of a tooth on the way yet but is very dribble and his hands are constantly finding their way into his mouth.

Happy day! Just had a call from the pediatrician and looks like the X-ray is showing no fusing! 🎉🎉 Doctor is a bit perplexed why his head is in such a weird shape and will look into it a bit more, but seems like no operation will be necessary
My guess is that all the one sided feeding is causing this - he spends a lot of his time lying on that side on my arm. I wish I wasn't so rubbish with all the other feeding positions. I'll try harder!