The March-ers 2019 - Baby Talk #3

[Angelmiracle]

Thread 3 mamas

@jenlou1992 I'm sure it'll get better once our LO's are onto solid foods as they will stay fuller for longer. I'm planning to start the solids at dinner time before I introduce breakfast and lunch as I am hoping he will eat and sleep for a longer stretch.
Same as you, I'm considering weaning off the boob as I introduce solids. I might express milk and serve it in a cup a couple of times a day.

Also lol at you all DTD. I haven't had sex since I was about 4 months pregnant 😂 neither me or DP have much of a sex drive though so it's all good.

@Jenlou1992 congratulations on the house and I hope the move is going well this weekend! Regarding the dummy, I'm about to try that at night too. After being a champion sleeper for months, J has gone back to multiple wake ups. He goes down about 8.30pm, then wakes at 10.30, 1, 4.30/5.30. I don't mind the 1 so much but I want to iron out the 10.30, so will be trying him with a dummy tomorrow night.

Bottles are going reasonably well. I've just been giving him a lunchtime feed of expressed breast milk. He needs to be in a quiet room with no distractions and then it goes down fine. Next step is formula, which I am going out to buy later today. I'll then switch his lunchtime feed to formula because it's predictable enough to make up ahead of time, and use the defrosted breast milk (which can sit in the fridge until needed) for his first night time feed. How do you guys manage formula feeds in the night? Is there any way of doing it without a perfect prep? This is where my heart sinks a bit about bottle feeding. I just feel that it's so much harder!

We have started J on tasting some solids. He's only 5 months and 10 days and I was adamant I would wait until 6 months, but he is grabbing for food and putting it in his mouth so I figured I would let him have some tastes. So far he has tried runner bean, cucumber, plum, breadstick, pepper and a puree fruit lolly (such a second child - I didn't let R near any fruit for ages in case it spoiled his taste for vegetables!). He's not swallowing much apart from juices that he's gnawed out of whatever stick he's holding, so he's not really on solids exactly, more having a practise. I won't give him purees or porridge or anything until 6 months.

He's not sitting up unaided yet but he's a lot closer to it, just needs his arm holding when he sits at the moment to stop him toppling over. He loves standing most of all. My MIL had him standing up supported against her long skirt the other day, and other than that she wasn't holding him. His brother was just as keen to be vertical.

We got the paddling pool out yesterday for big brother, but I ended up getting in with J as well, who adored it. He has just got the hang of splashing water. Loves his big brother and saves all his best giggles for him, or for DH tickling him with his stubble. He gets very excited, kicking arms and legs when he's happy or when you show him anything he wants - it's hilarious. He is such a lovely little bundle.

Saw a pic of a newborn on Instagram yesterday and caught myself thinking I could have another! Noooo. Not going to happen! Xx

Hi hope everyone is doing ok, not been on for a while.

@BadBadBeans I don't have a perfect prep machine and what I used to do regarding night feeds was buy a couple of bottle of the ready made formula. I used to take one up to bed with me and an empty bottle, when little one used to wake I used to make the bottle with the ready made and feed her. I found this so much easier than going downstairs and making bottles up.

Regarding DTD we've done it quite a few times, prob once/twice a week since little one was 8 weeks. I've got no sex drive at all now and really not bothered about it, only do it to keep OH happy. Must say it has caused a few arguments with me not wanting it. Do I not "fancy" him anyone, why am I so "boring" now! Maybe the fact that I'm constantly looking after a baby is the answer!!!

@BadBadBeans I've formula fed since birth. I know you get some babies fussy about temp and things but luckily mine isn't bothered (to be fair he doesn't seem too bothered about eating full stop sometimes which is another issue). I give him a dream feed of formula made with perfect prep about 10 or 11 then he wakes up once - so I do a bottle of boiling water for the 4am feed and take the formula up separate. By the time he wakes the water has cooled down so I just add the formula in.

However - ready made ones are also a great option it just depends how much he'll eat at night because they only come up to about 7oz

Hi everyone, just catching up. I started Elliot on solids this week and it's going well. This morning I gave him some porridge with a bit of an Ella's Kitchen fruit puree mixed in. We really don't have much of a routine with him at all. Stressing about routine kinda ruined the first 5 months I had with him so I decided to let him lead the way in terms of sleep and food (for now). The only thing that's bothering me a lot is still the co sleeping. He seems to be getting more clingy. He used to not need to latch to go back to sleep but now he hunts me out and wakes up fully if I don't let him. How the hell am I going to detach him from me if he won't go in the cot!? My husband is sleeping in the spare room so that I can create a bit of distance between me and Elliot but I wake up and he has shimmied his way across the whole bed!! 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ He is starting to be able to sit up unaided for longer stretches of time before toppling so yay!

@kee80 Ugh, that's horrible. My husband jokes that I don't find him attractive anymore etc. But he also knows that our sex drives are not same even when I'm not post partum, so he doesn't really bug me too much. I don't think he'd want me to have sex with him just to shut him up. We made a pact that if it gets to the stage that we don't have sex for three years, he can find a mistress. I think we are almost at one year without by now though.
The thing is, I do want to have sex, but no opportunity + anxiety about pain = no go. I might have to get a babysitter and get drunk to actually have sex ever again.

Where has everyone gone? Lol.

Btw my hair is falling out at an alarming rate! I never even noticed it getting thicker during pregnancy so I didnt think I'd have much loss. But the past couple of weeks it has been coming out with every touch. Elliot constantly seems to have a handful of it lol. It's quite noticeable (for me) at the front. It's not overly concerning me but if it keeps dropping at this rate I'll be bald in a month!!

@brobot probably enjoying the sunshine for the past few days 😂 my little man finally rolled back to tummy on Monday! He just turned exactly 5 months. Yay!

People that have started weaning - especially if it's your first - how on Earth have you known what to start with?!

@WhatALearningCurve we started solids last week and actually tried him with a little Ella's kitchen pouch of parsnips first. Then started giving porridge and mixing in the little mango and banana puree. I know ppl say not to give the packet stuff but it's all pure ingredients and no additives so I don't see the problem with mixing it in with stuff you've cooked yourself 🤷‍♀️. He's taking it quite well for the most part and we tend to just give him little bits here and there until he's more used to it since he's breastfeeding on demand anyway.

@WhatALearningCurve I've just started giving her some baby porridge in a morning about an hour and half after her first bottle. She loves it. Agree with @Brobot about the pouches I'm going to start giving her a try of some of those next week as well as the porridge, going to give the purées about 1-2pm see how she goes

@Kee80 the pouches are really good if you have a child with a sweet tooth as they combine veg with fruit to get it into them lol. You also get single ingredient ones so they are super handy whatever you are looking for.

@brobot mixture of weddings, appointments and restless babies mean I've read everything but haven't really had chance to post (although lots of half written replies) ... My hair also started malting around month 3-4. It's back to how it was now although I def noticed that my hair changed in pregnancy as I have quite thick hair anyway which went even thicker.

@WhatALearningCurve solids are our plans for Friday... Planning on giving him banana most probs? And maybe some porridge? (Pretty sure you can give normal porridge?) And then whatever we've got in the house. We've also got some pouches of Ella's kitchen stuff that a friend gave us, planning to use that at some point when we are more established too. Don't want to do it too soon when he will likely just waste them.

@Brobot I had a plain carrot one in and just gave her a few spoonfuls to see how she would go with it and she really liked it. Going to def get a few more to see how she goes before I start experimenting making things myself haha

I'm also losing hair like no tomorrow. Worst than a dog malting. It's every Where it is really annoying . I even had a bout 4 inches cut off just to see if it would help but it didn't .

Rose is 5 months on Friday and sleep is worst than ever . She is waking between 4 and 8 times a night . Most times every hour . I just don't know what to do . I just want a reason but I know there is none . I'm in the new house . Was here 2 nights and then my partner went working away and isn't back till Friday .

Is this a sleep regression or am I doing something wrong ? She naps 3x a day . For 30-60 mins each time . I'm on demand breast feeding . Looking to wean of the boob now tho . I try sooth her by shhhing and patting and using a dummy but I end up mostly putting her on the boob and getting her back to sleep that way . Don't think she's hungry she is just using it for comfort . Honestly I'm having no sleep . I'm anxious because I'm in a new house in a new town on my own . So I'm struggling to sleep anyway. I know she's a baby and I feel guilty for wanting a solution to the sleeping but i just don't like the idea of this for months on end

In terms of solids I'm just gonna go straight in with the baby led weaning and give him bits of soft fruit and veg to munch on initially before bits of meat, omelette etc. I think I'll be making up some kind mush/porridge along side meals too just to make sure his tummy is getting filled.

@jenlou1992 Sorry you're having a bit of a time with your little one. Try not to get too hung up on your baby's sleep. They're all different and some wake more than others, nap more than others and are easier to get to sleep. Unfortunately mine isn't a great sleeper either so I understand where you're coming from.

@Sheeni actually a couple of glasses of wine isn't a bad shout. I don't drink any more but maybe I could make an exception. At the moment I never feel relaxed enough for sex but some alcohol might help.

@Brobot I've been losing clumps of hair since shortly after giving birth. I have thick hair and I was losing a truly ridiculous amount for weeks and weeks - it's slowed now thankfully and I'm not bald! Actually my hair is reasonably manageable for once - silver lining!

@WhatALearningCurve I bought a BLW book with DS1 which suggested steamed sticks of veg to start with. I remember giving him broccoli. We tried to introduce mostly vegetable and savoury flavours first rather than getting him hooked on sweet stuff. He is still good at eating a wide range of veg now (he's 3) so will prob do the same again with J. Porridge is good, made with full fat milk. I gave baby rice mixed with breast milk to DS1 too as I was desperate for him to fill up and reduce his feeds from me (I was bleeding from my nipples still at this stage - ugh!). Personally I wouldn't bother with the fruit / veg pouch purees as they are so easy to make yourself and freeze in small portions. The pouches will come into their own in a few months' time with the chunkier 'proper' meals for emergency food on the fly!

@Jenlou1992 sounds awful. J has been going down between 8 and 9pm and then waking before 11, demanding a feed and being really difficult to get back to sleep! He then wakes a couple of times more before 7am. I'm struggling with that so hourly wake ups would half kill me. Believe me it's nothing you're doing wrong. Babies have a mind of their own and they also go through awful (hopefully short-lived) phases like that. I'm sure J is teething - could that be your trouble too?

I've given some formula the last few days and J has had it no probs. He feeds from me at around 9am, then has a defrosted breast milk, then a formula, then back to me for about 6pm and all through the night. I'm dreading cutting out a night breast feed. I find bottles a complete pain in the rear. I've got a few ready mades in stock because I cannot face the kettle cooling rigmarole at 3am! Definitely having a few pangs about bottle feeding him. It feels so strange, having fought so hard to exclusively breastfeed my first despite discomfort and bleeding - and now I'm totally comfortable feeding J and yet I'm stopping!

Oh and J sat for well over a minute today before slowly sinking backwards! And if I stand him inside the travel cot (which we are using as a playpen) he can hold on to the sides and support himself standing. Where did my newborn go?!

@WhatALearningCurve I used the planner in Annabelle Karmel's baby weaning book to start me off with DS- I needed to know exactly what and when to give solids! Will do similar for DD but as above will use savoury veg for couple of weeks first. Just start with a single veg...carrot blended with some if their usual milk do this 2 days at lunch time then 2 days of just potato/parsnip/sweet potato/broccoli/cauliflower. Week after start with some porridge in the morning then for lunch some mixed veg eg carrot and parsnip etc plus some soft boiled veg for finger food. And start pureed apple/pear/blueberries/banana etc. You'll get the swing of it in no time and ideally after the first month or so have them eating an adapted version of what you eat yourself.

DD is 21 weeks and has cut her first tooth on the bottom left!! DM discovered it when she was biting hard on her finger!!

@Jenlou1992 I have the same problem getting Elliot to sleep. When I lie beside him he curls into me and demands boob. It works like a charm to get him to sleep but now nothing else will work! I tried just patting/rubbing his back but he continues looking for boob and then gets pissed off when I refuse- even though I know he isn't hungry and just wants comfort. I've bought a bashful bunny (my niece loved hers and it became her attachment item) in the hope that he attaches to it and replaces me as the thing he needs to get him to sleep. So when it arrives I'll have to roll around with it for a few nights to get my smell on it and then introduce it to him lol. Knowing my luck he'll end up needing that AND me to get him over 🤣🤣.

I'm so tired. Little man is suffering with really bad gas during the night last three nights, waking up loads and squirming all night. I have no idea why. We're burping, don't think I've changed anything, I even started some infacol to help him pass the wind and nothing is working. He wakes up crying in the morning, almost two hours earlier than normal and takes forever to settle at night, too. Anyone else had anything similar?

@Sheeni is he having dirty nappies or does he seem like he might be constipated?

My little ones had a cold all week.

Last weekend was horrible because I was away for a friends hen do and there weren't any flights back so was just relying on updates from my mum who is notoriously bad at using mobile phones. The mum guilt was real.

He's been much better this week but I think it's brought an ear infection on now which I'm gutted about. He slept so badly last night and is screaming if I put a bottle near him. Had to force Calpol down him which I hated.

I know it should be fine in a day or two (and it not I'll go to the drs) but I'm just hoping it doesn't mean he's going to be susceptible to ear infections from this point on.