Ttc first baby catch up with our babies!

[Fivebyfive2]

Just putting this on in case anyone wants to catch up? We're all at different stages, so might be able to help each other out?

@Delilah7 @RanchoRelaxo @MrsR16 @thumper59 @trashkitten10 @Bostonfern @crossfitgirl sorry I know I'm missing people, I'm blaming newborn brain!

I'll leave the link on the 'pregnancy' catching up thread xxx

Ahh love the new thread ☺️ Happy New Year everybody!

@thumper59 @Fivebyfive2 Your boys look gorgeous in their xmas outfits!

@GemmaJen she is uttterly scrumptious and looks like she is loving reading with daddy

@stormtrooperjulian Love that photo! Was it you who was going to cloth nappy too? If so, how are you getting on with them?

@MrsC87 Charlie is lovely, I bet those six months have flown by!

@Tropicana1 Congratulations and Olivia is beautiful!

@Fivebyfive2 Ahh the paternity leave flies by doesn't it! You'll be fine on your own though :) Try not to worry too much about a routine and just focus on enjoying Joe and getting used to being a little team of 2 while DH is at work, it will all start to fall into place.

Little lady had her 8 week jabs on NYE and was seriously miserable through that day and night. I thought it would be her tears from the injections themselves that I'd struggle with but that was a doddle compared to the hours of tears afterwards. I felt so bad for putting her through it, even though it's obviously in her best interests. Anyway, she's thankfully back to her normal cheery self and is giving me more and more smiles everyday. These little gummy grins are melting my heart 🥰

@Fivebyfive2 glad to hear Joe is getting some sleep, it makes such a difference. Do you have some baby groups to go to when your DH goes back to work?

@MrsR16 I'm doing well thanks, Dex is sleeping through fairly consistently now which is great and it's so lovely seeing him develop and learn new things. He recently started to giggle which is just the cutest sound ever

@TrashKitten10 that's such a beautiful smile! We are using cloth nappies (and wipes too), it's working really well for us. How are you finding it?

@stormtrooperjulian, there's a children's centre around the corner which do quite a few groups so I'll check that out.

@TrashKitten10, how's your little one now after her jabs?? Xx

Had a tough day today, Joe was almost 'resisting' going on my boob, he just kept tensing up and screaming, even though he was making his hungry face?! Caved in the afternoon and gave him a bottle! Called the midwife who suggested lots of skin to skin, so tried that and he seems a little more settled. I'm hoping it was just a random funny day 😕

Anyone got weekend plans?

@Fivebyfive2 I go to baby sensory at the local children's centre, and to rhyme time at the library. It's nice to get out of the house and chat to other mums.
Have you tried other feeding positions? Lying both on your sides with him facing your boob can work well, or sit Joe facing the opposite way to you, beside you so he's upright and line your nipple up with his nose.

Hi!
Nice to catch up with you lot, I tried to keep ontop of the pregnancy chat but it's so busy and there are a lot of names I don't recognise!
My Freya is 6 months now, her hair is turning white blonde at the back and her eyes are still blue so I don't think they will change now(?) Shes very long and skinny and weighing around 14lbs
She's getting her own little personality and she's so funny, things are so much easier now than they were for the first few months.
Everyone's babies look beautiful, I so miss the tiny cuddles! But I know how easy it is to say that from the outside haha
Hope everyone had a lovely first Christmas with their little ones

Hi guys - so nice to see how you're all getting on with your beautiful babies! I'm 35 weeks tomorrow so will hopefully joining you soon ish 😊

I hope you don't mind me popping in to ask a quick q about mat leave? I'm trying to decide when to go and wondered what you guys did / would do differently?

@purplefig I went quite early due to being induced, so think it was 34 weeks. But I used alot of holiday! Baby came at 39 weeks I enjoyed every minute in the run up to going in to be induced! I cleaned, decluttered and slept! Do lots of sleeping as you won't get much when baby is here! Good luck!! Can't wait to hear about your new arrival xx

@MrsC87 thanks for sharing 💕 that's what my gut is telling me - take some time to relax and prep before they arrive. I was going to wait until 38 weeks, but am thinking 36 instead. Exciting!

@purplefig my last day at work was 39+4, I went into labour the next day. I'm very happy with that, it means I get to spend all my leave with my baby, it would have felt like a waste spending weeks at home while pregnant and I think I would have been bored. Also I enjoy my job and I felt very well throughout my pregnancy so I was in no rush to finish work.

@stormtrooperjulian ahh that sounds perfect for you! I'd deffo like some time before they arrive though. I'm also not too fussed about taking time from the other side as I'm only going back super part time.

Morning hope you and all your gorgeous babies are well 💙.

Freddie is great, I've been took down by a bug on New Year's Day and now full of cold again 🙄. Fred has his jabs on Thursday which I'm dreading!! He's just having a snooze on his playmat he had quite an unsettled night. Must admit I'm looking forward to him dropping that 3am feed!!

What have you all got planned for this week? We are back to just the two of us now OH is back at work.

@thumper59, aaah look at him! Fingers crossed he drops that feed soon!! 🤞

My dh is also back at work this week, so we're getting used to a whole new set up again. Joe will only sleep a max of 2/3 hours at the moment and that's if we're lucky! But he's definitely becoming more alert which is great to see 🙂

It's chucking it down here so once I'm back from registering him at the Dr, I think we'll have a quiet afternoon with skin to skin and telly... Hopefully a nap at some point?! 🤞

@thumper59 oh wow, look at your gorgeous little boy!! Good luck with the jabs... I think it's always worse for mum than it is for baby! But the couple of days after I've heard are not much fun at all! Sorry to hear you're not feeling great at the moment - I hope it passes quickly!

@Fivebyfive2 definitely make the most of napping while you can! That's what I aim for with Ethan - if he sleeps, I sleep! 😊

So I took Ethan to the weighing clinic today - at 4 weeks old, he weighs 9lb 14oz! Such a little chunker 😍 as for the rest of the week, I might try and visit the MIL (had my first venture out in the car alone with Ethan yesterday so much more confident to go out and about now!) but that's probably it! 😊 super close up picture just because his squishy cheeks are adorable! Haha

It's been a very messy morning!! Joe decided he wanted to spend it dribbling, whizzing as I changed his nappy and then doing a giant poo as soon as I had the new nappy on 😂 Finally got him all clean, changed and feeding... Bath time later, waiting for my mum though, I'll need backup 😳 How are you guys getting on??

@MrsR16, love the super close up!! Here is Joe 🙂

Ladies, some advice please!!

We're debating leaving Joe with my parents for just a couple of hours this weekend to try it out and have a little break... I'm not sure! Feeling a bit guilty about thinking of leaving him?! He'll be a month old and will take a bottle. Would only be for a couple of hours and they're only around the corner. I'm torn... Really feel like a little break would be good for us but I'm worried it's too soon?? What do you think? Xx

@stormtrooperjulian Thank you ☺️ yes I love using reusable, so much less faff than I thought it would be and I love patting the big cloth bum 😂 only problem I'm finding is getting things to fit. Little lady seems to have a very long torso and dinky legs. Add the big nappy to her long body and at 10 weeks she's outgrown some of her 3-6 months clothes and the others are getting very tight. Problem is she's got about six inches of empty leg and foot space in the next size up 🥴 bought some next tops and leggings which fit brilliantly but cloth friendly vests and babygrows that also suit little legs are harder to find :)

@Fivebyfive2 If you're ready then go for it, everybody will be completely different. I first left Daisy at 3 weeks when my dad had to take me for an emergency appointment for my c-section wound and I literally dumped her in my mum's arms with a bottle and ran out the door to make it on time. I didn't have time to get emotional or worried. Since then I've not felt ready to leave her, it's like I've left it too long now and am overthinking it. It's important to have time together and away from baby and if you're lucky enough to have trusty babysitters on hand, why not give it a go :)

Oh goodness... I'm in need of your wisdom, ladies! Ethan's had a really bad day today - mostly crying, sometimes that horrible screaming type crying. I've had a couple of moments where I've had to put him down and have a cry because I feel so useless! Aside from colic, I have no idea could be causing him to be so upset! Any ideas? Xx

Oh @MrsR16 dont panic, just write today off and start fresh tomorrow.
When freya was younger (and even sometimes now) if she was really really upset then I would just make her a little bath, the water seemed to calm her down!
Have you got the app wonder weeks? It shows you when babies are going through development 'leaps' and explains them a bit. The the first one is around 5 weeks after the due date (not sure if Ethan was early or late!)
Sending love, its horrible when they have a bad day!

Aw thanks @RanchoRelaxo 😊 no I haven't got wonder weeks, but I've heard lots about the leaps - Ethan was 2 weeks early so we're very early for the week 5 leap. However, my health visitor reckons that my dates could have been wrong, so anything's possible! It's the first bad day we've had, so we've definitely not done too badly! Thank you for your advice, lovely 😘

@MrsR16, hope you have a better day today sweet. Hopefully he'll have just been having a random off day?? Have you tried white noise or like a heartbeat sound? Sometimes that helps Joe calm down a little. Or my dh does this thing where he kind of holds him a little higher up and sways him, like a 'super baby'... That sometimes works, I think it distracts him!

Ladies wish me luck, this afternoon my mil is coming over, it will just be her, me and Joe for a few hours!! We get on OK but don't usually spend time alone together and she has some different ideas to me about babies etc, I'm just hoping it doesn't get awkward 😕

@Fivebyfive2 it's a very individual decision when you feel ready to leave your baby for the first time. I first left Dex at 3 months, mostly because that was when we first saw my parents after the first few weeks - I felt more comfortable leaving him with my mum the first time, I would probably have left him for a couple of hours before that if my mum had been able to look after him.

@TrashKitten10 wow she's growing so quickly! I think there are a few brands that are better for cloth bums - there is a Facebook group called Can You Cloth In It that is a really good place to look.

@MrsR16 sometimes a bad day just happens for no apparent reason! The first time I took Dex out for the afternoon without DH at about 4 weeks he screamed the whole time, just wouldn't be soothed by anything, it was awful and when I got home I cried on DH and was sure I'd never take him out again

@Fivebyfive2 @stormtrooperjulian thank you so much ladies 😊 today's been much better! I went to see my mum, which meant Ethan's longest car journey yet without me sitting next to him! He did brilliantly! My mum got me some infacol and gripe water so Ethan and I are ready to rock and roll with feed time now 😊 hopefully it'll help with what I'm sure is colic...

@Fivebyfive2 how did the MIL visit go??

@stormtrooperjulian oh goodness, poor you! It's good to know it's not necessarily anything I have or haven't done...

@MrsR16, it was... A tad trying! Mil is kind of obsessed with holding Joe and if I say 'I think he needs a feed' when he makes his Hungry Face, they go 'oh no, he's fine' 🙄 Then he kicks off and they're all 'oohh what's wrong'?! 🤯 JUST GIVE HIM TO MEEE!!! I've started just taking him off them if they don't I've him back first time, but it's really annoying that I need to??!

Also, we've decided not to leave Joe with my parents yet... Instead we're gonna wait another week or 2 and then mum and dad will come to ours while we go to for a meal at a place that's a short walk away, just for an hour or so to see how we get on. Then we'll gradually build things up. Think dh is a bit disappointed, he was looking forward to 'having the house to ourselves' but will just have to wait a bit 😂

How's everyone doing? Anyone got weekend plans? Xx

@Fivebyfive2 oh goodness, I bet that's frustrating!! It's almost like they don't believe you know what's best for your baby! I wonder if your MIL had similar treatment when she had your DH? Good for you for going for a meal, but only when you're ready! 😊 I haven't left Ethan yet... save to go and vote at the general election, but that was for all of 10 mins! My parents are coming up to ours tomorrow which'll be lovely! Then Sunday we have no plans just yet, but I'm sure we'll come up with something! What about you? Xx

@Fivebyfive2 don't get me started on MIL's- it's taken me 6 months to kick mine into touch but I'm sure they are preparing for a divorce as they love taking photos without me in it 🤣 I always remember that Charlie is my world and I am his world, no one else! So they can do all the holding and possessiveness they want but your baby only wants his mummy!! 🥰