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

@ELW85 Do you use dummies? They are a lifesaver for day naps when they’re just a bit sleepy and not bedtime tired. Conor doesn’t really need them but I use them for all Ruairí’s day naps to help send him off. It doesn’t happen right away so don’t worry about a few bad naps - it takes time for them to adjust! Also (I know this isn’t for everyone but worked for us) if they ever started crying after I left the room I set a timer for 2 mins - 9 time’s out of 10 they’d settle themselves in the 2 mins. If I kept going back in I just woke them up again. Obviously if they’re still crying after 2 mins I go in and try and settle again! It does take a while though. The boys were maybe 10 weeks when we finally started having good cot naps and that was with me trying it from 8 weeks!

@ELW85, apparently day and night sleep use different parts of their brain so it's normal for them to get the hang of one before the other. Definitely not a failure! God if you are, I'm waiting for my worst mum of the year award to come in the post 😛 They're so young still, they'll get the hang of things when they're ready. Xx

@MrsEG - believe it or not, he won’t take a dummy. On a very rare occasion he will but there’s just no legislating for it!
So did you put them down drowsy at first, and if they kicked off, what would you do? The second he realises he’s in his bed-chaos!
He won’t even go in the Snuzpod he goes into at night. What I’m worried about is that if I try and get him down repeatedly, and he wakes up, he’ll miss out on valuable nap time.

@Fivebyfive2 - no way, you’re doing an incredible job!! I just keep putting a lot of pressure on myself I think to get things right for him.
I am pretty worried that he won’t be able to nap when he’s not on me, but I had no idea they learned one thing first and that night sleep is different - that’s really interesting! Xx

@ELW85 Yeah I put them down drowsy - it’s like a combo of ‘how long have you been awake’ and ‘do you look tired’ and then I go up and put them down. At the age of Finn I also still swaddled them for day naps as that really really settled them. They don’t need the swaddle anymore but it helped a lot, they’d suddenly calm down. We used the swaddle until 12ish weeks I think, just using blankets. I keep the room dark like don’t turn the light on or anything, talk in hushed tones, etc etc. If they kick off I pick them up and rock for a bit then put them back down. But remembering them at Finns age now, the swaddle made the world of difference!

@MrsEG - thanks! I’m going insane today. He flat out won’t nap. I’ve been like a hawk on top of his cues so have been rocking him most of the day. He falls asleep; I sit down with him in my arms after 5 mins and he’s wide awake.
I’m starting to get concerned there’s something wrong with him.
He’s going through his second leap so I’m not sure if that’s involved but this is hell.

@ELW85 oh don’t worry - with him still being newborn and the leap, so so many babies don’t nap. I’m a bit obsessed with baby sleep, have had phone calls with sleep consultants, read all the books etc! I had many days where I had the boys fighting naps all day long, or just crying between feeds and just not falling asleep at all. Some of my NCT mum friends with babies the same age as the boys still have babies that don’t nap - one girl has a daughter who will stay awake for 6 hours - I honestly didn’t even know that was possible! She can only get her to sleep in the car seat.
I can recommend some really good sleep routine books I found useful if you like? But don’t worry - he’s just still finding his feet I’m sure! All babies are so different. He’ll get there. Pass him to DH for a while and have a bath - when it’s testing like today you must make some time for you!

@ELW85 we've been having some nap issues which I think were made worse by me trying to force E into something she's not ready for. She's outgrown baby box now and will very rarely go down in snuzpod but that's after lots of picking up and down and I hate her getting upset.

She naps either on my lap after a feed or in baby wrap or the carrier if we're out for a walk. I highly recommend getting a wrap to wear in the house , absolute game changer for me. I pop her in when she's looking a bit tired and she might wriggle around for a few mins but after a bit of a shoogle will fall asleep for about 2 hours. Then I just do all the things I want to do with her in it, bake, cooking, put a wash on/away etc. We got our free in baby box but there are lots of sling libraries you could ask.

Joe actually did a poo while dh is home, first one in ages he's had to do! I was very happily sitting back eating an ice cream 🍦😀

Eugh, we had to do a food shop today and I just hate how much of a faff every little thing is now, it's so frustrating!! Ah well.

@LikeTheFruit, aaah she looks very cosy in there 😀 I never got the hang of a wrap carrier, but am thinking some sort of carrier for around the house or taking him for quick walks instead of the pram?

@ELW85 I watched a YouTube video about 10 times in a row before I got the hang of it but it's well worth it. We also have a baby Björn carrier we bought second hand which we use for outside walk which is brilliant and she sleeps in that too. We've outgrown the bassinet on pram already at 9 weeks and she hated it anyway so have mostly used carriers.
Couldn't recommend baby wearing enough.

@ELW85 forgot to say. It's also great for reflux as they're upright. We've had more burps without having to "burp" and much less possetting since baby wearing regularly

@Fivebyfive2 yay for the good night! Fingers crossed Joe remembers how to sleep well again tonight 😊

@ELW85 you're not a failure at all! I feel like that sometimes but then remember that I'm the best mummy to my baby possible! It does get so frustrating when they can't get themselves to sleep during the day but are then fine at night!

Ethan's been a bugger with naps today... one 1 hour long nap first thing this morning and then no more than 30 mins since! 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ he'd just dropped off as I started typing this and then the dog started barking at something, which scared him! It's hard to tell the dog off while shushing a baby! 😂

@LikeTheFruit Ah look how cosy she is!

@ELW85 I second LikeTheFruit - wherever he will nap just go with that for now. Babies are suck fickle creatures. Conor hates the pram and screams in it, Ruairí loves it and would sleep in it for hours. Conor loves a cot nap - Ruairí will nap in there but is very fussy and if I ever have to settle someone it’s him (usually a few time’s over). Conor loves being carried but at 16 weeks now he almost likes it too much and just stares at everything! But he does drift off eventually. Ruairí will sleep in the car, Conor won’t.... you see why I tried sleep training right?! But just go with it - try everything. If he isn’t feeling the snuzpod then try a carrier, the pram, the car. He’ll have his sweet spot somewhere.

@Fivebyfive2 Ha well done Joe! Conor pooed on my leg today. It was awful. And he belly laughed about it too!

@MrsR16 Oh Ethan, and poor you! I bet you’re shattered haha!

We took the boys out today - why does it take so long to get two babies ready to leave the house! We spent more time getting ready than we did outside 🙈 but we went for a lovely big walk in the city. It was bizarre, so empty - like something out of a zombie movie!

I realised today that I’m almost getting too accustomed to being home so much. Getting properly out and about today and not just going for our local walk felt a bit daunting. I’m gonna try and challenge myself to do a bit more soon I think, especially now we can meet someone outdoors and travel a bit further for our walks. I feel like I have no proper confidence with them in the car at all!

Hope everyone’s having a good Sunday!

Oh I meant to say in the above post - here’s a pic of the boys laughing at mum right after Conor had pooped on her leg 🙈

@MrsR16 @MrsEG - thank you 💝 I can’t imagine a nap routine as he’s always trying to fight me, crying when I shush him. I must always be too early or late with cues??
When I do shush him to sleep (unless the middle of the night) he wakes up in moments. Seems he only goes to sleep when he feeds to sleep which I know isn’t great.

@LikeTheFruit - I’ve just got a sling that I’m struggling to get him into but I’ll give it a go! It’s funny you say that about routines - I just said to DH earlier I think I’ve upset him by trying to get him into a routine he’s just not ready for.

I think the biggest challenge will be breaking the food/sleep association. I think he’s not getting into a decent sleep when I rock him because he wants food.
@MrsEG - I wouldn’t mind chatting to a sleep councillor myself!

@ELW85 Conor had a feed to sleep association. You can stop it just gradually. Honestly, won’t worry too much he is still so small. I honestly was you when the boys were 8 weeks! Genuinely at the end of my tether. First book I read was the 7-7 sleeping routine by Charmian Mead and I started implementing bits from that pretty much right away. You’ll start noticing a massive difference in Finn the next week or so with his awake times and that really really helps things, like with Conor after a bottle I’d change his nappy if he was getting dozy and then we’d play for a bit to help tire him out for a nap. Her book is also very similar to the EASY routine (Eat, Activity, Sleep, You time!) and it’s what’s really worked for us. Honestly, even just reading that book when I was at my ‘this cant go on, I’ll never sleep again!’ lowest made me feel better. Like oh okay, this isn’t too hard at all. I’ll give it a try!
But honestly don’t worry too much about his naps/sleep yet. He might not be quite ready for it. It will get better! I was there with two babies napping and feeding all over the show. It’ll all be fine I promise :)

So sorry had a busy few days @ELW85 but tbh I'm not following anything strictly, I'm really just going with the flow - some days Dina really struggles to sleep and will fuss and cry when she's being fed whether it's breast or bottle, and other days she can sleep pretty much all day! When she's fussing I will rock/sway her, sing to her, hold her hand and sometimes stop feeding her just to cuddle with her on my shoulder or something. She pretty much feeds to sleep every night and in the day I hold her 😳 in fact today was the first time she properly fell asleep by herself without being held! One thing I'd recommend is the Baby+ app, I log all feeds/nappies/sleep and can look back at the days and weeks and see if there's any patterns or times to see if there's a trend. Ooh also another thing I've been doing is tiring her out!! I try to "play" with her as much as I can and stimulate her whenever she's not hungry (I love just holding her and not really doing much 😂) but I keep introducing new toys or textures etc so it's something different each time, I tried with the same playgym and I found she'd bore easily so I switch it up. Sorry if this doesn't help, I feel like I've just rambled on 🤦🏻‍♀️

I think Dina's nearing her second leap and has also had a massive growth spurt so we've had a hectic few days with her! Will catch up with everyone tomorrow hopefully, hope you're all well xx

@ELW85 I second the sling!! Dina loves hers - she either falls asleep in there OR she stays up and looks around but either way she's quiet and I'm hands free 😂

Omg @MrsEG is that a cheeky Conor laughing about it as well? 😂 how beautiful! They're really growing up! I feel the same about not being confident being out and about - whenever I've driven I've had DH in the car, I'm worried about having to do it by myself eventually... it's also difficult that we can't do much because we've not got the opportunity to really do much other than walk, it's a bit daunting thinking about taking them out and about every day when we get back to reality 😔

@MrsR16 ahh bless him, did he sleep well last night to compensate? 😁

@Fivebyfive2 ahh I'm jealous of your ice cream! Well done Joe for doing it with Dad instead 😂😂 re the wrap, I found it was just practising how to tie it properly - I got a couple from Smallhausenstore and the lady has a video showing how to use them and then how to put baby in them, I found that really useful so might be worth checking out?

@LikeTheFruit ahhh look at her 😭🥰 how're you both getting on?

Sorry if I've missed anyone! Dina slept from 8.30-6.30 only waking up twice for feeds last night, I feel like a new woman 😂😂

When did everyone's babies find their hands? She's not noticed them yet, she's sort of found her feet but not her hands and she's not grabbing anything (intentionally) yet 😞

Morning all!

After what can only be described as ‘hell day’ yesterday ending in an overtired baby having a bath and finally falling asleep (still slept nearly 10hrs last night only interrupted by feeds though; WTF?! (Also please God, don’t let that end!)) this morning I woke up feeling loads better and ready to abandon routines, and just go with it as long as he got his sleep back up. So fully prepared for DH to be on snack duty whilst I get pinned down by an 8 week old...
First morning nap, went down after 1h20 wake time. So far so good, pinned down with DH feeding me brekkie haha!
Second morning nap, my mate dropped off a Sleepyhead to try out...it’s a miracle. An actual miracle.
I’ve decided to make our room his nap base as it’s where he sleeps at night etc.
Put the Sleepyhead in the Snuzpod and I’m able to type this with two hands???!!!!

Again, I don’t care if I have too hold him for the rest of his life as long as he gets the rest he needs, but this is a nice feeling to have!

@cupcakesandglitter - hi! How’s you? I think we’re coming to the end of the second leap and he’s so much more vocal than he was, is obsessed with shadows and his hands. Feet, not so much! Sounds like you’re getting on great 😃 x

@LikeTheFruit @MrsEG @Fivebyfive2and everyone really - thank you all for the support and advice as always! I feel like a new woman today!

@MrsR16 - sorry forgot to thank you too! It’s all this excitement 😂

@cupcakesandglitter - I love the baby+ app! It’s great isn’t it? Not so great when you see his sleep has taken a dive I guess, but good to track everything! X

@ELW85 I'm good thanks - glad you had some help with the sleepyhead!! They're fantastic aren't they! X

@cupcakesandglitter I was far too tired to hear him! DH said he stirred a fair few times but didn't actually wake up - just wanted his dummy back in his mouth 😂

@ELW85 oh don't worry lovely! I'm so pleased you've found something that works for you! Makes everything feel better doesn't it?

Hi hi all! Hope everyone is having a lovely sunny day?! Our neighbours fence blew down the other day so we've been playing with their dog today 😀

Good stuff: Joe went 8pm till 4am with just 1 waking of about 10 mins at about 1am.

Not so good: he clearly thought this was enough sleep, as it took until 5am to settle him back down and then he was up for the day at 6! Ah well.

@ELW85, aaahh Finn looks very comfy in his big nest 😴

@cupcakesandglitter I've remembered that fil gave us a back pack type carrier ages ago, it's in the boot! Must try it out.

Here is Joe, practicing support sitting after his bath 😛

@MrsR16 - I genuinely feel like a weight has been lifted! Also, talking to my parent friends (albeit theirs are toddlers now) it’s really interesting/reassuring to hear about their experiences and that maybe I’m not such a bad mother after all!
I do feel like things are finally starting to click into place and I can read him more. Until the next drama 😂

@Fivebyfive2 - look at him! Gorgeous!

He’s just woken up on his latest nap 😢 gutted but today has been totally different!

Hi all! Just checking in. Sorry to not reply to all, just had an awful day. We had a hideous night with Ruairí last night! Ugh 4 month sleep regression go awaaaaayyy!! I was so tired this morning I felt hungover (if only). He is also teething very very badly, I have to change him about 3 time’s a day because of the drool. He just sobs and chews on his hand all the time. I had a little cry putting him to bed because he was just so sad :( Also a good friend was in hospital yesterday as she had an accident with her 5 month old daughter which resulted in her poor baby fracturing her skull. In short it’s been a pretty rough day and I just feel exhausted and very emotional. Worst day EVER to start a diet, I tell ya. Hope everyone is doing well x

@Fivebyfive2 oh look at him! He's doing so well! What a little humbug waking up properly at 4 when he did so well previously! 😂 these babies do keep us guessing don't they? Hehe

@ELW85 that's wonderful! I'm feeling like a terrible mother because the only way we can seem to get Ethan to sleep of a nighttime at the moment is by letting him cry and wear himself out, while rocking him... 🤦‍♀️ I'm sure it's not supposed to be that hard, but it's just one of those things!! He did only have 45 mins sleep in total between 2pm and when he finally gave up at just gone 8pm 🙄 he'll learn one day!