December 2019 babies

[TTc2019BabyNo1]

Hi All,

Thought I’d just start a December 2019 babies thread for those who have given birth in December and want to catchup/chat/rant/need support etc.

We are 11 days in...!
How is everyone doing?

@jpaws wow he’s doing so well with putting on weight! See if you have a sling library near you, you can hire slings before committing to buying one. The one I’ve been to have great help and advice on how to put them on properly etc. I have a stretchy wrap but I’ve only used it a couple of times and I thought I’d have used it more often to be honest so try before you buy. Mine was from a car boot but brand new, still in the box for a couple of pounds so I didn’t spend loads luckily!

Feeling a little fed up today, my plans for today got cancelled so I ended up walking to town just for something to do. Trying to find baby groups or things to do each day can be tricky. Some weeks I’m really busy and then other days feel like I only have DS to speak too. Does anyone else feel the same?

Well I realised today that I hadn't left the house for a week . I honestly hadn't realised. So obvs had to go out and buy stuff I didn't need

I've got groups on wed-fri. One day BF support group, another day baby class and then another day baby massage. For next 6 weeks, so I get some routine and out of the house!

@Comps83 wow a week is a long time! Does it not bother you? I think I’d be climbing the walls by then.

I currently have groups on a Monday and Wednesday (rhymetime and sensory play) and am due to start baby massage on Tuesdays after half term - how do you find it @Dec19baby I’m excited to start it :) just need to find something for a Wednesday or Thursday now!

Before the baby it would have driven me mad but I'm so busy in the house that I hadn't noticed
It's more the lack of fresh air and natural day light which has effected me I think
When I get my arse into gear and book some baby activities it will be just for him rather than for getting me out the house as I still feel like I'm keeping busy

We started baby massage yesterday, it was really good! Ds loved it so much! Although he of course wee'd on me 🤣 so now we got to breastfeeding support group Monday's massage on Tuesdays and baby group on Friday. I have school runs to do everyday as well so I have to leave the house everyday anyway. I try to walk the school run on days I don't have anywhere to go so at least we have had a wander and got some fresh air.

We seem to be going through a stage of not napping in the day this week for some reason, he drops off but only manages to stay asleep for less than 10 minutes, it's quite frustrating considering we had hours of sleeping in the day before 😒

@Comps83 I too keep finding things to do at home that I’ve never had the time to do before!

@bespokepaininthearse glad you and your DS enjoyed baby massage. ah it’s so tricky when they won’t sleep properly isn’t it. This is partly why I’m beginning to think there is no point in a routine as it changes so frequently with growth spurts, leaps and everything else!

I have yet to start the baby massage but really hoping DS will like it, and that it could help with wind!

So tonight is our first night of attempting a ‘proper bedtime’. He’s been bathed and fed and is now asleep in the next to me crib, I’m hoping I’ll dream feed when I come up to bed around 10 and he will go for 3/4ish hours from then but who knows?! Has anyone else started a bedtime like this yet or are your babies still downstairs with you until you go to bed?

He's still downstairs with us until we go to bed, but we tend to go a bit earlier than we normally would have 🤷 I'm not happy with him sleeping upstairs if we're still downstairs.

Wow you ladies are so busy with lots of different groups!! We keep him downstairs with us until we go up, when we starts proper bedtime routine I'll stay in the bedroom and just faff in my phone.

Just a little update on our first night of ‘bedtime’ he was upstairs for about an hour before we came to bed. We had the video monitor on, the movement sensor mat and we took it in turns to pop upstairs every ten minutes so it wasn’t actually a relaxing evening! 😂😂

I dream fed around 10 but he then woke at 12:30 so 4ish hours after first going to sleep so the dream feed didn’t seem to achieve anything? Then woke up again at 3:10 but his nappy had leaked so we had to change whole outfit, bedding and sleep bag! He went back to sleep around 3:50 until 6:30, had a 2 minute feed and he then rewoke at 7:30 and has cuddled back to sleep with me in my bed. - not a bad effort for our first night I don’t think!

Do I keep trying with the dream feed even though it didn’t seem to achieve anything? We’ve also said if it any point he is unsettled he will be staying downstairs with us! I was just curious to see how it would go.

DD and I go up to bed around 9pm, she gets changed into PJ's, nighttime nappy, book, swaddled by Dad.
Then put in her cot, kissed goodnight by me. I normally settle down under covers, she's usually asleep by 9:45.
And I go to sleep once she's gone

She's up again around 2-3am for feed.
Then again around 6am

Then up for the day around 9. We get up, she watches me shower and dress. Then she gets dressed (she will have a shower/bath 2 times a week in the morning)

So day 2 of the bedtime routine has gone to pot already, DS woke up from his nap at 4 which naturally meant he was asleep at half 6. He’s just slept for an hour and will be awake until 9:30ish so not in his bed around 8 like last night! nevermind 🙈 I wish I knew the magic of how to get him to nap at the same time each day!

Anyone else's lo started being harder to feed? He's 10.5 weeks and last couple of days has been so hard to feed, he's become more nosey so he's wanting to look around whilst eating 🤦🏻‍♀️ he's not been finishing any of his bottles too, so am starting to worry a little. He's happy enough and napping / sleeping as normal. What's going on ?!?

I'm feeling so annoyed today. All my baby apps keeping giving me articles about sleep saying "have you created bad nap habits?!" and "things to AVOID AT ALL COSTS" referring to sleeping on me/being rocked to sleep etc. But only a few weeks ago it was all about the fourth trimester and how your baby needs to be near you and of course they want to sleep on you rather than a cold bed on their own! You can't win! My LO is 9 weeks Sunday, tried to put her down for her morning nap, which is usually her biggest nap of the day, in her cot in her swaddle with white noise (same as bedtime) and she cried and cried. So in the sling she went where she's happily sleeping against me while I get to eat porridge 🤷🏼‍♀️ what can we do.

Let her sleep wherever works for you...!
Babies haven't read the books...!

@Teamthree, same here!! It's like we're meant to go from one mindset to another all of a sudden and the babies are supposed to know wtf is going on?! For what it's worth, Joe is 9 weeks and we still feed or rock/cuddle him to sleep, then put him down. I've just started trying to put him down when he's sleepy but not fully asleep, to see if he nods off on his own. It's worked twice, but the other few times he's woken up and we've had to settle him again!

Yep still feeding or cuddling and rocking to sleep here for naps at home! I have no intentions of stopping that anytime soon. I read somewhere that babies at this age can sleep for 8 hours at a time overnight - that certainly isn’t happening here either and I can’t see it happening in the next few weeks either.

@forevercurious, 8 hours?! My baby hasn't read that one either, we're still doing anything from 45 mins to 3.5 hours if we're verrryyy lucky!! Xx

I know, I wondered if it was a typo for 3 to be honest as 8 hours just seems insane!

We managed just over six hours last night! She fed at 8pm and fussed and cried and was just generally unsettled and refusing to sleep no matter what we did! Around midnight she nodded off and started to stir for a feed just after 6am! Not sure the fussy and stressful evening was worth the six hour stretch to be honest! Plus I normally watch love island during the night feed and didn't watch it last night haha 😂

Morning ladies! Happy Weekend 🙂 We were going to go for a meal last night, but Joe seemed unsettled all day so we stayed home... He was absolutely fine all night, sods law! Did any of you guys make it out the house??

Also, girls that bottle feed regularly... Do you always make up the feed fresh or does anyone do in advance /use ready made/have a prep machine?? Just trying to get some ideas, as Joe gets super hungry super fast now and is still having moments when he's refusing the boob ☹️ It's a tad stressful, especially at night or when I'm on my own!! Xxx

I use a really good thermos flask for nights . And half fill the bottles with boiled water so that it's cold when it comes to the night feed. Then I add the formula and hot water from flask . Milk will be the right temperature so you don't need to spend time cooling it

I've started keeping a flask during the day too as I'm worried our electric will go off again . Especially with these storms