June 2020 Babies - newborn snuggles, recovery, milk and night feeds!

[LillianFullStop]

First post natal thread for June 2020 babies! Looking forward to seeing our birth club thread members here soon!

She's a darling @Blizy such a cute outfit!

Awww @Mj2196 and @Blizy your babies look so cute 🥰

Those that have experience with reflux - did it make your babies noses a bit snotty/snuggly?
Grace seems to have a bit of a snotty nose, but not enough for me to think she has a cold, it’s not like pouring out if her nose. But just when she’s sleeping she sounds a bit snuffly and coughs once or twice. Taken her temp and it’s normal so don’t think she’s poorly xx

@Gigitree we aren't on anything for reflux but she is going through a phase of coughing and sneezing a lot I'm wondering if it's just a developmental thing perhaps, I also checked her temp and it's normal just incase it was a cold.
I have since read it's perfectly normal if that helps x

@Busylizzie85 might just be a newborn thing not a reflux thing then - thank you ♥️

@Gigitree ours has reflux and his nose gets bunged up...we have the calpol saline drops for his nose which helps to loosen everything!

Thanks @SRS1311 will have to get some of those and see if they help.
How are you getting on with the reflux? Is your little one on any sort of medicine for it? Xx

Hey ladies, I'm really struggling with bf... Zach is a very fussy eater with both bottles and bf I guess he's a bit of confused with nipple and bottles. I still try my best to bf him but each time it's such a struggle and I'm almost scared when it comes to feeding time. I'm happy for him to be fed with bottles with my milk however express machine isn't as powerful as his sucking and I fear that my supply won't catchup with his increasing appetite which is huge and if this happens we will have to switch to formula.. how's everybody doing RE bf.. I've been so down because of this in the last few days .. :(
He's 6weeks +2 days old now and gaining weight all fine.

@BabyBird20 great news about a tear-free bath! Will your LO settle in the crib if you get them to sleep first then lay them down, or does that not work either? When she's fed OK, Charlotte will let us get her to sleep, or just fall asleep and then we can transfer. We've only managed a couple of sleeps in the crib but it's given me hope. I'm hoping once she gets used to it a bit more to introduce more self-settling.

@MsMiaWallace yes to the granny pants here too.

@Pegase sorry to hear about further infection and antibiotics. I hope you're starting to heal and recover better now.

@Gigitree that sounds really tough. How are things working out now?

@Mj2196 beautiful picture and go you for battling the tongue tie and continuing to BF. I'm so sorry to hear you're still waiting to get it sorted.

@Gigitree

Thanks *@SRS1311* will have to get some of those and see if they help. How are you getting on with the reflux? Is your little one on any sort of medicine for it? Xx

Not doing so great with the reflux. I think the Gaviscon had some affect as he is less tense / looks like he is in pain. However, hes still throwing up milk and getting hiccups (all the time) which makes me think he still has an issue. Not sure where to go from here - hows yours doing? Xx

We are approaching week 2 on Sunday and feel all over the place. He seems to really struggle to settle ..the past couple of nights between 5 and midnight he has been agitated and fussy. Through the night he doesnt really settle and me and my partner are taking it in turns to stay up. I think most people on here are at least a couple of weeks ahead on their journey.. anyone else experience the same in the first couple of weeks and does it get any easier?!

@umabb BF is still a bit up and down here. It looks like we still might have thrush as there's lots of white still on her tongue. Sometimes she's settled at the breast and has a good feed, which then usually leads to a settled nap and being able to be put down. A lot of the time though she's still fussy, latching on and off and whatnot, but the infant feeding team lady I've been talking to also said some fussy behaviour, like tugging on the nipple and things, is actually normal and it's how they encourage our supply to increase. The main cause for concern is not the fussiness apparently but that many of her feeds are only 2-5 minutes long but still an hour to 2 apart, and she doesn't really cluster feed. The HV is coming to weigh her Tuesday as I have no idea how she's doing except that she's still giving us lots of wet and dirty nappies. I

I've mostly stayed as EBF, with just the occasional bottle, and it does take her a few goes before she starts sucking on it properly, so confusion could be a thing. Has anyone checked your latch and positioning and stuff?

There's also a growth spurt around 6 weeks, so it could be that causing him to be fussy, as he's trying to boost your supply to keep up with him, perhaps?

@umabb I also struggled with the breastfeeding for various reasons. This past week I have been expressing about 4 times a day using this to ensure he has at least one bottle of breast milk a day. When I spoke to my midwife she said that this would be enough for him to get the health benefits. However, have to ensure you continue to Express throughout day (including one between 2am and 6am) to stop milk supply drying up. So far its working for me, the rest of the time he is on formula. Hes happy, my partner can help with feeds, and I'm less stressed and anxious. Dont put too much pressure on yourself!

@SRS1311 we've been a bit all over the place re: settling but I definitely think feeding has a lot to do with it, so if he's not quite full or happy after a feed, then it will affect his ability to settle. She can settle on me generally OK but there are times where I have to walk the floor with her quite a lot. At night time we are co-sleeping because she just wouldn't settle for very long in the crib, and this seems to be working for us, though I'm hoping to end up in the crib at night time goes by. She will only settle for me however, not DH. She will go to DH if she's feeling OK or I've already got her to sleep. Even the pram doesn't always work. We went to the park yesterday and every time it stopped moving she woke up and needed resettling in my arms.

I remember from my toddler that it does get better.

@HaichMal & @SRS1311 things are all over the place. Sometimes she’ll have a feed completely fine and settle really well. Other times it can take over 1.5hrs for the feed process because she’ll scream and cry during the feed so we have to stop and calm her down wind her and then start again, and sometimes at the end of a feed she’s just so unsettled I’m having to consume her for an hour just so she’ll settle her, it’s heartbreaking to see her so upset. She hasn’t vomited since starting the gaviscon but it doesn’t seem to have really helped her discomfort after feeds either. The GP and my health visitor said it can take a few days for it to start to work, so I’m going to give it until Monday/Tuesday and if things aren’t better speak to my health visitor about the next steps. The GP mentioned trying a ‘comfort’ version of her formula, but I’ve seen cow and gate do a comfort version for colic and a anti-reflux version for reflux so I’m thinking it would be the latter we would need to try!

Console her not consume 😂😂

@Gigitree sending hugs and I'll keep my fingers crossed things improve soon for our little ones. It is heartbreaking isn't it? You just want to ease their pain and for all to be well and them happy.

@Gigitree @HaichMal Yeah our feeds sound a bit like that, they are clearly in distress and you dont know what to do for the best, so hard.

Iv seen aptamil do an anti reflux feed, we are using normal aptamil anyway. As the anti reflux one is thicker it's meant to help. I went to buy one the other day but didnt in the end as when I read the preparation instructions it sounded a bit of a faff. Like you have to leave it to stand for 5 mins, couldnt imagine that with a screaming baby! I decided to give the Gaviscon a couple of days but as it hasnt helped massively may have to reconsider.

I've got a phone call with the health visitor on Monday so will ask them for their advice aswell.

Thank you @HaichMal sending you hugs too, it’s so horrible to hear and see her in so much pain and I feel so helpless, it just breaks my heart 😢 let’s hope our little ones feel better soon 🤞🏻🤞🏻

@SRS1311 exactly it’s just so hard isn’t it? 😢😢

Oh yeah that does sound like such a faff! I think like you we’ll stick to the gaviscon for the weekend and see what the health visitor says on Monday! Xx

I'm just wondering how long all your little ones sleep during the day? Benji seems to have given up sleeping and is only getting about 12 hours sleep in a 24 hour period when all the buildings say it should be more like 18!
How often do yours nap and how long for? Do you actively 'put them down' for a nap eg rocking to sleep or do they just fall asleep naturally? Not sure if I'm missing a trick here!

@BabyBird20 often they don't fall asleep naturally after first few days/weeks unless as a result of being milk-drunk. I actively seek to get her to fall asleep after about an hour of awake time - have been following this website

www.preciouslittlesleep.com/are-you-keeping-baby-awake-too-long/

Thanks so much for this @Pegase I've definitely been missing a trick here! More strict napping routine beginning today! I need to learn these tires queues as he will happily stay awake and alert looking round for a few hours and still be calm! 😬😬

@HaichMal hey, sounds so very much like Zach. He gets fussy after up to 10mins and we try to top up with expressed milk and he's fussy with that too. He can have a good feed with bottle , and very rarely, with boobs, when he's really hungry but because he eats so little each time hence more frequently esp. during the day (at night he's more settled) so not that hungry hence doesn't happen often either. We are thinking maybe the growth spurt.
We have met a lactation specialist on zoom who helped a lot. A few feeds while she was looking went really well ironically.i believe our position improved a lot but still didn't solve the problem. I strongly recommend this lady though Hillary English she's pretty amazing at her job.

@SRS1311 that sounds sensible. I express at each of his feeds. If bf I try to drain my boobs with express machine and if bottle fed then for sure will have to express. Very tiring time.

@BabyBird20 they need help to fall asleep. I'd carry him bouncing on the fitness ball, or rock in my arms / in rocking chair, or put him in my sling , after he falls asleep then put him down. if I really don't feel like to, stick him in bed and give him a dummy and a shush machine he'll slowly fall asleep on his own.

Thanks @umabb he is definitely a fighter! Been trying everything to get him to sleep for the last hour and he's still awake! He nearly dozed off on the boob then woke himself back up again and is intently staring at everything!! I've sung, rocked, shushed, bounced, walked around etc Dummy was spat out 😩😩

It takes practice @BabyBird20 as they can be so resistant and the same thing doesn't always work!

I try and do one technique for a while though so it is repetitive as chopping and changing can be a bit stimulating.