Babies due September 2021

[FTEngineerM]

WE HAVE ARRIVALS 🥳🥳
Since we’ve had babies arriving I thought we could have somewhere to carry on after the babies are born and we tackle our new mum lives

I hope I tag everyone but ones arrived so far:
@kat1112025
@kirky685
@sillysocks998
@jay3004

And everyone else when your bundles of joy arrive:

@Noodles4Me - 26th Aug 💙
@Scotti84 - 30th Aug 💖

@Sceptre86 - 1st 💖
@primhutch - 1st 💖
@RaeRae84 - 1st 💙
@KHR1 - 1st 💙
@CherylLW - 3rd 💙
@GWhiteley - 3rd 💖
@deedeebythesea - 3rd 💙
@Allicit - 3rd 💙
@Poppins2016 - 4th 💛
@2021mumma - 5th 💙
@Squibble84 - 6th 💛
@leftitlate37 - 7th 💙
@SillyBry - 7th 💛
@LouiseJayne23 -7th 💖
@bewitchingnight - 8th 💖
@SK28 - 8th 💛
@Taralweaver - 8th 💖
@AdventuresAwait - 9th 💖
@mumof23188 - 9th 💙
@Bubbles1st - 10th 💙
@Catkin7 - 10th 💖
@FTEngineerM - 12th 💙
@CobleCloud - 13th 💙
@Maybebaby29 - 14th 💙
@Taybz - 14th 💙
@Bigdreamer9 - 14th 💙
@Eppy123 - 14th 💛
@Newmum110 -14th 💛
@Hopefulmummie - 16th 💖
@Mamabearwhere - 17th 💙
@HollyMoore - 17th 💖
@aurora2021 - 18th 💖
@Bluespace - 18th 💙
@ErrolFinn - 19th 💖
@xsjrx - 19th 💛tbc
@unicornpower - 20th 💖
@Moominmiss - 20th 💙
@Sophieandtiger - 20th 💛
@bluemagicalsky - 21st 💙
@Clouless - 21st 💛
@Suma2021 - 21st 💙
@SP2Bx - 22nd 💛
@Geegee20 - 22nd 💙
@Holly91 - 22nd 💛
@Rach921 - 23rd 💙
@LittleCatDog - 23rd 💖
@SproutingSprout2021 - 24th 💛
@LittleAurora -24th 💙
@RadDarwazeh - 25th 💛
@crobo87 - 25th 💙
@d0nut - 25th 💖
@GummyBear91 - 25th 💖
@AdriannaP - 25th 💛
@MrsTD88 -27th 💖
@MrsBrett20 - 27th 💛
@marshmallowmode -27th 💙
@Mrssernalewis - 28th 💛
@ams92 - 30th 💖

@Kirky658 we're doing ok, shes sleeping well on a night so im getting a decent amount of sleep in which is helping. Still battling with having enough milk sometimes when shes on one with her feeding but i got one of them drip catcher things someone on here mentioned and i get about 100ml a day from that, plus im then not as soaked and stinking of milk all day! Ive had a bit of an up n down the last few days in mood, I wonder when hormonal level out? Small things set me off n i cry for longer than is necessary. Lilly rolled off my knee and onto the sofa this morning, she didnt hurt herself, i was sitting on the sofa so she didn't fall or anything but it shocked me and her and i burst into tears and punished myself all day thinking how much of a crappy mum i am. I know its not a big thing and she wasnt hurt, she just threw her weight suddenly to one side and caught me off guard, but I felt so much guilt!

I hope the specialist helps, i think talking through stuff will probably help just as much as meds. The meds are to balance the chemicals in your brain but you still need to clear the thoughts and worries and no meds will do that. Hopefully the combo of both will have a good effect for you.

@Taybz Lilly had one at 3 weeks then another just last week. Im not sure if its the same for every baby but i think it roughly will be. I found things got a lot better after week 4, not sure if Lilly settled a bit or i just got more used to the mum stuff, but hang on in there!

@Scotti84 I’ll never forget leaving my first on the bed to have a wee and hearing the thud, silence and then awful screams of my eldest managing to squirm off the bed and onto the floor. I’ve was in tears and felt awful. But there was no damage done and she’s now a loony 4.5 year old.
It’s natural to beat yourself up, but you’re definitely not a shit mum!

For those of you topping up/combi feeding. Don’t feel guilty. When I took my eldest for her 1 year check, they were really surprised that she was exclusively breastfed and the suggestion was that I’d be stopping that now… so the judgment soon flips the other way! 🤣
They often seem hungrier on breast milk as it’s easier to process so they go through it quicker. Formula can sit heavy on their tummies so it “fills them up for longer”/take longer to process.
I also think they can be greedier on the bottle. When Rosie has expressed in a bottle, she just keeps going til it’s all gone. At least the boob slows and regulates her a bit?
But honestly, do what works for you! Mine is a speedy feeder so breastfeeding is far easier than the faff of bottles. But I have zero judgment for anyone whos baby wants milk all day etc 🤣

@Scotti84 it’s not just you! Dylan lifts his head and smashed it back down on my shoulder sometimes and it just really hurt his nose because he cries awfully and I feel terrible for not stopping it: he must think it’s me doing it too 😩. These things happen

How much does everyone else’s baby cry? Billie seems to cry ALOT, I mean the colic isn’t helping but if she’s not feeding or asleep she seems to be screaming. Is that normal? She was happy as Larry this morning and then suddenly it flipped and she started screaming again. She’s overtired because she’s refusing to nap in the day so that’s not helping either but it’s really tough!

@unicornpower overtired babies are the worst! With DC1 my mat leave consisted in spending every day trying to get him to nap, it was exhausting. Usually that meant the car, the pram or the sling. Would Billie settle in any of those? We didn't crack naps in the cot until 6 months.

But otherwise babies who mostly cry unless sleeping or.eating has been my experience of the 4th trimester. It does get better though, I think they say crying peaks around 8 weeks then gets graduallybetter. Hope it improves for you soon!

Thank guys, @SillyBry @FTEngineerM, that makes me feel better, i know shes gonna have accidents and stuff, but I didnt know id feel so guilty about it! I had nightmares before she was born about falling over when holding her so maybe it's just in my head for some reason.

Lilly does that head smashing thing too, doesnt seem to bother her but she makes a right bang on my jaw or shoulder sometimes, theyve got so much strength don't they!

@unicornpower we're fortunate Lillys pretty quiet unless she wants something or is tired, but DHs sisters two kids screamed all the time. I think for some babies its just how they are. His sister would say her two were just proud of their lungs and she got used to knowing what was a real needing something cry and what was just a scream.

@unicornpower we got a leaflet from the midwife about purple crying - www.healthline.com/health/baby/purple-crying#definition

Basically crying starts at 2-3 weeks, peaking around 6-8 weeks before railing off around 3-4 months.
Rosie cries quite a lot… basically if I put her down when she’s awake, she’s not best pleased!
I find having her in a sling helps as I have to put her down less. But also, I tell myself she’s fed, clean and dry… she’ll survive whilst I have a wee/brush my teeth/take something out of the oven etc!

How well are all the babies sleeping at night? Jesse will be 8 weeks Thursday and is exclusively breastfed. I would say he wakes every 2-3 hours in the night for food. I was told by a friend her son was sleeping about 6 hours at 6 weeks!

I wasn’t concerned before that and I know all babies are different.

Also… Jesse is pretty good all day but in the evenings he’s crying, screaming, resisting a nap making him over tired!

I keep thinking of routine… I don’t have one! When would anyone think of getting their baby into a routine?

Thanks girls, she does respond well to being the carrier but it seems it changes daily what works for her, she used to be such a contended little baby and now it’s a battle everyday just to stop the crying. The doctor said it’s colic but she’s most definitely over tired and it’s a hopeless situation trying to get her to sleep sometimes in the day! She DOES sleep at night so I guess that’s a silver lining but the amount of broken sleep is horrible lol

They don’t tell you this in NCT do they! The purple crying definitely sounds like her, it’s such a shame! She’s a delight when she’s not crying

Hi @CherLW, hope you're well. Our little one is 7 weeks on Thursday and is exclusively breastfed. She wakes between 2 and 4 hours in the night. She can also be unsettled in the evenings, though not always. I'm not sure when to expect more of a routine. She can still cluster feed and I was told to just feed whenever she wants to, so I don't think we'll be in one anytime soon but I'm happy to not at the moment.

@CherLW you’ve just described my baby too haha! She wakes every 2-3 hours for a feed depending on the time of day. She slept 5 hours last night which I wasn’t prepared for but i definitely don’t think it’ll be a recurring thing.

We’ve contacted a sleep consultant who a friend recommended and she doesn’t advise a routine until 2 months (ish) and even then only a loose one as in bath/bottle/book and then attempt a bedtime but it’s hard when they’re so small. Obviously every baby is different and some may find their own routine earlier or later

I feel the same @unicornpower! Our little one is a delight and sleeps pretty well at night but recently can be more unsettled in the day, not always but, like you said earlier, very happy and then suddenly crying. I'm sure she gets overtired or it is just unexplained or a growth spurt as she's also feeding more in the day. She's 7 weeks on Thursday so that does seem to correspond with the 6-8 week peak of crying that I've read about! I find it hard that I can't always help her and stop her crying, especially as she's usually very contented but I've been told by friends that many babies experience this. I'm going to try a carrier and I have the pram ready at the door as she always settles if we go for a walk. She also likes a bath and I heard that can help to soothe them when upset. I have started baby massage using an online course so hoping she'll really enjoy that too. It's good to know that these are phases and will pass!

Hey @AdventuresAwait I’m good thank you, hope you are doing well also. Can you believe how quickly the time is going!!
I can’t even imagine a routine at the moment, He’s so young! Sometimes he’s in bed at 7 and sometimes 11! I just do little things like keep the bedroom lights down, try and feed then change him then feed again etc.

@unicornpower 5 hours! That seems like a dream right now 😂 sometimes I’m so tired that I forget he wakes to feed in the night and I’m there trying to soothe him back to sleep and suddenly think ‘oh yeh you want fed’!

I think I’ll look at getting in to some sort of routine in the new year, or maybe we will slip into a bit of a natural routine along the way 😊

@CherLW, doing fine thanks and yes, I cannot believe how quickly the time is passing! Love seeing her grow and develop but also feel a bit sad that it is passing so quickly! I feel the same about routine and do the same things you described.

@CherLW Zach is combi fed and still gets up every 2-3 hours a night (although last night he slept for 7 and as amazing as that was, I didn't half panic when I realised as it seems a really long time to go without a feed when he usually has several in that time)

@KHR1 7 hours!! I don’t blame you for panicking, I would have too! I would feel like I’d missed him waking up! Must feel lovely tho!

Hi ladies, just catching up on the thread 7 hours is amazing, the sleep deprivation is definitely the thing I'm struggling most with.

My little one Oliver is 5 weeks tomorrow, he's bottle fed and goes 2-3 hours overnight. He doesn't really cry much so I guess I'm quite lucky but will keep an eye out and get prepared if it does peak at 6-8 weeks. He has however for the last few nights decided to have a stretch of about 3 hours awake time during the night, last night he was awake 1:30-4:30 no crying or anything just wide awake, alert but wants to be near us so putting him down awake doesn't work! Anyone else experiencing similar?

@CobleCloud yes, my boy went through that phase of being constantly awake...not crying, just awake. He's nearly 9 weeks now, sleeps in 5 hour chunks now which is great. He's bottle fed, on 6oz and thriving.

Got him registered finally today, and vaccinations next week...at nearly 10 weeks buy hey ho! Can then take him baby swimming! Can't wait.

Thanks @Noodles4Me that sounds promising 5 hours is a nice chunk too!

Congratulations on finally been registered, the earliest we could get Olivier booked in to register him is 24th November with my local authority.. he was born on 16th Sept, so we have a while to wait yet!

After sleeping so long last night he's still not fed much, had a bottle at 6am and 10.30 but nothing since. He has been having an extra oz per feed than normal but he's still so sleepy.

Had our phone postnatal check this morning, mine was fine but Zach's seemed a little pointless as he didn't really ask anything other than what milk he was having

Hi Ladies & Babies,
I haven't been here for a while. Baby AJ is 10 weeks today. He's gradually started crying more & more. He was Prem in August and September - 6 weeks early. Sleeps around 4 hours. I'm combi feeding. I have done the whole time as I was in hospital 10 days and 6 days away from baby. I'm producing about 400mls expressed milk. So instead of beating myself up mentally which nearly caused pnd and a breakdown, I just do both. Sometimes my boobs feel like I'm flagging a deadhorse but I guess something is better than nothing. My belly is still big though. Hasn't gone down. Perhaps because I'm eating loads. I so want to be a glam happy mom but it's like I don't know how to dress anymore. I can barely brush my teeth. I don't know how long I'll BF for. I'd love to feed for 18 months but it's unlikely. The reason I came on here especially was to ask, after c section and epidural, does anyone get numb and tingly legs, calves, thigh and feet and hands, arms? Basically your extremities. It can make me feel quite weak. I've heard og thyroiditis and carpel tunnel syndrome. I've also got bad posture following chest surgery. So my shoulders, back all hurt often. I'm just a mess basically. Mentally, emotionally and socially. Having a baby is so hard when you're absolutely shattered & sleep deprived. My mind is still a bit all over the place, plus my house is a mess! X

Hi all, sorry haven't been on for a few days. I am thanking my lucky stars as for the last week Alice has been sleeping through from 1030-0500! We give her formula mostly now as I'm weaning off expressing. She still is so hungry during the day though and wants to feed about every 3 hours. The reflux is driving me mental. The meds she's been given she hates so we have to put it in her bottle. Not ideal but least she's getting it. We went to our first baby group yesterday and she loved it, she was so alert! We are off on our first holiday with nannie and grandad tomorrow as a family we can't wait. We are going to Cornwall which is about 6hrs journey so a bit nervous but I'm sure it will be fine 😅

@Sillysocks998 welcome back! Sadly no advice on the strange feelings but wanted to say I completely relate to the rest of your post. My house is also a tip, my stomachs gone down but is like a small droopy pouch which is delightful, my standard hairstyle is greasy and tied back,my make up style is either nonexistent or smeared as when I do manage a bit of mascara I forget when I rub my tired eyes and look like a panda, and clothes... nighties, pj's, hubbys trackies and most of the time I dont bother with a top or shirt cos I whip it off to breastfeed so often it's easier just not to bother. Don't think my hubby was prepared for this dream 😅 and I don't know about anyone else but I hate 'suprise' visits! Especially from my MIL who looks around the house almost in disgust cos there's coffee cups on the side and cos I look like I just got out of bed with the world's worst hangover!

@Kirky658 wow that's great! Lilly did a 12.30 - 7.30 last night, worried about her not having eaten but she made up for that when she woke up! Anyone else find that baby poops two minutes after a nappy change? Even if there's not much in the dirty one, I think the fresh air brings it on 😅

Amazing to read about these long stretches of sleep at night! We're still waking between 2 and 4 hours every night... anyone else?? Xx

@Sillysocks998 @Scotti84, I don't think there's enough talk about how difficult some days can be! Amazing yes, but also exhausting. It's good to realise that we're not on our own with our feelings xx