August 2021 Babies - Running on Caffeine and Baby Smiles

[PurplePansy05]

Welcome to the chattiest post-natal club on MN!

We have welcomed 31 gorgeous new babies together 💖💙 ...

We have filled up several more like a hundred threads in the antenatal birth clubs chat...

...and now we have finally graduated and officially moved to the postnatal birth clubs chat! 🥳

Graduates of the August 2021 (and thereabouts) thread:

@Smurf123 & baby Sophia 💖
@wimbler & her baby boy 💙
@Jessicapebbles & baby Ebony💖
@Inmypjsagain & her baby boy 💙
@PurplePansy05 & baby Leo Alexander 💙
@WinterBabyof89 & baby Rosie 💖
@Winecoffeeteamum & baby Emily 💖
@Ready2020 & baby Rowan 💖
@Magik01 & baby Isaac 💙
@Hoares3 & baby Ellis 💙
@Daffodil21 & baby Elliot James 💙
@sarah13xx & baby Freddie 💙
@MrsB2019x & baby Ella💖
@biscuitcat & baby Rowan 💙
@Whatshouldbemyusername & baby Arya-Nyah 💖
@notinthestarsigns & baby Erin 💖
@Aaaaa1519 & baby Anum 💖
@Angelesque & baby Isaac 💙
@Millymay13 & baby Ethan 💙
@WolfMother326 & baby Alasdair 💙
@BertieBotts & baby Alex 💙
@RandomCatGenerator & baby Solomon 💙
@lucyrp & baby Evelyn Rose 💖
@HopefulB & baby Chloé 💖
@Mmr224 & baby Alasdair 💙
@Smallbean27 & her baby boy 💙
@Fran919 & her baby girl 💖
@Caz1226 & baby Dougie 💙
@Ava50x & her baby boy 💙
@dirtyfries & baby Frankie 💖
@ame88 & baby Lily 💖

Tagging @Dia12, @livingwithbees, @Sheisfee, @Alittlexmasmagic and @LottSE20 in the opening post so you know we're here as and when you wish to rejoin/share your updates 💐

Here we go!

@Magik01 I really feel like our DSs are long lost brothers sometimes when I read your posts 🤣 He will not leave me alone. However, a small success today - he had a 30 min nap in his N2M. I shut the curtains and sat on the other side of the bed not to distract him and he slept. I managed to do something but not much as I'd have to leave him alone in the room for longer. Still, it felt great! Is it ok to shut the curtains for baby's naps during the day or will it ruin his circadian rhythm?

I'm retrying the sling tomorrow. Then the stroller seat is next on the list.

He had the biggest poonami ever. I kid you not, it went through the nappy, 2 layers of clothes, muslin cloth, and Baby Bjorn cover. He then smeared it over me, his socks and then his cheeks. It was so bad I had to give him a bath. He weed in a bath and then was sick over himself. We've had a long day xx

@PurplePansy05 well done on the nap. My DD isn't overly clingy but will only nap in buggy or on me. If I put her down once in me she wakes up. We close a curtain in the lounge for naps as she just needs that little cue that it's nap time. No idea if right to do that.

We're in that time of day I don't like. Lead up to bed where she's just a bit grouchy and we should be making dinner but OH is still working.

How long does it take your DCs to go down for the night? It took an hour and a quarter for my DD last night! It didn't help that she had a wet nappy half way through that we didn't realise.

Thanks @BertieBotts, as you say it’s how unpredictable they are which is difficult! the only place she is nearly always calm is the carrier so I think I may have to just stick with that for now, or go to shops I can walk to when she is asleep, or go out when dh has finished work. Just need to get a coat or something to keep dd warm in the carrier now it’s getting colder.

@PurplePansy05 I feel you with the poo explosion. We didn’t have one for 3 days then had 6 in the early hours of this morning 🤦‍♀️

@PurplePansy05 I always have a dark room for naps. I’d actually like it darker here but the room we are in has two windows and we only have one black out blind and I’m too lazy to create a makeshift one. When we move back home I’m considering getting some proper ones made. Not the standard roller blinds that claim to be black out (they never are) but the cassette type ones that go up and down runners in the window recess. Having the room super dark is supposed to really help with their sleep. When they get older too it’s really important. Especially when the dreaded clock changes come and it’s light at 4am and they think it’s daytime!!

I didn't even think about the clock change, Christ 🙈🤣 This is going to be fun! That's really reassuring @wimbler, thank you. I think I may have been going wrong with trying to put him down for a nap in really bright rooms, my entire house is so bright. Today I had curtains shut in the bedroom because I've not had a chance to open them yet 🙈 Put him in the N2M randomly too after I contained the poonami and had to empty his bath. Came back a minute later and he was falling asleep! I'll be trying this again tomorrow for sure! xx

Hey all, I'm sure I missed lots of posts about jabs 3 weeks ago when you're babies had them, but I could use some reassurance. Alasdair had his this morning. He screamed a lot, nursed and immediately fell asleep hard. Since then he's been sleeping on and off, when awake crying or moaning. I gave him Calpol twice, he spit a lot out the 2nd time (why make it strawberry flavoured not milk flavoured??) and now is burning up. No fever according to thermometer (37.1), just very hot to the touch. Only nursing a bit. All normal, I hope? Not made better by the fact that DH is away on a work trip and I had a covid booster yesterday so feel rubbish myself.

@WolfMother326 All normal. my DD was either sleeping, feeding or crying after the jab. She had this horrible cry after it that didn't last too long as she fell asleep so fast. She didn't have a fever and I don't remember her getting hot. She rather liked the calpol!

Oh I got that Seraphine coat but it was too big for me and I had to return it they don't do exchanges and the coat isn't in the sale anymore. I'll find another one I guess.

@WolfMother326 It was very similar here, yeah, he was recovering for several days - lots of sleeping, funny sounding cry, a bit off his usual feeding routine. Leo didn't have fever, at one point his temperature was 37C but it didn't go higher. I was advised to give him 3 doses of Calpol, one immediately after and the other two every 4-6 hrs and to repeat the following day if he has fever (he didn't).

@Ready2020 That's such a shame! It suits me perfectly size-wise, I like my parkas on the loose side and to wear a hoodie underneath. With that zip in panel in they are mahoosive though! Without it I found it was the right size. I'm sure there's an NCT discount code to get £20 off but I can't remember what it was, anyone? xx

@Ready2020 I don't know if you've seen it but the black one is down to £139 atm www.seraphine.com/en-gb/3-in-1-winter-maternity-parka/ (I know you had the khaki one, but it's still nice) and there's a new reversible one which looks good, down to £129: www.seraphine.com/en-gb/reversible-3-in-1-maternity-coat/ xx

@WolfMother326 he hated the calpol 🙈 He just slept for about a day after his jags, barely saw him and it was the one time he wasn’t wanting milk too. He kind of came alive again about 24 hours later and downed two bottles back to back

I got the zipusin panel for my jacket (after ordering the wrong type of zip first time 🙄) and it seems to be good for the cold. Not ideal for rain but you can get a hood for that. It’s handy you can use it on different jackets too, as long as they’re the same kind of zip.

I’ve found Freddie hates a smooth floor in the pram so if he’s at all awake before you go into the shop you’ve got no chance. If you’re lucky and he’s asleep when you go in he doesn’t always realise and stays asleep but if not he’ll scream the whole way round 🙈

@Ready2020 His worst time of day is (conveniently) when we’re trying to have dinner. We aim to have him in bed by 8 and start the bath routine some time between 7 and 7:30 but it’s like he senses it coming and just starts screaming from 6ish. He’s most likely overtired but the same thing happens every night when it doesn’t happen at any other point of the day. When he does finally stop screaming and take his bottle he is usually in bed for 8 so it’s maybe only half an hour of really fighting it, but he has been crying on and off for a lot longer just knowing he’s going to bed soon 🙄 Then he shuts his eyes and turns into a complete angel and if it was up to him I don’t think I’d see him again til 8am, but I still wake him for a feed at 11. I’m waiting on the bubble bursting and us going back to being up multiple times a night but it’s been going like this for nearly 2 weeks I think 🤔

I need to share this about my mother in law, I just need to 🤦🏼‍♀️ It’s a bit of an ‘AIBU’…

Back story: she’s never had a great relationship with DH and basically met a new husband after splitting from his dad and just left him to get on with it as a young teenager. I think he felt really abandoned by this but never really let’s on. He stayed with his dad, his new wife and his step-brother from that point onwards. Still not a great relationship with his mum. She’s hard work and extremely cheeky. Glass houses and all that but she has some kind of judgemental comment to make on random people’s lives every time I see her 🙄 She’s not worked in years. For no reason, they’re not at retirement age yet, only 57, they could work but choose not to and get given every benefit and freebie going. Anyway, back to this week’s events 🙄

She had been desperate to take Freddie out in his pram so I let her take him the other week. She came to our door the other day but Freddie was asleep upstairs so I didn’t offer for her to see him but I then felt I should offer to take him to her house. She stays within walking distance from us so I said I’d message her about bringing him up or she could take him another walk if she wanted. Now, bearing in mind I’m the one with the baby, potentially sleep-deprived with a routine to stick to and she has no upcoming events at all, ever. So I messaged her tonight saying I could come up on Friday morning about 11am and she could either just see him or take him a walk if it suited better. She replied to say she won’t be up by 11am and could I make it after lunchtime 🤔 I thought a) who isn’t up by 11am?! b) who’s admitting they’re not up by 11am and c) who has the cheek to say they’re having a long lie so it doesn’t suit to the girl with the tiny baby?! 😳

We’re meeting a friend already on Friday afternoon so I said I was and wouldn’t be able to make it later. Fully presuming she would say she’d just get up ‘early’ aka 11am then. Nope, she said we’ll just do it another time then!!! I was in disbelief 🤦🏼‍♀️ She’s turned down an opportunity to see her grandchild when she’s only seen him a handful of times because she wants to stay in her bed?! DH was livid and said he was going to phone her to tell her how extremely lazy she is but I told him not to bother since it’s only her that’s missing out and I’m certainly not forcing her to make a tiny bit of effort 🤦🏼‍♀️ It’s the fact I can’t even say anything in response to her and have to just act like that’s normal behaviour

She sounds hard work @sarah13xx. There's no logic to it and she should be making more of an effort. Don't let this upset you or DH too much (I know it has upset you anyway because MIL should care more and be more considerate). My DH is NC with my MIL and she's an utter lunatic, and I'm now struggling with my own DM's unreasonable behaviour. She's not met DS yet as she lives abroad and is allegedly so scared of covid that she expects all of us to fly out to see her, as if the risks of covid and other viruses now were significantly lesser for DS and us DM is in her early 60s and has no major health concerns. We are definitely not doing this. I've been flying to visit her several times a year for years and years, she's barely ever reciprocated. There's more to it but it would be a massive essay to write about it all. Anyway, I was really upset with her selfish and inflexible attitude in this important moment for me, but now I just don't care, she's the one missing out and maybe it's actually less stressful this way than trying to work around the other person with a young baby at home. Sometimes it's for the best, don't try to be too nice now, you have a lot going on. xx

@PurplePansy05 yip, she is! The fact you’d say that as if that’s completely normal 🙈 If I’ve ever been going a walk or meeting anyone for lunch who has a baby before I had kids I was always bending over backwards to make it fit their routine so I wasn’t inconveniencing them at all but to ask me to go back later because god forbid she’d have to get up at 11am 🤷🏼‍♀️ She has no shame though if she’s willing to admit that!

Aww that’s sad 😔 why do people have to spoil nice things for us? You’re right though, there is no point in wasting time even thinking about it or letting it annoy you when they’re the only person missing out in the situation 🤦🏼‍♀️

@PurplePansy05 oh thanks. The black coat wasn't in my size before so I'll get it now. I've got the NCT voucher in the kitchen so I'll look it out later.

DD just threw up mid feed! All over my front and her sleep bag

@PurplePansy05 I love a good video 😂 she actually runs a shop not too far from me so posts on my local mums Facebook page, which is how I found her YouTube channel

@sarah13xx she does sound like hard work - I think you're exactly right in telling your DH not to call though, as it doesn't sound like it would have accomplished much sadly.

@notinthestarsigns we also had a poo explosion recently - usually he still goes a couple of times a day so it's not an issue but yesterday morning was the first in about 36 hours and was spectacular! Like a nappy full of soup 😂 I also find shops tricky if he's awake - in the sling is just about doable but pram is really only fine if he's asleep already xx

Has anyone tried gripe water by the way? I tried it recently for his evening madness when he's just crying (the Boots own brand version), and oh my goodness it's like miracle water! Get it down him and within a couple of mins he's quiet! (Plus doesn't taste too bad for me having a little sample either!)

Hello 4am group! 👋

@PurplePansy05 maybe Leo is also going through his leap? Maybe they are brothers from another mother 😂 sorry to hear about your DM as well she’s being so unreasonable expecting you to fly with a baby. I just don’t get some people at all. But she is the one missing out on precious moments, not you.

@sarah13xx your MIL sounds extremely selfish. Who tells someone with a baby they they don’t get up before 11am!! It’s like rubbing salt in the wound. I know Freddie is a good sleeper but still. Like I’ve said to Pansy, she’s the one missing out. I certainly wouldn’t be making the effort. It’s similar to my in laws- they live 5 mins drive away and have seen DS2 two or three times since he’s been born. They are missing out though, not me.

Does everyone put their baby to nap in a dark room?! I haven’t at all! Mainly because he will only fall asleep on me, secondly because it would be difficult to go upstairs and put him down while the three year old is also in the house.

Another question, if we were to have a lie in with the blinds closed until say 10am would that mess up his hormone that differentiates between day and night?

I seem to be part of the 3, 4, 5 and 6 am club! Am I the only one who is up most the early hours?!

@Magik01 we don't nap in a dark room. She sleeps on me on the sofa and I watch TV with sound on. I draw one curtain over the French door so it's in shade but I probably don't need to do that. I would love for her to sleep in the pram or cot but guess that will come later on.

Our only wake up calls were half 1 and 6 this morning! 😅

@Magik01 no I don't put her to nap in a dark room, I have done it once or twice when nothing else seems to have worked but usually she sleeps on the sofa in her sleepyhead or in the pram in the living room or kitchen

@Magik01 Leo sleeps like Isaac too. I never used to draw the curtains in during the day, but it so happened he had a nap in a dark room yesterday and it worked yesterday for 30 mins. He also just slept all night since midnight. I'm going to read up more about this and circadian rhythm now xx

And just to add, the noise didn't matter for him, I wasn't tip-toeing. I sat down quietly on the other side of the bed first, but was nipping in and out all the time after and he didn't care. He's used to background noises like tv, our pets etc when he's asleep. Seriously if this works to at least give me 5 mins to do stuff, even if he just chills for a bit, I'm going with this! xx

@Magik01 yeah definitely! I know, it’s still much harder going than not having a baby though but its as if she’s forgot I have a baby. Oh no, I really don’t understand why they’re not bending over backwards to see you 🤦🏼‍♀️ It’s a waste of energy trying to reason with these people though

@biscuitcat yeah total waste of time if someone is that wrapped up in their own ‘routine’ 🙄