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!

@sarah13xx my I laws are travelling from abroad on Monday they don't get in until late so they won't manage to be awake and see ds before he goes to school - he doesn't start to 1130 and they need to go get a covid test so they booked it for 2pm the exact time ds finishes and want dh to go with them so means I'll be left taking dd with me to collect ds and get him hair cut (booked weeks ago as only one girl who does good hair as he finds it difficult)
I thought they would be bursting to see both ds and dd after not seeing us since 2019 due to covid

Wow, I'm surprised to hear how many of your family members are rather selfish and not as enthusiastic perhaps as you'd (completely reasonably) expect them to be I always think what goes around, comes around, I won't be bending over backwards for them going forward either, I've no energy or time to be a people pleaser anymore xx

Also CS girls - I promised to share the advice from my women's physiotherapist regarding the recovery, quick bullet points:

• Walk daily for as long as comfortable/possible around your baby's needs, try to extend walks daily
• Swimming also recommended once the CS wound us fully healed
• Pelvic floor exercises daily (for example during feeds - easily done)
• Start off with gentle lower abdominal exercises and move on to transverse abdominal gradually, do not push too hard, it should be a gentle progression over a roughly 4 week period
• jogging ok from 16 weeks - best to progress from fast walking first, for example a C25K would be a good introduction/reintroduction
• no high impact exercises such as jumping or HIIT until 16 weeks
• postnatal low impact pilates is recommended
• if you want to do HIIT or weights, introduce gradually - start with similar low impact exercises (effectively easier versions) for now and then post 16 weeks move on gradually to higher impact

For diastasis recti:

• as above, plus do not lift, hold or feed baby using one or dominant side, eg more right than left
• if you go for a walk with baby and OH, let OH push the pram and make sure you move your arms as you walk, it makes different core muscles work than those you use when pushing the pram and helps with ensuring they are used evenly if that makes sense
• if you have 10-15 mins to yourself eg on a weekend, do an energetic round around the block, walk as fast as you can and swing your arms energetically to help you. She said it might look silly, but go for it - apparently it really helps.

She'll send me some leaflets/links too which I'm happy to share. She will also send me something about postnatal pelvic floor exercises xx

(The above is assuming your CS wound is closed and not infected of course) Xx

DD can be lay in her sleepyhead on the floor and I can Hoover around her and she won't wake. Can also dry my hair with hair dryer in bedroom and her in crib and she won't bat an eyelid 🤣

@PurplePansy05 thank you for all that information, it’s really useful! and a reminder to extend my walks, I extended mine until I could walk to town and back but haven’t extended further yet. I’m keen to start the couch to 5k when I’m able to, so it makes sense to get my walks to that distance first before upping the speed.
I think you’re all right about remembering they are the ones missing out, and that they should be the ones fitting around the newborn baby rather than it being the other way around. Hugs coming to everyone who needs one this morning x

The NCT code is NCT20 to get £20 off but it doesn't seem to work for me. Maybe it's because the coat is on sale already.

Has anyone else's baby had cradle cap yet? Just looked at DDs hair and it seems it's starting to come all over her head under her beautiful hair 😢

Yes we have. His head has been smelling musty (the dead skin smell ) for a couple of weeks and it's turning into cradle cap now.

Dentinix shampoo is good.

@lucyrp yep. A friend recommended dentinox with one of those brush type things

Yeah we've had it and it went with just water washing but I think it's coming back so might try the shampoo.

Just spent £50 on a load of clothes for DD as she's just on to 0 to 3 months. They'll last a month probably!

We literally spent a week or 2 in 0-3 months straight to 3-6! But I keep the 0-3 vests, they still fit. And a lot of the sleepsuits are OK for when we run out.

0-3 long gone, 3-6 also gone, it's all about the 6-9 in this house now 😱

I've just been doing a clothes sort of out his next sizes - so many clothes haven't been worn at all because he's grown so quick. I did not anticipate putting him in the jeans and tops etc already! Some of the 6-9 are still too big at least, it's the supermarket brands that aren't. I can't believe how quickly he's grown!

We're still in newborn and 0-1 months🥴 she's 8 weeks on Tuesday

It saves you loads of money if they are smaller :o they can use things for longer! They still get there in the end :)

I'm never quite sure what to put her in apart from sleep suits or leggings and long sleeve vests. I refuse to put her in dresses for some reason. I'm not against dresses, I wear dresses! But I don't like to be so gender specific with her. Weird I know.

In my attempt to try putting DD down for her nap rather than leaving her on me I've missed the window and she's gone on to over tired babbling Trying to avoid the 2 hour pram walk but I think it's inevitable. My hips can't take all the walking!

I third the Dentinox shampoo suggestion for cradle cap, it really helped Leo. We also have a silicone glove brush which I use with Dentinox, it's good and I hope he'll get used to having his hair brushed. He enjoys it!

@Millymay13 No worries, I'll share more tips after my in person appointment, it's actually happening next month! xx

Thanks for the cradle cap recommendations, will try it out! I've been combing her hair rather than brushing as it seems to flatten her hair and it looks much nicer when combed but we'll do some brushing first followed by combing 😂

@Ready2020 we haven't had much sleep yet today either we've had an hour from half 10 to half 11 and we've already been for an hours walk and still no sleeping 🥲

@BertieBotts we are out of some newborn mostly the Tesco stuff and I haven't really looked at my 0-3 drawer yet which I really need to as it's rammed full of clothes some of which probably fit now but we have no need for them yet😬

@lucyrp yes dd has some cradle cap I've been using baby oil before a bath and then shampooing it off. It's helping but not completely rid of it. Dd also had it on her eyebrows but it completely got rid of it there on the first go which was good.
Likewise I can hoover round dd and she will be in fine with it. It often sends her to sleep. 🙈

@Smurf123 oh no, how inconsiderate 🤦🏼‍♀️ I think it’s just selfishness, some people don’t seem to think of anything other than themselves

Oh wow, he’s just gone into 3-6 months clothes properly today and he’s 9 weeks. I thought he was big but maybe not 🙈😂 he’s just so long, the buttons to do up underneath on everything and the length of the trousers are just so short in 0-3 now 🤦🏼‍♀️ Trying to get the wear out of the next size so he doesn’t end up outgrowing things and never having them on like he has with quite a few of the smaller clothes 😢 I always thinking ‘oh well the next baby can wear it’ but it could be a girl then no one ends up wearing it!

We went to a class at lunchtime today (when he usually has a 2 hour nap), for some reason he didn’t sleep in the car on the way there. He fell asleep at the class and I knew he would be getting overtired. We’ve been home for 2 hours and he’s pretty much screamed the entire time 🙄 drifted off just before DH came in from work. He came in, shut the door, he heard it and that was him awake again 🤦🏼‍♀️

Sometimes I wonder if these classes are worth it at this early age. I've been to baby massage and sensory and it's been kinda fun but all it does is make her cranky that her sleep time was interrupted. I guess it's to meet other mums but they've failed to produce on that front and I'm not overly bothered about making pals.

My sister (yes her again!) says I need to create my own village as I've only my mum here and she is shit at being any support. But I'm not overly social generally and have a few select friends at various child/pregnant stages. They are just unfortunately not where I live!

@Ready2020 yeah I do regret booking this one but you pay for a 5 week block so I’m dragging myself there every week. It’s quite far away and is right at the time he’d go for a nap. He did enjoy the first half of the class and it’s a really small group so it’s a good one for chatting to other mums without there being any pressure. I just feel I’m not going to make friends as such because it’s so far from where I stay. We’re starting a new class when that one finishes and going with a few girls I know who have babies slightly older than him. Luckily it’s just a short drive and is before lunch so he should sleep when he gets home from it. I think they’re fine if it’s not a cliquey one and you’re not going every day of the week, I’m doing one at a time max

I just went to coffee morning type things at that age, so I don't know what it's like going to an actual class! It's def nice to get out and meet people even if it takes a while.