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!

@PurplePansy05 I love the necklace in its own right! Where from?

@RandomCatGenerator Thanks! Amazon, girl! Here's the link: www.amazon.co.uk/KEFU-Teething-Breastfeeding-Jewellery-White-Peachy-Pink-Grey-Marble-Mint/dp/B07M89V6C4?psc=1&th=1&ref_=ast_sto_dp&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Re your sex question, it was very tight for me too the first two occasions but the third time felt more normal. It is a bit different than pre-pregnancy, not as comfortable is the best way to describe it. I need a lot of stimulation before to loosen up and make it enjoyable. We're not using lube because of condoms, I'm always concerned the condom will slip off or get damaged and I'm generally sensitive down there. I would love to try a lube otherwise though! Do you think it might be a mental block though? Are you a bit tense, worrying about sex? Or maybe anti-Ds have an impact too as well as being post partum? xx

I have the splash about warm in one too and happy nappy with just a disposable swim baby under it. I have found the warm in one definitely extends the length of time we can spend in the pool without it ds was blue after about 10 mins .. dd lasted a good half an hour when I took her for the first time a few weeks ago and we only got out because she had fallen asleep plus I was worried she might be getting Cold. When we actually got out and to the changing rooms she was actually super toasty in under the wee wetsuit.
@Ready2020 I'm glad they have given something and I hope it helps for you!!!

How warm is the pool? Council pools are usually pretty chilly so you need the wetsuit thing or they get cold. And size up. I wish I'd known with DS2 as I bought an age 6-12 months one and he was too big for it by about 7 months and only got to wear it twice. He was big but he wasn't in that size of clothing. I reckon it would fit DS3 now and he's only 10 weeks and in age 3-6m clothing.

The only way we can put him down for a nap in the day is to use the swing. The movement really helps. I only feel ok with him in there supervised although I did shut him away in it in another room once because DS2 was rampaging around! I just checked on him a few times to make sure he hasn't slipped down or anything. If I want to sleep I take him with me and we do a cosleeping nap. All other sleeps are on me or in the buggy or car.

For sex try a little bullet vibrator at the same time. Total game changer. Water based or silicon based lube is safe for condoms, it's just oils you need to be careful of. Silicon is not good for silicone toys though. water based is the most universal and the one you can buy everywhere. Durex, KY jelly, the novelty flavoured ones etc are all water based. I hate it because it goes all sticky but it does work. Silicone based lube is really really nice but expensive. You can get it from places like Ann Summers or online.

Ready if she hates the car seat, have a check you don't need to move up the shoulder straps or remove an insert or something. Many inserts are designed to be removed at about 60cm length which is somewhere around 3 months. It's also totally common for them to just hate the seat because they don't like being restrained but just in case it's a comfort issue!

Oh Bertie, I wish I had waited with ordering the wetsuit till I read your post. I ordered 3-6m, I hope it'll fit him but I now think it won't last long at all. Fingers crossed it's ok for this week at least! Ours is private run but I think it's still under some sort of Council supervision. I used to swim there before work years ago and thinking about it, it's always cool in there, changing rooms etc. Off memory, leisure pool was always around 30C but I might ring them up before to check.

Would you be able to have a look at MaxiCosi Pebble 360 and let me know if I need to remove anything from it @BertieBotts? Sorry to be cheeky but I really rate your guidance and in particular regarding car seats. I've just been looking at it and it does actually have an insert which I can pull out which says "isize 40-60cm" . I am totally confident DS is now over 60cm tall. Do I need to remove it? I never thought of that xx

Yes that means it should be removed once the baby is over 60cm long :)

BTW the latest which test results came out and the Pebble 360 was the best in class for infant carriers! One of the best safety scores I've ever seen on an infant carrier.

Oh really? That's amazing news, thanks! We bought it a couple of weeks after it came out and if you remember there were no rankings for it then but we thought it was really solid and liked it a lot IRL. I still rate it very highly, totally helped with bad back and post CS. Thanks a lot for confirming regarding the inlay!! So glad I am on here, I wouldn't have clicked that it needs to be taken out xx

It probably says in the manual but the problem is you tend to read that when you first buy it (if at all :o DH always says it "spoils the surprise") and then by the time the baby's actually here and you're using it day to day you won't remember some obscure point about a newborn insert. We've had to move the straps and headrest up on ours but I'm leaving the insert in for now as it's a bit more flexible in mine and just says about 4 months.

We removed our newborn insert because when I came back from our trip away his head could no longer fit in it 😂😂

I think the car seat blanket has obscured the view for me, but I'll have a better look tomorrow. DS will be measured at his second lot of immunisations now so will know for certain how tall he is. Tbh I just look up on manufacturer's website if I have any questions about the product. Totally ignored the manual after we installed the seat in this case. The website doesn't actually say that there's a removable smaller inlay and when to remove it. Lesson learnt to be more attentive and actually look at stuff that I use daily in a bit more detail! xx

I need to move our newborn insert up on the straps actually now we're talking about it as DD has got taller. Like berties ours says 4-6 months but also at parents discretion

I tried to be smart and change DD in her sleep bag... big mistake! Plus we had packed our spare. Had to run downstairs and chuck everything out the suitcase, chuck cat back in lounge and change DDs. She's now wide awake and feeding. Plus we're down one sleep bag for the trip. Might wash it on a quick wash in the morning.

We're definitely going to do a rethink of the cat seat insert and straps before we leave tomorrow.

Thank you for the car seat conversation! I was thinking our straps needed moving but didn’t know how and kept forgetting to check the manual…this has made me check and I definitely do need to move them. Even better I now know how!
@Ready2020 how annoying for that to happen when your second bag is packed! I hope DD falls asleep quickly and you do too x

@Ready2020 are you on your NE Scotland trip? What tog sleeping bag are you using? I'm about 20 mins from you and depending on the tog might have a spare I can drop off to you. DS barely uses his bouncy chair either so if you want to borrow that you're more than welcome to. Let me know if you're free for a coffee x

And sorry if that's a bit full on from someone on the internet 😂😂

Wow I should learn to read 😂 just read you leave today @Ready2020 offer still stands for bouncy chair and also sleeping bag if you can't wash and dry in time

Okay I have to tell someone this horrendously embarrassing story 😳 DH leaves for work 2 hours ago and it’s bin day. He puts the bin out when he leaves. The crows are already in at our bins though and I’ve just got up and saw some rubbish in the driveway. The bin men have been and always leave a mess behind. I’ve just gone out with a bin bag to pick up the rubbish lying around and you will never guess which big has been ripped open 🤦🏼‍♀️ A good few used pads lying around and tampons. It’s not like our bins are in with other peoples bins. They are sitting directly out the front of our house so anyone walking past in however long that’s been there will have seen that 😳 really hope the binmen have only just been and it’s not been there long

@Daffodil21 This is our Durham trip. The NE one is mid to end November. A bouncy chair would be brilliant if that's OK as we've only got a wee Ibiza car and the pram takes up most of the boot. Message where you live and we can work out where is good to meet.

@sarah13xx oh dear! I'm sure they've seen worse.... maybe I was hakkaaing and breastfeeding in my lounge a few weeks ago when the window cleaner turned up at the window.....

@Ready2020 😂 just concerned who’s walked past in that time but it would only have been light for a few minutes before I got there anyway 🙈

@sarah13xx The same happened to me in our old house! Got to love the seagulls... Where we live now, it's the kind of area where you have overlyriendly nosey neighbours and delivery drivers that you know by their first name, oh that's Jeff the Hermes chap type thing. So anyway, I was bf DS, doorbell rang, the dog started barking as he does. I ran to open the door and flashed Jeff the Hermes guy with my tit which I forgot was still out they're always out. That was week 4 of motherhood. Jeff still delivers here and doesn't look at me strangely, thankfully.

I love 'haakaaing' @Ready2020, this surely needs to make its was to the Oxford Dictionary! Classic! xx

Ooh really useful about car seats - I think DS's head is outgrowing his newborn bit and I'm pretty sure he's 60cm long now which is what my car seat wants so I might need to remove that!

@RandomCatGenerator I found sex the first few times was quite sore, but we just took it really slow and now it's back to normal - we first had sex after about 5/6 weeks, now 11 weeks and it's been good for probably 3 weeks I'd say if a timeline is helpful?

@Ready2020 good luck with your trip! I love Durham, such a wonderful city

@PurplePansy05 ooh that's great thank you! I'll look into one of those - he's getting so distracting during feeding now so hopefully having something interesting on me will focus his attention a bit!

We're going to pottery painting today to do hand/foot prints (Xmas pressies sorted!) - any tips much appreciated, I'm a bit worried that DS will wriggle so much that we won't get anything 😂

@Ready2020 I've sent you a PM :) wow lots of travelling! Hope it all goes nice and smoothly for you.

We've got our first ever baby class today. It's some music thing with farmyard based songs I think. I reeeally hope DS is ok and enjoys it!!!

@PurplePansy05 sooo glad it’s not just me, I imagine it must happen a lot 🤦🏼‍♀️ Hahaha I’m sure he tries so hard to act like he didn’t even notice every time

If I had to hear 'do we really need that' from OH again I'll kill him! Yes we need it! He'll be grateful for it at 3am.

We really should have packed the car yesterday... only just getting going and DD has pooped herself so we had to stop.

We looked at the cat seat insert but can't see how to change the straps. I've attached a photo of her in it. I think she's still OK size wise...?