August 2021 Babies - They Had To Be Gorgeous, Just Look At Us

[PurplePansy05]

Welcome to the chattiest post-natal club on MN!

We spent a year together chatting about all things pregnancy and baby...

...we've tried and tested countless baby products...

...exchanged hundreds of tips...

...talked about all the big things in life, all the little things, the good times and the tough times...

...we had a good laugh together 😁...

...and somehow we now have gorgeous 3 month old babies without looking a day older ourselves 😅 (must be that good laugh!)

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 💖

Sorry if I've missed anyone, please join in! xx

@PurplePansy05 yes he's a big boy 😂 he was 14lbs at his 8 weeks jabs! I think he's slowed down a bit since then.

@Inmypjsagain I've used the Neals Yard baby balm, it's lovely! Bless him he's still a bit snotty, hopefully better soon though.

We had a hideous night last night, saw almost every hour - really hoping it's a one off bad one and not the dreaded regression... he's 4 months tomorrow!

[quote PurplePansy05]@babyturtle19 How much does your LO weigh? xx[/quote]
She's 10 pound 7

Also I know I've previously said how rubbish our GP services are, but I will always give credit where it's due, they've sorted out my CBT referral in under a week and I'm starting next week. Turns out they collaborate with our local MH charity and deliver a programme online with some guided help and things I can try at home too. They are positive it's a spike in anxiety and so am I. They've also referred me on the NHS to a new mums MH support team, didn't know it existed. Apparently it's overwhelmed, unsurprisingly, but hopefully I'll get to see them before returning to work at least. I think the fact I'm halfway through my maternity leave combined with the year turning didn't help me, I've suddenly freaked out about juggling everything.

I hope everyone is getting the right help and thanks again for sharing your stories and motivating me 🙏😊 xx

@babyturtle19 The weight overlaps between nappy sizes, the wise ladies on here advised me few months ago sometimes a size up fits better because of the shape of the baby, they're all individual 😀 so we were in size 2s fairly quickly and then very quickly in size 3s, he's been in them for ages and they're by far the best fit. Don't be put off whether it's a 1, 2 or a 3, try what fits her best 😊 xx

[quote PurplePansy05]@babyturtle19 The weight overlaps between nappy sizes, the wise ladies on here advised me few months ago sometimes a size up fits better because of the shape of the baby, they're all individual 😀 so we were in size 2s fairly quickly and then very quickly in size 3s, he's been in them for ages and they're by far the best fit. Don't be put off whether it's a 1, 2 or a 3, try what fits her best 😊 xx[/quote]
Thanks so much. I'll give the next size up a go and see if that's better for her x

I have some size 4s in the cupboard so I might put one of them on over the threes and see how that goes 🤔 he’s soaked all the way through to his sleeping bag again last night but the nappy can’t actually absorb any more, its just completely saturated

@PurplePansy05 that's brilliant. It's been 3 weeks since I did the forms and had my GP app. They say they aim to respond within 3 weeks to book an app so i emailed them and they just said they are busy so waiting times are longer.

Yes same here. My DC have always fitted better in the larger size for their weight. I think they have big bums :o Some babies are shaped different so if they are in the overlap it's always worth trying both. You can always keep the bigger size for later if it doesn't work yet. We are currently at size 3 for Pampers Premium but working through the last of the own brand size 3s to move to size 4 when he's finished doing that. They are a bit smaller than the Pampers.

Yeah I have not really looked that closely at TOMM TBH. I thought it was just meant to be 15 mins a day once you've got the basics down but those kinds of systems never work for me. I hate tidying and housework in general. The only thing I like is doing laundry.

Smurf sorry I've not kept up, are you moving out there? Have you lived in Denmark before? You have family out there I think you said last time?

Sleep is for the weak here DS3 wants to sleep cuddled right up to me all night and naps are only happening for about 30 mins at a time as long as we keep him moving. DS2 keeps waking up at 6am excited for his advent calendar. He was asleep when DH brought him home today. I asked if the early mornings are catching up with him and he just nodded.

@BertieBotts we are just here for a month. Dh and I lived here for a year after we were married but then moved back to Belfast as I was flying home every month to visit my family. Plus it was Copenhagen and I didn't fancy living in a 5th story 1 bed flat with kids which is all we could afford.
Dh is Danish but from southern Denmark - about an hours drive from Germany as they often drive there for shopping. All his family are here. We were due to come for 2 weeks over Christmas but with covid worries they persuaded us to come out early as they were worried about further restrictions being brought in

Today I feel crap. I got Isaac weighed as last month they said he dropped in centiles so wanted to reweigh in a month. Well he’s only put on 220grams in a whole month. I feel absolutely terrible. I’m ow he’s not lost weight but the HV said they should be gaining 30/40grams a day at this age.

The HV checked his mouth and said he has a really obvious tongue tie as his tongue is heart shaped at the end. And it would explain why he only feeds 2/3/4 minutes at a time and struggles with a bottle.

Because of his age the NHS will no longer do the procedure, so she said the options are not to get it done or go private. I’m really struggling with what to do. The procedure scares me and it will break my heart especially as he’s more aware. Plus he I’ll be eating soon. I don’t know what to do for the best. 😟

Also that’s great news @PurplePansy05 it’s a real shame that these services in the nhs are understaffed and underfunded. I didn’t know about the parent and baby unit I attend either as it’s not really spoken about.

@Magik01, please don’t feel like crap! You’ve done amazing, tongue tie unfortunately is one of those things that isn’t picked up by the NHS and acted up as much as it should. I think my DD will have dropped centiles next week because the amount she’s feeding hasn’t increased over 24 hrs. I’m still waiting for dietician referral to come through!

Myself and @Smallbean27 have booked in for a tongue tie assessment, I think smallbean has gone for a feeding assessment too as part of it. I don’t like the idea of my DD being aware however if it there is an oral restriction it can impact solids feeding and speech development. apparently some LO with a TT really struggle with manipulating the foods and texture etc. if they leave it until it impacts speech as it cut then, LOs need to have general anaesthetic to have it cut. I posted a few pages back some good People to follow on IG and there’s another called gentlebirthsand_beyond. It’s so hard isn’t it to know what to do but I think if you have an assessment they can grade the restriction and you can then take it from there?

@Magik01 don't feel bad, I'm sure it will pick up again soon.
With tongue tie I don't have any personal experience other than teaching some children with it. It is an sen school and we have our own team of speech therapists- who also assess feeding and look for tongue tie as it can cause feeding . One wee one has to have their severed last year age 5. So if it was me I'd rather get it dealt with now while they will quickly forget about it rather than wait to later

Tanks ladies. The HV did say that his tongue is heart shaped at the end rather than rounded like normal which was the main visual indicator. She then had a feel and said he struggled moving his tongue to the side and his palette is also really high.

I guess because I’ve had no pain or mastitis or anything like that I didn’t think he had one! But sonde reading about it today one of the main things is whenever he feeds I always get drenched in milk where it’s obviously coming out the side of his mouth, I didn’t know that was an indicator at all. Also with the really short feeds.

There’s a lady on the board of associates who is around an hour and a half from me who has availability next week so I think we will book him in, it says she’s assesses then does the procedure if needs be. It just seems really brutal! It’s also frustrating that it was missed which I know is really common, it’s just not the best time of year to fork out money that didn’t need to be spent if it was noticed earlier on.

@Magik01 No experience here with TT and you've already had some great advice, but just to say you've done nothing wrong! If the health professionals didn't notice anything that means one of two things, either it wasn't obvious at all or they didn't give you enough support. Do not feel guilty! And if it cheers you up, I had a slow weight gain drama with Leo for weeks and then suddenly he gained something ridiculous, nearly a kilo in 2.5 weeks if I remember correctly - that was after I worked my guts out fine tuning our bf positioning, latch, deciding whether to give him any top ups and how much and whatever else. It was a nightmare that he wasn't gaining as fast as he should and I really feel your pain, it's steessful and upsetting. But they definitely do catch up once the issues are resolved so please try not to worry too much . I'd also question the 30-40 gram a day advice. I don't know where she took that from, Leo put on the equivalent of 20g per day between 12 and 16 weeks and he's still following the same centile and no one said anything about it 🤷🏼‍♀️ xx

@Magik01 don't feel guilty at all! We pondered for weeks if DD had a tongue tie and there was such a long wait on the NHS and like you say it's a lot of money that we don't have at the moment I know its important that it's sorted but we were struggling on with the shields. I watch a lady on YouTube who's got a little girl who's just turned 6 months and she's only just realised she has a tongue tie as they've started weaning and her little one wasn't sticking her tongue out when gagging to let the food baxj out. She has been breast feeding also. The tension in the little girls Cheeks was so much when they went to get the tongue tie cut but she was such a happy little baby you'd never have known! And she had no really bad problems with breast feeding. They went to see a lovely lady who cut it for them and she said although it was emotional the procedure itself was over so quickly and her little girl fed off her straight after and it was so different. I hope you have a good experience with the tongue tie specialist. Where abouts are you based if you don't mind me asking ? Xx

Thank you for your kind words everyone it’s really really helped That’s really useful to know @lucyrp I never knew a tongue tie could affect speech and weaning but it makes so much sense! I feel like it should be taught more to spot the signs yourself with the nhs being overwhelmed, I’m in Staffordshire so there are a few different people around me who offer it. Have you had your DD tongue tie cut? Sorry if you’ve said previously I’ve got a brain like a sieve!

Gosh Magik that's awful that they won't do it on the NHS I have a few friends who have had it done and they said it really just was a tiny snip like cutting nails. Vaccinations are much worse and yet we manage those. I actually ripped my tongue frenulum as a teenager kissing somebody, and it was surprising but didn't actually hurt very much and healed within a couple of days.

And YY I echo questioning the 30-40g per day - surely this depends on what centile they are following. But of course if milk transfer is being affected that must be difficult for you regardless. Are any of the local specialists IBCLCs? I think I would contact one of those if they are and ask them the pros and cons. They tend to be pretty client based and wouldn't push you to do it if you're unsure, rather than pushing a procedure because it makes them money.

Smurf that sounds nice for an extended Christmas visit :) Is it lovely and snowy?

@Magik01 we have an appt next week to assess whether Rohan has a TT.
The main reason was he was bringing up a lot of milk, but that hasn't been as bad the last 2 days. But he spills a lot out of the sides of his mouth, congested in the night and mornings, trouble burping and sneezes a lot.
I'm not sure whether he does or not but I wanted to rule it out first, he's 3 months.
Like others have said its better to get it sorted now as they will forget and it won't impact speech and eating x

@Magik01 aww bless you, I struggle enough taking him for his jags so I can only imagine that procedure 😭 My DH has tongue tie to this day though and is fine so it probably depends how badly it needs done. You’d think the NHS would still do it when so many babies seem to have the issue 😕 but as you say it would have been so much easier when he was tiny and unaware!

We’re leaving for a class just shortly and it’s too slippy to attempt walking him and the dogs before it (when he’d usually nap). Just put him in the snuzpod asleep and within seconds he’s woke up and sounds like he’s dancing in there, chatting and laughing away to himself 😂 this class will be fun when he’s been awake 3 hours before we even start 🙃

Still really struggling to get rid of his cradle cap. It’s got rid of the big dry flaky bits but there’s a big circle of it that’s so flat and not flaky near his hairline at the front. It’s been going on months now so I desperately want rid of it but it just won’t go 🤦🏼‍♀️ Tried olive oil, my little coco balm, coconut oil, brushing, combing, you name it 😕

@BertieBotts that must have been some vigorous kissing 😂 glad to know it didn’t hurt that much though! The HV did say that babies don’t have a lot of nerve endings in it but I always think how do they know! I’ve booked in to see someone on Monday to get it cut and she is also IBCLC as well as a midwife, and it does say she will access it if actually needs doing first and give advice with feeding so it should be worth the money.

@Smallbean27 I’ve booked him in for Monday so I still let you know how it goes. It’s frustrating that these things get missed isn’t it.

@sarah13xx I brought a cradle cap brush off Amazon I will link it. I used baby oil on his head and left it all day and then used circular motions with the brush before his bath and it really helped. It did make his hair stink though!

Be helpful if I linked!

www.amazon.co.uk/Pourty-Cradle-Cap-Massage-Brush/dp/B00VKAVAAS/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=FDBFCM167AE2&keywords=cradle+cap+brush&sprefix=cradl%2Caps%2C101&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1639138017&sr=8-3

@Smallbean27 DD does all of the things you mentioned but I'm sure she doesn't have one now as she's very good with sticking her tongue out and moving it etc

@sarah13xx have you tried dentinox shampoo? As soon as DD had cradle cap it went really bad and we used dentinox and it went so quickly!

Hello all. Sorry if this has been covered before but have any others still breastfeeding (or previously feeding) had trouble with breast pads leaking and/or skin or nipple irritation? I thought I had mastitis last week but realise now I may have an infection due to bacteria in breast pads. I've been using reusable ones which I diligently wash and change frequently but they get soaked really quickly especially at night. I wake up drenched after an hour or two even though I feed on demand throughout the night. Despite feeding for almost 4 months in still leaking all the time. And I'm getting quite bad pain and irritation on the surface of my skin and nipple.

Any advice? I've just ordered some madela disposable pads and also silicone breast shells to try something different. Feeling really frustrated as it's one thing after another with breastfeeding but I'm not ready to stop.