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

@lucyrp dentinox did nothing for us! Glad it worked for you though. We used it for weeks with barely any improvement then DH used a soft brush to lift it all in one evening and it was pretty much gone after that! I see you've tried that already though @sarah13xx 😞

@BertieBotts no snow unfortunately but it is freezing cold. We are staying in their summerhouse by the beach tonight. We had a lovely walk along the beach but definitely chilly! Managed to forget the rain cover at home mind you so going to have to try and find one of them in the shops soon as dd does not like the wind 😂
@sarah13xx I used baby oil on dd before a bath left it on for a good 10 mins then used the tommee tippee comb to lift off the worst of it followed by 2 washes with the dentinox cradle cap shampoo. It got the most of it off and I reckon if I did a second round of it I'd get the rest (but I didn't bring the oil or shampoo here)

Dentinox sorted Leo's cradle cap really quickly too.

@WolfMother326 I never leak anymore. At around 3 months post partum my supply has been established and unless we go longer between the feeds for whatever reason my breasts don't even feel heavy or full anymore. Does he feed regularly every day and yet you still leak? Is he emptying your breasts fully? I'm not sure what to advise, maybe you could try the Haakaa to drain any potential oversupply? I only ever used disposable pads and I generally avoid them and only wear them for a few hrs per day max and never at night (not even a bra at night) to let the boobs breathe xx

@PurplePansy05 maybe my supply is still regulating, because I had an under supply problem for the first 3+ months, and have only recently been generating enough that Alasdair isn't fussy at the boob and seems to be getting just the right amount of milk. Maybe things will even out. I do use the Hakaa but will use it a bit more. The breast shells I've ordered are Hakaa brand as well, hopefully it will help. Thanks for the reply.

My good sleeper has been up every hour the last 2 nights.. tonight she slept from 10-1 then was up again at 2 put dummy on awake again at 3 so fed.. she has fallen asleep feeding a few times put her down and she sleeps for maybe 10-15 mins and then wakes again. I've lost count hour many times I've put her when and picked her up again in the past 2 hours! It is a bit cold here but her core is cosy enough in her vest baby grow and 2.5 tog sleeping bag so I don't know what it is.. other than that she's probably completely overtired from the lack of sleep the past 2 days. Any tips or suggestions ??

@smurf oh dear I hope you're getting sleep now. No advice but if you've covered nappy, food and temperature then it's maybe just a bad night.

My DD is having an unusually good night. Up once so far to feed and to be settled a couple of times.

I on the other hand am wide awake. My sister is very ill and has gone into a hospice. Her cancer is progressing fast. She can't keep food down and hasnt eaten properly in 2 weeks. She's so dehydrated that they can't get an IV line into her veins. I'm not sure she'll make it to christmas I've written her a letter that I'll give her when we see her on Sunday. I wish i could sleep.

@WolfMother326 Aahh, yes, this makes complete sense. It should regulate itself soon, I don't know what your DS is like now, but my DS is like clockwork, following the sleep/awake windows and feeding after so the number of feeds per day and duration are very similar every day. Obviously unless something isn't right like the regression, teething bothering him etc, in which case things aren't so regular. But I think it'll settle for you soon. I don't know if you've used an electric pump to increase the supply at all but I'd say if you have more than enough now just use the Haakaa to take the edge off and offer the rest to him, it should eventually be just right. Well, until weaning starts soon and then we'll need to adjust again 🤦🏼‍♀️ xx

@Ready2020 I'm so sorry to read your sister has taken a turn. I don't know what to say but thinking of you ❤️

@Ready2020 oh I'm so sorry! I hope you are doing ok, can you go see her today or do you have to wait to Sunday ? Thinking of you

Dd eventually slept in the cot from 505-640am and has been doing/feeding on me since. It is cold maybe that's what it is. She is warm enough but the air is cold on hands and face as I know I'm feeling it when not under the blanket

@Smurf123 I’m so sorry to hear about your sister, it truly is awful. Thinking of you both

@Smurf123 I think my DS wakes up earlier if he's cold. Sometimes when I've got him out of the crib his arms are cold (he has a sleeping bag with a long sleeved vest and sleepsuit). I've taken to boosting the heating for an hour as we go to bed, and it comes on an hour earlier in the morning too (I dread to think what our bill is!). But yeah, I definitely think it's the cold that disturbs him sometimes and not necessarily the hunger

I’m so sorry to hear about your sister @Ready2020. Thinking of you and sending love x

@Ready2020 aww so sorry to hear your sister is going through this right now 😔 thinking of you

Sorry just came on to vent about the inlaws (again) 🤦🏼‍♀️ They said they’d be here at 12, so I was keeping Freddie up waiting on them coming so they’d get to see him. He was tired and getting grumpy so when it came to 12:30 I just put him down for a sleep. He much prefers to be put upstairs in the dark and struggles to settle himself downstairs (not to mention the fact he’s way outgrown the Moses basket) but I thought il put him in the living room or they’ll have something to say about the fact he’s upstairs. He was just drifting off to sleep as they arrived. They stuck their heads literally inside the Moses basket with their hands in at his face trying to wake him. I always bite my tongue then it annoys me after they’ve left so I decided I was making a comment so they got the message. I jokingly said ‘awww no he was supposed to be sleeping’ aka please leave him alone. If I was at someone’s house and they said that I’d very quickly get away from the baby to let it sleep. Nope. They said ‘no he’s not’ and continued then started going to pick him up. I was so annoyed by this so I continued 😂 Told them he’ll just scream now he’s been woken and will get over tired so could they not poke at him please. Did that work? Of course not, they just said they wanted to hold him and he’s awake. I AM AWARE HES AWAKE, HES OVERTIRED AND ON THE VERGE OF A SCREAMING MATCH, PLEASE LEAVE HIM ALONE.

She proceeded to lift him out the Moses basket and bounce him up and down as he cried and rubbed his eyes 🤦🏼‍♀️ So infuriating! I eventually took him upstairs and put him down where they couldn’t harass him. They were then talking about Christmas and said he won’t understand it because he’s only 1.

Eh hes 4 months 🤔 one of those situations where they’ve already way overstepped the mark and everything they say then annoys me 🙈

@PurplePansy05 I literally wear breast pads 24/7 I can't get away from it. I don't generally leak but everytime I feed the other breast leaks so I can't be arsed with putting a pad in the other side every time I feed especially when our. I also leak at night so I have to wear a bra 24/7 too which is irritating 🥴

@Ready2020 I'm so sorry to hear about your sister - I can't imagine what you and your family are going through xxx

@sarah13xx that sounds infuriating! I so know what you mean about being less tolerant of other minor things after a big annoyance 😂 at least for next time you know not to bother arranging things around them, just put him to bed as suits you

I think we're in the 4 month regression 😫 we had quite a nice routine of waking Rowan for a feed at 10:30/11-ish then a wake up at 4, but the past few nights have been waking up as much as when he was a newborn. The only blessing is that apart from the first night, he's still settling well so it's less bad than when he was brand new - but I miss sleeping for longer than 1.5hrs at a time!!

@biscuitcat it was like she completely disregarded what I said and could only see her own selfish point of view and after that I’d seen red, but sat there like I was fine 😂

Oh no, that sounds tough 🤦🏼‍♀️ Hopefully it’s just a week long thing and ends soon. I think a bomb could go off in our house during the night and he wouldn’t wake so I haven’t had any night time issues 😂 but he has been way more hungry and tired since he turned 16 weeks! He’s been needing fed every hour, especially the second half of the day and going for really short naps then crying and needing picked up again. I wasn’t sure if he was teething at first but I don’t think he is. But I could myself extremely lucky that I only have to deal with it during the day 🙈 Doing anything not to let it spill over into night time, hence being so annoyed at them ruining his nap 🙄😂

*count

Now even more livid than I was earlier on when they answered me back and did as they pleased.. he’s up during the night for the first proper time since 6 weeks old! Changed, fed and no sign of going back to sleep anytime soon! Leave my bloody baby alone 😑 feel like phoning them to see if they want to come and deal with it

@Ready2020, I’m so sorry for what you and your family are going through.

@sarah13xx I would have phoned them and told them 🤣 my in laws aren’t quite as bad but I’ve been told I’m tight for trying to wean DD from the dummy and only give it at sleep times and to either wean her (she’s not even 17 weeks yet) or give her hungry baby milk to make her sleep at night! I know I’ve been moaning that 1.5 hour stretch is good at the moment and I’m often up every 20/40 mins but surely that’s not the answer!

We’re well and truly in the regression, when does it end? My eyes are like sandpaper. Any body got any hints or tips please?

@Fran919 if my partner had enough of a backbone he would have 😂 but nope, as always says nothing! I did have to wake him to get him to hold him while I went for another bottle because one just wasn’t going to cut it. Omg they’ve said they knew someone who gave their baby hungry baby milk before too. It’s like they’re an expert on every subject! Why can’t they realise you spend 24 hours a day with them and know them best so they should just shut up? 🙈

I know these are the in-laws so you have to be more careful with what you say/how you say things, but honestly it's your child and your house = your rules. I'd be very firm next time, baby asleep upstairs at his usual nap time, monitor on, sit down with a coffee and announce they can play with him after the nap and feed.

I had a random old woman commenting on Leo once when we were leaving a pub with friends and walking 5 steps to the car "Oooooh, put a hat on him, protect his poor ears!". I literally stopped right there, gave her a death stare and stated firmly "Oh, he will be absolutely fine, thank you". And then walked off 🤣 Obviously it was a stranger, but I completely agree people who don't know your child should keep their noses out. I am getting there with assertiveness, it was harder when he was very little. But I think it's important to start putting the boundaries that suit you as soon as you feel confident enough and have the energy for it! xx

Wow, this is making me realise how lucky we are with IL's. My mum does make the odd comment but I do stand my ground, and she does actually listen and do things my way even if they differ from hers. My ILs are almost the opposite end and seem like they don't want to tread on my toes! They've only seen him for one good stretch when he was really young but they wouldn't go and pick him up or anything without me offering or them asking, but actually if he's awake and you want a cuddle or a play, I'm happy for them to go for it. He was really young then though so hopefully they'll feel less like they're 'stepping on my toes' when we see them in a couple of weeks.

I've been doing some 'work' over the last week or so which is why I've been a bit quiet on here (always reading though!). We've had our dining room done and the computer is moved from the study on the top floor, to in the dining room which is much better and means I can work without feeling completely cut off (although that might be nice sometimes!!). I've been working on a new house design my in-laws have asked me to do, which I've been doing when DH is around. It's actually really nice to turn my brain on and do some work! It's given me the boost to set up on my own and try that instead of working for someone else and having to pay more in child care than I'm probably earning. I've also just started the ground works for my own little bespoke house/wedding venue/invitations hand drawing company. It's not live yet as I need to do lots of samples first, so I'm basically doing lots for friends atm, and trying to do that while DS naps in the day as that's easier to dip in and out of than house design stuff is. So now I feel like I basically don't have any time! But I expect the hand drawing thing will sit dormant for a while once it's live, and after I've seen my in-laws f2f in a couple of weeks the design work won't be so intense. @sarah13xx how are you getting on with your cardigans?

I'm pleased to report that DS's sleep has returned back to normal after his dodgy few nights. I'm hoping it lasts and also living in hope that that's his 4 month regression over and done with within a few nights 😂

@PurplePansy05 on one of the group walks I go to one of the ladies was once like 'ohhh won't his legs be cold?' (He was in the carrier). I snapped back at her 'well we don't have anything else so he'll have to be fine' then I realised he probably would be cold so went and found a blanket to clip on to the carrier from the car 😂 this was ages ago so not in the winter, but it was a particularly cold day. When I got back the woman apologised for saying something. She is very opinionated in general so I try not to walk with her if I can avoid it! It often turns into a lecture on how she did things, and she had 4 boys so thinks she knows everything even though they're all in their 40s now!