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

Leo is the opposite now at nearly 15 weeks, we are actually getting somewhere with establishing day nap routines. Slowly, but surely. Again, the Huckleberry has really helped me with noticing his preferred timings and knowing about the wake windows, I've started noticing when he fusses because of getting tired and putting him down then. This really works atm. I had to start with shutting the curtains, offering dummy and holding my hand on his chest. But yesterday he fell asleep at the exact same time in a pram, in a bright kitchen, by himself ❤

But I'm not going to lie, I've had him not napping other than on me (and that still wasn't enough) and being a great sleeper at night for weeks and weeks and it's become an enormous drain on me, physically and mentally. I coped a lot better when he was little and up 1-2 times a night, despite lots of people saying if he sleeps at night that's problem solved.

Question to those of you putting them down for the night earlier than we do (11pm) - we're hoping to gradually start moving to a 9pm bedtime because he sleeps long enough in one stretch now. Then we will gradually move it towards say 7.30pm when he's bigger. But, where do you currently get them to sleep then, in their cribs alone in the room or in prams with you in the lounge? There's no way DH or I would be in bed falling asleep from 9pm, the earliest would be 10.30pm. So what do I do in that 1.5 hrs with him?

I would add he does nap in the eve, but this is still a bit random and he loves to feed in the eve up until around 9pm. If he naps after then he is capable of sleeping in the buggy next to us, but then we have to turn down the TV and keep things very quiet as his sleep isn't as deep as in the night. xx

@PurplePansy05, we put DD up to bed in our room and we stay downstairs for the 1.5 hours, this is with the snuza on and a camera so we can hear and see her breathing. We also keep the bedroom door slightly open so we can hear should the monitor fail or something. We personally find it works well because like you we had to turn the tv down and/or it over stimulated her. I also think it’s slowly building confidence for when we’ll transition her to her room albeit it’s months away but a hour or two certainly helps. We then go bed and do a dream feed at 9.30 and go to bed ourselves (we’ve never been one to stay up a night!)

We had success last night that she went to sleep by herself in the cot, normally we have to hold and put her down drowsy but awake. I’m sure it’ll all change very soon but im still pleased.

Thanks @Fran919, this was my idea so far. We have a spare bedroom with a TV upstairs and maybe we could stay there in the eve to start with to be closer to DS...it's what you just said, the transition is tricky! We have Snuza too and I bought a V-Tech baby monitor which has an app meaning baby can be monitored by us from anywhere if we activate it. It works without wifi too (bar the app) and the picture quality is very decent if anyone's considering it 👌. This is the only other idea I've had too, Snuza + monitor. xx

I used to just stay in the bedroom and read on my phone/kindle but now I try to sneak out and leave him. I'm OK with that although it's increased risk, the risk of SIDS is very small to start with and we are in with him for the majority of the night, so I don't worry about it.

@PurplePansy05 since about 6 weeks we’ve just put him upstairs in the dark at bedtime (before we go to bed). I’ll go for a bath through the wall from him and DH takes the monitor downstairs to watch tv. We used to have him in the moses basket downstairs while he watched tv then he’d bring him up and we’d either leave him in there til the 11:30 feed or have to try and transfer him over to the snuzpod, which just wasn’t working. We now have to put him down awake a lot of the time because he won’t fall asleep drinking his bottle anymore. He sucks his thumb though so puts himself to sleep in the snuzpod. We sometimes watch tv in bed after he’s sleeping but last night decided that wasn’t fair since he wasn’t even asleep yet and I really don’t think I’d stay asleep if someone started watching tv in the same room so I think we might stop that now 🙈

@PurplePansy05 we have started trying to put Alasdair in his cot in our room for his 'last nap', around 7 or 8, if he's fallen asleep on my lap nursing or in the sling while making dinner. Sometimes he wakes back up after an hour but last night he slept til 12.30 (I went to bed at 10). We don't use a monitor as in quite a small flat still so we just leave the door ajar so we can hear him and check on him often. He was previously sleeping from 9-3 but I think he's going through a 12 week growth spurt and wants more milk at night the past two nights.

Lovely company @Jessicapebbles, just followed you!

@Jessicapebbles I also followed you at at some hour of the night 😂 your clothes look absolutely lovely! And as @sarah13xx says you've nailed the photos!

Have any of you that bf gone out for an extended period of time without the baby? Dh and I are going to be out from about 2-10 today and I’m leaving ds. I’m going to have to pump while I’m out which is fine because I have an elvie but it’s just occurred to me I’ve got no way of storing the milk (can’t take ice packs or anything). Will I just have to dump it? Also how do I keep the pump parts clean for more than one use?! Really didn’t think about this. I’m not too precious about saving the milk, especially if it’s not going to be drinkable anyway but wondered if it would be ok in a thermal insulated bottle (like a chillys one)? Ds is also being really unsettled today so I’m incredibly nervous about leaving him and being away for bed time. Feel like a bad mum!!

DD has been going down this time for weeks now and I end up going to bed in the spare room and OH spends some time downstairs but comes up to be with her from 10.30. If I didn't get that sleep from about 8.30 ish I'd be like a zombie as I don't sleep much from 2am onwards due to feeds or DD waking. It takes me ages to get back to sleep after waking in the night so I don't really get a good sleep then.

Oh I'll check out your insta page @Jessicapebbles I have an embroidery page @Greentreecrafts if anyone likes that sort of thing.

We have a V tech monitor too and the picture is great.

Sorry @wimbler, I'm of no help as I've never pumped when out, but just wanted to say hope your day out went well and don't feel bad!

Thank you all for your tips about the evening sleep, really helpful. And thank you @biscuitcat for your Uppababy comments. I think the silver hood isn't there anymore. xx

So DH and I went out for dinner and drinks tonight while my mum is here (he's bottle fed so my mum is having him through the night and morning so we can have what we like tonight). As we were leaving tonight my mum says 'I've just had a thought - people might think you're drinking wine while you're pregnant'

FUCK OFF!!!

@wimbler If you're dumping the milk then you don't need to worry about sterilising the pump parts, just rinse it out between uses and give it a really good clean and sterilise when you get home.

Just realised that message was too late to be of any use, never mind!

Went to a three year old's birthday party this weekend and there were a lot of other babies there. Every time one of them cried I'd start feeling stressed even though I knew my baby was totally fine. 😅 It always gives me a feeling of urgency, like I need to gulp down my food.

@Ready2020 your embroideries are gorgeous (as is Rowan). Just given you a follow.

Alasdair is 3 months on Wednesday and I wonder if he's going through his 3 month growth spurt? He wanted to feed all night the last two nights, having previously slept for 6 hour stretches. Did this happen for anyone else?

@Daffodil21 that is so rude! Who cares what she thinks or anyone else for that matter. Your body made a baby which is amazing. I have been struggling with my changed body but trying to remember it takes at least a year to start feeling more 'normal', if that. Enjoy all the wine!

@Daffodil21 how rude! Did she mean you look pregnant? 🙄

@Daffodil21

So DH and I went out for dinner and drinks tonight while my mum is here (he's bottle fed so my mum is having him through the night and morning so we can have what we like tonight). As we were leaving tonight my mum says 'I've just had a thought - people might think you're drinking wine while you're pregnant'

FUCK OFF!!!

Oh wow actually do fuck off. Wow.

@sarah13xx yep that's exactly what she meant! They left this morning after being here for a week, somehow I didn't feel sad 😂 I just can't believe she actually said it!

Gorgeous page @Ready2020

Blimey @Daffodil21 is she always so mean?

Full on sleep regression here at just shy if 15 weeks old, or as I prefer to call it, a developmental leap. Not sure what he's learning and how he's developing, yet to see it, but he suddenly looks like an older baby (in comparison to his newborn phase) and he really struggles with falling asleep. Everything is different suddenly - he had 4 naps today, 2 he dosed off by himself, 2 he struggled to fall asleep despite being clearly tired. We now spent 1.5 hrs trying to get him to sleep. He had a 6oz bottle, 25 min bf after (!!) and then he decided he'd be wide awake . He's finally asleep now! Guess it's bad timing for trying to introduce an earlier bedtime . I'm exhausted and awake now, no idea what to expect tomorrow xx

Oh and @Daffodil21 if she says something like this to you again, I'd go back with my ultimate favourite MN riposte: Did you mean to be so rude? - works a treat, every time xx

My OH seems incapable of changing a nappy at night without turning all the lights on and having a full blown conversation with DD. If he had to deal with the consequences then fine but it's at the hand over so I need to deal with a wide awake baby at 2am! Usually boob settles her but not every time. OH claims he can't see with the red night light we have.

Oh dear @PurplePansy05 our 2 hour waking at night seems to have stopped. Though her sleep isn't as it was. She always wakes within 2 hours of being put down and doesn't do quite a long a stretch as before plus feeds twice most nights now. I'm worried that this was just a growth spurt and the 4 months regression will be worse!

@Ready2020 does he need to change her nappy at all? I read somewhere that unless it's a soiled nappy or baby won't settle to just feed and put back to sleep gain rather than to fully wake them with nappy changes especially if dh turns all the lights on 🙈
I rarely change dds during the night. Though I have just done so but that's the first time in a good while and mainly because she's woken 3 times already tonight as opposed to her 845-7am she's done the past 2 nights. I feel like we had a sleep regression / developmental leap a couple of weeks ago that only ended a few days ago so I hope it's not another one already.

@Ready2020 just an idea if it helps you get more sleep!
On the other hand my dh seems incapable of changing a nappy or doing a night wake up.. For either child.. Ever

@Smurf123 we change her once in the night as otherwise its 12 hours without a change. And I think that's a bit much. I've just changed her again though as she's woken twice since her last feed. She had a bit of a poopy nappy so I'm guessing that was the problem