July 2023 babies

[Summermeadowflowers]

Hello everyone! So this is a continuation of the pregnancy thread(s) as we’re almost full.

DD was born by elective section on July 18th. Her older brother was born following an emergency section after a failed induction in December 2020 and I didn’t want to go through that again! It was a lovely chilled experience and I was a bit nervous waiting but felt like I was in good hands. I was also home the next day.

Feeding has been tricky for us. I really wanted to breastfeed but as with DS, DD hasn’t taken easily to it and struggles to latch. Nipple shields help to an extent although are not a cure all but she doesn’t get much milk and ends up frustrated anyway. I’ve mostly been expressing for her but realistically don’t know how long I can keep it up. It’s a shame as I do really want to breastfeed but it isn’t happening!

Oh and my wound is infected … lovely!

How is everyone else?

Hi @Rainyspringflowers hope you and baby are ok! I've been struggling with my moods. I was depressed and anxious after the birth, calmed down a bit but now I'm depressed again.

@gg9320 that sounds frustrating! Have you tried spoon feeding her? My nearly 9 month old is mainly spoons fed (textured food, not puree) but she likes soft veggies and fruit and omelette as finger food.

Hi everyone, lovely to hear from you again :)

Arthur is almost 9 months now (on 1st April) and I go back to work in 2 weeks 😭😭 I sob every time I think about it, I am going back mon- Fri 8am-1pm and Arthur will go to the childminders for 3 mornings and my MIL for the other two mornings, I am so anxious it's unreal. He hasn't ever been left with anyone else and has only been left with DH once without me in his whole life, which was last week in fact, that was the first time in almost 9 months I have been out without DS, I worried the whole time as his separation anxiety is awful away from me. He was apparently okay, but could tell he missed me.
But being with the childminder or my MIL will be very different for him and I can imagine he will be so sad and I am guilty for needing to work :(

I am also still struggling with his sleep. He will not go to sleep on his own and I have to rock/pat/ shush until he falls asleep and I transfer him to his cot and he still wakes at least 3 times a night. I'm so tired and we have started split nights again too where he will take 2 hours of me holding him to fall back asleep. My back is so sore. I need to do something about it and have been putting off 'sleep training' but I am at breaking point and considering starting Ferber method this week so it's done before I go back to work (I've been telling myself I will start today for the last 6 weeks). I am scared I will give in as hearing him cry will break me, but I need to try something or I will crash when I'm back at work.

Weaning is going okay. I make sure he has at least one spoon fed lumpy food meal a day so I know how much he's eaten, this is usually his protein meal and then I do a 'picky' finger food meal which usually just ends up all over the floor and he barely eats anything.

He has 4 top teeth and 2 bottom now and I think he is close to cutting a 3rd bottom which means my nights will be even worse!
And he is so close to walking, he has been up on his feet since 7 months and cruises the furniture and is getting so much stronger/ more balance and holds himself up without holding on for quite a while now, he tries to walk off without holding my hands but can't quite do it yet and he has so many bruises and bumps on his head!

Hope you're all okay.

@PinkPink1 sorry to hear your mood has been so up and down :(

@AnxiousAnnie94 I know how you feel. I'm back at work next week with DD only 8 months. I am dreading it and get upset whenever I think about it. I got made redundant during this mat leave so this a new role I'm going to and also fill-time. I am so worried I won't have my head in the game for this new job and miss her too much.

@GC2023 I don't know how I am going to concentrate at all.
I just know how he is when I leave the room even to go for a wee, let alone leave him for 7 hours with people he doesn't know 😭
I will absolutely miss him so bloody much and I don't want to miss out on all the 'firsts' as I will never get that time back 😭

Mashing and playing with the food is still part of learning @gg9320 . Don’t be disheartened.

How lovely for a check in with the July babes! We are well, Seth has added crawling and standing up to his repertoire. Weaning is a messy business; he likes it but he’s not very good! 😂 He loves cramming food in (and around) his mouth but his swallowing leaves much to be desired!

Thank you @BackOfTheMum5net that’s a really good point!

no @PinkPink1 she really hates being spoonfed but will happily take the spoon herself then fling it across the room 😂
I’m so sorry you’re experiencing depression at the moment & hope you’re feeling better soon 💕 you’re not alone & please use this thread if you want to talk but with people you dont know (I’m always lurking on number when I should be doing something else 😅)

to those starting work soon, in case helpful, I started back in Jan and it was hard at first but I quickly got past the anxiety/guilt of leaving DD with childcare providers and really feel like I now have more fun with her on my non working days & benefit mentally from working and rediscovering a bit of what makes me tick again - I do feel it makes me a much better and happier mum (though if I could get paid full time for working half the hours that would be even better 🤭)

Hi everyone!

Lovely to check in here! Oliver is 8.5 months now. Weaning wise, we have a little piggy on our hands. He will eat anything and everything. With DS1, I was terrified of choking so mashed everything and this time, he is getting essentially the same food as DS1 just slightly modified and I think it’s been far better.

Sleep is ok. Generally sleeping through with the odd wakening and we co-sleep sometimes when he’s needing a cuddle.

He’s almost walking. Crawling, cruising and getting upstairs for over a month now and is now taking his weight without holding on so he’ll be off soon.

Good luck to everyone going back to work. I will be going back mid August part time. I went back at 8 months with DS1 doing full time hours condensed to 4 days and the dread and mum guilt is real whenever you return I think. I am making the most of the extended time I have this time round with them both.

I can’t believe they are all 8/9 months! It’s so lovely to check in.

@AnxiousAnnie94 i need to sleep train too. I stupidly bought an expensive cot in the Black Friday sale and dd hates it. I am going to trial her in her own room in the original cot over this weekend - at the moment her room is full of baby things we don’t need. It’s sort of good to love on but things like the next to me crib and bouncy chair just have so many memories - bad and good! I know I am ready to move on but I do feel sadness as well … I have so many photos and anyway , I wont forget but it’s just a bit bittersweet.

She’s clingy at the moment which is adorable and frustrating in equal measure!

I am not back at work until end of June, hoped for two days but it’s looking like it will be three. It’s fine and more money so that’s good (my bank account is very empty, both my children are richer than I am 😂)

I can’t believe it’s April next week, I remember last year longing for may and June so I could say I’m going on maternity leave / having a baby next month and this year it will be I’m going back to work / will have a one year old next month 😱

Thank you @AnxiousAnnie94@gg9320 it's tough at the moment. I don't really want to talk to people in real life because I don't want to be judged. I'm also concerned that my dd isn't crawling properly or cruising yet. It seems that a lot of babies are at 8-9 months.

@PinkPink1 my DD also is not crawling or cruising and I don’t think it will happen particularly soon. She’s not mastered sitting full yet and needs someone sat with her ready to catch her or lots of cushions around!

It’s really hard to open up to others full stop, let alone about something that you feel you might be judged for. The mum role is a hard one to live up to!

@Rainyspringflowers
Totally get that!
We moved DS into his own room at 6 months, but I kept the next to me up in my room for another month, for no reason at all, just because I was sad to take it town as it meant the end! Even though he was already out of my room. DH didn't get it at all and was ready to take it down the day we put him in his room.

DS has been clingy from day 1. I currently can't ever get anything done as he literally pulls himself up and is quite happy, but I can't turn my back as he will just try and walk from one piece of furniture to the other, forgetting that he's not holding my hands and just flop on the floor hurting himself.

I am just drained. Not sleeping, not eating properly as I try and lie down when DS naps. I don't sleep in this time, but my body gets a break.

I am so down about going back to work. I don't want to leave him, I know I need to and I know he will eventually be okay, but I won't. I will miss him so much, it hurts me to think about it. Despite the fact I find being with him so tiring and I feel like I'm not doing enough with him as all he wants to do is pull himself up, practise standing and walking, I do sometimes feel like I'm failing because I'm not doing all these fabulous activities I see online, but he just isn't interested in toys ATM and he won't ever just sit and entertain himself, but I will miss all of that soo much when I have to leave him.
I'm scared he is going to feel abandoned and then not have the same bond with me anymore 😭

Regarding sleep training, has anyone ever done it?
I've heard the Ferber method is quite good? But I'm scared of the crying?

That's a relief. My DD mainly just rolls and pulls herself to where she wants to be. She doesn't properly crawl or cruise. I feel she's behind when I see or hear about other babies that are strong enough to toddle around.

Sounds similar @PinkPink1 my DD somehow just pulls herself around on her tummy but she can’t go forward, just round in circles so doesn’t go very far 🥹 I think her tummy muscles aren’t strong enough yet to get knees on the ground which makes sense given her wobbly sitting.

all the other kids in her baby room are very mobile (and at least 3 months older!) but the nursery staff reassured me that DD’s development is very much within the spectrum of normal! Camilla Thurlow (from love island) posted that her daughter only started crawling at 22 months! That’s an extreme but I think you don’t hear about later crawling/cruising/walking because people worry (understandably, I do too) but it made me feel loads better hearing about other that crawled later.

@gg9320 do we have the same daughter?? It's reassuring to hear that this is normal (although it often doesn't feel like it). Wow 22 months so nearly 2 years old!

Hi ladies!

I hope everyone is keeping well. Torvi is 9.5 months olf now. I just moved her into her own room last night. It took a bit to get her settled as it was all new but once asleep she was fine. Down for the night at 6:30pm, awake unsettled between 7:45-8:30pm, woke for a bottle at 11pm and slept until 6:30am. She's just thinking about nodding off again now, probably sleep another hour.

Weaning is going great too. Loves her grub. Daytime naps can vary a bit, sometimes they aren't long enough so hopefully that'll sort itself out soon. They were good though so I think it's just a sleep regression.

She's in 9-12 months clothes for a while too, she's a wee chunk 🤣

Well done @Rutennotou for putting LO in her own room - sounds like you got a pretty good chunk of sleep!

I’m telling myself I’m building up to putting S in his own room, but part of me really likes having him here with me (though less so at 5am…)! We’ve been doing daytime naps for a while in his room though, fairly successfully.