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?

Also, getting the meds into DS is heartbreaking and scary. He screams the house down and basically chokes on them, I have tried syringe and spoon, syringe pointed towards the back of the cheek, not directly down the throat, dummy in as soon as some is squirted in, but it is honestly horrible for us all. I am so worried he's going to start resenting me because I am giving all of this to him 😭

@gg9320 my GP and HV both advised me to give calpol in the room just prior to the vaccinations to help ward off a fever. I will be doing that.

Also my DF shared a study with me that playing Mozart just before and after vaccinations reduces pain for babies. It might be a load of crap but no harm in trying so I'll be playing that in the car too. 😂

Oh @AnxiousAnnie94 my heart goes out to you honestly. I know what you mean with the meds - DD had oral thrush and hates her medicine. I don’t think they connect us ‘doing’ it to them but it feels so horrible. You’ve really had a rough time, DD has been very unsettled and crying a lot lately and it does really get to me sometimes. I shouted at DH this morning because I was really just a bit worn down by it and I couldn’t shout at DD obviously! So you’re doing amazingly.

I will try the Mozart trick - thanks for that.

DDs daytime naps are still difficult. I took her out in the pram earlier and she dozed but very fitfully - her eyes kept fluttering open and closed. Then after an hour she woke crying. Luckily I was close to home so got her back, fed, put her in her bouncy chair while I transferred wet clothes from washer to drier then she cried so I picked her up and she promptly fell asleep on me. She’s stayed asleep for a good while now so I’m hoping we might break the cycle of overtiredness. And at least I got my steps up with the pram walk!

Well, last night we had much noisy straining until 5am. I couldn’t sleep beside him as he was straining so strenuously, poor baby.

I found that putting a hand on his tummy and gently rubbing clockwise helped to calm him.

Holding his arms down gently by his sides also helped - this helped my older son get to sleep too when he was small, I remember hours of holding his arms and shhhing to relax him to go to sleep.

@AnxiousAnnie94 weve been prescribed Gaviscon too for the wind, but as DS is already blocked up, your posts are persuading me away from using it. Constipation is as bad as the wind pain I think. Poor things. I really feel for you, @AnxiousAnnie94, I’m sorry I can’t suggest anything else.

Oh I give up, I keep name change failing - this is @RandomCatGenerator

@RandomCatGenerator @AngryBirdsNoMore I am so unsure if the gaviscon has helped or not, but it's one of those now where I don't dare stop incase he gets worse 🤷🏼‍♀️ but you're so right, constipation is awful and I feel so bad for him. Every time he is trumping he is screaming in pain, it's good it's coming out, but it's hurting him bad and he's just really grunting / straining trying to poo. He did have a little poo earlier, after LOTS of straining but it's nowhere near what he should have done, so he's definitely still bunged.

First jabs done. I gave Calpol as soon as we got back, seeing as he is used to the most horrible meds ever, he spat half of the Calpol out before he really even tried it.
He doesn't seem to have a temperature, so unsure whether to give him some more at 8 or not?

He also has his 6-8 week check. What a waste of time. We were both supposed to have our checks and were booked at the same appointment before going down to the nurse for jabs. Well doctor was running late,so had to go see nurse for jabs first, so he was then unsettled. Doctor finally called us in, told me she couldn't do both of our checks as she was running late so didn't bother asking me if I was okay.
What a waste of time DS's check was. She literally rushed me to strip him off, flung his hips round quicker than I've ever seen, put the freezing cold stethoscope on him (he's screaming at this point so there's no way she heard what she needed to), then said "right get him dressed, he's fine" and we were in and out in 5 minutes!

@AnxiousAnnie94 @AngryBirdsNoMore @RandomCatGenerator Infacol has really helped my dd with her trapped wind. It's awful when babies scream at night because they're so uncomfortable. My mum says she wishes she knew about Infacol when I was a baby because apparently I had awful colic! Not sure if it existed in the late 90s!

I’m really glad you got out and enjoyed it @habiller .

I feel we are going a bit wrong with DDs nighttime sleep; while i wouldn’t expect her to be tucked up 7-7 she isn’t going to sleep until gone 10. What do everyone else’s bedtimes look like? It’s hard because once DS is in bed we then have to eat and then it is pushing 9!

Wide awake club here (though Tilly is fast asleep currently). She seems to have developed bad reflux the last few days but the last 48 hours have been the worst. She'll suddenly start gagging and wretching and thrashing around. She's also very snuffly and sounds congested. She just had a wretching episode not long ago and I can't sleep for wanting to stay awake and make sure she's ok 😫 I don't even know if it's definitely reflux or what to do for her 😫

Ah I’d definitely rebook to do it again, @AnxiousAnnie94. Thats no good at all, it’s an important appointment for airing your questions and checking the baby’s eyes, heart, breathing and talking about feeding, bleeding, sex etc

@AngryBirdsNoMore I know, I feel very let down by that doctor :(

DS slept from 9-12.30 and 1-5 (unheard of), didn't help me sleep any more as I had to keep checking he was breathing!
When he just woke up, I can see why he slept more, he's burning hot and now I feel like the worst mum for not noticing this in the night. I've just given him some Calpol in the hope that it works and he wasn't really interested in the boob which is unlike him too, but he's had some ... And is now laying back down in his moses basket, but I've not put the blanket on him
When should I be concerned about a temperature in him? And am I right in thinking he can have 4 does' of Calpol if he needs them in 24 hours today? Because it's after vaccines?

@PinkPink1 unfortunately infacol didn't work for us which I was gutted about. It was the first thing we tried, but it actually made DS worse. After further reading, it's apparently because it's orange flavour (acidic) and it burns reflux babies as they are already acididy? I think 🤷🏼‍♀️

We are a house of sickness at the moment! DD2 had it first, vomiting and diarrhea, then OH got a mild dose with just a dodgy tummy, now Torvi has been sick a couple of times today but she actually still seems in okay form. There's a bug running rampant in these parts. Just waiting to be struck down 😂.

Noticed a big damp patch in the hallway today and think it's the shower leaking so have notified our landlord who isn't getting back to us 🥲

That’s awful @Rutennotou . Just what you don’t need. I’m also unwell; my voice has completely gone. I feel a bit exhausted and worn down generally and am romanticising my pregnancy, which was horrendous towards the end but I just wish I could go to bed and SLEEP!

I know I will … one day!

We have a lergy house here too. I have caught a cold and given it to DH and now DD. I feel terrible seeing her sniffle, she has her jabs on Monday too. 😞

{mention:PinkPink1}@AnxiousAnnie94 infacol didn't work for us either but we were recommended dentinox and it's been amazing. Mint rather than orange too. I've also turned to gripe water twice in an emergency and she was fine. Her colic and gas is much improved from the early days just keeping her on dentinox in every bottle.

Ughhhh @habiller DD went to sleep at half seven but was then awake 12-1. Now she’s feeding again; usual irony of my being desperate to express as breasts are tingling while she wolfs down a formula feed! Sigh.

@GC2023 I too have caught a cold that I am dreading to give to DH and DS but can't see them avoiding it, especially DS who is with me will the time.
DS had his jabs on Friday afternoon and had a terrible temperature when he woke up Saturday morning, has been dosing up on calpol which has seemed to help, he still has a bit of a temperature today, but has also been sneezing a bit too, so now I don't know if he's getting my cold :(

We did try dentinox but it didn't seem to do anything apart from bung him up, but might give it another go soon. I'm taking him off gaviscon today we he is SO constipated, horrible to see him straining so much to the point where he's screaming. Going to see if we notice a difference without him on it.

WHY IS IT SO HOT.

29 degrees in London next week.

🥵

@AnxiousAnnie94 @GC2023 we are also a cold ridden household. DS1, DS2 and I are all coughing and sniffing. Feels at odds with the weather…

This is DS2’s second cold / chest infection in his less than 8 weeks alive. Such is life with an older sibling in nursery…

@AngryBirdsNoMore i know!! Today was bad enough at 25 degrees. Dreading this week 😅

Tilly has bronchiolitis :( It's horrible, honestly some of the sounds she makes with it are so scary 😫