Late October - thread 6

[DressingGown87]

Thread 6 ladies! And the final one

Girls: @DressingGown87 @Jaffas22 @DogCatDex @EmmaA96 (twins) @Parks11 @LadyB90 @Strawberries4days @LST87 @sls668 @plentyofplants Uppsydaisy (Girl twin)

Boys: @sunbreak @FirstSurprise001 @WaveStreet @roarfeckingroar
@Mc3209 @KitKatKit @1990shopefulftm @Lolllyf @HelenMarie1001 @Freddie1987 @BS9790 @hmeadow24 @Ghostworld @roarfeckingroarr @Glooorb @mamavee @UpsyDaisy1234 (Boy twin) @Samk93

Surprise / Waiting
@60sPony @Monkeyseesmonkeydoesnt @AdventureAhead @Elizag20 @justtb @Clalou83 @SJR86 @Flora20 @Watersintheclouds @Jaffas22 @justtb

If I have missed you! Sorry! I did quickly scan through the start of the last thread, to add people and update the list, but only did this quick.

@1990shopefulftm yes I did half hour before next feed was due

Hi everyone, just catching up, not been on for ages! Can't believe my boy is 4 weeks old today, seems like yesterday we were all desperate for labour to begin 🤣

Funnily enough I was coming on to ask if anyone else was experiencing the grunting, so it's nice to hear its quite common as we've been desperately trying to work out if something is wrong with him. We are trying infacol too as he's clearly in pain with acid/wind build up but might try gripe water now he's a month old... the grunting is so LOUD though, keeps waking bf up on work nights so I'm spending half the night co sleeping in the spare room which isn't ideal. Can't wait for some sort of routine to emerge, find it quite hard to go with the flow when you're knackered and have no idea how long they're going to sleep for.

How's everyone doing emotionally? Anyone else thinking they're smashing it one second then doing big ugly crying the next like me? 😅

Next question is for those breastfeeding, do you ever get baby pulling off angrily and not latching back on properly mid feed? I think it might be related to reflux but sometimes I think its because he's frustrated that the milk isn't let down quick enough, any thoughts from someone's who's experienced similar?

@Freddie1987 baby boy is still constipated so I ve got to ring the HV tommorow I think for advice, however the comfort milk we ve swapped to seems to have sorted the possible colic quite quickly.

Emotionally I m doing quite well until I go past the hospital for any reason and then I get teary but I can talk about what happened more now which is a start. I m sure it's very normal to be a bit over the place at the moment emotionally with the hormones.

Another one with a grunter here, especially when she’s out down at night. Usually passes one she has pooed. Paige is on gaviscon for her reflux, and gripe water every feed, which seems to have helped a little. She is still covered in a rash because of her cows milk allergy though, so waiting for her pediatric appointment.

I’m doing better than I expected emotionally. But have moments where I just go to pieces. It’s when she is arching her back, screaming in pain, and there is nothing I can do. Last night my friend stayed over so I could get a full night! Typically she slept 11-7.30 🙈

@Mc3209 I’m sure you will find the work balance when the time comes, and for now enjoy the learning. Paige is going to my friends when I work, so it will hopefully be easier to switch to work mode.

@krissy12 Paige feeds about 6-7 times per day. As for sleep she’s hit and miss, sometimes she’s awake all day, others she’s asleep, but generally she has a long afternoon sleep. At night she goes down at 10, and wakes about 9/10 she will usually wake for 1/2 feeds during that time.

@1990shopefulftm hope the health visitor can help. But would echo what others have said cooled boiled water, Infacol, warm bath and massage.

Ladies I'm just looking for a bit of support I just feel terrible and soo guilty that I've stopped breastfeeding. My plan was too formula feed during day because of his reflux I put him on to aptamil anti reflux but I wanted to continue breastfeeding here and there and at night. I managed fine for a couple of days but the other night he kept vomiting all night after having my milk but I wanted to carry on, as I had not breastfed during day for a couple of days I noticed last night my breasts felt empty so I gave him formula for his night feeds. Today I feel theyre totally empty and have significantly shrunk, I just feel soo rubbish, I thought I could have carried on. I just have this horrible pang of guilt 😢

@SamK93 aww don’t feel guilty. You have been trying so hard. You have made a decision to FF, to make him happier and more settled with his reflux, so think of the benefits of that aspect of it. This will hopefully make things easier for both of you in the long run, but don’t for one minute feel like you have failed, you have tried, and as a parent that’s all we can do. Sometimes we just have to find the balance, and do things to help. Sorry I couldn’t offer any BF advice, I haven’t been able to do it either, but due to medication.

@Freddie1987 glad I’m not the only one! All I would say is keep an eye on the infacol use, I only used it for 5/6 days and he got SO constipated so I’ve stopped. Didn’t do a poo from Friday and could just tell he was in so much pain until he decided to empty himself out in the bath tonight 😂 can’t win though because now he’s in so much pain with the trapped wind/colic again.

@samk93 please dont feel guilty you chose to put him on the anti reflux milk to take his pain away and make him more comfortable thats putting his needs first. I tried to breast feed for the first few days but it wasnt happening and like you I did feel terrible at first but told myself that having a newborn is stressful enough and there is no point adding more worry with something out with my control and at the end of the day our babies are still going to bed with full tummies and thats all that matters

@SamK93 sounds like the anti reflux milk is helping him and that's what matters, be kind to yourself.

Baby's finally poo'd twice tonight so hoping he ll get more regular now, after a couple of feeds and switching teats he seems to like the comfort milk now.

He's had 2 6oz feeds in the past day with some smaller ones which I m hoping isn't too much, he is approaching 11lb already so it's not far off the guide I suppose.

@1990shopefulftm my HV said you cant over feed at this age they take what they need and spit up if it's too much my LO is draining 5oz bottles every 4 hours so will probably need to go up to 6oz

@krissy12 he barely ever spits up so hes certainly that hungry, regretting buying the smaller bottle size now, only got 3 weeks' use out of them.

I am so unbelievably exhausted today. For 3 days straight Finley hasn’t slept in the day - 3 whole days. I feed him, he drops off, I put him down in his rocker/the sofa/my bed/his next to me crib and he’s instantly wide awake. He’s living on my boob and crying constantly when he’s not in someone’s arms. I thought it was constipation, then colic, then someone said reflux.

He’s straightening his back out constantly and only seems happy when I’m rubbing his belly. He’s still wide awake now and doesn’t look to be sleeping any time soon. 😩

Someone tell me this will end soon!?

Thank you so much for making me feel a lot better ladies.

@FirstSurprise001 nobody really ever tells us how hard it is, that's because babies don't come with an instruction manual we just have to learn as we go and do what we think is best. I can imagine how exhausted you are, I'm sorry. Honestly it will just be a phase baby's going though. Just wait until he is fully knocked out before trying to lay him down, have you considered a dummy maybe? Keep him swaddled too if you can. I know this stage is hard, just remember it won't last forever it will get easier I promise you. Hang in there, if you are really worried about constipation/colic just ring your health visitor or gp. Hope you get some well deserved rest soon, your doing so so well remember that x

@FirstSurprise001 also once you have fed him, make sure he's well burped and try and keep him upright for 20 minutes before laying him down see if that helps.

Yesterday was my first day looking after baby during the day alone as DH is back in work and it went very well but he's not settling tonight and has been sick so I may have to risk trying coffee for the first time in a couple of years to get through today.

@FirstSurprise001can you let him sleep on you in the day? Or have you tried baby carrier/ pushchair? My son sleeps for much longer if on me so I’ve been embracing it (as much as I can with a three year old anyway) or I take him out in the baby carrier as he doesn’t like to nap away from my husband or I. Hope you got some rest last night.

Read up on the 4th trimester. Made so much of a difference to me.

Hope you're all okay though. The hard bits don't last forever x

TMI, but I'm starting to get sore from wearing pads for 3 weeks straight. My bleeding is quote light now but still enough to have to wear a pad. Can't wait for it to stop!

@Monkeyseesmonkeydoesnt the Asda maternity pads are very comfortable if you ve got one nearby . Mines slowing down a bit now ,hoping it might stop soon so I can ditch the giant underwear once I start feeling up to gradually losing weight.
I m still need to take lactulose on and off, I don't know if it's my blood pressure medicine or my organs still shifting back.

@SamK93 @60sPony thanks for the advice and kind words ladies! Just felt the need to have a rant last night!
He finally went down swaddled and in bed with me around 11:45 and magically slept for 6 hours without waking so think half of it was over tiredness! I also gave him a little water yesterday and we’ve had the most brutal explosive nappy today 😂 definitely think he’s feeling better!

@FirstSurprise001 glad you got a whole 6 hours straight! Sounds magical
Hope it happens again tonight 🤞

@FirstSurprise001 I'm glad he's feeling better and 6 hours sounds amazing. My nearly 8 week old hasn't gone more than 3 hours! He has his 8 week immunisations tomorrow really not looking forward to them 😭 I've got the calpol ready as HV advised. I remember my other two being very clingy for a couple of days with high temperatures.

@firstsurprise001 I sympathise and I'm so pleased for you that you got a big chunk of sleep last night! Can I ask about you giving him water? I haven't heard of that before?

For whoever said about the maternity pad - I was getting sore from mine too and I think a lot of it was half sitting up in bed when he's feeding so (for lack of a better description) I was sitting directly onto the pad iyswim? So I've started putting a cushion under my bum at night to take the pressure off - seems to be helping!

Anyone got hints and tips for getting your little one to sleep in a cot/sleepyhead/Next to me/bassinet at night? Weve been co sleeping quite successfully but were going to stay with my mum over Christmas and my bed there just isn't big enough for the 3 of us, there isn't really room for DP on the floor of the bedroom and the living room isn't much bigger!! Worried all the joy of Christmas/seeing my mum is going to be ruined as ill have to stay up all night with DS sleeping on me!

we had been so lucky with sleeping but feels like we have gone backwards. LO was I twice during the night for feeds but the past few nights has been crying all night screaming at times. he is also crying a lot more during the day. we are still using the infacol but waiting on a prescription for colief drops to see if that makes a difference really struggling now with the lack of sleep

@GhostWorld of course! To be honest I hadn’t heard of it either but read that giving them just 1 oz can help things along if they’re constipated so was willing to try anything! Our LO is EBF so it was a struggle in itself to get him to take the cooled boiled water in a bottle, I think he only drank about half but it was so worth it for the good belly clear out it gave him! Now he’s back to being regular for the rest of the day so hoping it’s done it’s thing!

@firstsurprise001 wow okay glad to have that in my locker for future reference!