June 2023 Babies ☀️ (Thread Six)

[ireneadler101]

Thought I'd start a new one as the old one is full!

I'm 37w exactly and definitely starting to feel more Braxton Hicks (they woke me up last night) but they don't seem to be getting more intense/frequent. Also a bit of lower back ache and general bump tenderness, plus I think I've lost a small bit of my mucus plug. Think this is probably normal at this stage and just my body gearing up for labour but am quite nervous as have a c section at 38+3 and hoping to last till then! Second pregnancy but last baby arrived at 36w so feels like uncharted territory!

How is everyone else feeling?

I try to save some things just for DH to do.
He does a story time when he gets in and he does most of the care at weekends and they have a lovely cuddle every evening while I do dinner.
We also do bath time together.

That’s good to know, I will definitely start going to story time then, my partner thought he was too young so could be pointless but it is for the parents as well to socialise and my DS just enjoys being out and looking around at everything.

Tbh I feel like my DS favours my partner when he is home, I’m not sure if he is just bored of me by that point but I try not to take offence to it 😅

I think 11 weeks is okay. There's a group that starts at church from September and that's how old dd will be when it starts. Hoping that it'll be a nice routine for us. I doubt she'll be social but it'll be a nice change of scenery for us 🤣.

I struggle sharing jobs with DH as I feel like I should be able to cope on my own as other people do. Baby cries/fusses/screams at the same time each evening for a few hours. DH has been really good though and trying to help and offering to help still

What are your babies smiling at? When DD wakes up We get a nice smile, bath times also produce some lovely gummy smiles as does seeing her grandparents. However, she also smiles as the mirror, the bookshelf, my mum's willow wreath and the Star Wars masks that are displayed on the bedroom wall 🤣🤣🤣🤣

We went to rhyme time this week, he was the youngest but seemed to enjoy it and mainly just stared at the woman running the class 😅

Zachary smiles when anyone talks to him really or when he’s on his play mat, sometimes he randomly laughs at the ceiling 🤷‍♀️😂

Just wondered if anyone had been using nipple shields and what you think? Little one is 10 weeks old now and I stupidly thought we'd nailed the feeding thing after some early mastitis and nipple pain. But this last week it's like he's found his strength and appetite has increased and I'm in so much pain every time he latches on. Because he's bigger and stronger now I find it harder to get him to stay with the good latch that we start off with - he pulls off and just sucks the end like a lollipop. Coupled with lower evening supply and cluster feeding, I'm in pain and he's getting frustrated! His growth and weight are all fine. Wondered if nipple shields might help? Any thoughts appreciated!

Are your babies in any sort of sleep routine yet?

@rllrsk8 did you try the nipple shields? We had a few very painful days but I think that was due to me trying to get Dd to latch sideways and had a sore left nipple until yesterday. There seems to be silicone which look like they'd be a bit more comfortable?

@toomanysausages I did, I bought the Mam ones. They are easy to clean and quick to sterilise in the case they come in. They did help - the pain was reduced, but my boy wasn't a huge fan, he kept coughing and spluttering. I think just to give a little respite they are quite good. I just used them in the evenings for a few days at the time he was most frustrated. So although not perfect things have improved slightly. Hope you get yours sorted too, it's not fun being in pain each time

@toomanysausages no routine at all during the day, she generally has a nap after being awake for 1-1 1/2 hours but it's anyone's guess how long she'll be down for!

At nighttime it's better, we generally put her down at about 9 (asleep between 9:30-10) and then she wakes up at 1:30 and 5 - ish but that's only been consistent for the last week so who knows what it'll be like next week 😂

We have no routine either and it is stressing me a bit. He just doesn't want to nap. Yesterday had 3 hours in one go and nothing else and today the longest has been 20 mins on me then he gets really overtired and grumpy. I try and watch for sleepy cues and wake windows but he just won't sleep.

Nights are a bit better at least. @C1umsyGiraffe we have exactly the same night times. Sleeps about 9:30, wakes up between 1 and 2 and then around 5. It's the 5am wake up I'm struggling with as he won't really settle again after that and not sure how to get him to sleep later.

We don't have a routine during the day yet but generally she will feed around 7pm and then sleep until about 10pm. Feed and then sleep to 6am if we are lucky. Sometimes like last night she will wake around 3am for a feed. I'm finding she is becoming really frustrated on the breast in the evening when my supply is lower. It's like she has wind as she wiggles and shouts and pulls off, arching her back, but I try and burp her and she gets super upset and nothing comes up and I reckon she's just angry because the supply is low. Not sure what to do about it other than perhaps introduce a bottle of formula before bed.

Same as what everyone else has said, no routine in the day and will only nap 30-45 minutes max unless it’s a contact nap then it’s usually a bit longer.

At night he normally sleeps around 8-9pm to 1-1.30am and then up again around 4-5am.

I just saw an Instagram reel which said at this age to expect “crap naps” in the day and that they will probably not want to sleep in their bassinet/cot in the day but will be more susceptible to in the night which made me feel better as it’s literally what he is like at the moment.

@BobbySD345 I sympathise!! My little one gets frustrated too. I can only describe it as like trying to feed a wriggly baby octopus!

I'm certainly no expert but have been in tears at times being in pain and feeling that he's not getting what he needs, but when I have spoken with health visitors or breast feeding advisors they have all suggested that the struggling will help increase supply, and introducing formula won't necessarily help get the message to your boobs that baby needs a bit more.

But of course everyone and every baby is different, and what is right for one is not right for everyone - what I'm trying to get at is that I would recommend chatting it through with an expert before you make changes. I have stuck it out and feel things have improved in terms of supply now he's at 11 weeks old. I'm sure you are doing a fab job, don't get disheartened as it's still really early days x

Pleased with these answers! I read an article about starting a routine and thought that baby and I are NOWHERE near that yet. The only routine we have is that she's very unsettled from about 9.30pm-12.30am (she will wake up multiple times until she is properly asleep) every night. Last night she was up three times 1ish,3ish,4.40. The night before that she slept for a solid 5 hours! During the day she naps anything from 10 mins to a couple of hours. Sometimes she's wide awake for 90 mins sometimes for 20 mins - I do try and do things to entertain her - we're all over the place!

Night time we are in a routine, settle her for a sleep about 8, amf then a clean bum, bottle and bed around 10.30.
She will then sleep until 6ish.
Day time is more erratic. She needs to sleep after an hour or so awake, but this is not always for very long. Esp in the afternoon. If we go out in the car or pram She will sleep fairly well.
Tonight this was where she took her last sleep before bed.

@DrinkingAllTheGin brilliant photo! Looks very comfy 🤣🤣

This is really interesting @Ally1992 as mine (7 weeks now) sleeps quite well at night but not very in the day! Some days we have had 2-3 hour stints and others very alert and then being extremely overtired and hard to settle or just wants to contact nap. Night time she sleeps downstairs on us until 10ish, has a change and a feed then goes into her cot around 10 30/ 11pm. She then wakes somewhere between 2 and 4, sometimes then being awake for around an hour then sleeps again until 6. Thankfully hubby is getting up and giving a bottle so I can have a little extra snooze. My first was nothing like this at this age so I wasn't expecting it but good to hear others are similar

@Rlt8990 my partner has the baby between 5-7am in the week thankfully otherwise I would be a walking zombie!

On the weekend we do shifts so I have him 9pm-1am and he has him 1am-6am but the last few weekends he just won’t settle back to sleep on my partners shift, I wonder if it’s because he associates him with getting up at 5am. Anyone else experienced this? He goes straight back to sleep with me in the week.

Hiya all - been in this group since it started! Just dropped of the radar struggling with two under two.

Am I allowed to ask a question?

How much milk should the baby be drinking and how often . This is my first time bottle feeding and I find that she wants to drink little but often - feels like all day I am making and washing bottles.

Also all her hair at th back of her head is missing - this didn't happen with my first so freaking out .

Added a little image of Elaana !

Hello, such cute photos of your babies!
Baby sleeps 8/8:15-1:45/2 so roughly 6hrs. Then back to sleep 3-4:30 then active sleep 5 (so loud!) until 6. Does anyone else have really loud active sleepers?

@Dewintergarden My 7 week old has been mainly in active sleep the past 2 nights and it’s driving me insane as I can’t sleep at all listening to him. 😂😅 He wriggles, grunts, snorts, the lot! I’m hoping it’s just a phase as he is feeding loads and seems to be going through a growth spurt…. Fingers crossed!

Before this we thought we had it nailed as we put him to sleep downstairs with us about 7-8ish, took him up and dream fed him at 10, then he’d sleep until 2-2.30 ish, feed, go back down from 3-7. It was only 2 nights ago but feels like a distant memory now!

For those who are EBF, how often are your babies having dirty (poop) nappies?

I know all babies are different but my nearly 10 weeks old is still going on average 10 times per day. She was going around 12-15 times until a couple of weeks ago, but they are still very frequent (and loose).

I can't help but read online that things are meant to settle around 6 weeks 😬

Yep mine has noisy moments, and she likes to thud her legs up and down - I've read this is a self soothing thing?!

@hanc66 mine thuds his legs all the time at night! I had no idea it was self soothing that’s interesting

@hanc66 mine is 11 and a half weeks, EBF and still has very loose poop, I'd say around 6-8 per day, sometimes more! In the beginning it felt like every trump had a bit of follow through but that's calmed down a bit now. Doesn't sound that unusual if otherwise she's all well, but maybe speak to your health visitor if worried?