Due Dec 2023 - part 6

[Nclktnntt]

Follow-on from part 5 heading into delivery and motherhood.

@99SR Hey, it’s so lonely isn’t it? You feel like the only one awake in the world. How’s tonight going?

Easier said than done but i’m clinging to the fact it’s a phase and it gets massively better in time.

We had a Xmas day baby too.
almost exact same scenario, had diet balloon in Xmas eve. Waters broke on Christmas Day morning. They put me on the drip, laboured with the most intense contractions for four hours without pain relief and gas and it made me sick.
epidural’s placed managed another hour, but sweet baby girl was struggling o emergency c section undertaken. Born Christmas Day evening.

we are so so so in love. Recovery is painful and km
scared about going home in pain with the little one to care for!

@VillageFete up crying til 1am, managed to settle and transfer into Moses basket at 2.30, back up at 5.45. Just this minute put her back into the Moses basket but I can hear her stirring. Not the worst night we’ve had but the screaming for hours on end is draining. I’m wondering if it’s colic or something.

hows your night going? X

Think we've had probably our worst night as well! I fed at 11 and went straight to bed leaving DH to settle baby to sleep (normally I wait til he's asleep before going upstairs). He did not sleep and was agitated until 5am 🥲 Eventually got him down at 5am but he woke again at 6.30 and here we are again. Have the midwife coming this morning too so can't even try and sleep when he sleeps until she's gone. It's such a struggle

Sounds like we’re all in the no sleep club☹️ baby was an absolute dream at night until 3/4 days ago. He got admitted with broncholitis on Christmas Day evening and has become very clingy, won’t settle by himself at all so I’ve had to hold him all night😩

things will get easier!

Hope he feels better soon! X

@HappyPie82 take all the drugs. I was asking in the hospital every 4 hours or so. I’ve not felt in ‘pain’ just achey when I get up and down. Walking seems ok once I’m going!

Our little one is amazing,
but refuses to be put down to sleep, so DH and I are basically in shifts sleeping about 2/3 hours each! Need to crack that….

Congratulations @Srs12 and to all the new babies if I've missed any other announcements 🥰

Looking for any tips and advice on how I can get baby girl to sleep in her next to me cot.

During the day she sleeps happily in her babynest/pod but when we go to place her down in her cot at night time, within seconds her legs and arms start going crazy.

I think it's because her pod is more snuggly and she feels like she's getting more of a hug whereas the cot is more open.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

You could put the babynest in the next to me until she is bigger but obviously using them at all is against safe sleep guidelines.

I’m sorry you’re all having sleep issues but glad I don’t feel alone! I know it’s normal in these early days but my God, it’s brutal!

I feel very claustrophobic and fed up. I’m sick of being stuck in. I need to get out tomorrow.

@chloesl1808 Is your little one in a sleeping bag/swaddle? They can help. Failing that i’m finding it’s a case of rocking them to sleep, laying them down as quietly as possible, keeping a hand on them for a while and having white noise on. It’s not working massively well so far but practice, practice, practice 🙁

@FirstMondayInMay Aah i’m so sorry to hear this. Hope baby is much better soon.

I’ve just realised I haven’t had a drink all day, i’m so dehydrated. I’ve been rushing like a lunatic trying to clean up and do washing etc… Then just burst out crying because of how lonely and crap it all feels - even though I know it gets better!! Christmas has just been chaotic and a bit of a wash out.

@chloesl1808 I found the same thing during week one. Since then I've been using white noise with piano music over it (Spotify) for night times and find that it calms her to distraction really well. I let it continue playing until she's soundly asleep or sometimes just leave playing as we sleep as I find it calming! I'm trying to allow her time to self settle, so she goes down when sleepy but not asleep and then might stir a few times or wake herself up but I'll soothe with the music playing quite loudly and try again. She now settles much easier and I'm getting good stretches at night. Other friends advise to warn the cot with hot water bottle so it's warmer and comforting which I'm going to do when it gets colder again.

We’ve completely failed at getting her to sleep in the next to me (last night was our first night home!).

The health visitor today suggested using my vest top that I’ve been wearing today as a base layer so it smells like me, and using a rolled up blanket to create a ‘u’ shape around the bottom so she feels a bit more tucked in. Also waiting longer from feeding to put her in it.

Going to give it a try tonight. I’m also feeling less achey from the c section so hoping my transition will be a bit less jerky…

Hi all,

congrats on all of the new babies! There must only be a few left to be born!

anyone due to have a c-section my advice would be - take the stool softeners! Sorry if TMi but I wish I’d started with them straight away!!

im also really feeling everyone struggling with sleep. I’m getting fairly decent stretches but baby takes a while to go down between feeds so the nights are long. It is very lonely and I am terrified of falling asleep with him!

is anyone struggling with under supply of breast milk? I’ve been struggling and am trying everything to get my supply up but feel like I’m failing a bit. I’ve had to supplement with formula milk to keep baby’s weight up and id love to be able to get back to exclusively breastfeeding.

Good to see some new baby stories. Congratulations to new mothers and babies 🎉 Sorry can’t tag congratulations.

I had my planned section today. I was the only scheduled one today. Normally they plan 3 but others must have arrived early so I was in theatre after 9am after arriving at 7:30am. So much for having a massive meal the evening before worrying I’d be starving. That was lucky.

Everything went well. I was a bit nervous about the spinal block but it wasn’t sore and worked first time. My blood pressure did drop and I felt light headed and sick but thankfully it passed in minutes. Baby boy was much bigger than his brother so glad I went with the section. He was just under 10lb. And luckily this time breast milk seems to be working. So overall I’m so thankful it’s gone as planned.

I’m just in the ward tonight with one other baby and mother but not sure if I’ll get much sleep. Now that would be the perfect birth. But best of luck to everyone else suffering from lack of sleep. Hope things improve.

@VillageFete im doing the same as you and it works (most of the time) rock her til she’s sleeping, try put her into the Moses basket as gently as possible then play white noise throughout the night. I also lay my hand on her and make the “shhh” noise if she stirs as I lay her down… we had to take the moses basket up stairs as she wouldn’t settle in the next to me (I think it was too big)!

I guess it’s all trial and error.

@ThomasinaLivesHere glad today went well! I had a csection 12 days ago now and feel so much better.

@chloesl1808 my baby finds the NTM too big , so we out his Moses basket in it and he sleeps so much better, he sleeps in his Moses basket downstairs anyway so we just carry it up.

I tired him just in his NTM last night and didn't have a good night

I'd suggest buying a cheaper Moses basket while your baby is still little.

Our baby wouldn't sleep in the snuzpod on his first night either so we've been using the Moses basket because he likes that during the day. But after reading your tips on here we tried heating the snuzpod with a hot water bottle last night and I sat on his Love to Dream suit while I fed him before putting it on him. He went down no problem! I did have to make sure I spent a lot of time winding him too though.
Does anyone else's baby sleep a lot during the day? I know wake windows include nappy changes and feeds but he isn't awake with eyes open too often! Maybe a couple times a day. Not sure if he should be awake more, though he's only 10 days old now.

@Charlielechat pleased you managed to get little one in the snuzpod. In terms of wake windows I feel like our little one is sleeping alot. He's only 6 days old but mainly asleep apart from a couple of 15 min max periods and the times he's being changed/feeding.

@Flowers90 yes that's probably something similar to my baby. Reassuring to hear someone else is the same. Apparently sleep is good for their cognitive development so hopefully it's a good thing!

Really hope our little one - when they decide to make an entrance - will sleep in the next to me because we haven't brought a Moses basket, I didn't see the point as we're basically living in a studio apartment while we renovate the house. Fingers crossed on that one.

I'm not sure if I'm getting really early signs either, our due date was yesterday, will be having a sweep tomorrow. Hopefully it's not a negative experience like many of you had with your sweeps.

We’ve a baby who won’t sleep in her NTM, I know the midwife recommended rolling up a towel and using it in a U shape around her to minimise the space but she’s sleeping so well in her Chico Hug we’re just using it at nighttime now as well as during the day!

I will try the NTM again when she’s a little bigger but I’m thankful she sleeps very well at night in general I don’t want to rock the boat!

My baby won’t settle in the NTM either, I think he doesn’t feel secure because it’s so open. I’ve got one of the Purflo breathable nests which I’ve put in the NTM and he settles nicely.

anyone struggling I’d try rolling a towel up inside a pillow case and see how they get on with it!

Those still waiting, I hope you get to meet your babies super soon!

How’s everyone’s night going?

I ordered a Snoo (In desperation after 2 horrendous nights, and then sod’s law after ordering it she slept fairly well for the following 2 nights) It’s a crib that basically rocks baby to sleep after a feed so that I don’t have to!

It was a grand. A bloody grand!!! Reduced from £1,400. Slightly regretting it now, although it still hasn’t been delivered. It was definitely an expense we could do without, but apparently they hold value and sell for a decent price afterwards so fingers crossed. My baby probably won’t even like it - she’s rather difficult so far 😂

She’s 3w 1d old, and from 6 weeks old i’m planning on doing some sleep shaping, paying more attention to wake windows, implementing a bedtime routine etc… For now it’s just bloody chaos. Can’t put her down half the time during the day, house is a bomb site, I look a mess and my poor 4 year old is wondering what’s wrong with me in my frazzled state. I feel like he’s walking on egg shells and it’s breaking my heart!

I really need to learn to use the baby carrier that I bought. Will do that tomorrow.

I’m really hoping for a few hour’s tonight 💤