💙🩷From Bumps 2 Babies & Beyond!🤰👶🍼🤱🤱

[MummyTo4BoysXXXX]

following on from the Due February 2024 thread 7.. now this shall be thread 8! For us all to continue our pregnancy&postpartum journey together 😊

Thanks for the poo replies, it seems all babies are different and there is a lot of variation!

@redxlondon hopefully baby goes soon. I have the opposite problem and Charlie has ended up with nappy rash from having 2 days of pooing constantly 🙈 thankfully it seems to have calmed down a bit.

He went last night…it was epic!!

How are everyone's little ones sleeping at night?

My little girl doesn't seem to want to sleep in her bedside crib at all! Really struggling with the nights, getting maybe 1-2h sleep total.

She's happy to be held and fall asleep but as soon as I transfer her, she wakes up and screams! She's also very happy to sleep on our bed (not co-sleeping, just when I put her down to prep a bottle or something).

Wondering what to try next because we can't keep going on like this 🥲 don't have a Moses basket but wonder if the carrycot will help for the interim. She snoozes happily throughout the day in her purflo nest but can't use this overnight.

Any similar stories or suggestions welcome! X

@msp2023 my baby is the same, just does not want to be put down! Most nights my dh takes a shift so I can get 3-4 hours sleep but he's away for work just now so I was up all night last night bar one hour. My sister has come over to help so I'll get a nap shortly, thankfully. Baby is breastfeeding but taking expressed milk from bottles.
The only thing that has helped slightly is a love2dream sleeping bag, he occasionally has slept in his next2me or cot for 1-2 hours in that. Whereas in other bags or swaddle he won't settle at all.
During the day he naps happily in a dockatot but it's not safe for unsupervised sleep sadly. I've tried co sleeping following guidelines but so far not helping- he doesn't want to be lying safely next to me on the mattress, he wants to be on my chest.
Interested in any tips too and sending solidarity!

I use the same Moses basket for day naps and during the night - I live in a bungalow so it’s easy to just move it between the living room and bedroom. Baby likes it and sleeps well in it (we’ll as much as a 3 week old sleeps 🥲). I think because it’s smaller and they feel cocooned it makes them feel safe.

@Hankthehonk so sorry you're going through the same thing!! I can truly empathise with the exhaustion :(

Just realised my carrycot isn't suitable for overnight sleep so that's excellent 🙃 I don't really want to purchase a Moses basket at this stage either as she's so tall and growing out of things so quickly 😩

She's constantly spitting up milk too which means I'm leaping up to wipe her/keep her upright again. This is despite keeping her upright for half an hour after each feed.

Hate this as I love the newborn stage and want to appreciate every moment. I just can't seem to channel that feeling at 3am when it's night after night of no sleep

@msp2023 try your pram bassinet for sleeps

@msp2023 it's not recommended but we use the Purflo overnight and technically it supposed to be okay for overnight sleep. We put it in the cot or the next to me (just fits in the tutti Bambino cozee next to me) depending on who is looking after the baby in the night.

Our carry cot is thankfully approved for overnight sleep also but he presses his face more into the side of the carry cot if anything!
I was putting him in the next to me only during my shift but did the next to me Purflo combo last night and was the best sleep he's had with me so far.
Husband back at work this week so I'm desperate to grab some extra sleep.
We use the tommee tippee swaddle sleeping bags as well which are nice and snug but let him have his arms.
I don't get much sleep attempting to co sleep (from experience with my first) so going with this for now.
Think we have to make our own choices about the risks - I used to fall asleep holding my first which is definitely unsafe...

Help inspire me. Those that love the newborn phase, would you share some of your reasons why? I feel I’m wishing the months away…

@Ihatewinding I keep thinking about doing the same with purflo nest. I know it's advertised as safe but it still gives me anxiety! I don't even like leaving her in it unsupervised during the day whilst I potter around the house.
Nice to hear your perspective on it though, thank you. My husbands back to work too so I'm trying to do nights on my own - definitely can't continue on 1-2h sleep :(

@Ihatewinding I agree, it's weighing up the risks and making our own choices with the info we have. For example the US banned the sleeping nests because 12 children died, but co sleeping was 600 deaths in the last five years in the U.K. I fell asleep holding my first and was horrified. I have almost fallen asleep while feeding this baby too in bed. So lucky it was okay, but so so scary and hard when you're sleep deprived and not feeling safe.

Since then we've been more hardline and will tolerate a bit of whinging in their cot, with some rocking, hushing, stroking, lullabies playing and a swaddle bag etc. I know a lot of people wouldn't do that, but it works for us, and she's getting better at going in her cot and sleeping for stretches

@redxlondon I think many people feel like this.
At the hardest moments, I try and remind myself that she'll never be this small again, that she'll eventually be independent, won't want my cuddles and I won't be the only one in the world who can soothe her and make her feel safe.
It's very special to be this person for a tiny, innocent human.
I have moments of frustration in the night when she just won't sleep and I keep waiting for the 3 month mark where it's meant to get better. Deep down, I'm going to miss this stage soooo much.

@redxlondon the cuddles and baby smell are lovely, and I love feeding her and watching lots of Netflix and being able to relax not being at work. However a lot of it is boring and I don't think it's bad to acknowledge this!

Honestly in a couple more weeks I remember it getting a lot better as they're so portable you can be out and about, have lunches, drinks, classes like Hartbeeps, antenatal group meet-ups etc. I loved this stage. Just check them in a sling or pram and off you go about your day. Also the day to night confusion gets better about 5-6 weeks.

And the early stage is masses easier than my toddler currently 🤣

Hey all!

really random but can we talk weight loss + breastfeeding?

this is my 2nd baby but first i bf and going strong 12 days now. I was 15stone before falling pregnant and a week before giving birth i was 17st 10lbs. 5 days ago I weighed myself out of interest and i was 15st 13.5lbs, today I am 15st 8.25lbs.

i feel im eating enough but wondering at what point is it concerning? I see its not recommended to lose weight until 6 weeks pp and im not trying to lose weight yet, seems quite drastic. Maybe its just normal and fluid loss??

@PeeBeee I've lost weight both times very quickly - don't know of it's the breastfeeding or just normal post partum weight loss and reduction of fluid etc.

I was 9 st 4 before falling pregnant, went up to 12 st 10 just before giving birth. I'm now (2.5 weeks PP) 11 st 3. I'm eating loads as well as always hungry!

Last time I was back in my clothes and lost about 2.5 stone within 4-5 weeks.

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 thanks for your reply!

can’t believe i am only 8lb heavier than i was pre pregnancy! It will come a time i cant eat hobnobs at 3am and lose weight so should make the most of it while it lasts 😂

Thanks for the perspectives on sleep and different risks, I'd been thinking myself that surely the danger of me falling asleep holding him is worse than the dockatot. Most nights my dh and I can do shifts but on the odd night he's working I might need to resort to the dockatot inside the cot. We'll keep trying with the cot though, I'm encouraged that he's had a few short sleeps in there so hoping to keep making progress, especially now cluster feeding seems to be settling down at 4 weeks.
This is a particular shock to the system for us as our first slept happily wherever you put her and got into 3 hour cycles pretty quickly.
@redxlondon it's OK not to love it. Sounds like you've dealt with quite a few challenges already, we all have different babies and different experiences.
I'm loving lots of the snuggles, and I'm excited that breastfeeding is working out this time. I love looking into his wee eyes and seeing his growing curiosity as he takes in more every day. I'm starting to go out for walks with the pram and to cafes and it feels peaceful.
I've also had moments of being at the end of my tether (always in the middle of the night) and I've cried a few times.
There's no wrong way to feel.

Thanks all for the thoughts 🫶🏻 Having one of those really dark challenging days, we have baby massage class tomorrow so hoping that will help brighten the mood and help with bonding.

@PeeBeee I somehow weigh less than before pregnancy which kind of freaked me out, I gained steadily every month and was completely okay with working on it after the six weeks. I was losing weight before falling pregnant anyway and I look forward to getting back into it but I was hoping to really nourish myself and maintain in the weeks after he was born.

@redxlondon there are deff tough moments but i do love the cuddles and her lying on my chest, i love when she bfs she holds my hand (it melts my heart) 😢 she recognises my voice now too and gets excited looking around when she hears it 🫠 we’ve had a rough road with losses to get her here and i just think we may never be lucky enough to ever have this happen again (both in our 40s so chances are low).
the tiredness is nothing I’ve experienced before though, we’ve both been used to so much freedom with no real commitments all ours life’s so getting 1-2 hrs of sleep here and there is a shock to the system esp when it’s compounded over weeks and weeks.

on the sleep front, our LO wont go in the next to me either, she’s been in the bed with me. I deff don’t sleep properly with her in the bed as I wake frequently to check she’s ok but it’s the only solution we’ve found works so far. I’ve tried her in the bassinet a number of times during the day and no joy until today when she slept for prob 40 mins in it. If I can build on this I’ll bring it to the room and put it in the next to me. I can see how it’s so easy to fall asleep feeding or just with them on ur chest, it’s happened me and I got such a fright waking up.

I haven’t chanced weighing myself yet although I definitely notice my uterus is way down to almost pre pregnancy. 3 weeks tomorrow so I might give weighing myself a go 🥲 is there a recommended time frame or just different for everyone I suppose.

Anyone using the Rapid cool?

I bought it for when out and about and just done a rest run and it's still too hot to give?

@redxlondon you're not alone. I also have very challenging days where I mostly just cry. Newborn life can be very lonely. Not just that but you're tired and for me at least I've found my relationship has taken a bit of a backseat while we both try to navigate big changes. DH is trying his best but we are using disagreements where we never used to and I've found that tough too.

It's ok not to enjoy every minute, but hopefully you'll find tomorrow easier. Although it's a big effort to get out the house, I have found my mood is vastly better on days when I go to mums groups, or meet up with friends etc

Well done to everybody who gets out of the house to socialise. I’ve only managed to do appointments and ASDA on my own so far! I am a bit of a home bird so need to motivate myself to go out more.

Amazing you guys have started to go out and socialise. 5 weeks in and I've not done any solo trips yet! (I have had lots of company from mum, sister and husband).

Feel quite nervous about the prospect of driving with such precious cargo!

Anyone else get emotional because they miss being pregnant? I miss the feeling of it all, I miss the kicks, I miss my big belly. I was extremely tired, yes, but I loved it all.