💙🩷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 all the replies, it’s really useful to see what other babies are doing at a similar age.

I am formula feeding and the biggest stretch of sleep I get is 4 hours at night and about 2.5 during the day. I’m going to try and get baby out for a walk everyday going forward because I read exposure to natural light is supposed to help with nighttime sleep.

So interesting to see the wee routines everyone has going and funny how many are very similar. Similar to a few we do last feed before bed around 12 then she’ll wake to feed between 3-4am and then we get up at next feed around 6.30/7am. Her feed in middle of the night is usually only 10-15 mins and she’s conked so sometimes I’d nearly forget being up 😬
she was back to the witching hr the last 2 evenings you and nothing would settle her between say 7-10pm, poor wee thing gets herself so upset, it breaks my heart🫤 anyone else experiencing this in the evening?

@DmcinT Witching hour on a night here also.
I've found putting her in a sling helps.

Anyone finding self care diffiult? I haven't shaved my legs since January, haven't plucked my eyebrows in weeks, my skin is so dry and neglected. It's not that I'm feeling down or anything, it just feels like there are always more important things to do.

@Cheetocat I'm a mess! I barely even look in the mirror bar when I'm brushing my teeth.
Sometimes I shock myself when I catch a glimpse of my face 🤣

🙋🏻‍♀️ @Cheetocat

My eyebrows are BADDDD!!! 🙈 and same here with the dry skin.

Really neglecting myself right now but at least no one can ever say we're neglecting our babies x

@Cheetocat oh same over here, I’m lucky if I get a quick 5 min shower and days that doesn’t even happen. Just as I right this I’m realising I didn’t brush my teeth this morning🙈
a friend called to visit yesterday and took a pic of us; I couldn’t get over how pale, tired and a bit gaunt I looked when she sent it to me last night. I put a bit of tanning mist on my face this morning as a result 😅🙈

@Sunshineclouds11 i must try the sling🙌🏽 thanks for the tip🤞🏽

@Cheetocat that so made me giggle when wee man made an appearance 7 1/2 wks early all I could think about was my toe nails weren’t cut legs r bits weren’t shaved 😂 now he here it’s just as bad no time 4 me lucky 2 get a bath it’s always a quick shower

I’ve just shaved my legs (and other areas..) for the first time today and did a full body moisturise. It’s so hard isn’t it - men don’t get it either!! You’ve motivated now though, Charlie is currently napping in his vibrating chair so I’m going to seize the opportunity and tint and pluck my eyebrows and put a facemask on 💁🏻‍♀️

@Cheetocat legs and bits haven't been shaved since she was born 5 weeks ago!
My skin is also so dry esp my face, I've started moisturising again this week.

Showers are 10 mins for me on a night time. And even then I'm standing thinking what I need to do when I get out 🙈

Eyebrows are shot for shit.

@Cheetocat struggling with self care over here too! Not sure how I am meant to fit it in when I'm a single parent, most days I manage a super quick shower and brush my teeth but still look like a walking zombie.
My legs resemble chewbacca 😂🙈

@Cheetocat I've been making an effort to get myself looking better the last week or so as it was really getting to me that I was looking so rough. I've had my eyebrows and nails done and shaved everywhere and I feel better already 😂

@RachLeeds my wee boy is 5 weeks tomorrow and I think we might have finally started having a vague routine after weeks of being nocturnal and awake all night feeding… fingers crossed anyway!

over the last few days he usually has an evening feed around 8 or 9pm (sometimes it ends up being a bit later or earlier). He will then sleep until about 1am or 2am for another feed. next wake up happens somewhere between 4am and 6am. He usually then sleeps until somewhere between 9am or 10am. He may be awake for a bit / short nap then wants another feed about 12pm. He usually spends the afternoon a mixture of napping and being awake. Sometimes he will want extra feeding but usually will have a good feed about 4pm or 5pm.

@msp2023 - I feel your pain - until part way through this week I was having to be awake all night then handing baby over to husband so I could catch up on some sleep. I’ll share what we have been trying in case there’s something that might help but I know every baby is different :/

• Plenty of light in the day and keeping light dim / low light evening and night time to encourage circadian rhythm
• white noise or ocean sounds to help keep asleep at night
• tried to do tummy time when awake in day time or some kind of interaction
• try to take baby outside during day in pram or sling (weather dependent)

Haha I literally cut my toenails for the first time since he was born today and he's 5 weeks old.

I'm glad I'm not the only one! I love that we can all share what we're going through here.

I think we just choose what to prioritise. I spoke with one mum who barely showers once a week. I couldn’t imagine this, I shower in the morning and do my full face routine (cleanse, serum, moisturise) before bed. BUT, my thing is that I can go the whole day without eating. Really damaging. It’s impossible to do it all so we just each make choices on what has to give.

@redxlondon Yeah, it's so easy to skip a meal, especially if it coincides with when baby has to eat, soo bad

I hardly eat or drink either 🙈
And I wonder why I'm getting really bad chest pains these past few days.

I find I put little man down to go eat or drink and he instantly gets grizzly so I end up leaving it

I'm trying not to Google it sends my head away more because she should be having a lot more "wake windows" than she is. She's feeding 4/5oz every 4 sometimes less hours threw the day, sometimes will fall asleep again while drinking it, if she wants to sleep she will cry untill she gets back to sleep, feeding roughly 12am, seems to have dropped 4am past 2 nights, 8am, 12pm, 4pm, 8pm give or take half an hour. 9 times out of 10 will sleep the whole 4 hours between feeds also.

Everyone keeps telling me to enjoy it, she's so content, which she is but I still worry about it sometimes.

@Kirstylvsya I have a very sleepy little one who would do the same but during the day I wake him often by changing his nappy and offer him a feed. He's just still so small and I'm worried about him. I think I'm still a bit in shock over how much weight he lost after birth. I think if your little one is growing and you're getting wet dirty nappies it's absolutely fine to let them sleep though.

Also skipping meals!
I'm having one meal a day and even then I can't finish it 🤢

I was like this with my first also and it took awhile for my appetite to come back properly.

I do need to up my drink intake though esp water/juice

I'm eating hospital food and a few snacks but I'm vegan so I don't have the best options here. 🤣 Breakfast is usually two small bread rolls and herbal tea, I snack on cereal bars, chocolate soy milk and fruit. Lunch and dinner are in the cafeteria and it's usually vegetable medley and some kind of potatoes or rice. The good thing is that they've got freshly made veggie soups with every meal and also simple salads that you dress yourself. Just now for dinner I had chips, peas, carrots and green beans and broccoli soup. A lot of the time I don't want to eat any of it but my partner has begged me to eat it since I'm breastfeeding and the baby needs my milk. 🤣

Thread has moved so quickly sorry!

@Hankthehonk glad you edited to remove the negative things, as I'm sure you look lovely. I completely feel the same though. I used to have a flat stomach and I hate being like this. My stomach looks awful, saggy stretched skin and stretch marks. I didn't have this with my first, so feeling a bit sad about it. Wondering if I maybe got pregnant too quickly after my first, so skin didn't recover 🤷‍♀️

@Cheetocat gosh you've had so much on your plate, I'd be surprised if you had much time for self care. And hospital food is grim, so no wonder you don't want to eat it. It's tough also when vegan or veggie, as I found the options were repetitive and flavourless, so not the most appetising. I've been thinking of you and hoping you're doing well.

On self care, last week or so I've made an effort to put on moisturiser, a bit of concealer, blush and mascara and I find I look and feel so much better. It takes me less that 1 min, but I have to make myself.

@anony1111 single parenthood must be so much harder, you're doing an amazing job to be showered every morning. Without any break in the night, it must be harder to have the energy to do stuff

Hope everyone is well and getting be on alright and has had a nice w/e!

I’m so happy for those getting some sleep but I also found it difficult to read. To add some balance for those with more unsettled babies so you don’t feel so alone…

Last night, my little one ( 5 weeks on Tuesday) went to sleep at 9 and was then up at 11, 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6. Lots of grizzles as she poos and tries to poo/ fart. It’s all on me because she is EBF and my partner sleeps in another room (at my request 😂)

Hey @A1b2c3d4e5f6g7, you very kindly suggested to me a while back the AI2 nappies - was wondering do you use a fleece liner for baby's bum to stay dry?