💙🩷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 😊

@Mismatc having not dissimilar nights with my EBF baby and reminding myself that the days or nights in this case are long but the years are short but wow I feel like a zombie 😂

@Mismatc oh darling, I can empathise! It's so bloody hard isn't it 😞😞 then the days are exhausting due to minimal sleep!
Idk why or how but baby girl had a six hour gap between feeds last night! So strange that in fact I worry when she doesn't wake up every 1-2h! 🤔

@novamama I never have, but maybe that sounds quite nice! We didn't get nappy rash with the all in twos, so I just use them as they come for ease.

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 thank you! Just ordering now and was wondering what you did :) excited to start cloth nappies properly.

@Mismatc just to know you're def not alone as baby feeds in similar patterns last night it was 22:30; midnight; 1:30; 2:30; 4; 5:30 and 7:30.
She's 5 weeks today

Big well done to anyone using cloth nappies, I'd love to but I'm already drowning with everything else going on.

@Mismatc @Thewildthingsarewithme @novamama 🙋 we are also currently in the no sleep club. Last night little man went to sleep at 10pm, up just before midnight, took me two hours to settle him back down, another two hours sleep, back up at 4am and that was it. 👤

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 thank you, it's definitely tough but I find if I don't shower, the rest of the day is then a sh*t show because I feel crap in myself. I'm just about surviving with a newborn and 6 year old 😂🙈

I also keep telling myself that newborn doesn’t last long 😅. I’m definitely feeling it more at 34 than I did with my first two at 23 and 24. Even with two babies tag teaming me all night, haha

@Mismatc I'm glad you said this!! I couldn't agree more! I'm 33 and my body feels ruined 😂 thought it was just me!

How much “play” time do you have with your babies at 5/6 weeks old? By play, I basically mean anything that isn’t feeding, changing or sleeping … keen to hear what you do and how much,

At the moment we do short tummy time sessions looking at different black and white pictures. Not really play, but if he’s alert and settled I’ll use bouncer which has hanging objects for max 15-20 minutes. I’m starting to freak out that he’ll be awake for longer and how much of the day will now need “play” time.

@redxlondon I have been overwhelmed thinking about that too but I figure that the more important thing is stimulating them at all, not the activity itself. I love reading stories to my little boy while he's feeding and that's something I can do when he's more alert too, we can talk to them, describe everything we're doing even if they're not in our arms. Let them look out the window, let them touch different textures with their hands and feet etc.. I know having set activities sounds lovely and it seems like everyone else is doing it but I've decided it's not realistic.

I think I’m already not coping with how little time I have in the day and feel it’s only going to get worse.
(“Then why did you have a baby?” Is what I worry everyone is thinking whenever I try to express this worry….its such a huge adjustment, I love my baby but feel like I’ve totally lost myself)

@redxlondon she can be awake for anything from an hour to hour and half.

We do tummy time and swing chair also.
I have a disco light that she likes aswell, otherwise I put her on a play mat on the floor take her legs out baby grow and let her kick, talk to her, peek a boo etc.
she likes to have a look round the house haha esp out the window, guessing it's the light etc.
but she's also happy in her chair watching me potter whilst I chat on to her.

@redxlondon I count things like walking to get a coffee, sitting in a cafe, going to the park with toddler and dog. She likes looking up at the light and shadows, and it's fresh air and a different environment. Classes like Hartbeeps and baby sensory are fun and good for me too to socialise. I drag her along to other stuff like toddler football and gym. Put her bouncer in the doorway when I'm hanging washing etc so she can hear me and see. Just go about my life really

@redxlondon mine isn't awake enough for any play 🤣 the off time she will lay in her Playmate or cot in her room looking at the toys but after changing, feeding, burning she's mostly asleep again!

Thanks all, that’s given me some inspiration and reassurance. We also like going out,l and to classes. I do often potter around house with him so I can find ways to do my shit but also keep him engaged and explore the world with me.

A question for those BF their babies...

7 week old has suddenly started going 5h between night feeds (from wanting to be fed every 1-2h).

This worries me as I am gradually reducing formula top ups to move to exclusive BF - I wonder if it's because she's not getting enough milk during the day as is now lethargic / dehydrated ??

How many hours can your BF baby go in the night without feeding?
Also concerned about my milk supply! 😩

Also.. no poops for two days :( usually poos once a day with the odd day skipped.
Same amount of wet nappies but less heavy? Not sure if this is normal because obviously there's less volume of formula going in...

Really workout myself into a panic here :( doesn't help that she's quite a lazy girl!

@msp2023 mine is EBF and goes 4 hours between feeds at night, and has since 2-3 weeks. I remember with my son that at 6-7 weeks he suddenly stopped pooing, and apparently this can be normal for breastfed babies as they extract almost all the nutrition as they get older. But I would 💯 ask your health visitor. I did. For a time he pood only once or twice a week. But masses of wet nappies, alert, and gaining weight etc.

@msp2023 if she's more lethargic, I'd contact health visitor or midwife straight away for advice personally. Does she feed very frequently in the day?

@msp2023 it could be normal but if I were you I'd contact health visitor and also a breastfeeding support charity or helpline. Hopefully it's just that she's progressing now that feeding is established

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 @Hankthehonk thank you both.
Sorry I meant does this mean she is lethargic not necessarily that she is.
She was up every 1-2h again after the feed post long stretch of sleep. Super alert this morning and guzzling from the breast.
Will see how she is throughout the day/one more night and review tomorrow! 😞

So stressful.. feel like all I do is worry worry worry.

@msp2023 oh I feel ur pain, when they wake a lot I’m thinking is something wrong and if she sleeps over 5 hrs I’m thinking something is wrong, it’s constant🙈

I’m raging at myself, I collect the let down with the haakaa when I’m feeding so partner had given some in a bottle last night, then this morning I’d said to him to give her the rest that it was good for 12 hrs ☹️😩😫 it’s actually only 4 hrs it’s good for so now I’m terrified I’ll have made her sick😔

@DmcinT don't panic, I'm sure it'll be fine. The 4 hour guidance is based on a room of 25 degrees. At this time of year I assume your house isn't so warm, and in any case the guidelines are super conservative to avoid any risk. A one off going over the limit is very unlikely to cause any problems, particularly if your pump was clean.

@DmcinT if it helps, the nurses were so relaxed about breast milk being out when my son was in, and this was for small poorly vulnerable newborns, and on a hot ward. It was quite cold last night and so I wouldn't be too worried