September 2024 - Thread 11

[luckyfaith]

New thread 😊

@FuppinNora thags amazing about bab getting off to sleep themselves!!! I’m delighted for you!! I’m still Co sleeping cos I’m too afraid to put her in the cot cos I know she’ll wake but I think I just need to do it or she’ll be 2 and still in my bed 😂😂

@WinsandSam congrats on the bassinet sleep too!! That’s brilliant.

Lots of wins this week team ❤️

Been a while since I've posted, but is anyone else having immense trouble post-first-immunisations? Bear had his on Monday.

He will sleep at night a total dream, but during the day he's awake constantly and wants the boob ALL the time.
We think he's got immense tummy cramps but nothing we do seems to help.

He will fall asleep for all of five or ten minutes then be right up again crying and screaming the house down, the only thing that gets him off to sleep again is boob but even that he grizzles on, and I know he's getting enough as he has plenty of wet and dirty nappies - I'm at a point where I'm fully locked on the sofa, can't get up to even pee without it being WWIII instantly, I can't even grab something to eat, I have to wait for DP and by that point it can be anywhere from 12pm to 3pm before I've eaten anything...

Have tried entertaining him and stimulating him till he's tired, have tried keeping it mellow all day, have tried massage, bath, swaddle, singing, talking, book, white noise, rain, lullaby's, bicycle legs, calpol, colic drops, you name it we've tried it and baby, DP and I are reaching breaking point tbh.
It's been constant since about 7:30/800am and it's now just got 8pm... He needs between 14-17 hours and he is NOT getting that, at this point he has to just be overtired but I simply cannot get him to sleep for more than 10 minutes at a time if that even now!

I've cried like 4 times today, I'm at a total loss and I feel like such a shit mum that I can't seem to help him...

@SpicyMoth mine was really thrown off by his jabs, took a good 4-5 days to get over it. He did this blood curling scream and would completely inconsolable. Totally refused the boob unless he was STARVING. Calpol in the evening helped.

@SpicyMoth ahhhhh that sounds intense!! My first was like that post jabs - the only thing that helped was suppositories as he spit the calpol out like a little camel. If calpol is giving tummy cramps the paralinks are a good option too.

Just a thought but have you checked for teeth coming in? My DS started teething the week he got his jabs. 🙈 They haven't cut yet but I can feel the bottom left one moving up. Constant latching can be a way of soothing their little gums during it.

And just to say it's clear even over the Internet you're not a shit mum!!! You're clearly going above and beyond for him. 🩷 If it gets too intense please don't feel bad about putting him down for 10 minutes to grab a sandwich - you need to keep your strength up for him!

Thanks @HuggingAnIcePack887 and @kc92 !
Have just tried Calpol again, though it did bugger all yesterday so I'm not expecting much honestly 😩

Hadn't considered teething as he only turned 2 months on the 15th so thought it was a bit earl for that from all I've read online, but DP"s just had a feel and thinks his gums feel hard at the top middle, so maybe???

All I know is I'm desperate for something to help my wee man, the only thing at all that helps is the boob and its quite literally sucking all the energy from me 😅😩

My girl hasn't had her shots yet but just wanted to say that she's also getting nowhere near 14 hours sleep a day, and it's not because we're shit parents!
She sleeps 11pm-3am ish, then 4am-8am ish, and then it's anyone's guess as to what happens during the day. A half hour here, an hour there, and mayyyybe a longer stretch in the sling or in the pram with a dummy. Otherwise she is wide awake at home all day and occasionally shows the odd tired cue. No amount of white noise, swaddling, rocking etc. will help her drift off. Thankfully she sleeps well at night so we're able to get some rest ourselves, but we're lucky if she averages 10 hours most days, and she seems okay with that 😕

@SpicyMoth my first DS grinned up at me 2 days before turning 3 months and I had the shock of my life when I saw two little teeth sticking out at the bottom. I hadn't even realized he was teething because I thought it was too early! They can be moving for ages before they actually cut the gum as well.

@sorchanim all of my DS naps are in the sling these days and my back is actually broken from the weight of him. 😅 I have two ergo baby ones but if anyone has suggestions for better back support please share!

Still no luck at 23:40 - only way he'll sleep is in my arms, anything else and he wakes up screaming.

Looks like I'm in for a night of 0 sleep.

My HV and MW's all said sleeping with baby isn't safe but I seem to remember seeing a lot of people in this thread co-sleeping - How are you ladies doing it so its safe?

@SpicyMoth look up “Safe 7” - it is very safe indeed if done correctly. In other words, not on a sofa, not if parent isn’t drunk or on drugs etc! It’s actually safer than putting them in a crib once they get to three months old.

Baby is on the side, not in between mum and dad
no duvet or pillows anywhere near him
mum sleeps on her side facing baby, with arm out above his head and knees drawn up into a C shape
duvet no higher than your knees
baby ideally in sleeping bag rather than a blanket.

Our midwife recommended co sleeping to us on the day five check, thank god she did.

@SpicyMoth also no swaddle and a firm mattress (not a memory foam mattress as they're too soft and hot).

@PinkWatermelon88 try her in the cot! I only put him in because I was rocking him and bursting for toilet and DH had gone for a run. I would never have dreamed of it. Anyway it is fun to live dangerously 😂

@SpicyMoth did they say to come back to them if he was still off. My GP nurse said to go back if no improvement in 4 days. Might be worth ringing? My DS was fussy for few days also, I gave him calpol 3 times a day for 2 days and then twice the following day to prevent pain getting too much. It's insane how much they put into their little bodies the first time. All for the good I know! I'm whacked when I get the flu jab.

@Decaffe @HuggingAnIcePack887 @FuppinNora

Sorry for the delayed reply ladies, rough night, rougher morning!

Thanks for the info - our mattress if memory foam so looks like I'm out of luck there 😫
Gutted

GP wise they said he'd feel rough for the next two weeks and to come back if he still has a fever after 3 days or so but he doesn't seem to be feverish as far as I can tell - do you think I should ring them up anyway? I honestly just assumed this was part and parcel of having their jabs!

@SpicyMoth we have a memory foam mattress and co sleep some nights.. we follow all the other advice and she sleeps so much better next to me. It's like a constant cuddle for them. Maybe practice with a nap today?!

@SpicyMoth for mattresses the main thing is they won't dip under the weight of the baby. If they do, in severe cases they can cause a hollow that will allow rebreathing the same air. There's checks you can do with weights and a book if you Google it, to make sure your mattress is safe.

A bed rail is also very handy to make sure they're not going to scoot off the bed. For breastfeeding babies they gravitate towards the breast so they're unlikely to go anywhere if you're in a c shape around them though.

When I started co-sleeping with my first I "practiced" with a nap at the weekend and got my DH to check in regularly to make sure it was safe. I briefly thought about getting an owlet as well but they're so pricey.

I also wouldn't swaddle in the bed and always follow safe sleep 7.

I think I'd be a basket case except for co-sleeping tbh. Mine comes in at 5am most mornings. I get him to sleep in the crook of my arm and then slowly sneak it away so he's flat on his back - only way I can get him back to sleep at that hour.

@FuppinNora she lasted 90mins last night and about 20 today… and today she had the dodo for the full 20 too!!! Small steps hopefully we keep going this direction now I’m delighted 🎉

@SpicyMoth how is he today? Any improvement?

@PinkWatermelon88 that is fantastic, wins all round!

Just as we were getting settled here I think we have hit a growth spurt again, v clingy and sleeping all day. Why did they create babies like this??? Baby massage tomorrow, my one will be the one who won't be put down!

Thanks so much for all the advice all!

Unfortunately co-sleep nap resulted in a very distraught baby too, its arms or nothing for this little guy which is super bizarre as he's fine being in his cot at night, just during the day he wants constantly to be in my arms!

His pain seems to have subsided with a combination of colic drops and calpol - we only tried them separately before, so thankfully he's been getting enough sleep the past couple days, but its meant that I haven't been able to come back and update between nap-traps and needing to toilet or eat myself haha - I'm living the adult version of his little life right now.

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On a separate note though, can you ladies recommend anything to soothe my wee man's face??

It was -3 in Scotland last night so tried him in a baby sleeping bag for the first time and have woken to find him like this! (Apologies for slight boob was only way I could get a decent picture)

There's an actual scratch in it too somehow even though his hands were fully encased in the sleeves as its a bit big for him (0-6 months size).
I'm absolutely gutted as I only ordered it a day ago with prime and was super excited to try it for him...

I think it was because it was done all the way up maybe but I checked for rough spots and didn't feel anything unless the feel of the zip through its zip flap cover thing is enough???

I've tried a weeny bit of Savlon but it still just looks so damn sore, it looks absolutely raw - my poor wee man :'(

@SpicyMoth glad to hear you're getting a little sleep at night at least - hopefully the day time sleep will calm soon! Mine has been a koala in the sling the last few weeks and today he fell asleep on the floor while I went to the bathroom. I'm still in disbelief!!

Poor baba with the neck! Was the sleepsuit artificial or wool? The reason I ask is my first DS has eczema, that started as a baby. Any artificial or wool products always irritated his little neck like that. Plus anything with stand out seams, so we had to be really careful with bibs, jumpers and sleepsuits.

My phone screen is shite at the moment so I can't tell if it's dry skin or irritated - if it's dry the aveeno dermexa good night emollient balm is brilliant. The welleda calendula oil is fab for both, because calendula oil is antibacterial as well as hydrating. If it's irritated, boob milk is amazing.

For sleepsuits, they're so so pricey but my favourites are the slumbersac ones. The outside is pure cotton, the designs are adorable, they wash really really well and they have detachable sleeve options. Plus feet when they get older and start crawling / walking.

@SpicyMoth my baby is usually a great sleeper at night but in the day he needs to be in my arms too. He's especially needy in the afternoon (just when I'm getting tired lol). He'll do a 20 minute nap on his own but that's not enough, he's still grumpy and tired. So I need to literally hold him either in a cradle position or on my shoulder. My butt hurts from sitting down for hours at a time.

@kc92 @HuggingAnIcePack887

I totally feel you with the sore bum Hugging I feel like a slug with how little I'm able to move about hahaha

And Its supposed to be wool Kc92 but I've been scanning through over 1k reviews and there's debate over whether that's true or not - there's also about 4 or 5 one star reviews really buried that have the same problem I've had with the zipper scratching the hell out of other's wee ones faces too!

The low reviews were really buried, but I'm absolutely kicking myself for not triple checking before buying, idiot me thought that an overall 4.5 out of 5 would mean it'd be fine but apparently not - am fuming with myself but also with amazon that its still up for sale even though its clearly harmed others!

Have just managed to get refund process started after DP phoned them up, dunno what the hell I'm going to do with Bear tonight though - its due to be just as freezing cold again 😫😫 he'll scream in a swaddle and just throw off blankets even if they're tucked right into the sides if his cot tightly - just more layers of clothes I guess but I'm so anxious about him overheating 😣

Its so hard to know what to do!!

I've been giving my baby probiotic drops (Bio Gaia) and it seems to have helped his reflux a lot. It may just be a developmental thing but on the off chance it does help, I wanted to mention it here.

My paediatrician recommended it, it does no harm and she says some of her patients say it helped their babies, especially c section babies.

I’m also struggling with day time napping, indie may go down for about 20 mins a couple of times a day. But if I laid with her she’d sleep for hours. So when she’s next to me at night she sleeps really well. She did manage a 3 hour nap in her cot the other day on the day we had to go out of course haha
its just so hit and miss you never know what each day will bring.

Indie is also now 11lb 3oz which just seems crazy to me, she gained a kg in 3 weeks. How are these babies getting so big now 😭

Hey everyone, hope you are all well.

I don't want to speak to soon but sleep has really improved here. She sleeps in her crib all night, tends to wake around 6.30/7am and then comes in bed with me for a booby cuddle. But this morning it was 7.55am!! 😍

Id like opinions please though on waking her for night feeds. Obviously Esme lost lots of weight and we went on a strict every 3 hours formula top up. She now goes 4 hours but has 150ml and has been steadily gaining weight she was 9 lbs 8 Oz last week so I reckon probably nearing 10 lbs now..... We are having to wake her at 4/4.30am for a feed. She doesn't wake herself, we wake her. Her night time sleeping is so good now would you just leave her sleep and wake up herself when she's hungry? I would love to get longer than a 2/3 hour stint ...... 😀

@TripleESept24 let her sleep! Mine has been sleeping 10pm - 4 am since week 8 and midwife said that's awesome. It's not every night, but I'd say 5 nights out of 7.

No need to wake them. We are on week 12, almost 13, and that hasn't improved unfortunately (some of the bubs in my mum coffee group sleep 10-6am) but I am not complaining. There is a growth spurt at week 12 which kinda caught me by surprise so I have been back to feeding every 3 hours the last 3 nights.

Anyone else have a permanent tiredness headache?

We are upping her formula now she's turned 9 weeks again.

I'm going to suggest letting her sleep then. Are you still then doing a bottle or feed every 3/4 hours? Would you just start it from when they wake? We are very much set feed times at the moment