September 2024 - Thread 11

[luckyfaith]

New thread 😊

@SpicyMoth well, if it makes you feel better, I have private health insurance (don't live in the UK at the moment) and I've had a million physio sessions with a specialist women's physio and seen a private doctor and other than relieve my PGP temporarily, for literally a few hours, with some massage and needling, there is absolutely nothing else they can do for me. Nothing. And I was also told that the hormones causing PGP don't wear off completely until 12 months pp AND you finish breastfeeding.

It's horrible as even my DH doesn't quite realize how bad my PGP still is. Everyone just assumes you're ok at this point.

So you have my absolute sympathy, I know what you're going through.

Top tip if you're back at the gym - stay away from single leg exercises. Keep both feet on the ground (I.e. squats instead of lunges, bike instead of running) until your PGP is better.

@MommaSmith fair play to you for breastfeeding through a pregnancy!! I would simply pass away if I tried that. I would love to go back to doing a formula bottle before bed, and maybe one in the evening so I can get stress free gym time without having to pump.

@SpicyMoth & @HuggingAnIcePack887 it honestly sounds hellish, and I hope it eases for you both after weaning! Whenever that may be for you.

I do think people just expect mums to be magically physically recovered by like 3 months after birth. I had to get an MRI last month, because I get unexplained vision problems in pregnancy that are still ongoing this time. Mine & DH's family were genuinely shocked I wasn't right yet. Working theory is my optic nerves get too get much pressure on them from increased blood & hormones during pregnancy, and cut off some of my field of vision intermittently. But they had to rule out a benign brain tumor so that was fun!!! I feel like if any lurkers browse this thread and know me IRL they'll recognize this instantly. 🤣

I'm so happy to log in and see the thread so active again 😍🫶😀

Took me a while to catch up and read there were 26 new replies....

@SpicyMoth Esme has been in her cot now since 6 months (she's 7.5 month) and sleeps so much better in there in her own room and with space to roll around! She's happy in there in the mornings whilst I run and make bottle etc. I FEEL YOU on the lowering of the cot...... We haven't done it yet but we will be over the next few weeks. Esme can't sit herself up yet but she's started to hold on to the bars of the cot and the top of it so getting a bit worried...... I dread it being down low for my back!! My back has been so bad since giving birth I have sciatica which flares up sometimes. Her dad gets her in and out of the bath as I struggle with that! But he won't be around all the time to get her in and out of the cot 😭

@MommaSmith Esme is currently ....

Sitting unaided (but can't sit herself up)

Rolling, literally from one side of the room to the other! I can put her in one place and she will be the other side of the room in a flash!

Will take spoon and feed herself but very messily, her pincer grab is ok but she struggles with really soft food that mashes in her hand she likes help with finger food!

Lots of babbling and talking but no definitive dada or mama

When on her tummy she looks like she's trying to swim 🤣 waves arms and legs, gets her knees up sometimes but not often

One hilarious thing she's started doing is if she doesn't want something she shakes her head like mad and I say do you not want anymore and she shakes her head and finds it hilarious 🤣🤣🤣

Our Bf journey has totally come to an end now since she's eating so well. I did used to love our Bf cuddles and now she is not a cuddly baby 🥺 hope that changes

Hope everyone's enjoying the sunshine!! 🫶♥️ Back to work tomorrow for me, chose May which has two bank holidays which is nice 🤣

@TripleESept24 how was going back to work for you? ❤️

Night one of night weaning done! Trying to stretch him to sleep between 12&5 without milk. He'll be fine with 5 hours out of 24 without a drink, and I think it'll save my sanity. I fed him just before 12 & then spent an hour rocking him from 2-3 before I could get him back in his bed. He woke at half 3 for a feed anyway, but going a 3 1/2 hour stretch without feeding at night is a start. Going to keep trying to push it longer each night and see if he'll settle without getting out of the crib. 🤞🏻

Evening all, I'm due at the end of August so could well be a sept baby, I hope it's alright to join? There doesn't seem to be an august thread!

How is everyone coping with the heat? This is my second baby and my bump has grown so fast this time compared to last. I'm already starting to struggle getting in and out of bed, last time that didn't start until around 7 months!

Congratulations @meeting !!! This is actually a September 2024 thread so all our babies are 7-8 months 😂 you should start a September 2025 thread if there isn't one as it's soooo helpful. This thread has been a lifeline for me!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! <3

I second @HuggingAnIcePack887 !

Try out Facebook for groups as well, I also found those very helpful for when I couldn't get to my PC and MN wasn't working on my phone for whatever reason :)

Oh wow, sorry!🤣 Thanks for the congratulations and I hope all your little babies are doing well! Off I go to search again...

You're more than welcome to stick around regardless!!
We might not be posting as regularly as other's who're going through it all same time as you though ahaha :')

_

Side note re; sleep - after being unable to manage putting Bear to bed after lowering his cot, we ended up resorting to the travel cot... And....
Touch wood, he's been sleeping through with only one or two night wakes rather than between 7 and 10 like before, literally overnight!!!!!

I'm beginning to wonder if we have a case of a little Goldilocks on our hands where he didn't like his cot too small or too big, but the travel cot is juuuuuust right?!!

For anyone else struggling, I know it probably sounds daft, and for all I know it's just one huge coincidence, but if you can, try out different sized sleeping spaces just to see!

@kc92 going back was ok! It's all just a bit full on and loads to process! Think it'll take a little while to settle back in and get back on track!! But She was a good girl for daddy 🫶

Esme isn't very well today 😓 think she's caught a little bug? She went to her friends 1st birthday party on Saturday and there were lots of kids playing in a ball pit bouncy castle/soft play etc.

Started last night off her dinner and being a bit whingey..... Then had a night of waking lots crying (very unlike her she sleeps right through 11-12 hours normally!) and then she came in bed with us about 5.45am but still very restless. Then she's been really sick first thing when she's got up before her bottle, then vomitted up all of her bottle and been sick another 3 times since ..... She's got a temp of 38.5 and just eaten some plain buttered toast and has been asleep now for an hour and a half. I've given her some Calpol and will keep an eye on her hopefully she will perk up a bit later 😓

Checking in with you all! I promised myself I wouldn't get caught up on the milestones this time round but here I am...tiktok is the devil for comparing milestones.

My girl is 7 n half months tomorrow...she still doesn't roll (any way) just lays there like a potato on her back. She can roll onto her side when she wants to. I literally do all the 'exercises' every night, she despises tummy time (still) so has no motivation to roll onto her front. And when I put her on her front to try get her to roll back she just screams and screams until I then push her hips to roll her back over.

Weaning is a complete fail also...she's not eating any food at all, if she even sees a spoon now she bashes it away, shakes her head and locks her lips shut. We've been on a break from it, and I know food is for fun until 1 but still can't help compare to others.

@BeautyAndTheBump1 I think babies do what they want in their own time to a very large extent. We expect so much from our babies nowadays because we're constantly comparing ourselves to a million other people on Instagram...food before 1 is important so you should keep trying but their nutrition still comes from milk. My paedetrician said it's about building up to those 3 meals a day by around 12 months, not so much about what goes in right now if that makes sense. So it's just practice.

You say she pushes the spoon away. Have you tried just pieces of brocoli or steak? Something to hold and chew? I put them in front of him and give him time to discover. I sometimes take a piece for myself and eat it in front of him.

Routine is important - choose a time of day when she's not tired so brekkie or lunch, an hour after milk. Same time every day. Don't go overboard with cleaning. Smile and make it fun (although soul destroying).

On the rolling, I did take mine to physio because he was only rolling to one side for aaaaages. Can you see if there is a children's physio around you? She gave us some great exercises which helped, she identified his issues immediately. I live abroad but she was actually an NHS physio before she moved here (UK expat destination) so there must be some.

@BeautyAndTheBump1 it's so hard not to compare isn't it! My first was born at the same time as his cousin, and my two friends children. Which was, and is, lovely, but comparisons were inevitable.

My DS1 didn't take to food until he was one. 🙈 I was so panicked over it I took him to the GP at 10 months. Honestly she made me feel terrible when I said all he'd eaten that day was a cheerio and two blackberries. But her advise eventually worked - I had to leave two hours between a milk feed and solids minimum or he had 0 interest. Even then it wasn't until he was in nursery and saw other kids eat that he took to it.

He did so much better on finger food though! Especially steak chunks, cucumber or other foods that helped his teething.

@TripleESept24 how is Esme now? Hope she's doing a little better! You'd be tired enough starting back at work without having a tummy bug in the house too. 🙈

@kc92 it's been awfullllll 😭 her temp went up to 39, but she was shivering. She projectile vomitted all over our bed at 10pm that night and she had diarrhoea 🥺🥺🥺 The past few nights she has cried lots during the night longest stretch was 3 hours after some Calpol.

Terrible timing with me back at work 😓😓😓 I worked from home today!! I'm just really hoping me and my other half aren't getting whatever she's had but I am starting to feel a bit fluey!!!

Fingers crossed for a better night tonight! I'm gonna get some sleep now! 🫶😴

@TripleESept24 my first week of work, DH brought home the nastiest flu I've ever experienced. He himself took 3 days sick because he felt so awful, which he has NEVER done before. Then I got it, but I couldn't call in sick so I had to keep working with a fever and chills (luckily I could WFH). Then baby got it so basically we were all coughing, not sleeping and I still had to work. Hell, I tell you. Hell.

Sending you all the hugs.

Parenting when you're sick and your child is sick too and you have to work is another level of adulthood.

We are both starting to feel poorly now. She didn't did sleep all night last night tho, apart from stirring a couple of times 🙏

If I feel really rough tomorrow I can WFH.... I couldn't really not work either really because we are so behind I need to get stuff done I'd rather work through it at home than not work and be even more behind next week 😭

She "DID" sleep through the night last night that meant to say .....

@TripleESept24 that sounds so grim! What rotten timing it happened just as you were back to work. 🙈 How are you all feeling now?

Great Esme is sleeping a little better for you as she recovers though!

We've gone from waking 6-7 times a night on average to 3-4, now that I've stretched his night time feeds out more. I need to find the energy to finish dropping them so we're down to 1-2, but I need a little while to recover sleep wise first!

Wow that’s great @kc92
how did you manage it? We’re teething so up a lot at night.. she’s never slept well since 3.5 months and usually wakes numerous times a night

@WinsandSam I kind of winged it to be honest! I didn't want to sleep train or go cold turkey but I thought if I broke the habit of feeding every hour / hour and a half he'd sleep better. My goal is to get 12-5 uninterrupted sleep eventually. I don't want to totally night wean until he's over one, but I couldn't survive that long sleep deprived. He was great at sleeping until the four month sleep regression too!

At the moment I want him to have at least 3 hour stretches, so if he wakes looking for a feed before that time period was up I rock him until he settles. When I started I was rocking him for 2 hours. 🫠 But he settled faster each time.

He's fallen in to a little routine around it the last few days, that I hope he stays in. I put him to bed around 7 - he does cluster feed until I go to bed so I'm up and down the stairs a bit - and then last feed between 9&10 when I go to sleep. Next feed is 12, then 3 & 6. It feels much more survivable! I'm going to give it a week or two, then try stretch to 4 hour blocks.

Oh same here!! Up until just before 4 months she was doing 5hr stints, even 8 on one occasion. Now we’re between 1-2hrs EVERY night. Only the boob will soothe her. I also won’t sleep train.

she also goes down and wakes after 45mins, I cuddle and shusssh her and can get another 30 mins. Meaning I have some time downstairs.

wow 2hrs of rocking is a lot, so well done you on persevering with it. But, sounds like it’s really working out for you! 3 wake ups is bliss compared to 6-7

@WinsandSamgetting time without them attached in the evening is bliss isn't it! I'm looking forward to us all enjoying a longer stretch soon. 🤞🏻 Mine has started taking his afternoon naps in his crib, lasting 1-2 hours on his own, & it's been divine! Lovely solo time with the toddler, & a coffee on my own.

Night time sleep is still semi-ok after stretching his feeds out. The night before last he was only up once. Then last night he was up 3 times between 10 & 6, so it's still hit and miss here a little. Much better than always seeing every hour on the clock though.

Has anyone's babas started pulling themselves to standing yet? Mine pulled himself up to his knees today & I was clapping like crazy! We don't really have any low furniture though so I'm keeping an eye on FB marketplace for a play sofa / foam play set he can climb on. I think if he had more practice he'd be flying it.

@Decaffe, how is your little one doing now?

How's everyone's little ones getting on?

Sorry to hear some of you are still having sleepless nights! We still have no teeth so could potentially have some to come.... But Esme generally sleeps 11 hours at night! 🥹

She turned 8 months this week and she's just started crawling it's more of a shuffle /pulling herself along at the moment but she's getting the knees up so think she will have cracked it over the next few days! Now the fun begins

Mine is 9 months next week. We have 6 teeth already but we seem to have a reprieve from it now finally and baby is sleeping really well again (finally!!). He wakes up at 5am for a quick feed but otherwise sleeps 7-7.

I'm still breastfeeding and pumping at work but it's so much easier now he's on 3 meals a day, thank god. Still has both egg and dairy allergy so cooking for him is quite a faff.

The biggest challenge is that he is now on the move. He's been crawling for a while but now he's pulling himself up to stand too and we are exhausted. We both look forward to the week now as the weekends are haaaard work entertaining this active baby. We are constantly on the floor, chasing him etc. Baths are interesting as he wants to get up and walk all the time 😜. My back is killing me.

He also now really cries when you stop him from doing something (proper crocodile tears).

Going out is hard too because he doesn't have enough patience for the pram anymore. We have about an hour (IF we bring food) before he loses it and wants to crawl everywhere. He gets bored of everything within about 30 seconds.