High-Need Baby Support Thread III

[TitaniaP]

Well as I'm awake I thought I'd start thread 3!

The high-need baby thread has been moved from breast & bottle feeding to sleep. In the early days of the thread I think feeding was a significant issue for many of the posters. I think those that post regularly on the thread would now agree that's it's mainly sleep that's the issue.

So if your baby fits the following criteria come and join us for wine, chocolate, coffee and matchsticks as we delight in our active, inquisitive, curious and restless babies or toddlers!

1. Feeds frequently daytime
2. Feeds frequently nighttime
3. Needs to be constantly held
4. Wont sleep alone
5. Hates the car seat/pram
6. Short naps

Gah! DP actually joined us in the bed last night and I was so wary of encroaching on his space I slept even worse than usual... still 2hourly feeds but was then awake inbetween.....

thanks for new thread.. yum need some of that chocolate too (still haven't lost ANY baby weight and think im actually putting a few pounds ON but sure....)

sorry to hear of all the babies who are not well hope they get better soon, hope your DS is getting there Titania and you are managing ok

i had an awful night last night. sorry for moaning again...about dh. but we had another row last night about something unrelated to dd, which upset me so much and meant i didn't get any sleep before 'my shift' around 12-1am. from then, the baby woke every 2 hours and fed. i ended up taking her into my bed and giving her to grumpy dh at 8 this morning, i feel emotionally and physically a mess. i just want to run away from everything with my dd to somewhere where all i have to do is feed and sleep and nothing else. to top it all off i have someone staying with me.

DS is much better thanks. My mum had him from midnight - 4am and then at about 7am I woke DH up and he took over. I've just woken up! I've had two chunks of good sleep and feel much better.

We started syringing the milk I pumped yesterday into him early this morning. Too scared to feed him myself as I think he'll take too much in one go. On the other hand I'm desperate to feed him. I've been pumping but it doesn't work too well for me. Boobs are ouchy!

Off to wander downstairs and see how he is.

Thanks to everyone for their support - (bug quiche hug)

Going for much needed shower- back later to catch up

Good to hear little one is home Titania, hope he feels better soon. You've done so well for him. I might be able to dig out my tommee tippee electric pump if it's any help to you?

Jan I hope you manage to get a little rest today. Stay strong for your little one and look after both of you.

Everyone else who had rough nights Having a few less-than-every-2-hours nights lately, which are bloody rubbish quite frankly. Knew it was on the way though (a) because usually DS teases us with a couple of - by his standards - really nice sleeps before he throws a spanner in the works with some rrreeeaaaallly shit ones and (b) We're heading into a Wonder Week. Yikes.

Family keep asking if DS will be allowed any Easter eggs this year. He's 8 months old for crying out loud! Let the little fella get used to proper food first - plenty of time for chocolate and stuff. Saying that though, perhaps I should say yes he can have Easter eggs and then scarf the lot...

titania glad you got a bit of sleep hope DS is going better today im glad your mums able to help too. pumps never worked for me either, i hand expressed a little, sometimes blasting the shower on boobs helped with that.

joyful how are you? thanks for support. my guest is leaving tomorrow morning, she is another person we are taking care of for the minute (dont ask lol) and dh is helping out with that which is good as i just have nothing left - i took baby for a bath this morning and dh will take the guest out this afternoon shopping, hopefullylater we canwatch tv together. i just feel so much pressure at the minute.

get to sleep thejoy!

good plan re the easter chocolate tickleme sorry youre so tired as well!

Thanks for the offers of breast pumps. I have one at home, but am at my Mums at the moment.

Little man now has really bad diarrhoea he's absolutely shattered and passed out on me. Tried to feed him earlier, but he didn't want to latch .

DH has had to go home as he has work tomorrow. I'm staying on at my mums with DS.
Poor little boy.

Wishing everyone lots of sleep!

DS is going to sleep in his own room tonight. In his own bed. Sort of. Cot bed mattress on the floor of the nursery, our mattress is next to it. Theory is to get him used to sleeping on his own little bed next to us in his own room. Anyone who looks in his nursery will think we are mental. But at least it's some sort of progress not really.

poor ds Titania, hope the diarrhea clears soon and glad you are staying at your mums, theres nothing like having your mum around when things are tough.

good luck for tonight queen. im going through all these sleep options in my head at the minute so im observing for now!

Hope he gets better soon Titania, and Good Luck to QueenKong!

DD still awake... I'm shattered... she didn't nap well today either - was on me both times so I didn't get to nap with her, and got nothing done...

I'm so fucking frustrated! There are so many jobs that need doing to the house, and if I just had a normal baby who slept and napped occasionally, they would have been done 9 months ago. As it is I have a hallway that has stripped wallpaper, manky carpet and has been since maternity leave when I bloody started the job, and I'm getting the same amount of sleep as the people with newborns complaining about how they can't cope on this.... grrrrr

Oh for fucks sake, she just laughing at me now.... and rolling around in the cosleeper. We were going to dissassemble the bed and put the mattress on the floor this weekend, but I didn't have the energy...

Sorry..,.. :(

I'm just ignoring her now as she bats at the keyboard and kicks me///

Hey all - not been on for a while, and found you've moved! I've not read everything since my last post I'm afraid, but I see there's some poorly bubs - big hugs to those dealing with that

Queen We've just done the same thing tonight pretty much! Cotbed mattress on the floor in DS's room and a single mattress next to it (no room for a double). We'll be sleeping in our room and tending to DS as needed... if it all goes a bit wrong I can always stay on the floor with him. He's actually been doing really well at the start of the night lately, I've pretty much always been able to get 2-3 hours downstairs of an evening. The way we got that working was by DP doing the resettling if required any time up to 3 hours after DS has gone down. It's worked really well! I still have him waking every 2-3 hours through the night though, and I'm wondering whether we're actually disturbing him, thus wanting to try him in his room. So we'll see what happens tonight... worst case I end up sleeping in his room, and if it all goes horribly wrong we'll just put him back in our room - the cot is still there, just without the mattress!

I've also noticed over the pats few days that DS is starting to settle himself much more during the night when he wakes. Often I'll wake up to him fidgeting and rolling about - he won't be crying, or even looking for me, he's just trying to sort himself out. But then if DP or I move/snore/whatever he'll often complain - that's why I think perhaps it's the right time to move him, in case we're the cause of his wakeups. DS has even sometimes been finishing his bedtime feed awake but drowsy, and then rolling over away from me and falling asleep himself, instead of falling asleep while feeding. I'm really hoping he's finally ready to be a little more independent at night. Fingers crossed!

I do hope it goes well for you queen

LWL - DS is like that for all of his naps these days - it takes forever to get him to sleep, he just likes to crawl around and mess about for aaaages. It's really annoying. He actually ends up sleeping for considerably less time than it takes to get him to sleep!! I'm lucky that he's much better at bedtime, but I know how frustrating it can be. Go to sleep BabyLWL!!

Hello everyone!

Having a bit of a wobble tonight as its ds's first day at nursery tomorrow :( I was fine but now I'm dreading it! I don't go back to work until Wednesday but I've got an ultrasound scan and the dentist before then so I've got lots to be anxious about

Hope you all have a reasonable night.

She's asleep! Woop! I'm turning in now too...

Spanner - good luck for tomorrow, please don't be anxious - be excited instead? :)

Hello! Sorry I've not been around for a while. Am trying to break my mumsnet addiction. DP pointed out that I spend more time on here than talking to him and suggested that may be the root of some of our arguments To be fair, he was probably right - we've been getting on much better since I cut down on my laptop time and since he stopped nagging about the night feeds

DS was also making amazing progress (5 hours sleep twice in a row) so I was trying to focus on the positive, however we've both had stinking colds and he's got three new teeth in a week, so you can imagine what's happened to his sleep [zzzzzz emoticon]

He did two settling in sessions at nursery last week and I had to leave early from both of them as he got so upset He loves nursery itself (the staff, the other kids, the lovely outside space...) but wouldn't take milk or food from the staff, wouldn't go to sleep, couldn't be settled. Oh dear. We've booked him in for every morning next week and every day the week after to try to get him used to it before I go back to work after the Easter holidays. I'm very worried about how he'll settle, but trying to believe everyone who tells me it will be fine and secretly looking forward to having some time to myself over the next few weeks

Anyway, hope you're all well and that you've managed to get out in the sunshine today

X-Posts Spanner - I'll be thinking about you both (kind of nice to know I'm not alone!)

Good luck for tomorrow Spanner, hope your little 'un has a fab time.

DS starts his settling in not next week, but the week after... Can't say I'm looking forward to it. In fact DH and I have been working out whether we can afford for one of us to stay home with him (likely DH as I have a really decent flexible working arrangement). We'd love that but with our sensible heads on know that jobs are so unstable at the moment and that we're lucky to both have one...

Truth I hope your little one does okay next week. And glad you and DP are getting on better :) Sometimes, DH and I bicker at each other, but I just think how easier and more fun life is when we are on the same side so I try to be less sensitive now.

LWL Yay for sleep, hope you have a good night. And good luck Queen and Jen and all others trying something new tonight. We'll be moving out of DS's room soon, looking forward to not having to creep around when I go to bed, although not looking forward to traipsing too and fro for night feeds...

Well we ended up back in hospital as he had explosive diarrhea and was going floppy & lethargic again. They're happy with him so we're home again and mum and I are going shifts again. I have the early shift! He won't take any water at the mo so I'm worried about him. Also I've been told not to bf him by nurses, three peads and my mum agrees. I can't help thinking they're all wrong but it's hard to go against medical advice. I've pumped a few times today to keep the pain away but I'd love to latch him on for a good feed!

I just want him to be well again. He's asleep on me at the mo, hopefully I can get some sleep!