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

DS doesn't eat much either Titania - at first he would only feed himself but then he started getting frustrated with not getting much to actually eat so we're doing a mixture of puréed and finger foods. He refuses point blank to have homemade puréed though so I just buy Ella's pouches now! He won't eat much at nursery apart from yogurt and toast but the staff don't seem worried about it. He's gone from 25th to 75th centile since we started weaning despite him not eating a lot!

DS has a bit of a tummy upset I think, he's been more sick than usual and his poos have been really pale, and he's not wanting any solids at all. He's still happy in himself though!

He's been refusing to go to sleep at night this week which I think is due to separation anxiety. He's too long to rock to sleep on my chest so I have to lie him down in the cot and sit next to him and hold his hand, but it's taking 2-3hrs instead of the 30 mins it used to take, which wipes out my evening.

I've been suffering a bit with nipple pain after feeding and have finally figured out that it's Raynauds - I was talking to my dad about it (retired GP) and he came round yesterday with a paper bag with some viagra in - apparently that's the best treatment!! I think I'll stick to hand warmers in my bra instead....

Ps. Hope you feel better soon LWL - tonsillitis is miserable! Lots of fluids and vitamin c. I used to find echinacea helped when I had chronic tonsillitis and I think it's safe when bfing?

Viagra spanner? Hilarious! Bet that was an 'interesting' conversation with your dad!

LWL I highly recommend salt water gargling for tonsilitis. Boring, old fashioned, but effective.

We've had an amazing day. Drove over to my hometown to meet a school friend I rarely see & discovered loads of her friends & family & their kids there. DS was amazing. So friendly. So happy. So giggly. DP had never seen him with so many people as he doesn't take him to baby groups and was soooo impressed with his happy little man [bugrin]

Aww, Truth, that's great! Makes it all worthwhile!

Spanner, though I think I'd give the Viagra a go might help the libido ???

Lwl, poor u! I had to get tonsils out 1.5 years ago, and that was easier than tonsillitis!! I've actually had Quincy in the past, so watch out for that.

And guess what?! Ds is now walking behind his walker thing now too!! It's really funny, he looks too small to be walking. . God help us, he's into everything as it is, my other dcs were nowhere near as advanced as he is!! Has to be a hn thing??!!

Aww LWL Bless you! Feel better soon!

Truth So glad you had such a lovely day! It does make all the bad stuff pale into insignificance!

Mampig Another walker! Yay BabyMampig!

Had a lovely day with DS today, he's been so funny and rolly. He self settled for his post-lunch nap and again tonight (with a few pick-ups and reassurance), so proud of him. It's made no difference to his nights yet but still, progress! We decided to spoonfeed him some dinner this evening and he ate more than he ever has, and then even had some pudding! Guess we'll see if it's hunger or habit at 9/10pm...

Have good nights all!

Spanner Hope your DS feels better soon :( Viagra!

Woo for baby Mampig! :)

Throat has got a bit better as the day has gone on. We've been busy putting the mattress on the floor, putting stairgates up etc... and now today she can actually stand without holding on to anything for a few wobbly seconds.... OMG

Maybe it is a HN thing?

Oh and we now have the cot in her room not as a cosleeper. I really dont want to give up cosleeping, but hopefully she will start the night in there...

Woop for babytickle!

hi everyone! hope all those babies and mums who r sickly are all cosied up and getting better fast. dd has a cold now hope it passes soon.

i have tried giving her finger foods but mostly she thinks they are objects and plays with them and enjoys throwing them on the floor! ive tried putting them to her mouth and when she tastes them she makes screwed up faces. i will keep trying with things i really hope she gets the hang of it. mum tried to spoon feed her today and found it hard too as she just wouldn't open her mouth.

on a positive note, today has been the first day ive properly got out in awhile(after the little down spell) and it took so much effort but i went out with dh and dd in morning and went shopping with mum and dd in afternoon, and got a pair of shoes and feel much better for being out and about. tomorrow im going to meet a mum i don't know too well from a mums group so things are on the go again.

i sewed up the arm holes on dds sleep bag and its really helped with her sleep. a good solution for the minute! hope for good nights for us all :)

DS did that for a long time too Jan - he finally got the hang of it when we gave him Organix Carrot Stix I had all best intentions of only giving him food I'd prepared myself but these work (for us) because they kind of melt in his mouth. Once he'd cracked those he was willing to try other foods. He still doesn't take much, but we're getting there.

Good luck LWL. We've had some horrid nights since moving to the mattresses on the floor. Last night, I figured out that DS bloody knows he is on a different mattress. He just kept waking and crawling over to me. In the end I snuggled him up in the middle of me and DH and he slept much better. How does he know? We've built his mattress up so we are all on the same level but he knows he's not in our bed.

LWL - DS starts the night in his cot and I (try to) resettle him in his cot for all the wakings before I go to bed. The first waking after I go to bed he comes in with me (actually I have a mattress on his floor). It's working quite well at the moment?

Is there a 43 week growth spurt? DS has wolfed three meals today and yesterday plus fed every 2-3 hours day and night (apart from a 4.5 hour stretch yesterday eve) and he's taken 2x100ml bottles (yesterday it was 3x100ml). I think my supply has dipped since he was I'll, but I'm feeding as much as poss and pumping too so I'm sure it'll get back again soon. He also had a 3hr nap from 10.30- 1.30!

I'm feeling pants today really tired and emotional. Am assuming that it's just last weeks lack of sleep catching up with me. I joined DS for his mega-nap and still feel no better!

Oh and we'll done on the self settling babyTickle and way to go on the walking for babyWavey & babyMampig. DS has been crawling since 7.5 months he's cruising now, but no real signs of independent walking.

Puddle, it's no more a "me" post than most of mine! That's what this thread is for isn't it - to get things off your chest, as well as help others. Poor BabyPuddle. I would call OOHs if I were you - it's not right he#s so ill so young.

Titania - when I say she's walking - I don't mean independently - she has so hang on at least with one hand.... but she still can't crawl, and shows no signs of wanting to!

Well the cot was an abject failure. She was happy to lie in there to watch her projector light show, then when it was time for sleep was most adamant that it wasn't in the cot! So I've got her on a single mattress on the floor next to our double mattress - hopefully DP is going to return to my bed soon - and now we have a kingsize mattress in the floor next to a single, so there should be plenty of room for everyone!

Hi all, feeling sick after one too many choccy eggs, urgh!

DS has always been extremely active and was crawling at 6 months, now 10 months and nearly walking (my back is always sore from walking round stooped so he can hold on to my fingers!). Friends always marvel at how active he is which nearly makes up for the terrible sleeping.

We also have had a slow and stressful weaning journey. As with so many other things I've found DS to be very awkward particular about what foods he likes and dislikes. Those foods that are not accepted are disparagingly flung over the side of the high chair for the dog to gobble up! Accepted foods are yoghurt, fruit, cheese, toast, rice cakes and anything sweet. Savoury food especially veg are eyed with disgust and suspicion. It took me by surprise since neither DH and I are fussy at all! So maybe a HN trait, who knows!?

Met a friend today who told me her 6 month old sleeps through the night most nights now. She wasn't being smug or boastful but I can't help but feel so so so envious and had to really force a smile... I feel like our 'normal' is so different to all my other Mum friends. Does anyone know any other HN babies in real life? I don't and it can make me feel really isolated and like I'm doing it wrong. I never thought I would still have to rock a 10 month old to sleep or be dragging myself into work after a 5am start and 6 wake ups in the night... Naively I assumed that babies got better at sleeping. Well, mine has got worse!!!

At 6 weeks old my HV told me that she thought DS was a little 'high maintenance'- Looking back that was the first suggestion that he wasn't like other babies. Sorry to sound ungrateful and negative, I shouldn't get hung up on what is 'normal'. I love him so much and I wouldn't change him for the world.....sleep just seems to be the thing that so many other things hinge on... Good eating, good mood, good naps etc. Hearing other people talk about their babies who are excellent sleepers just gets me down sometimes.

Puddle I'd go for OOH rather than NHS Direct, I've called them in the past and not had a call back for over 2.5 hours. My mum always tells me that if you feel baby isn't right then take him in, mothers instinct and all that.... Hope DS starts to improve soon. X

Puddle - My DS did the mucussy sick thing when he had a cold, I think it's the only way he could get the snot out iyswim. We can blow noses, clear throats etc, they just swallow it and then need to chuck it up. However, that is just from my very limited experience and very unscientifically backed personal theory, so if you are worried then, yes, call NHS Direct or OOH.

My experience with NHS direct was quite different. I called them when DS was sickest week, couldn't keep down any fluids and started to go a little floppy and unresponsive and they called an ambulance which turned up before I'd got off the phone. I was most impressed. The rapid response guy (who turned up before the ambulance) said they never take any chances with babies which is why they called the ambulance. Puddle - hope your DS feels better soon.

GuineaPigMum - do we have the same DS.? That's pretty much the same list of food my DS will eat!

I have mixed views of NHS Direct. On several occasions they have reassured me and given good advice for myself or DS. Once, they told me to go to bed with some paracetamol. For some reason, I ignored them, staggered to my car and drove to my doctor's surgery; I was bluelighted to hospital and in surgery within an hour of seeing her.

Moral of the story? NHS Direct has its place, but always trust your instincts!

Whenever I have phoned NHS direct about DD they have always said take her to A&E - which we have done, and she's always been fine.... I think they're very cautious with babies...

Urgh I've picked up the D&V bug that's doing the rounds :( everytime I have to get up to go to the toilet DS wakes up and cries for me :(

He was a bit pukey the other day so I guess he picked it up from nursery. I'm feeling sorry for myself and guilty about having to call in sick to work already, I've only been back 1.5 days!

sorry ur not well spanner...work im sure understand please dont feel bad about it theres nothing you can do! the only thing i can think of thats good is, that your dd is building up her immune system now so it will be nice and strong and in awhile won't be getting sick at all and when she starts school she won't be picking things up off the other kids who haven't been to nursery (thats what ive heard) so she won't be off sick like the other ones who are starting afresh.

joyful glad things looking up and the thought of u puddlejumping made me smile

ive had a bad nights sleep - dd slept ok - im thinking of dropping the dream feed dh does at 12.30 as she isn't taking it, then doesn't go down easily afterwards and it wakes me up and then i can't get back to sleep - then she wakes when she is hungry anyway. she didn't do too bad last night - it was me who couldn't sleep the whole night with my mind racing, i drank loads of tea when out yesterday but had asked for decaf...

I've been awake since midnight and feel truly rubbish. DP has the same symptoms but is insisting that he has to go to work :(

DS was an angel last night, only woke twice and slept for a 5hr stretch. It's like he knows I'm ill - he keeps stroking my face and looking concerned! I foresee a day on the sofa with cbeebies for both of us!

Sorry you had a bad night jan, hope you manage to get some rest during the day. The few times I tried dream feeding DS he just woke up anyway and it made no difference to his sleep or when he woke to feed so I decided I couldn't be bothered with the hassle.

That snd