High Needs baby support thread

[LittlePixieMa]

Any of this familiar?

1 baby needs to be constantly held
2 feeds frequently during the day
3 feeds or comfort sucks through the night
4 won't sleep alone
5 HATES the pram and/or car seat
6 takes short naps
7 doesn't like being held / left with others
8 gets bored or over stimulated very quickly

Feeling exhausted and want some support from others with spirited fussy babies

If so join the club

Can I please join? Currently on our second wake up after being put down at 7

Yeah I might try and read it again, I kind of rushed through it. I don't think I'm ever going to write a 'sleep log' though...

I can't stand people interfering! Does your DH back you up? The eyes open sleeping thing sounds scary!

Hi sugar, how old is your LO?

I'm glad you find laying down boobing uncomfortable! I've had sooooo many people say how nice it must be to just get them in with you, flop it out and go back to sleep. I feel like I'm doing a sideways plank, I can't go to sleep like that!

Welcome sugar! You got a little boy or girl?

Db4d snap, I'd never do a sleep log, would make me miserable!!

Nails yeah I wake up aching every day!!

I'm feeling very smug, I just got off the bed to have a stretch and he didn't wake! Woohoo! Perhaps the calpol is making him sleep heavier!

He's 6 months! I wouldn't say he was clingy as such, addicted to the boob, hates sleeping and the attention span of a fish! I feed him to sleep aswell so DP can't even help settle him..

Pretty sure he's teething aswell.. It's going to be a long night!

Sugar haha we have the attention span of a nat! Do you co sleep or have you mastered putting him in his cot? X

Hi everyone. Welcome to the mad house sugar!

Last night was a pile of crap. I think he woke pretty much every hour and then was up at 5am with a seriously epic poo. He's been happy as larry today, we've been to work and been to the fishmongers, where he'd fallen asleep in the car so I carried him in, in his car seat, he slept through the entire process of my faffing about choosing fish and purchasing it. The shop is freezing too. I can't believe he slept through all that and all the way home in the car too. Why does he not sleep that soundly at night or when I want him to at home?!!!

Re the aching, nails you've hit the nail (ha!) on the head with a sideways plank, that's just how it bloody feels boobing in bed. I tend to put a pillow between my legs and one right up against my back and I can go to sleep then, and if I'm lucky he will let me sleep for a couple of hours but I wake up feeling a hundred years old. I can't bear to contemplate the alternative though which is getting up and sitting in a flipping chair for 30 mins out of every 120 (or less!) all night long.

Pixie I hope you are right and they all sleep through tonight! How awesome would that be! Imagine how we'd all feel tomorrow!

Littlepixie we co-sleep, as soon as you put him in his cot he wakes up and on the rare occasion he has fallen asleep in there he wakes up every hour someone's and it's a nightmare lifting him in and out (bad back) so co sleeping is the only way we get any rest! I want to try sleep training but quite frankly I haven't got the energy!

Llama I get up and sit in a chair! We are down to 2-3 feeds a night now though and (with the exception of this week because he's poorly) he does sleep in his cot in his own room.

My back and my abs ache soooo much today.

Llama that's amazing him sleeping in the car and at the fishmongers you show off what yummy fish did you get?!

Sugar I've been tempted by sleep training in moments of madness, but could never bring myself to do it. The No Cry Sleep solutions offers nice gentle ways to help. Not that I've bother to implement any at all --at this rate he'll be in my bed until uni

He's still poorly today, high temp, snotty and exploding poops. He's ultra clingy so trying to sort dinner out for myself tonight has been interesting. Ended up with burnt curry as if left if on high while changing him. DH is in Leeds tonight so it'll all on me which it always is anyway as men are useless / don't have boobs

sugar cosleeping is the only way to get any kip here too.

I'm currently sat in bed feeding baby and the blinking cat is miaowing and scratching on the bedroom door. I've sent dh a text and a whatsapp to ask him to remove the cat but he's ignoring his phone. Argh!

I got prawns, smoked haddock and salmon. I'm going to make a fish pie. It's my Dad's bday and it's one of his faves and they are coming over. I'm not a massive fish lover so all the fancy things in the shop were a bit wasted on me!

nails I bought a nursing chair but cos I had epic stiches I couldn't sit in it for about 4 weeks and by then I'd already got into the habit of cosleeping out of desperation! I hardly use it. I hope one day when I'm not feeding him all night so frequently that I might be able to use it!

pixie sorry to hear you have a poorly bubs and burnt dinner and you are flying solo.

Hi sugar!

Sorry haven't popped in for a few days, this fell off my watched threads.

We have biting here too pixie. He thinks it's the funniest thing ever. His favourite is to face plant on me like he's coming in for a cuddle, then he sneakily chomps down on my collarbone.

I suspect we may have more teeth coming through though, there is a mega drool situation along with all the biting, and his sleeping is crap at the moment. I'm tired and grumpy and snapping at DH who's stressed at work so our house is a right bundle of laughs at the moment.

But BUT yesterday I was putting DS to bed, he refused the boob, kept wanting to roll about and I was fed up of it soooo stomped out and told DH he could go in and deal with him. Fifteen mins later DS was asleep! Granted I had to go in and feed him five mins later when he stirred but that is the first bedtime in EIGHT MONTHS that DH has managed to do. Win!

On my own tonight, DH is working a long day and then has a work do this evening. I'm renting pixar's inside out and going to have a hot chocolate and a face mask.

Afternoon all!

Anyone signed up to get the Sarah ockwell smith emails? Was reading latest one just now and I saw there's a 'gentle sleep' workshop next month in Cambridge, I won't be going as it's not really close to me but pixie thought you may be interested?!

Good work with the DH captain, I really need to get DP to have another go at settling DD but I cant be bothered with the aftermath of it backfires!

I have been told today that now I'm weaning DD it's really gona help with her sleeping and her naps. Hahahaha!! (Her baby sleeps through so clearly she knows best...)

Evening all!.. How's everyone's rugrats tonight?

DS is now asleep, has a cough and cold and teething so sleeping has gone abit to pot! DP had the day off so has DS all day whilst I was with family! Praying that the visit to the ducks and the park has worn him out.

We too are weaning hasn't affected his sleep though

Captain great news that your DH got baby to sleep! I bet that felt like a massive achievement

Captain the amount of drool is amazing isn't it?! No wonder they need to feed so often, they're losing all their fluid through dribble!!! I get through about 4 dribble bibs per day! Yay, how did DH get your DS to sleep? Did he pop him in the cot?!

Db4d yep I'm on her mailing list. She doesn't allow mobile babies to her events, and no one can handle DS for 3 hours if I could. TBH her book offers no advice really, just pretty much days keep co sleeping and let them get there in their own time...... Unless I missed something?!!
Who told you that weaning helps with sleep?! What a load of crap!!

Baby Pixie is still feeling poorly

Baby db4d has a tooth coming! I found it this evening! Here comes the nipple biting 😬

pixie she doesn't allow mobile babies at her events? How rude! Yeah that's pretty much what the book says.
Someone I know from baby group said the weaning is going to help DD's sleep and naps. pffff! Cause it's just that simple isn't it!

OMG, the OP perfectly describes my DS, he's only 4 weeks old, is this not normal for his age? Will it get better?

Exciting on the tooth db4d! I love the little toothy smiles you get

Nah weaning didn't do anything for sleep here, despite much hoping it would.

Soo DH's method was apparently to just let him roll about until he was fed up of it and sleepy, then he cuddled DS close up beside him and let him chew quietly on his hand til he drifted off. Sounds nice We haven't tried it since as I think DS needs to be full up on milk for it to work.

Juno I think a lot of the OP is totally normal for 4 weeks so don't worry. I think you have a high needs baby if it's still true four months down the line

Hi everyone! My 6month old DS has a rare medical condition and has to be fed every 3 hours combined with lots of Meds. Add a toddler into the mix and I am slowly loosing the will to live!! Tired does not cut it!

Welcome newbies!

Another crap night here. He was up umpteen times and not feeding v well and keeps grabbing his ear. I'm going to ring gp as soon as they are open as I think he might have an ear infection. Poor baby. I'm utterly knackered.

Anyone doing anything nice this weekend? Our dishwasher has blown up so someone is coming to fix it on Saturday. Is it tragic that I'm excited about potentially having it working again?!

creeps in wearily. Looks around I'm desperation for coffee

Hi everyone! I've been lurking on this thread for a while but wasn't sure whether DD qualifies as high needs as such. However, when it comes to sleep she's definitely a contender! And this is the only thread I've read where I feel like I've found my people

DD is 7 months. She's a gorgeous, charming and very lively baby. Lots of eagerness to try to talk and get herself around! But when it comes to sleep...well, she's not so gorgeous! She's never slept through, and only occasionally managed more than 3 hours.

Over the past two months it has got worse. Now we're at a stage where she will do a few hours in her cot, and then just won't settle. So we co sleep the rest of the night. On particularly bad nights, we co sleep for most of it. And by co sleep I mean her in bed with me in her room, my DH is is on our room.

Naps - only on me, in the sling, her pram. She will nap which is good, but I long for the day I can put her down in the cot and just leave her to it.

She's ebf, won't take a bottle. We've started weaning but having no success, she refuses a spoon and seems more interested in playing with her bib rather than the food!

I'm glad she is a spirited wee soul. But would rather she was less spirited when it comes to sleep and food!

Welcome purple, I was so happy to find this thread with people who understand!

Llama I'm cleaning up after the builders this weekend. I'd be excited about a dishwasher repair too.

We had self settling last night!!!! It's the first night he's slept in his cot and not on us all week because he's been ill but he slept 11-5.30. He woke up grumbling about 3 times but then went back to sleep. I'm not getting my hopes up, he's completely exhausted so I'm sure he'll be back to his delightful self over the next few days.

As for weaning, he is nearly 9 months. We weaned him at 5 months which he definitely needed. He was eating proper food within 2 weeks (purées don't do it for him) and he has 3 meals a day plus snacks plus boob every 3-4 hours and it's made no difference at all to sleep.