Still awake with a (not so) newborn - the further adventures of EBLL...

[Jellybean2017]

Hope everyone finds the new thread 😂 and new chatterboxes are welcome to join us and battle through the night feeds together (with or without the assistance of EBLL [Ewan's back left leg!) 🐏

@sleepycat13 yeah I've been using breast milk on a cotton wool ball too as well as cool boiled water pretty much 3 times a day but just doors that seem to clear. His BCG site is really swollen now so I don't know if that's wearing down his immune system a bit as he's also so much more congested atm poor mite.

Anyone else watching the apprentice?

I feed whenever wherever in front of whoever (99% of the time)! I don't generally full on get my tit out unless I'm at home. I often wear vest tops underneath my jumper, vest top down jumper up, or a scarf, just cover the top of my boob not the babies head or face. If I'm sat with my dad etc I just turn to the side while I get my boob out and once ds is on I turn back and carry on.

My dd had gunky eyes at 6 weeks old, it's the one and only time I've ever taken her to the doctors. He just said to clean them with cooled boiled water and cotton balls (one wipe and a clean ball - not wiping gunk back in their eye) a few times a day, which we were doing anyway. They soon cleared up.

I feed in exactly the same way as you @Halfdrankbrew and I don't feel like I'm exposing myself either. There's not much in show that way. Will keep up the cotton wool and boiled water and hopefully it'll clear up soon.

Also DS will not sleep. He's been pretty much awake since 2pm today only napping a few times but he was feeding as well so don't know if he would have even been asleep. I'm in bed now feeding him and reaaaaally hoping he nods off soon!

I’ve been thinking about how to go about breastfeeding in public/around friends & family so interesting to hear what others do. Tomorrow I’ve got a friend coming who is a very private person so I want to keep that in mind when feeding ds. When it’s just me and my dp I have no issues getting the boobs out and actually with some friends it’s fine too it just depends really. I’ve got big boobs so it’s quite hard to get them out discretely but on the other hand I don’t fancy feeding them under a muslin or scarf but I could maybe use a muslin or scarf to cover the top of the boob, I should practice this I think.
Ds is nearly 17 days old and he’s still feeding loads in the afternoon and evenings and the longest he’s slept today since 7.30 this morning is 55 minutes, then the 8 other naps were each between 16-40 minutes... Now struggling to get him settled for the night, he just wants to feed and then he falls asleep and is really hard to burp which makes him spit milk up.... Oh I’m so tired...

Feeding them?? Should say feeding ds...

Oh I forgot to add - ds does at times just suck when attached to me, can this become a bad habit or is it just because he needs the comfort at the moment?

No such thing as a bad habit when they're that small . Could be comfort, could be cluster-type encouraging of milk. Some babies are just the sucky type!

@Sakura03 I watched Emily Norris's breastfeeding tips video on YouTube and that wax helpful. She recommends the 2 top method. A loose one over the top and a vest top underneath and then it's possible to pull up one top and pull the vest top down, and the hoik out a boob with relative subtlety. Your baby is still so young. In a few months, you won't feel so self conscious.

My baby is much older than yours (14 weeks) and often suckles at the breast. Breast feeding is so much more than just feeding for our little ones. I don't think it's starting a bad habit. I think it's beautiful. My little one won't take a dummy so.. my boobs have to substitute.

Any tips on surviving leap 4 and the sleep regression? Fml. Baby went down at 1040. Got up at 1 and won't be out back in crib. I think I'm trying to rush the transfer to crib before he's deeply asleep. After I got him up for the 3 time; I splashed water on my face and that woke me up.

Thank goodness for MN. Idk how people have more than one child. You are all heroes.

@GimbleInTheWabe maybe try the slow flow teat instead? It fits on the same bottle, we just got from amazon and worked a treat for DD, I'll try the calma one when she's older.

For feeding in front of 'delicate' people I get up to bounce dd around, then turn around to latch before slowly returning to my seat. Mostly fine until dd yanks her head away and milk sprays everywhere lol!! My dad loves to see her feeding and it weirds me out big time

Feed #1 here, already sooo much better than last night, but we've been up for an hour now - time to attempt the danger cot transfer soon!

*wont be put down again

Hello all! But of a shit night here. DS woke for first feed at 1.15 which wasn't too bad but has been awake ever since. When he's not boobing he's thrashing around, headbutting my chest and struggling to breathe with his cold, poor wee soul. My back is really hurting from sitting up awkwardly, my eyes are burning, my boobs hurt and I'm fed up!

I'm going to ask HV to check for tongue tie, it still really hurts when he latches and I'm sure it wasn't like this with DD.

Thanks for the tips about feeding in public all. We will be having lunch so public + dad. Talk about baptism of fire. Although dh said i could feed ds in the car which kind of annoyed me.

We are on feed #1 as ds went down at 10pm. Pretty standard evening so far fingers crossed. Dh is snoring so i want to punch him

Evening all. Handover feed ‘done’. Convinced that DS didn’t feed enough but despite him being relatively awake he wouldn’t take any more so he’s in the crib now whilst I pump. Wondering how long until he starts screaming for more food... 😩

Good evening night owls, just checking in for feed 1, DS put down at 11pm so had a decent wee stretch.... l also have snoring DH, no cookies here but l do have a packet of chocolate digestives which are proving to be a fine substitute 😀

I am losing it here...DS wide awake, why won't he sleep???? I'm on the verge of stopping breastfeeding, I just don't think he's getting what he needs and he seems so much happier with a ff. I'm hating it this time round which us such a shame as it was generally a lovely experience with DD.

Thanks @anotherexhaustedpigeon I might order the other tear as it took DS over an hour to latch properly and drink from the bottle last night. Luckily he wasn't that hungry because he'd been feeding on me all night but on Friday my DP won't want to be faffing around as DS will be hungry!

Feed #1 here after DP managed to settle him at midnight apparently so a 3 hour stretch which isn't that long for a little person who wa awake for 8 hours last night! Also I think he actuslly has pooed this time but I've been wrong the past 2 nights and it's so annoying to disturb him unnecessarily.

@NinaMarieP, @Ceesadoo and @anotherexhaustedpigeon thank you for replying, I really appreciate that I can ask questions here and that knowledgeable people like yourselves will offer advice😊
Feed #1 here, slept from 0.25 - 3 am, I had several attempts of putting ds down to sleep, in the end I think he was overtired...

Feed #2 here done and he's already asleep in his Snüzpod so I won't stop long. He didn't drop his midnight feed tonight but damn, forgot to do his nappy change before his feed. Must remember at the next one.

@WhoAteAllthePercyPigs don't give up. It's really tough when they are buggers like that. Ds was like that yesterday evening (so slightly easier as at least it wasn't in the middle of the night), but he was fussing and bobbing so when I took him off he would cry. Put him back on and he would feed for a minute or two then bob again. It was beginning to really hurt so I just gave him a bottle of formula. He drank over half and seemed to shut him up for a bit because he can't sickle a bottle without stuff coming out.

We use aptamil here, and have the ready made bottles. Ds will take it room temp so we just have to get a sterilised bottle and pour it in. It's really easy.

My advice would be to not give up. You're doing a great job. If you wanted to give up, don't give up entirely. Maybe add a bottle to your feeding routine to get your little one adjusted to the bottle and also to give you a break. It's just an idea. I hope you manage to get some sleep.

Hi, there. On feed #3 now. I did my first public breastfeed last Saturday in a very busy m&s cafe with DH, MIL, FIL & BIL. The in-laws had already seen me feed a few times and were good about it, they would just chat amongst themselves while I got her latched and then I joined back in the conversation. I don't do full on boob out in front of other people (apart from dh) but I also don't make a huge effort to totally cover up. I figure if someone is uncomfortable, they can always look away.

As expected, I pumped and then got into bed and was greeted by waking cries. Just gave DS bottle of expressed milk which in itself was a battle. He didn’t have his usual amount but then it’s not so long since his last feed so that would make sense.

He’s grizzling now so not sure if he’s still hungry or just settling down. We shall see.

Feed #2 after only 50 minutes.... arggg I need more sleep come on baby let’s do a longer stretch please!!,

And back up. I got 30 minutes sleep before he woke again. I feel like we have got some kind of sleep regression yet he is only one month old. It’s probably as we’re doing more boob time and less bottle of expressed milk and therefore it takes time to settle into new system and for him to get strong enough to nurse well. It can take over an hour for a boob feed as opposed to 15 minutes bottle, so I miss that sleep. Will be worth it in the long run though. I hope!

@GingerHanna have you looked at wonder weeks? I can't remember who has and who hasn't. A copy of the chart is below but it's base on due date not birth date. Not sure if that helps?