The great non-sleepers, newborn and beyond.

[NinaMarieP]

Thread number four (I think).

Welcome to all past posters and any new ones who are also up at all hours!

@Ceesadoo LO was born three weeks early and very weak and unable to nurse properly for first four weeks. I had to top up with expressed milk after every feed and therefore had to pump after every feed. DH also gives a bottle of expressed milk at the late feed so I can get some sleep. I have gradually dropped most of the other pumping sessions so only do two or three during the day when I feel like it. However, because I miss the late feed by the time the early hours one comes around my boobs are huge and solid and just feeding him doesn’t fully relieve it, hence the pumping.

It’s good in a way as I usually get 150ml so plenty for the next night and then any pumped during the day can go in the freezer. Got to find a new way though.

What is more important than dropping the pumping session is finding out why he’s going less and less time between feeds. Before this one he bought some milk back up when I tried to encourage him to feed more so he really was full, but why then wake so soon?!

@GingerHanna You are amazing. The routine you're doing broke me after 9 days when we had to move to feeding mostly formula because I couldn't cope with it. To be almost at 6 weeks...I have so much respect for you! I really hope things improve for you soon.

@AccrualIntentions you just made me cry. I feel so broken and keep getting near to going to formula but always try for one more week. I keep telling myself that I didn’t spend €200 on a pump for it to go to waste.

Plus I get to eat more now and the extra food costs much less than formula! It’s real battle but I know that at some point it will get easier, I just need to keep hold of my stubborn bloody mindedness self for a bit longer.

I’m really hoping this is just a temporary regression whilst he has a big growth spurt. He is growing like a weed right now so I’m desperately clinging to that.

@Ceesadoo you made me laugh about the tapping and shushing. If my baby goes down in his cot and wakes up crying, I’m not just going to leave him or stroke his hand. That won’t work! Boob will, so boob it is.

Hey all. Sorry to hear about the bad nights. Not s great one here either. DS was really unsettled all of yesterday afternoon and just wouldn't sleep. He eventually got to sleep at 10, till 3 so that's great. But the storm kept me awake! It's so loud here and DD's Wendy house flew clean across the garden. Then he was teally unsettled until around 6 when DS took pity on me and took him so I could get an hour of sleep.

Thanks @otherendofthesockportal for your reassurance aboit the harness. It's good to hear as my Google search did not help! How did your DD sleep with it on last night?

Oh and the sleep association thing is bollocks. If your baby will only fall asleep on the boob then go with it! Of course it won't be forever and you'll find they naturally stop doing it anyway, so you might as well make the most of it while you can...

@gingerhanna second that you are a hero for expressing so much, it would drive me insane! You're amazing for continuing to breastfeed.

Yes. Sorry to hear about all the bad nights out there last night.
@GingerHanna you really are awesome for persevering. I hope you get the support you need this afternoon.

Ds has got a bit of a routine for me at the moment. He's sleeping for 2-2.5 hours at a time at night so because of the rhythm my body is coping quite well with it as it's getting used to it now. Yes, it'd be great if he dropped a feed or even extended to 3-4 hours (🙏) but happy with what I have at the moment.

Get some rest today, those that are tired.

@ceesadoo I'm also laughing at the thought of shhh patting being effective! 😂 DS is really tired still but won't go back to sleep even with the boob! So I have had to sit up to feed and see if laying across me helps.

Total admiration for you @gingerhanna. It sounds so tough but keep going, we are all here to listen (read!) when you need to vent!

The story of all the bodily fluids on the bed has made me very nervous for the future! Must invest in plenty of extra bedding!!

I opened finished the jaffa cakes before 8am. So I will have to go out in the storm today to source more treats! Especially as DH left early and will be back late tonight 🙈

Come to our house @jellybean - we have loads of cake, plus some awesome brownies my dad made, they are yummy!

@WhoAteAllthePercyPigs DD genuinely doesn't seem to notice the harness! She is getting to sleep ok, although of course I wish she would sleep for longer!

We are still dealing with constipation here, I have her a teaspoon of prune juice in cooled boiled water... let's see if it helped. Never thought I would be cheering her to poo.

@GingerHanna sorry to hear you have such a tough time. I agree with the others that you are amazing to carry on.

@Whoateallthepercypigs that sounds amazing, I definitely need some nice food to get me through today haha! We have been dozing on and off til now this morning so only just getting up. Don't even care, it's bloody horrible outside today!

What time do you all start bedtime (I say this loosely as I'm well aware many of the babies don't actually go to bed haha!) just wondering if I'm starting too late at 7pm. He also tends to nap around 5pm. But when we go to bed he doesn't actually go to sleep til about 9.30 and is nearly always awake again before midnight...

My little miss is 2 weeks old and constipated so waking often ☹

@Jellybean2017 my DD likes to feed throughout the evenings, having bottles at 5,7,9 and finally another at 11. I can't see the point in me starting a bed time routine until she changes how she wants to be fed. Plus she is only nearly 3 weeks corrected, so I think she is mentally too immature. Also every time I've tried to introduce a routine so far it's come to bite me on the ass.

@DueNov what have you tried for constipation so far? The prune juice I tried earlier produced a bit of poo and DD has stopped straining and going bright red so it has worked to some extent.

I swear by probiotics when it comes to constipation - they work well for me and I always used to have issues with being regular. There are baby probiotics too, in drop form so they work for BF babies. Apparently research shows they can also help with colic and acid reflux as they help the gut mature faster. I use BioGaia drops for my DS, they're a bit pricey but I believe they're helping him. I just put a few drops on my finger and rub it on his tongue. He doesn't mind the taste.

I agree about the sleep association crap, and shushing and patting, drowsy but awake, learning to self soothe etc. Nursing to sleep works well for primitive/traditional cultures and kids there typically get more independent earlier on than Western children. Only we are made to believe that we have to teach our kids how to sleep. That's our control freak culture coming out. I've realised that when my DS sleeps poorly or when he sleeps well - it's all down to him really, and I shouldn't beat myself for it or congratulate myself too much. Trying to crack the patterns is also of little use as they keep changing. Best I can do is try to create a gentle relaxing environment for him and follow his pace.

@Ven83 totally agree regarding the baby deciding what they want to do. I think you have to go with the flow although it’s very difficult with lack of sleep. I’ve tried evehrjng now my son is over 3 months and is clearly not a good sleeper. Trying to “teach” a baby to sleep is quite unnatural.

@Jellybean2017 I tried doing a routine going to bed around 9pm but gave up as it made no difference I tried early, mid evening, late and baby was non comprendes

Thank you @Ven83, I would like to try the drops you have recommended. Where do you get them from?

@theotherendofthesockportal I get them on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JF46L9G/ref=cmswwrcppapi_vwvkAb70PCRN6

There are other brands too, like OptiBac which I use for myself, but they come in sachets so not so easy to give to a breastfed baby.

DS was born via C section which apparently means he missed out on some useful gut bacteria that babies normally pick up on their way out through the birth canal. I think probiotics helped us even it out a bit for him.

Thanks @Ven83 DD was born by EMCS 5 weeks early so that explains quite a bit.

OMG om having a horrendous time feeding ds this afternoon. He just goes mad and doesn’t latch on and wiggles about screaming an pd getting hot and bothered. I keep taking him off and walking him around to calm him down and then switch boob. I squirt a bit of milk out on the nipple for him and after a while he’ll calm down but it’s such a fight... is it to do with my let down? To be honest I don’t really understand how the let down works... I’m thinking to go off to a breastfeeding drop in tomorrow as it’s situations like this where I want to give throw in the towel... I’m already dreading the evening and night ahead...

Sorry should have checked for mistakes (fat fingers) before posting

Thanks all for comments re.bedtime. I have been going up with DS at half seven last few weeks but might stop as he takes a couple of hours to settle anyway. Mind you it may still take that long when we go up later... Will have to see. He is napping in the sling at the moment so I am dancing about in the hallway 🙈 we did get out to a friends house this afternoon which was nice. And he was pretty chilled too.

@Sakura he could be frustrated with your let down or flow. They may suggest breast compressions when you go to group. I sometimes have to do there. However more often than not my DS is tired and not hungry when he is pulling on and off the boob etc...difficult to tell the difference for us sometimes!

I've not managed to eat much today and thinking about ordering a cheese free pizza since I'm still off dairy. Would probably be really disappointing though haha!

Hope everyone else has had a good day. We are seeing paediatrician tomorrow regarding DS reflux. Fingers crossed they will be able to help in some way.

@Jellybean Hope the paediatrician helps! Did you wait long for the appointment? We haven't even been given a date as the referral takes up to 3 weeks to come through...

We are finally going out tomorrow to get DD weighed. Always makes me a bit nervous as she's only just recently stopped projectile vomiting, so I never know what to expect in terms of weight gain...