Babies Born December 2006 #5

[chon]

Hi everyone!

Sounds like you all have good routines.

Amy - I didnt put an afternoon nap in as she had stopped them for a few days, they were becoming VERY long afternoons. But yesterday she had one around 3.30pm, so hopefully she will continue with them.

Finally she is crawling on hands and knees instead of doing the 'commando crawl' on her tummy.

Charlys Mum - I wouldn't worry about what the other mums are saying as BF and FF feed babies are totally different, IMO. Because I FF I havent done a night feed since she was 2 mths old. I now keep a bottle of water nearby at night incase she does wake up as she may just have a dry mouth (like we do) and that sip of water can get her straight back to sleep, or just the dummy.

[Snacks]

I now keep a bottle of water nearby at night incase she does wake up as she may just have a dry mouth (like we do)

The nurse said to keep a cup of water in their cot when they get older if they're still waking - I hadn't thought of that, but it makes perfect sense!

[ZaraJ]

Have a question for those still BF, do you BF during the night. Just wondering as in my Mothers Group when I mention it they are always saying she shouldn't need to feed during the night. Although they are all now FF and eating solids very well, they eat probably 10 times as much as Charly does in solids.

Honestly I would prefer Charly to have BF at this stage as that where the nutrients are. This week she is going really well with the solid, she just likes small potions thoughout the day. It is just annoying me a bit that they seem to thinking they know what is right.

Up to 9mths it is still considered normal to BF overnight. Zee still is up at night for her (.)(.) fix. hehe. Everyone has an opinion dont they!!

[em..]

we are still BF over night, usually twice but sometimes more if i cant get him to settle any other way..

a question for you, how much solids are you feeding your bubs, i cant seem to work it out...

he is a nice solid little fellow, so am not worried, well only that he is over eating.. but more weight to burn off when he starts crawling..

liz

[Charly's mum]

Charly doesn't eat much, for breakfast she likes the porridge and banana out of the jar I take a couple of normal teaspoons. Today was the first time she was looking for more, usually still a mouth full or two left. Then thoughout the day I have started giving her finger food, cheese, carrot, cruskit, orange. Then some custard and fruit between 4.30 and 5.30 about the same as breakfast.

I think I was trying to increase the amount to much, now she is opening her mouth for the food. Need to buy some vegies for her today. She likes to try what is on my plate at the moment so have to make sure what is on my sandwich is ok for her, yesterday it was salmon.

Don't worry they seem to know how much they can eat, as long as he it having enough BF. Charly refuses to eat if she doesn't want it.

[Snacks]

Natalie seems to take different amounts each day. Makes it hard to predict
Breakfast seems to be her favourite - she has rice cereal mixed with fruit. Round about 1.5 tablespoons. Lunch and dinner are 2 veg and 1 fruit, about 2 teaspoons of each. Sometimes she wolfs it all down, other times she only eats about half of each... I end up throwing out a fair bit.

[chon]

I go by the small jar size that you can buy at the supermarket, to make it easier to tell you amounts...

Morning - 1 full jar, usually rice cereal with 1/2 banana

Lunch - 1 full jar of pureed fruit (pear and peaches lately) Sometimes its a bit more than the jar size.

Tea - 1 1/2 jar sizes of Vegies (pumpkin, carrot, potato, sweetcorn mix) I add onion or chicken etc sometimes for different tastes. Depends what I am cooking for tea.

[Shezabelle]

Issy has about 3-4 tblsp of cereal with fruit for breakky
3-4 tblsp of fruit for lunch though I am going to increase it
about 6 tblsp of vegies, her favourite is pumpkin & sweetcorn for dinner

As for feeding overnight I say whatever works for you and whatever you are happy with is fine. If you are happy getting up and it settles bub then great if not then look into alternatives. Issy is FF and has been since 5.5 months when my milk went but even before that she didn't feed overnight, so I say just do what works. Happy Mum = happy baby!!

Yeah to all the movers and teethers!!

Our routine roughly looks like this

8am up nappy breakky
9am bottle
12sleep hopefully til 1
1 lunch
2 bottle
maybe another sleep somewhere in there or sometimes after
4-5dinner followed by bath
6bottle
8ish bed often up 2-4 times overnight settles when held sometimes goes back down sometimes in bed with Mummy

[chon]

Hi PC

Your routine seems alright. Would her settling have anything to do with being in a new house?

Don't worry you will eventually get her to sleep at an earlier hour. I think thats why I like to leave the last bottle of the day at around 9pm. She goes to sleep early evening but then wakes briefly for the last bottle then off to sleep again for the rest of the night.

maya is having a nice long nap now

[Charly's mum]

Wow they are eating well, one of those small jars does Charly 3 meals. Can on custard 3 meals with fruit added.

Sorry no help on the relactating.

I was amazed Charly when down last night by 7.30 and didn't need me to go in again till 12.30. She resettled herself.

I've heard from my friend at work that they have agreed, between the 2 managers for me to work at either Redbank or Ipswich, still haven't heard offically I will give them until middle of next week and email. This will be great because granma is at Ipswich and Redbank is halfway between my home and Ipswich. Still my old position but at least the location will work for me, not an hour to Brisbane.

[chon]

Thats great news! Geez, you used to travel an hour to work each day before!! You must of got home late. I can't get Care workers to travel 16kms to a shift!!!

Wow Linz! You want to re lactate!! I didnt even know you could do it at this stage, amazing what our bodies can do. Can't imagine it would be easy though, I am watching your other thread with a lot of interest Good luck!!

[ZaraJ]

Princess Confused: Zara was doing the same thing, going to bed at 11-1130pm. Anyway I took the suggestion of the health nurse and it worked. Ill tell u what I do. It might work for u?
Basically you do all of this within 1/2hr.

Bath (as warm and deep as possible)
Massage (just a little rub with some baby lotion,4 as long as I can keep her still!)
Read a book in dim light in her room/ or sing a song with the just the nightlite on
Breastfeed

She is fast asleep in 45mins and I usually start the routine at 630 or 7pm. She is like a diffrent sleeper since we started it.

Hope this helps u

As for the relacting Id try the ABA or I know a herb called Fenugreek is great for boosting ur supply so that might help as well! I have heard of it working for some mums. Goodluck!

[Snacks]

Hey Linz. Gee, your evenings are sounding pretty exhausting. Hopefully you find a settling technique that works for you and Laila. About the re-lactating... Chon mentioned another thread? Sounds like a good place to start I would check out the Adoptive breastfeeding section on the ABA forum as another first step. I think you would need to get on the 'harder' lactagogues, (but taking fenugreek and drinking Activite wouldn't hurt either) - I think there's one called motillium or something? You'd probably need a script for it. I think its a muscle relaxant or something, with a side effect of increasing lactation. Then you'd probably want to get yourself a good pump It'd be hard work, but Jo has showed us all that it is possible!
You are right, Chantal, our bodies are just amazing. Did you know that men can lactate?!?

[LotusFlower]

Good luck withe the settling Linz!
As for the baby food (I forget who asked) Noah is completely random.
Sometimes a tin will last him 3 meals, other times (like last night) he will eat a whole one of those stage 2 jars in one sitting!
I've decided I'm taking Noah to an osteopath. I don't think all the tanty's he throws are just caused by temper.
Every day when I lay him on his back (ie to change his nappy) he screams and screams until he's upright again. As soon as he's sitting or standing up he's as happy as anything. Same thing happens when I pull something over his head/ arms when dressing him. It's like he's in pain or something and I figure an osteo appointment can't hurt. If his neck/back or something's not sore I have no idea what his problem is but it's completely frustrating!
Anyway sorry about the vent!

[Charly's mum]

To work from my home is only 25 min train ride from my mums it would be 1 hour train ride.

Lauren funny you should say about laying down, the ladies in my Mother Group where saying the same thing that they are finding it hard to change nappies and have had to change them with the baby standing up because of the drama when they lay them down. Maybe it is a stage they are all around the 9 mth.

Linz I think it is the bath time then a little time with Daddy, BF and Sleep we started with Charly about a month a go which has help get her to sleep at a reasonable time.

[Snacks]

Hoping it works for you too, Linz.
Good idea about the osteo, Lauren. It can't hurt. My SIL used to take my neice to a chiro regularly, and she said she always slept better after that. Might work the same way for Noah?!
I have thought a fair bit about taking Natalie to one, but never got around to it
Let us know how it goes.

ETA: Forgot to mention, Natalie lifted her arms up for me to pick her up this morning! I think it was probably a fluke, but it was lovely!

[chon]

Wow, I thought it was just my 'moody' Maya having problems with nappy changes. For the last few weeks there are 'most' times she cries, whinges and tries to turn on her side etc....anything to make it almost impossible to change her nappy. I have been giving her a different item to look at and hold when changing, just to keep her on her back for 30 seconds. Lately its been one of her coat hangers and a small toy that plays music which I don't give to her to play with normally.

Amy - as you saw from another post I did that I take Maya to a chiro and her appointments are every 2 months. And lovely to hear about the reaching up for you, I don't think it was a fluke I did my 8.30 to 5.30 day at work today, left Maya at the in laws, when I arrived to pick her up she had the biggest smile and reached out for me, mother in law was holding her. So cute!! Then I put her on the floor and sat down too and she crawled up to me and tried to climb my lap.....

[chon]

Yes, it sure did Linz!! It made me feel incredible. I have left her with them for only a couple of hours before and come back to pick her up and she would barely look at me But being away for 9hours and a little older now she gave me a wonderful hello. Times like that your heart explodes with love!!!

It was funny though, the drive to work, after dropping her off, was ho hum......but then when it was time to leave and pick her up I had to watch my speedo as I kept speeding, I just couldnt get there fast enough!

How are you going tonight with Laila??