Babies Born ~ July 2013 #1

I didn't want to use dummies, but that went out the door early on! And DH went through all our baby shower stuff and found a few. It's a good temporary fix, and sometimes she will spit it out.

Maybe, she looks at me the same some times! It's funny. And after she feeds (20 min each side!) I will spend probably half an hour trying to get her sleepy enough to put down. And even then 8 times out of 10 she will wake, just after I have gone back to bed and got comfy! Asshe is drifting off she will open one eye a few times just to check I am still there rocking the bassinet.

haha mine too! Always one eye open!

Tasha, Emily is just having expressed milk in the bottle. She has up to 120ml, she very rarely ever finishes the whole bottle. It probably takes her around 30 mins - give or take. That includes stopping for burping. There are a few things you could try with Marley, if you haven't already.. put a heat pack in her bed to warm it up before you put her down, just make sure it's not too hot. And take the heat pack out when you put her down too. Going from a warm body to a cold bed can startle them. Also putting an item of your clothing in her bed with her so she can still smell you. Just be mindful of SIDS and make sure it's not going to cover her face. Have a radio playing static, or get one of those "white noise" CDs to play. Some babies sleep better with constant noise.
Babies have a sleep cycle of 45 mins, so if it's taking around 30 mins to get her to bed, and she's waking soon as you get comfy in bed, it could be the end of her sleep cycle, and she's suddenly realised she's alone in her bed and not in your arms anymore. Do you swaddle her? Some babies like it, some don't. Have you seen those "love to swaddle up" suits? They are similar to swaddling, but baby can have their hands close to their face (apparently they like that?).

maybe, that's funny! Sometimes Emily will screw up her face like the dummy wasn't what she was expecting! lol. Kind of like when she had to have anti-biotics, she didn't like them one bit and her face certainly showed it! lol

Peeks, I use the wheat pack already, it is a good idea. And I have a top of mine under her mattress. I forgot you are using a bottle with EBM. Marley will polish off a 120ml bottle in 10 minutes! Lol

I went to sleep school yesterday and they were great. I am using the angel wrap now and she loves it, settles much better so well see how we go ;)

How is everyone else? Andie, vic?

tasha - so glad to hear sleep school was useful, hopefully your little one & you can get some more sleep. it's amazing how much better you feel when you get a 4/5 hour block. : )

we are going well, both boobs in working order now so I'm not having to express & bottle feed atm. although now my left had a graze, so we'll see how I go this week. had mchn appt tues, he's still putting on required weight & seems to be trucking along nicely. I am loving the after feed cuddles & him staring up at me with his confused, frowny face... too cute. Xx

is there anything better than cuddling a newborn post bath? clean, sleepy & all wrapped up tight. : )

Marley screams the house down when I take her out of the bath! So she's usually quietly sobbing once she's dressed and wrapped. Poor little chicken.

Hi Girls

Sorry I have been a bit MIA. Life with a newborn is hectic as you all know and even though I get on to read, its rare to find the time to post properly.

Jack is the sweetest baby and I am totally in love with him. He is sleeping in his own room in his tetra bed in his cot. He didn't really love the bassinet and seems to love the quiet of his room. He sleeps better during the day in there also. He was in our room in a bassinet but he was so noisy and we all seem to keep each other awake. I have a video monitor and can see and hear him and we have the sensor mats under his tetra bed. Monday was his first sleep over and it was so weird. I was constantly watching the monitor and had a sleepless night. Jack however slept like an angel. Its so weird being without him, but I am slowly getting used to it. I am sleeping a lot better now. His barnyard noises kept me awake and I think I used to get up to him to early without letting him settle himself back to sleep. With the monitor I can see and hear him babbling but then he goes back to sleep. Previously I would have gotten up to him. I didn't think that he would be in his room so early but it seems to be working for all of us.

Jack is formula fed now. BF didn't really work for us and he is happy and thriving. He is having his week 5 wonder week this week and has been awake a bit more than usual. Not crying or anything, just awake. He is not really a big crier. Just when he needs something.

Baby group has been really good. Its nice to meet with other mums who have newborns. There is a little boy born one day before Jack and one after.

I cant believe I have a 5 week old son. It feels like he has been here forever and not just 5 weeks. We are in a pretty good routine although its a loose one. He feeds every 4 hours although sometimes its 3 and sometimes its 5. Whenever he wants to feed is fine by me. He has a bath at 7pm, feed around 8pm and is usually in bed by 9pm. I go to bed then as I know I have to be up again soon. Some nights I get up at 12am and 4am and other nights its 1.30am and then 6.00am. The 4am feeds are the worse as it takes 45 minutes till I am back to bed and then if he is awake at 7am it feels like I just crawled back into bed. Last night he fed at 11.30pm and I got to bed at 12.15am. He went straight back to sleep. I heard him again I rolled over and thought he was unsettled only to check the time and its 3.30am, time for his next feed lol. I must have crashed.

So far we have been lucky with his health. A few babies at baby group already have had colds and our midwife said its normal to have 10 cold in the first year. And she said although its not pleasant its part of them building their immune system. At least his is over a month old now and if need be can use panadol.

I hope everyone is enjoying motherhood. Its better than I thought it would be. I have more patience than I thought I would have and am managing to get up twice a night and still function the next day. Not too sure how long its going to last for though lol.

Must go. Bubba needs to got to bed x

Tasha, how are things going now? Is the angel wrap still working it's magic?

Andie, so glad you have the BF sorted out! After bath cuddles are pretty special! But then all cuddles are, aren't they?? :)

Vic, sorry BF didn't work out for you, but as long as he's happy and thriving, and you're happy too, that is the main thing. Is DH loving being able to share the feeding now?

Emily is such a little darling. She has fitted in to our lives as though she has always been here. I can't believe how laid back and easy going she is. I guess being #3 she has to be! I have both my boys home from school with coughs (again!) - arghhh, hoping Emily can avoid it! Or at the worse, hope it's a very mild case. I don't think we could handle another hospital stay. My Mum has just been over to give her a bath :) She's had her last few baths in the big bath. She loves it! Lots of room to kick her legs. We only bath her every few days, unless she has a mega poo explosion lol. We're using half disposables/half cloth, and she's already outgrown the newborn huggies and is wearing the infant size! She is wearing a mix of 0000 and 000 clothes, depending on the brand. It's crazy how different the sizings are.

vic - yep, know the feeling. i keep up with bb regularly but rarely find the time to post anything also. in between feeding, settling, changing nappies, sleeping & trying to squeeze in a shower & food for myself- doesn't leave much free time. im glad you are enjoying motherhood so much, jack sounds like such a little champ! his feeding/sleeping sounds similar to my little guy, feeding every 4 hours (give or take an hour) and sleeping 4 hour blocks usually. although yesterday he did a couple of 3 hour blocks & then treated me to an overnight nap of 12.30pm-5.30am. thankyou little guy... :)

peeks - you are 100% correct, all cuddles are pretty special ;)! i had some lovely ones this morning while cuddling him off to sleep, he's got the cutest little face & i love the way his forehead wrinkles when he is struggling to open his eyes/stay awake. emily sounds like she is doing really well, hopefully she can avoid getting the cold/coughs this time. we bathe our little guy every 2-3 days too, we've been putting a couple drops of olive oil in his bath bc his skin is a bit dry atm. wonder if i could try coconut oil? might smell nicer?! my little guy is still in newborn huggies (but he's only 3 weeks tomorrow) & still in 00000's. i think over the next week he might graduate in to 0000's though.

Tasha - hope you're going ok & managing to squeeze in some sleep somewhere. :hug:

would love to hear how the other ladies & babies are going - caz, nire, cinder?

afm - things are going ok here, nipples are getting a bit sore again. im desperately hoping that its a 2 steps forward, one step back thing bc i don't think i can keep going if things get worse again. i think bc he was a bit snuffly and having trouble breathing he wasn't opening his mouth wide enough and just nibbling, rather than gulping like he usually does & this has caused my nipples to get cracked & raw again. we dropped a couple of drops of cooled boiled water up his nose (as directed by mchn) and 2 seconds later he sneezed & out came a massive blob of snot... i was so relieved for him i may have shed a tear... :redface:. he is having a little bit more awake time now, and likes to lay on the floor and look at some bright toys/pillows etc. after a feed. its quite handy bc gives me time to go to the loo, get a drink - or simply just to put my boobs away! xx

It's been so quiet here, I hope everyone is okay!

Andie, how is the night sleeping going? Been getting more longer stretches? We also used olive oil in the bath here. Emily had such dry skin for the first couple of weeks. Makes them so slippery though, doesn't it? Coconut oil would work too, and yes, it would smell lovely :) I love coconut scent. Hope your nipples/BF is going okay.

I've given up on BF. I'm still expressing - pumping for 20 mins 5-6 times per 24hrs gives me enough milk for Emily's 7 bottles. She feeds every 3hrs during the day, with 1 or 2 longer stretches over night. She cat naps during the day, but makes up for it at night time by settling quickly and sleeping for longer. I caught up with my doula this week, it was so nice to see her again and to talk over the labour/birth. She was amazing, I don't think I'd have had a successful VBAC if it weren't for her help and support.

Tasha, I have been following your self settling thread, I haven't posted there as I don't really have much more to add and you've been given so many suggestions already. I hope things are going okay for you. I really do understand your frustrations as it reminds me so much of my time with DS1 as a newborn. It's seriously hard work when you have a baby that doesn't settle or sleep well :( Keep posting/venting. We're all here for you.

Sorry I haven't been online for a few days. I mean no offence when I write this, but I cant take hearing about everybody's sleeping babies that just go down in 10 minutes. It is really making me feel worse and worse :(. Again, I mean no offence to any of you, a friend just had a baby and I go into FB just before and the first thing I see is about how much he sleeps and he's such an angel. Just breaks me down. What an I doing wrong? So I will be offline for a while I think.

Tasha, you are not doing anything at all wrong. Please don't ever feel like this is your fault. All babies are different, some sleep and unfortunately, some don't. I take no offense at all to your post as I know exactly how you feel. I felt very much the same with my DS1. I am sorry if any of my posts have upset you :( Take care of yourself x

tasha - massive hugs :hug:. you're not doing anything wrong, you're trying everything you can to care for your little marley. sleep deprivation is horrid. some of the spats dh & I have had at 2-3am in the morning prove that... :redface:. I really hope things improve for you soon & pop back in when you feel up to it and let us know how you are going. xx

peeks - it has been quiet in here.. :). bf has taken another step back, my nips are so grazed, red & sore again. I don't know what im doing wrong, if anything. my little guy has a few white peaks in his mouth, which I thought were teeth (eek!), but mchn thinks their cyst things which apparently come and go. sure look & feel like teeth and im guessing its the reason bf is still hurting me so much :cry:. I am going to a bf drop in centre for an hour tomorrow to get some more tips/check latch etc. what I really need is some sort of numbing cream, but im haven't heard of anything like that which is suitable for bf'ing. on a more positive note, night sleeping is going a bit better. ive found that if I feed him every 3-4 hours during the day (which is waking up for now... finally!), then have his last feed at around 11.30pm, in bed by 12.30, he will do a bigger stretch overnight. i'm jealous of your pumping abilities...! might have another try tonight, see if I can get half a feed so at least I can rest one nip for a little bit.

afm - going ok, this bf'ing thing is wearing me down. crying at every other feed from the pain and im not sure how much longer I can keep going. I really want to bf though, so im doing everything I can to keep it up. I just wish my nipples would toughen up & it would stop hurting so much. its so lovely when I get a feed that doesn't hurt. other than that, things are going well. mchn visit yesterday & he has put on 400 grams in 2 weeks, so at least he is getting enough. I think I would be devastated if I was going through all this & he wasn't putting on weight. anyway, better go. might give this pumping thing another go. hope everyone is going well. xx

Andie, how did the bf drop in centre go? Are you getting a good latch? Has your little man been checked for a tongue tie? I only ask as I had so much trouble with Emily and I knew nothing about tongue tie until my MW mentioned it. I'm only pumping but I'm still having problems. Not sure if it's thrush or what. I've been slack with putting the coconut oil and/or marcalan on my nips, and now one is cracked again. The night before last I had sharp, shooting stabbing pains in one breast, I ended up getting out of bed and having some nurofen plus so I could get some sleep! Haven't needed pain killers for weeks. Despite your BF probs sounds like he's getting enough milk with 400g gain in 2 weeks :) Just sucks it's so painful at the moment.

We're still not getting much sleep during the day. Between feeding, changing, settling, expressing, cuddling, there isn't a lot of time for anything else to get done around here. You should see my kitchen at the moment :redface: Lucky these little people are so cute, huh? :lol: After 2 boys I am loving having a little girl. I've been dressing her up in pretty dresses over the top of her wondersuits lol. I thought she had plenty of clothes, but I still manage to come home with something every time I visit any one of the big department stores ;)

hey peeks - drop in centre went well. my latch is perfect apparently, so she thinks I have some sort of infection/inflammation again (staf, thrush etc) bc my nipples are quite pink. so im back on the medicated ointment & and 5 minutes of sunlight per day if I can get it. it was a relief to find a reason for the pain bc I wasn't confident about continuing if it was just part and parcel of breastfeeding. I think the ointment has made a difference already & im not needing to pump/rest each boob. I actually asked in hospital about tongue tie bc I had heard that it causes a painful latch, but he doesn't have it apparently. are your nipples pink at all? is marcalan for sore/cracked nipples, or is it for thrush? our poor boobs... it will get better though... :crossfingers:. I bet you are loving having a little girl... I always notice that there are double the amount of cute clothes for girls than boys. maybe I will have a girl next, if I am lucky enough to have another. how is it having 2 boys to care for as well as a baby? I have days where I cant keep my eyes open, I often wonder how I would cope with another child/children?!

Hi Girls

Sorry to hear about the sore boobs.

Sorry to hear Tasha that things are not going so well for you still. I hope you can get some support IRL.

I feel mean for posting how great Jack is doing. He goes down around 8pm, wakes around 4am then around 6.30am. He has been doing that the last 10 days. I feel really lucky to have such a good baby. He doesn't sleep much through the day, but I just strap him on and carry on. We are starting to get more in a day time routine now that the night one seems to be sorted. I cant wait until the 4am feed is dropped though. I don't want to wake him earlier and I figure its best to let him decide when to wake and feed. Babygroup is going really well and its our last one next Wednesday :( We have decided to still meet once a week which I am glad to do. Its nice to swap ideas and get helpful tips of the more experienced mums. I cant believe he is 7 weeks old already.

Hi to everyone else.

Hey all , sorry Iv been distant , just had so much going on.
Love reading about all your babies ,and how they Are going and how different they all are .

Tasha won't say much as so many people already have, but your baby is normal all out babies are normal . Every baby even at the same age will be doing something different as you will notice from this thread and any other thread . There is no such thing as normally a " good baby " in saying that its like saying all other babies who don't sleep through or who cry or do not settle ect are bad babies :/ and my baby is definitely not a bad baby :) she is a normal happy 6 week old and her waking is very normal
You have had some amazing advise on the other thread .. I do hope things pick up for you soon ..if you have a sling or carrier they are wonderful , I pop DD in there most of the day and its wonderful for times they are not settled or upset etc
I have a close carrier and a ergo , highly recommend them ..

DD2 is amazing , so beautiful . Wakes at night every 2-3 hours sometimes more sometimes less .. She will go back to sleep straight away after a feed except from about 4 she is unsettled and wants to sleep on me :) which is fine by me :)
I want to spend as much time as possible with my girls :)..

We are breastfeeding well , have had no problems in that area once again with this baby and I will so happy and lucky that I have had two babies who fed so well ...

I am loving the smiles and playing with her :) it's so beautiful . Love seeing my two girls together as well , the way they look at each other is amazing ..

I am so clucky for more already ha ha ..

Keep posting everyone , it's great to hear how everyone is going and their beautiful babies :) hope you are all well