Babies born~September 16th-30th 2010 #1

[belfie]

And questions for anyone who can help:
1. I am feeding Chloe for 10 mins then burping and changing her nappy then another 15 mins before she detaches herself or falls asleep. Is this enough for her? She is usually so sleepy at the end that I cant get her back on again. OR can I feed for 20 mins without stopping then change her nappy and try to top her off with more? - Is that too long to feed them without burping??

Ok, this is just what I do... so if anyone else knows different, pls chip in! I feed A for as long as she'll go for on the first side. Sometimes it's 30 mins. When a baby feeds they first get the thin watery foremilk. As they drain the breast, they get the thicker fatty (high calorie) hind milk. If you only feed for shorter times on each boob, she runs the risk of having too much foremilk which can give poor poos (watery/explosive I think?) and tummy pains. Plus it's better for supply to drain the breast. So sometimes our feed is 30 mins first side... falling asleep - go & change her.. then as long as she wants on the second side. Might be 5, might be 25. (is usually less though).

2. Should I change her during the night - i.e. the 2:30 am feed? If I know she has a dirty nappy?'

Yes I always change at a feed... I guess if the nappy was really clear then I mightn't, but I always change half-way through my feed (as described above).

Oh and i've grabbed the list of births from the other thread and put them into my first post up top.

[fuzzy]

thanks belfie - i was just using one boob per feed until my nipples heal. prob start again on both tomorrow. how often do you take her off to burp her, i.e after how many mins?

also - can u please change her birth date to tues 21st? ta

[belfie]

I don't really time it to be honest, I just wait for her to come off or slow down. I tend to avoid taking her off as it can hurt more to re-attach. And it doesn't seem to leave her windy even if she's fed 30 mins before being burped

[fuzzy]

Thats great. I worried that if I left her on for 20 mins that she might get too gassy. But I havent noticed she has. If I try and burp her every 10 mins or so I really struggle to reattach her as she gets so sleepy and refuses to open her mouth.

Better go and spy on her - see if she has settled herself. FX

[Deana]

Poor Blake has been awake since 5am this morning. I have tried feeding him, changed his nappy and nothing is working for him to go back to sleep. He is so over tired. Pls someone help. The last 2 nights have been crazy as well. Im so tired myself as DP hasnt been helping much at all. Blake really needs to go back to sleep now though and I dont know how. I also tried comforting him as well, but doesnt want a bar of going to sleep, but his eyes are so heavy.

[fuzzy]

Hi Deana - sorry I just logged on now. Hope you ended up getting some sleep. Perhaps he is really gassy? Or has a sore tummy? Otherwise I would be trying the feeding, nappy change, even placing him on your chest to sleep in bed. You said he had a rash- is it the itchy type? Maybe a warm bath will settle him.

Its hard hey you can try everything and sometimes just nothing works.

[belfie]

Deana - that's rough when they won't settle. Other things I'd try is putting him a baby carrier of some sort (i.e. hugabub, baby bjorn, ergo.. if you have anything like that) and wearing him for a bit - babies love being worn. Also taking him for a walk in the pram (if you're up to it) or a nice long drive in the car. As fuzzy said, the warm bath can help too. Or sometimes they just want a little extra feed and then they go off.

Talking about all the routine stuff in the other thread, I must admit I"ve found my bubs kinda do it without me trying IYKWIM. I don't believe in waking them unless I have to (i.e. appt clash or something) and even then I'd just go skin to skin to wake them nicely. If they're feeding well, they seem to just settle into their own thing - I think clock watching can do your head in a little, so best thing you can do is go with the flow. So saying, my babies have done pretty much what Catherine's babies do - so maybe we describe it differently but both end up at the same end point anyway?!?!

[CoNNiE_Melb]

Deana - I started a routine after his first week home, because he was on a routine in the hospital and seemed to respond well. It also help me keep my sanity. Knowing I control the situation a tiny bit, or what is coming next, has helped me deal with the change and to get on with life - easier to plan appointments and outings etc.

I am using Tizzie Hall's methods - I only started this yesterday and he slept for 4.5 hours straight last night - wooohooo!!!

Let me know if you want me to tell you the routine she suggests for Blake's age etc. Or you can get her book - Save Our Sleep.

Good Luck