Discovery Home & Health

Monkey- is she sleeping in her crib during the day? When Harriet was born she had so many people holding her when she was asleep during the day that she wouldn't settle in her crib at all at night. We made a rule that when she was asleep she went in her crib and wasn't picked up (much to my relatives annoyance!) and that helped enormously.

How often is she feeding during the day? As baby usa said i found it helped to wake her often during the day to feed (every 2 hours) and to cluster feed at night to get her to sleep longer.

It took about 3-4 weeks before Harriet really got the idea of nighttime. I found being consistent really helped.

I hope this helps you, good luck

Rusty x

Monkey,
Just agree with baby usa and rusty really, sophie did like to be swaddled and it helped, i have a bedtime routine, she only sleeps in her basket at night, we have lights really low, tv and noise off all the usual, i have started to bath her b4 bed now too, so she knows its a routine. I am getting about 3-5 hours first sleep then she is happy with a 15 min boob and will settle again, if she doesnt i change her then give her more boob b4 putting her back to bed.
Its all hit and miss really, sorry not much help to you.

I remember with my first, he had real bad colic, my mum said, its ok it will only last 3 months, i thought THREE MONTHS, i cant cope with that!!..........He is 14 years old on Thursday!!!

Got to go sorry all, i have been posting on yummie mummies and others and now sophie is crying so i had better go!
I feel rubbish anyway so i would only bring you down!!!

Catch up soon,

Pinky xx

Afternoon to everyone,
Hope all mums and babies are fit and well.

Just wanted to catch up really, nothing much to report at the moment.
However, I am quite proud of myself that I have got Aisha into a bedtime routine and she seems to be settling into it great.
I give her bath around 6.30 then feed as much as she will take before she falls asleep then she's upstairs in her moses basket by 7.30. Even if she wakes up I just tuck her in and turn off the lights and leave the room. So far she goes to sleep without any problems and then wakes around 12.30 for feed, back down by just after 1am then awake around 5.30 in the morning.
This is working most nights but occasionally we have a blip but really proud of her too for settling into this.

kayt - you mentioned that Henty was big on the measurements for length but in our area they do not measure baby's length, she was not measure at birth, they only do weight and head circumference.
Hope you manage to catch a smile on camera soon
Does anyone else have little ones length checked?

Jenni - I guess yr area does this as you say Josh is now 58cm long, how do they measure this, I'd like to do with this Aisha just to see where she is on the chart for myself.
How is the colic now, has it settled a bit now?
Sounds like he's sleeping really well for you.

Jenny - Hope things are settling with Jemma on the feeding front and you are able to get some sleep.

Rusty / Pinky - I also wrap up Aisha in a sheet for bedtime, then put blankets on and tuck in tight, which I have done from birth and also now only put her in moses basket at bedtime, think this has helped her to tell day from night and she settles quickly.

Off to clinic tomorrow for Aisha to be weighed, she def put on weight as i have to put cushion under arm when feeding now!!

Pinky - hope you feel better today.

Well off now as baby is yelling loudly in my ear , dont think she likes me typing while holding her

take care all, sorry to anyone i've missed
Jane

hi guys,

Just a quick one to let you know that my flexible working request has been refused and i have to go back full time on the 31st march. I am absolutely gutted and can't bear to even contemplate the thought of not being with Harriet all week. I wish i could extend my maternity leave now but it is too late.

Rusty

Rusty,

So sorry about that, is there really nothing else you can do?
Would it not be worth finding another part time job and handing your notice in, even if it steers you in a different direction for a while would it not be worth it to get the hours you want, your job seems to be nothing but stress if your there or not

Hope you can find a way round it, cant imagine leaving Sophie, must be heartbreaking just thinking about it xxx

Pinky xx

rusty - that seems so wrong, surely there must be another option, like pinky says, maybe somewhere else? is it worth it? guess you have been asking yourself all the same questions already. sympathies for you anyway. the museum was good. tom still 'talking' about dinosaurs and roaring! oh and he has a big head, always has. so does dh and my father-in-law. got a hat from m&s in the sale today for 6-7yr olds, and it's not ridiculous on him!!

pinky - hey there, will try to keep up with the yummy thread too, but don't feel down, hun, or at least not for long. we all have our moments i know, i have lots of them too!

jane - sounds like you have aisha v sorted for bedtimes. and such a good sleeper, well done you!
henry got his length measured by the hv at 6 wk check, but also an extra time at the hosp when we went for a hip scan (cos he was breech, his hips are fine).
i try to have a go when he is on his change mat; straighten his legs so they reach the end, and lay a tape measure down next to him, then put a book next to his head so it goes across to the tape measure. his legs always curl back up but i know they can reach that far. it's a guess-timate but i'm curious and like to try.

jenni - u ok? how's dp doing??? how was the weekend? best of luck.

jenny - hope things are better on the feeding/sleeping front for you.

frenchie - how's our oldest doing? even tho i've been through it before i forget what things they will do next, so let us know what reuben's up to.

monkey - not sure if you are still coming on here, but also, lots of babies are happy to sleep during the day when there is other noise going on, but find night-times a little too quiet, just a matter of time and getting used to it i suppose.

hi to missc too

right, need pudding, then another early night. both boys up at 5.30 today, gawd. and dh away from mon-thurs this week. the first time i've had them both on my own and it's for so long! anyway, only tomorrow to get through and dh MIGHT be home for bath/bedtime, fingers crossed!

keep well everyone, kt

Pinky/Kt- I will try looking for another job but there's little chance i'll find one that pays as well. I would probably only get as much as my maternity pay working part time and that seems too awful to contemplate.

I am heartbroken, i just keep looking at her and thinking she's going to know someone else more than me soon. I feel like i've been backed into a corner as they made me think i'd be able to go part time so i made my plans accordingly. If i knew i was going back full time i would've had at least another 2 months off.

Oh Rusty I'm sorry that yr work has been unreasonable, I can understand how devastated you must be feeling they must be very heartless to do this to you.
Obviously nothing anyone says will make the situation any better but I do hope that you can sort something out.
Good luck but she still knows you are her mummy

kayt - thanks for the guide on measuring, I'm gonna have a go and see what she measures.
How r you managing on yr own? I think that as Aisha is such a contented baby I'm coping well but as I've got her to bed by 7.30 it gives me some time to myself at the end of the day which is a godsend.

On another note I got Aisha weighed yesterday and she is now a whopping 8lb 14oz !!! Put on 18oz in 2 wks

Also another good thing was last night she slept from 7.30pm and did not wake until 3.15am!!! That's the most she's ever slept and once I'd fed her and settled just after 4 she went off again til 8am.

Only a quick one from me today so take care all
Jane
xxx

Hi

Thanks for the advice. She seems to be doing better now. We take her up to bed with us and she has a feed will sleep til half 1 then feeds again and sleeps til turned 6ish. i wrap her sunggly in her blanket so its a bit like swaddling but she likes to move too much to be swaddled.
Just need to start getting her to go up to bed earlier than we do and building on a routine.

She was weighed yesterday and is now back to her birth weight of 6lb 10oz.

carrie

hi all.

got josh's 8week thing on thurs. why do i feel nervous about it??? i'm feeling extremely anxious about what they will do and what they might find. i know myself that josh is a extremely healthy happy baby but i just dont know. it cud b the injection thing too that is scaring me mayb.

we think josh is teething. he started dribbleing loads and he wunt not have his dummy in his mouth. also his pooh's have just started to get more solid then when josh started with this they've gone runny again. little red cheeks and will cry loads if not held and soothed. what ever it is he isnt happy about it and i am guessing he is quiet abit of pain. guess the doc will tell me on thurs.

how is every1 else?

rusty- couldnt believe what i read about ur work. its a hard situ to b in and i'm not sure what i wud do myself. i hope u can figure things out.

monkey- hiya, sorry i cant give u much advice as my baby isnt breast fed so i had different probs and i also put him in his cot from a few weeks old as he is a very tall baby and just didnt fit very well. i put joshua in a grow bag( a sort of sleeping bag for babys, its ment to help prevent cot death etc) this makes sure he is warm but he can kick his lil legs as much as he wants. things will get better and i think that u learn what is best for ur baby and will adapt.

jane- lol i had to giggle when u wrote that Aisha is 8lb 14oz at 2months old....that was joshuas birth weight lol josh seems to put on a lb in 1-2weeks. i think he is prob over 12lb now, will see on thurs, and is in 0-3months clothes, thing is most of it drowns him coz he is a slim 12lb, he's basically tall lol.

hi every1 else

best go and get bottles sorted as running of of feeds. he now has feeds every3 hours instead of 4-5hours(coz mindwife said i was starving him...i think not) so i am basically feeding on demand really. thing is i will change him and feed him which can take up to 1 and half hours and then i have to do it all agan in another hour and half...so tireing. plus he's on 6oz hungry baby so i'm scared he's gona get fat eventually having up to 60z's every 3hrs. will talk to doc about it but what do u ladies think??

talk later xxxx
jen and josh

Hi everyone,

I've spent the last few days applying for jobs so hopefully will hear something soon. Have been applying for anything but I'm a bit worried as i don't have any experience in anything that's not animal related. Also there's not many jobs that pay more than i would've been getting on maternity pay!

Work have compromised and said that i can do 4 days a week for the first 6 weeks. Hopefully i won't be there by the end of that, fingers crossed

Janie- yay to Aisha's weight gain

Jenni- someone told me recently that most adults have something to eat or drink every 90 minutes yet we expect our babies to go hours between feeds. That made me feel better about Harriet feeding every 2-3 hours day and night! You know your baby best but if he is demanding a feed every 3 hours he obviously needs it. (Hope I've not upset you by saying that.)

Pinky- how did Sophie get on with her vaccines? Harriet screamed for about 10 minutes afterwards before eventually accepting a breast feed and then she settled down. She was a bit poorly in the afternoon but soon sorted with some calpol

Kt- hope you enjoy having both your boys to yourself this week

Frenchie- how's Reuben getting on?

Missc/Mojo- how are you and your babies doing?

Harriet laughed out loud last night and it was so funny!! Typically it was for her daddy but it was so cute and then she did it again this morning

Rusty x

Hello all,

Trying to catch up on here, have got absorbed in other threads so its taking up lots of time just looking on here!

Sophie was ok with her jabs, she screamed and screamed and i could not settle her and that was b4 we went in!!! It was all done really slowly, b4 with others they stood one each side went 1,2,3 and bang the jabs were done. I perfered this though as althought they were seperated it was better, they did them real deep too, and i think she was less sore after for that. Half a spoon of calpol and she was fine.

Have invested in a sensor mat/monitor for her, i was just not sleeping at night for watching or prodding her, and that disturbed her too, but she does this shallow breathing thing and i cant see her breath so i prod her!
Anyway got it from Argos, £55 its tommee tippee and its brilliant, it senses breathing and if baby stops for 20 seconds or more it sounds an alarm. I have got her out once without turning it off and it made me jump but as i was holding her i knew it was ok! I still worry about her but this has helped me sleep a bit better and left her to sleep and not get prodded by me!

My buggy i am in two minds about as its so bulky, i need a folding small one, but one that is still comfy and safe for her, i have a comfy one but its so bulky. I am thinking to sell the lot, car seat, buggy and pram as its a 3 in 1 and get her a new car seat and folding buggy. will have a look at some point, see what is about, its all quinnys at the moment, they fold up and are light so may be one of them is the answer, its because i do school run twice a day so getting in and out of car all the time. Dp (now df!!) says it will be great in summer holidays but i have to think about meantime, perhaps just one to keep in car would be answer, ahhh that may be it, i have answered my own question!!!

Well good luck Rusty in finding a job, Jenni i have started pumping milk off for sophie as she snacks all day then wants a big feed at night, i was dry by evening and felt she had not fed much so i pump between 4 and 6 oz during day to give her b4 bed, i had to ask my bottle feeding friend how much i needed to express for a feed as i had no idea! She said about 6oz for a feed so i recon Josh is doing just fine.
Monkey, hope your bedtime thing is going better for you, its hit and miss really, sophie still up every 2-4 hours at night some times but rarely we get 5 hours, she likes being wrapped up and loves her fleecy blankets, she holds them!
Jane, Aisha is doing really well too, Sophie was 10lb7.5oz 2 weeks ago, just packing away all the newborn stuff, she is in 0-3 months now although one thing is 3-6 months!

Must go, Sophie crying today, may take her for a walk as nothing else is working!!

Take care all

Pinky xx

Hello again,

Just been on the phone to my head office and they've given me another 4 weeks off on maternity leave. I am so happy!! That gives me enough time to find another job or to sort things out for going full time, not decided which to do yet. I am so relieved that i don't have to go back yet

(A happy) Rusty

Hiya,

Just a quick one
Aisha had her first jabs this afternoon, she was a bit grumpy before we went in but not too bad. Anyway the HV who did jabs was quick but oh my god did Aisha scream or what, the poor little mite was beside herself also one of the jabs made her leg bleed so she's got a little plaster on, not sure how she'll react when i take it off.
She seems ok now, had a feed and little sleep.

Rusty - i can understand you are delighted to get another 4 wks with Harriet, like you say this gives you more time to decide what to do.

Pinky - know what you mean about shallow breathing, my little monkey scared me to death the other day. i'd been out for a walk and she was sleeping when we got back so i left her in pushchair, after about 15 mins she'd still not woken so i went in and she was so still, could not hear or see breathing. picked her arm up and it was all floppy and no reaction, i then prodded her still no response - I felt sick so just quite roughly pulled her out and she woke up with a start!!!! I was almost in tears with relief and was paranoid for rest of the day. I know she's just a quiet sleeper now but by god i was scared

greetings to everyone else, need to go and change a very smelly nappy now
take care
Jane

Hi,

Jane, glad to hear Aisha's gaining weight and as for her jabs, must be heartbreaking. I know it's for their own good but must be so hard when they scream, I just know I'll be in pieces when it's Jemma's turn.

Rusty, good news on your job front, at least you now have some time on your hands to sort things out now. Fingers crossed you can get something else with 'family friendly' terms and conditions. Don't blame you for not want to go back so soon.

Pinky, that sensor mat sounds fantastic. Jemma is also very vocal and I find a walk round the block in her pram sends her off to sleep pronto, although not much fun in this weather. Have you got a bouncy chair/rocker that she can lie in? I've got one in the lounge and Jemma happily sits in it whilst we're having dinner and she often nods off.

Jenni, I too am feeding every 3 hours, Jemma hasn't put on as much weight as I'd hoped this week (my breast milk just isn't enough for demand feeding) so I'm now topping her up with a bottle at each feed. She can only manage 3 1/2-4 oz but hopefully will gain a bit more this week. Know what you mean about being tired though, butu the time I wind her and get her settled, it's not long before it all starts again!

Katy, you sound like a busy bee looking after both boys, hope you managed ok. Did you manage to measure Henry? Jemma is long and has almost outgrown her newborn sleepsuits in the legs.

Hi to everyone else, hope all mummies and babies are well.

Jenny xx