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Parents Place to Chat ~ Due Date May/June 2015

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#1 ·


May/June 2015 - Parent's Place To Chat

Firstly congratulations on your new arrival(s) and welcome to the parenting section of Babydust!

This thread is aimed to be a continuation of your due May/June 2015 BFP thread in the hope that you can continue to support each other through the highs and lows of parenting, but please feel free to post in whichever birth thread you feel most comfortable.

To add your LO's details to our Beautiful Babies and their Birthdays thread CLICK HERE.

Also have a look around the boards here if you get chance - a good starting place is Claire's guide which you'll find by CLICKING HERE

If you need any help your volunteer for this board is Donna Marie PM me or include your details in your posts if you'd like to be added to the list on this page.

To book mark the thread you can do this by clicking onto the bookmark tab ;)

Happy chatting!

^gossip^ ^gossip^ ^gossip^ ^gossip^

Donna Marie


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#2 ·
Just though I'd start up the thread for us ladies from the pregnancy club. Clara is now 6 weeks old and is doing well, I'm still breastfeeding and thankfully the sore nipples has improved. HV comes today to weigh her but I can see now she has nice chubby cheeks and arms/thighs so has lost the real baby look (feel a bit sad already for that ). Although when we are out and about people still see her as a newborn.
I invested in an ikea poang chair the other day...so much more comfortable for be at night time although it's a bit low so struggle a bit to get out of it with a sleeping baby in my arms.

She sleeping for anything between 2.5-4 hrs, at night time now it's ofton 4 hours which is good....dh is still in the guest room though.

Hope everyone is doing ok, most of us must have had our babies by now....good luck for those still waiting...
 
#3 ·
Hi Pippi

Glad to see someone's started off this thread. Alex is now 7.5 weeks and doing well, she's a great feeder and last time I had her weighed she was 8lb so delighted with that considering she was only 5lb2 at birth.

Sleeping wise it changes every night she had gone as long as 5 hours and as short as one hour. So pretty wrecked as I'm sure we all are!

I have a paediatrician appointment next week and will be asking him about this straining thing she does. She strains and screams and seems to be in pain. I'm thinking it's her trying to do a no. 2 and she does have a dirty nappy once every day around the same time. So I don't think she's constipated. But I hate seeing her screaming in pain it's awful. Am wondering maybe the formula should be changed.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Lx
 
#4 ·
Hi Lillrose,  Glad someone replied as I thought I might be ignored as everyone seems to have gone quiet. Hope your dh is back to help out.

Yea the night feed are exhausting.  She's lasting about 3.5 hrs now between feeds at night. I was planning to express the odd night and let dh take her so I could get a few more hours continous sleep but health visitor said I'd still need to express around usual feed time as I'll be engorged otherwise... So that's a bit pointless.

Did you try infacol?  Clara would sometimes be almost asleep and then wake up suddenly crying with legs going. We though it a touch of colic and the infacol after a few days use has made a difference. Plus she loves it... Her reaction on first taste was priceless.

Glad to hear Alex is putting on loads of weight. That's a great increase and you must v really notice the change. Clara has went from 7 lb 13oz to 10 lb 6 oz.
She has chubby face and thighs now.

I've started to get smiles... The spontaneous ones I get the odd time before a feed would melt your heart.
 
#5 ·
Hi again Pippi

Hopefully everyone else will follow over in time, would be nice to keep chatting and sharing experiences.

DH is back since last Friday thank god. It was really tough his being away. I was totally on my is. For 5 days then I went to my arenas house for 5 days then had two days here again before he was back, but my sis stayed over one night and was a huge help. This is my sis who lost her baby so even more of an ask and she was happy to do it. She's brilliant with Alex as well.

I'm bottle feeding so I feel for you trying to get a break from the breast feeding must be tough x

Yep we use infacol which has helped her burps but this straining thing seems separate from all that. And Alex hates the infacol which doesn't help!

Clara's a great weight now isn't she well done u, I know it's harder for them to get the weight on when breastfed so you're obviously doing a great job.

I know the smiles have just started here too, they're just incredible to get aren't they?  :)
 
#7 ·
Thanks Donna!

Oh that sounds sore for poor Alex. I can see Clara going red and maybe straining a bit when she's pooing but she doesn't seem to be in too much discomfort and any fussiness she had usually settles afterwards. Hopefully the pedetrician will be able to give you some explanation.I find that Placing Clara on her tummy on my knees and rubbing her back for 5-10 min usually will get things moving ...so unless that would help.

Glad your sister was able to come and help you despite everything. It must be really sad reminder to her but hopefully her bond with Alex will help her copie with grief.

Clara was a bit more fusdy yesterday evening and this morning. Been feeding on and off for last few hours.... She's asleep on me now but doesn't last long when I transfer her to pram.... But we'll keep trying. The TV and radio is my best friend during all these hours sitting feeding.  Hopefully Wimbledon will have a few good games ! Don't think I have the coordination to read a book or do anything more exciting! But can surf and type on my phone.

We still have our baby girl cards up... Was thinking to take them down but we're still getting cards.. Just running out of places to put them. I'm also exchanging most of dresses she's got for bigger sizes as most are for 3-6 months and sure no one will really see them when she in pram/car seat. People love buying impractical dresses.

We're thinking of going to visit my family in 3 weeks time but a bit concerned about having her in car seat for 5-6 hrs. We'll take breaks but not sure if we should wait until she's at least 3 months old. Looking online it's bad for their spine and also if they slumped theres the risk of breathing being hampered.
 
#8 ·
Hi pippi and lilirose!

Ahh, it's really good to hear how you're both getting on. Sounds like all is going well!

Pippi - well done on persevering with the breast feeding, glad that's all going well and Clara is gaining good weight. I know what you mean about feeling a bit sad about them not looking so newborn anymore, these early days are so so precious, they really are to be treasured. My mum has one of those Ikea chairs, they are so comfy. We've still got our cards up top, as like you, we're still getting some given to us. We recently had a new Next superstore open up near to where we live, so we seem to be getting a lot of next clothes as gifts! I've also had to exchange some for bigger sizes as she just won't get the wear out of the smaller ones.

Lilirose - Alex sounds like she's thriving too! I tried Infacol with Isla as she was suffering with painful wind, but she would pull a face and just let it all dribble out of her mouth...God knows why they made it orange flavour...surely a milky flavour would go down better!! We've switched to Dr Browns bottles now, which are a pain to wash as they have lots of parts to them, but they really have helped with her wind and she seems a much happier baby now. So pleased to hear your sister has been enjoying spending time with Alex and helping you, it must be hard x

Islas also doing well...she was 10lb 3oz at last weigh in which was two weeks ago..I reckon she's got to be around 11lbs by now...she's a little chunk! She's only has one full feed of expressed breast milk per day now as that all I can get out, so I'm sure that won't last much longer now which makes me sad. I'm still disppointed with myself that I didn't persevere with the breast feeding. But hey ho, she's healthy and I'm thankful for that. She has about 6oz every 3-4 hours, sometimes going 5 in the night if I'm lucky! I'm getting smiles too and we've had a couple of little chuckles, just love her so much it hurts. She was on infant gaviscon for a while as she was suffering with reflux, but that seems to be a lot better now...I'm not convinced it was reflux to be honest...I still think it was a bit of colic as it seems to have improved as we've changed the bottles. Keep meaning to book our 6 week post natal check up with the doctor - I'm hoping they can give me some more information on the birthmark she has on her face...it's on her nose and runs down one side of her top lip, it's not huge, but it's a reddish colour and quite noticeable. Everyone keeps saying it will fade, but it seems to be the same so far. I have to admit, when I first saw it I was pretty upset. I had visions of her having the Mickey taken out of her at school and being teased about it. We're hoping to pop into the clinic next week with some flowers, I'd also like to find out if the lady I donated my eggs to was successful...I feel ready to find out now. I cannot believe that Isla will be 6 weeks tomorrow...I just feel so incredibly lucky to have been blessed with her, she really is a little treasure.

I hope everyone else is doing well, hopefully some more of the May/June due date crew will pop up on here soon!

Xxx
 
#9 ·
Ahhhh ladies. Reading your posts brings back memories!

I had to learn the hard way. My son would constantly cry and push. It's trapped wind. If you think about a babies tummy it's very new. Anything that goes in it causes tummy pains. Don't waste your money on infacol. It's absolutely rubbish. I couldn't wait until my son was 8 weeks so I could give him gripe water. IT WORKS!

Being a first time Mam I tried every bottle. I finally settled on the MAM bottles. The teat is fantastic and noticed a massive change in my son feeding and wind problems. I now buy all of their products.

Winding your baby as much as you can will help.

Unfortunately for me these pains eased off at times with the gripe water, but around 4 month it seemed to stop. You can do things that help but it's maturity/age that's a 100% cure.
 
#10 ·
Hi girls

Not sure if anyone's still reading this but hope you and your little ones are all doing well! Alex is just gone 12 weeks and the most adorable little girl. She's started having proper naps last few days, I used to have her in the sitting room with me all the time but I've started putting her into the nursery now and she's sleeping more. She's eating more too but less often. At night she's going around 5 hours solid but won't go to sleep till around 11pm so I'm still wrecked! DH takes her two nights a week into the nursery so I get two nights full sleep in the big bed, which is brilliant and keeps me going! We stopped the infacol after our appointment with the paediatrician. He recommended baby gaviscon but by the time we got it, things seemed to have resolved. She's not doing the straining thing anymore thank god. We put the cot together the other night, she's still in with us in the Moses basket in our room but wanted to get it done for whenever we move her into her own room. Also wanted to put up her mobile which will only attach to a cot. Last we weighed her she was 9lb11oz, which I was delighted with as she was only 5lb2 when born. She must be well over 10lb by now. We're also using the Dr. Brown bottles, they're great.

Pippi how's Clara? We still have our cards up and they've been joined by christening cards! We had her christening the other week, such a wonderful day, and one we didn't know if we would ever have.

Vimto, how's Isla? How is the birthmark, has it faded? Did u find out whether the lady u donated your eggs to was successful?

Johnsdm, thanks for the advice x

Oh oh she's up, gotta go! Hope to hear from u girls, would be good to swap notes

Lx
 
#11 ·
Hi ladies :)

Although my IVF due date was start of July.... My beautiful little boy came in May due to Pprom. He weighed 4lb6oz and was in special care for 12 days.

He is now nearing 10 weeks old.
I cant say i have found this easy. I bet nobody can. Im currently battling with reflux and slight depression.

Are any of your LO's sleeping through the night yet? Im thinking of delaying his feeds for half an hour each week in hope that eventually he will not want a feed for 8 hours. He currently sleeps for 6 before waking for his night feed. After that feed (normally 3am) thays when his reflux flares up and no sleep for mummy.

Any tips would be gratefully received xxx
 
#12 ·
Hi Hope

Congratulations on your little boy! My LO was early too but a bit heavier at 5lb2oz.

I'm sorry that you are experiencing depression, that must be very tough and I know reflux is seriously hard to deal with. My LO doesn't go to sleep till 11pm at night, sometimes later and sleeps till 5ish most of the time. Her longest sleep has been around 7 hours. From what i know this is perfectly normal for this stage so I think your LO sleeping 6 hours at his age is really good. The sleep deprivation is difficult I know. Would you be able to put him to bed later so that he would sleep later maybe, would that help? We have Alex sleeping in a cocoonababy which is supposed to help with reflux as its moulded to keep her head raised so that any fluids dont come back up. Assume you've tried baby gaviscon for the reflux?

Lx
 
#13 ·
Hey lilrose,

How early was alex??

I think the reflux has bought on the depression, when the reflux is good, im good. I even started smoking again which my OH was not happy about but ive stopped again.

I read that at 2 months, they should be sleeping between 5-6 hours but not sure if that goes for prem babies too, will ask my HV.

No sleep always makes situations so much worse... when ive slept, i feel better about things.

I cant delay his feeds as its his early morning feed where his reflux flares up. I find that if i feed him at 9pm, he will sleep til 3 and i pretty much stay up until my OH comes home from work about 6, then he looks after baby til 9am so i can sleep... it works for us at the mo.

Yep, tried gaviscon, didnt work.. changed his milk to dairy free, made a slight improvement bit he isnt dairy intolerant. He is now on a formula thickener and omeprazole. Its too soon to say if its working or not.

Ive noticed he is outgrowing his moses basket too which poses another problem as i dont think he or me are ready for him to go in his own room. He chokes alot and get so congested through the night.

X
 
#14 ·
She was born at 37+4 so a few weeks early. She'd not been growing properly from 29 weeks so my obs thought it best that we bring the c section forward which was fine with me.

Yeah Alex is 12 weeks now and sleeping between the 5-6 so sounds like your DS is doing similar which sounds about right? We are lucky in that we haven't had reflux to deal with. She did have problems with wind when very small so we had her on infacol but our paediatrician said to take her off it and use baby gaviscon if needed. We took her off infacol but didn't end up using the baby gaviscon and she seems to be doing better now anyway.

Yes definitely sleep affects my mood too. It's really hard dealing with sleep deprivation when you haven't experienced it before. I feel so exhausted sometimes.

Alex has always been a snuffly baby too, I used to be really worried about it when she was tiny I thought she couldn't breathe, but it's just how she is.

Your DS sounds like he's growing well which is great. Would there be room in your room for his cot maybe?
 
#15 ·
Hi

Great to hear from you Lilrose and Vimto. I had stopped checking in here as much as no one was posting but it would be good to compare notes and give each other advice on how things are going.
There seems to be much more activity on the other groups...our club seems particularly rubbish at posting!

She's a great weight Lilrose. Clara was 11lb 6oz...but that was 2 weeks ago. I can't see the icandy pram part lasting till 6 months as she takes up 3/4 of it already.
We are not half as organised and not having the christening till 4 oct. we should have tried to get it done during school hols so my nieces and nephews can visit from Tipperary and not miss school the next day but just never got around to it. Oh well, as you say nice to have a day that we though we might never have.

I am finding things easier now....she usually goes down around 10-10:30 pm and lasts till 5-6am. I find it more of a challenge to get her to sleep from 6 onwards...usually lots of putting the dummy in after she spits it out and then cries.
I'm getting great smiles,,,,she just loves being sung to ..despite me being so flat !!

She's still mostly sleeping for 30min - 1 hr periods in day...the odds time she'll sleep for 3 hours and that's great as I can get stuff done. Not sure if one of the shorter naps will just more permanently turn into a longer sleep or if I should be doing something to encourage one longer sleep? I'm afraid to put her up in her crib in case it confuses her.

Glad the problems with straining are over, I'm still using Infacol but not sure if I need to or ifs having any effect...but she likes it and it's cheap so I'll keep going with it for another while.


We visited my family last week....we stayed in a b&b overnight in Dublin to break up the journey....as much for our sake as her sake. She was crying at breakfast and one of the other guests was fis hed breakfast and offers to take her...turns out she was a midwife so we handed her over and she got her to sleep !!!
Except she reeked of perfume for the rest of the day.

How's the birth mark looking vimto? My sister had a small birth mark on her face (bright red and smaller than a penny). It's gone now but it took a nice few years to fade.
So not sure what timescale they gave you for it fading....I guess it depends on the type of birthmark.

Sorry to hear you suffering from pnd Hope. Take one day at a time and it will slowly improve....at least you have identified a pattern that poor sleep is contributing to it. As I said above I am getting about 6-7 hours with Clara so think we are all around the average. My dh really doesn't do any of the nights :-(
He copes much worse with lack of sleep than me and i'd prefer to get up and bf rather than have the hassle of expressing. One girl in my BF support group went to a osteopath for reflux as her baby was having growth issues due to reflux....not sure how she got on but a friend of hers had great success.

I also would make the same suggestion as Lilorse...get something that baby can sleep in in your room...they really should be in your room till 6 months.

I'm impressed you ahce the xot and all ready lilrose...we still not got the nursery ready..hard to get dh into action and his back has got sore again so it's on hold till that improves. I think he is just about mampnaging to stay in work this week despite the pain.
 
#16 ·
Good to hear from you Pippi! Yeah it's a pity more aren't posting on here, but great to chat with those that are 😁

Clara sounds like she's doing great she must be 12lb by now? Had Alex's 3 month developmental check yesterday and all great 😊 she's still fitting into the cocoonababy which is in the Moses basket thankfully, although she is taking up most of it! Supposedly cocoonababys are recommended up to 4 months so reckon I'll only get another 3 ish weeks out of it, then she should be ok just in the Moses basket till 6 months. We only really put the cot up so that I could use the mobile! I hadn't been using it but took it out and saw that it says from birth to 5 months, I had no idea mobiles have a shelf life!! Anyway thought we'd better try and use its do as it has straps that attach to a cot, we thought best to put the cot together so we now put the Moses basket into the cot for her naps. We've no cot mattress or sheets yet.

Yeah the christening was the best day, really enjoyed it 😁

Also getting great smiles and ditto re the singing, I can't sing but I do sing to her and she loves it. Adorable ❤ her sleep is still a bit all over the place but again last night she settled around 10.30/11pm and lasted till 5am. The feed is quick enough and she was down again by 5.20. Slept till 7, fed and is asleep again now whereas normally she'd be awake. Who knows!

Yeah am not sure re the day naps either. When we are put she sleeps in her car seat or pram, she loves the motion. When we are home, not so much. She will have naps but not for as long. I'm assuming the shorter naps will become longer as she grows.

Lol at the guest in the b&b! I'd put up with the perfume for that result! People are kind though aren't they, they do help when they see you out with the baby, and I'm always being stopped and asked about her.

We went to check out a creche the other day, really need to get one sorted. It was nice enough, a small independent one, but they can't guarantee us a place Nd won't know till October so am seeing another one next week. The first is more convenient, the second looks newer but will see what it's like.

Yeah my sister tried an osteopath for her little girl when she had reflux, I think it helped.

Sorry your DHs back is in a bad way Pippi hope it's better soon. That's tough doing all the night time feelings yourself, you must be wrecked?

Lx
 
#17 ·
Sorry Lillrose been MIA for the past while..our broadband went down and we had to wait for an engineer to come out ( Couldn't face typing a message on my phone). Dh could n't work from home either so he's been missing seeign her as much also.

Our mains water was gone for most of last Saturday and dhs mobile broke last night...so it seems to be the week of utilities etc failing.

Glad to hear you can't sing too! I have a book with nursery rhymes and there is sound with it so it disguises my tone deaf voice for a few nursery rhymes. I put her on a widgey pillow on her stomach and flick the pages and sing to her. It's the only way I can get her to tolerate any tummy time...I'm doing well to get 5 mins on her tummy.

She's still on the 10-10.30 sleep and waking around 5-6. Then Lately she is sleeping till 9-9:30 so it's great to get a sleep in.... I'm a night owl so find it hard to be up before 9 if I don't have work to go to. I get very tierd around 7 or 8 in the evening but it passes....but other than that i am not too tired.
Yea she's sleeping pretty much same as Alex ...1 hours naps here and there throughout the day. She's a bit more fussy at this time of evening (around 8:30)...it's a bit too soon to put her to bed but she's a bit tierd but hard to get her to nap.
We are going to a party tomorrow night at 8 and bringing her but can't see us staying long...unless all the activity sends her to sleep for a few hours while we are there.
I can really notice on the days we are out and about that she is much more tierd than the days where we are mostly at home.

I got a milk bleb on my nipple which is a little sore and read that putting a hot compress on your nipple or soaking in Epsom salts was good to help. So last Saturday night I was hunched over the table with my nipple dangling in a bowl of salt water for 10 min and then putting a nappy wet with hot water on my nipple for another 10 mins....and then did a feed. Never though that's how I'd be spending a Saturday night !!! You were supposed to do that before ever feed for 24 hours....I did it twice and it wasn't making any difference so gave up.

I'm not sure what weight she is now..not being weighted for over a month but health visitor is visiting next week so it'll be interesting to see what she weighs. She's also due her 2nd vaccinations next week...

Clara is giving me loads of smiles...all we need is the sound and they would be called laughs as her mouth is wide open.

Are you or anyone else getting the meningitis b vaccine? It's available on NHS in England and Wales for babies born I think from July onwards. Not available yet in Northern Ireland...but you can get it privately...think it could cost up to £400 to get all the shots needed.lilrose, I think HSE in 2016 are going to look about whether they will cover the cost.
I think most cases of meningitis now are men b as vaccinations for most strains of meningitis c. In UK there were about 1800 cases of men b last year with about 10% fatal.
I'm not sure what to do...it'd be nice to have the reassurance of the vaccine (covers 90% of men b) but it's rather expensive...but then not in comparison to the 1000s on ivf.
 
#18 ·
Hi Lilrose,

Just seen your profile pic of Alex...she's gorgeous. That's a lovely photo.....she looks so happy and looks a good size (although there is no scale! )

You've inspired me to put my own pic although the resolution is not brilliant.
 
#19 ·
Hi Pippi

Sorry haven't been on for a while. Your pic of Clara is so gorgeous! She's beautiful  :)

Fair play with the tummy time, Alex won't do it at all. Am hoping it doesn't affect anything going forward, I know most babies don't like it. She's got good control of her neck though.

Sleep wise yeah Alex is still doing the 2-3 naps during the day and getting tired around 9pm, then wakes up looking for a bottle at midnight then will go about 4 hours till the next one, then around 6.30 and wakes properly around 7.30am. It's not too bad, I'm used to it now although DH was away with work so I missed my two nights off that he takes her for, and am feeling a bit run down from pure fatigue - sore throat and think I'm getting a mouth ulcer.

Ugh you poor thing your boobs must be so sore!

What did Clara weigh when the health visitor came over? Alex just had her 4 month injections today. Poor little mite, she was in great form then had the injections earlier and broke her heart crying, naturally. Needs must but hate it! She's around 13lb now so heading for the stone!

Not sure about the meningitis b vaccine, the only extra vaccine i was planning on getting was the one for chicken pox. I suppose it's well worth getting even with the expense? Would be great if the hse would cover it...
 
#20 ·
Hi ladies,
Hope everyone is ok and those lovely babies are doing well?

Pippi and Lilirose - about the Men b vaccine, I spoke to the nurse about it when Isla had her second lot of immunisations and she said that if we wait til she's about one, they will do a call back and we will be included in the vaccination programme apparently. Or if we wait until she's 6 months old, only two injections will be needed as opposed to three, so it won't cost as much (about £250 she said)

I can't believe how fast the time is going, Isla will be four months on 13th September! She's a real joy and every day I think about the treatment and how blessed we are that it worked. we went to visit the clinic with a card and a bunch of flowers last last month (not that anything could thank them enough!) and it was really strange being back there after the intensity of the treatment and having to be there so often last year. There were several ladies in the waiting area, and others coming out with their little brown bags and I just kept thinking how unbelievable it was that it was me at that point last year. The staff were all lovely and delighted to see Isla. I'd decided to ask about the lady I'd donated my eggs to last year and was pretty gutted to be told that she had got pregnant but sadly miscarried a bit later on. I'd so hoped that it had worked for her and part of me wishes I was a few years younger so I could donate again.

Isla is doing well, haven't managed to get her weighed since July while dd has been on school hols, but she's still very chunky and I'm looking forward to finding out how heavy she is next week. she's sleeping pretty well and has been since about 8 weeks...I put her to bed about 7.30-8.00pm after her last bottle and she's up for another bottle between 5-6.30am. She stirs a bit in the night and I find myself having to pop her dummy in several times and hold her hand (spoilt....lol). Shes in a cot now, still next to our bed. she was in the Chico next2me crib, but the mattress was just so hard and she just didn't seem to have a peaceful nights sleep in it. It's clear she's much more comfortable on the cot mattress. She's feeding well - about 8oz every 3.5 hours and her reflux has really settled down. And the birthmark has faded a bit, but I think it's going to take a while to go completely - if it ever does. Its not that bad to be honest, sometimes you can't see it at all - it shows up more if she's hot or flustered.

How are Alex and Clara getting on?

xx
 
#21 ·
Hi Vimto

Isla is gorgeous! Sounds like she's doing really well. Alex won't go that long during the night, wish she would I'm wrecked! Bit tearful up yesterday as well, just came out of nowhere but although we did some lovely things yesterday including her first time in a swimming pool with daddy, I just felt very low. I've not had any days like that so I don't know is it just tiredness or what. She has no set going down time, we try and settle her around 9pm ish but it doesn't always work. Last night she settled around 9.30 then she was awake at midnight, had some bottle then asleep till 5 so that wasn't bad. So Isla is doing 10 hour stretches? God I'd love that!!

Alex is still such a titch she was the smallest in her swimming class, little dote. She's 13lb now I think and at her last developmental check they were happy with her so I guess that's all that matters, although I still worry about her size a bit.

We still have her in her cocoonababy, which she still fits in. I'm thinking of taking it out and just having her in the Moses basket and seeing how she does. She may need more space.

Glad to hear the birthmark isn't that obvious I know it was something that concerned you. Chances are you're just much more aware of it cos you're with her so much?

We are going away for our wedding anniversary next weekend. My in laws are looking after Alex for the night, so first time away from her. I'm looking forward to it but also it'll be weird. She will be 4 and a half months then so hoping she's good for them!

Sorry to hear that about the woman you donated your eggs too, poor thing. Yeah must have been weird going back to the clinic. But you were there so many times you deserve your happy ending xx

There was an announcement in the news here just after Pippi mentioned the men b vaccine that they will be available on the hse from next year so we will get that. She had her 4 month vaccines last Monday, hate it! She gets so upset but calms down quickly enough. Next ones are 6 months and the nurse said she would do my smear for me then too, it's well overdue.

When's anyone heading back to work, if you work? I've decided in February and have Alex booked into a local nursery from then.
 
#22 ·
Hi Lilirose,

Glad to hear that Alex is doing well and all was good at the developmental check
it's lovely that you've started taking Alex swimming already! We just haven't managed it yet, but you've given me the inspiration to look into it now! Sorry to hear you've been feeling low....it could well be due to tiredness, I know how completely draining it is and after four months it will definitely take its toll. I had it with dd1 and remember feeling like a complete zombie and very down in the dumps. It's a complete shock to the system, as it's just so unnatural getting up and having to do stuff during the night! Hopefully Alex's sleep pattern will settle down soon and you can catch up on some well needed rest.

How many feeds is Alex having during the day? It seems that as long as Isla has 7-8oz 5 times a day, she doesn't need one during the night. Last night she did 9.5 hours which was basically 7.30pm-4am. She will wake up in the night, but it's not for feeding as she has this really loud cry when she's hungry - she just fidgets around a bit and has a bit of a moan! It's normally a case of giving her the dummy, or stroking her face to let her know I'm there. Is Alex blatantly hungry when she wakes up? Have you tried leaving her to see if she will settle without the bottle? (not if she's screaming her head off obviously..lol)  I found myself thinking that giving Isla a bottle at 7pm wouldn't see her through the night, so I would actually wake her about 9.30/10pm to give her some more milk - but this seemed to have the reverse effect and she would actually wake up much sooner for another bottle!

I'll be going back to work in Feb too I think - I'm hoping I can work from home for another 6 months though (that idea will go down like a sack of you know what, I'm sure!)

It will be lovely for you to get away for the night, hope you enjoy every minute of it! Happy Anniversary too!
 
#23 ·
Hi Vimto

thanks yeah i hope she gets into some sort of routine.  I think i'll have to put in a bit of effort, well more of an effort in actively trying to establish a routine as opposed to just letting her let me know when she's tired! 

Re feeds, interesting you mention that she's definitely having less frequent feeds but is having the full bottle - 8oz - over say about 2 hours then a break then another 8oz etc.  I'd say she's getting 32oz a day.  she seems happy enough on that but I might see if i can get a bit more into her to see if it helps her sleep. I've also been using a cocoonababy which she still fits in, but i've taken it out of her moses basket today so am going to see will she sleep in the moses basket without it.  It'll mean she has more space, am not sure will that be a good or bad thing!  I'm also going to start writing down when she eats and sleeps, which I haven't been doing.  As mentioned I think i'll have to get proactive! Yes, i'm not sure whether Alex is looking for a feed when she wakes.  Certainly the midnight wake is a feed, but I'm not sure about the 5am one.  I might see if giving her her soother would sort her out, instead of assuming it's a feed she wants.  Yeah exactly i think if i feed her she'll sleep longer, but i see you say that that didn't happen with Isla, interesting. I think Alex definitely has the ability to sleep longer, if I could work out the timings of the feeds better...

LOL well i hope they're ok with you working from home - would you still be able to look after Isla if you did that? 

Thanks a mil! x
 
#24 ·
Hi Giirls,

Just a quickie from me as I need to go to sleep. Wow lilrose you are taking  Alex swimming. Clara even hates bathing in her own bath, in the sink or with me so can't imagine the meltdown she'd have if she was in a pool! Well done though.

Yea she seems to be waking a lot lilrose. I don't have any set routine with Clara but around 9ish (or whenever she wakes up from her 30 min nap) I give her a feed and then dh gets her ready for bed....so she is usually asleep around 10-10.30. She will usually wake around 4-6am for a feed and then will last till 9-10 the next morning. The other night I was about to get up to her at 4.30am but then as she was to bed a bit later I said I'd wait a bit longer for her to fuss more....next thing u knew it was 8.30am. I know my baby whisper book talks about them perhaps getting into the haibit of a feed....and to try feed them a bit less for a few nights and then try them with a dummy when they wake.
Enjoy your night away...I'm not in the situation where dhs family would/could take her and my family are too far away but yea it would feel strange leaving her.

Welcome back Vimto, Isla is so pretty....glad to hear all going well and that you have n't made it swimming either !!
Yea I wouldn't worry about the birthmark...my frieds wee baby has one above her lip and she's now nearly 3 and really you just see the happy cute girl.

Clara is going for her 4 mt vaccinations tomorrow. After my talk about men b...I see the card says she is gettign the first men b tomorrow also. I don't think she will get the next men b till she is one but good that she's gettign it for free.
I think on NHS any babies born from May on are in a catch up program,...so we just made the cutoff date.
Will you have to pay HSE lilrose ? Now that all kids under 6 get free gp care?

She was 13lb 2.5 weeks ago so will get her weighed tomorrow...but she's getting heavier...my arms can feel it. So it'll be interesting to see what she weighs in at.

 
#25 ·
Hello again!

Lilirose - I'd definitely see if the soother works, you might be pleasantly surprised that she can actually go longer without a feed in the night! I'd aim to cut out the midnight feed...that was the one that was tiring me out before as I'd already been in bed for a couple of hours by then. I don't mind getting up at 5am for a feed if Isla sleeps the night, as she always goes back to sleep for a couple of hours afterwards in her Moses basket downstairs and I get to have a coffee and a bit of (early) breakfast in peace before the whirlwind that is dd1 comes down to get ready for school  ;D
I'd like to think I could get my work done at home whilst looking after Isla, but in reality I know it probably won't be that easy. I only work part time, so I suppose as long as I can do my 21 or so hours a week, even if part of that's in the evening, then it should be ok. Will just have to see how it goes I guess - that's if they even let me!

Pippi - yes, we were told there would be a catch up programme that we'll be included in too, but that we won't get called back until she's one?
I don't really notice her birthmark myself any more, it's just a little part of her that I've got used to...and it's really not that bad. when I think of all the terrible things that some babies are born with, well, this really is nothing to worry about at all. She's still my perfect little girl  :)

re nap times - Isla seems to have developed a pattern of naps now that normally last for about half an hour each...so around 11am she'll have her first one, then around 2pm, then again around 5pm...she won't fall asleep on her own in general for her naps...I can tell she's tired cos she gets all crabby, so I put her on my lap and rock her to sleep then transfer her to her Moses basket. We get her ready for bed about 6.30/7pm and after her last bottle which is normally between 7-7.30pm I take her up and put her in the cot in her sleeping bag, switch on her lullaby music and pop in her dummy if she's still awake. I normally try and leave the room (unless she's unsettled) and she'll often be asleep by the time I go back in. we have lots of cuddles during the day, so I try my best to get her used to going to sleep on her own at night instead of being cuddled to sleep, which I could easily do as she's extremely cuddly...lol.

Just as I seem to have got Isla into a bit of a routine, I think she may have started teething! she's dribbling like a good'un, and definitely more restless during the night. Also I've noticed she's a bit flushed on one side of her face!  :eek: time is going too fast! it's be weaning before long  :eek:

xxx
 
#26 ·
Hi Vimto,  the catch up program involves vaccination at 4  months  and then 1 year old. she was a little fussy yesterday after the men b shot but sleeping lots today.  She got 3 injections yesterday so was a tough few minutes.
I don't know if by missing the 2 month shot that they are less protected....might ask my gp about that.

She now weights 13lb 11.5 oz. But she has dipped a bit in weight gain. She was always on the 50th percentile but is now on about 39th. HV asking about my supply and suggesting maybe giving a formula at night so she can go through the night...but I find it ok to get up once in the night and I think adding formula will just decrease my supply. Her suggestion of the formula at night was for my benefit she said....that she didn't want her to still be waking up for a feed in a years time....but surely that's a long way away yet..seems a bit drastic to introduce a bottle now and that might not even work...and will just decrease my supply even more. Must ask on BF groups and see what the opinion is...although don't want the opinion of those BF fanatics who BF at all costs
Surely it's normal for a 4 month old to wake once at night for a feed??
But she is happy and does not appear hungry....she was really fussing for aobut a week 2 weeks ago so maybe she was more hungry then but not sure what to do. If anytihng now I have to really keep her focused on finishing emptying my breasts now....all she wants to do is smile and smile after she gets the initial milk.

That would be great to work from home and mind Isla. My company also offer wfh 2-3 days a week but are very strict on not doing child minding at same time...they want you to work the core hours so can't do the work when it suits you unfortunately. But at least it means no commute which for me is probably 1hr each way.
I'm not going to go back to work till next May.... No pay for 3 months but think we will manage. I'm dreading returning through as I probably have to go into a new role on a different team. I think after being off for more than 6 mts they can just put you in a similar role ..unless one of the 2 people now doing my role want to move off...but it's a long way off yet.


Clara's sleeping pattern also seems similar to Islas...short naps during day when she gets fussy. She actually goes off quicker for me during the day than at night time. HV recommended dh to put her to bed so I'm not feeding her and then putting her down...as she needs to learn we are seperate people and be able to self sooth....so I get time then to clean up while he's doing the bedtime slot.
She slept for nearly 3 hrs today but that's probably because of the vaccines....meant I got a good deal of hoovering done....
You are up at 5am Vimto ! I am a night owl and its Often 12.30 when I turn off the light...and then we don't get up till 9-10. ..but I know that routine will have to be pushed back a bit earlier when I go back to work.

We are going through loads of bibs here.......dribbling so much for the last few weeks. I can see teeth buds on her lower jaw but I expect it'll be a while before we get actual teeth


Happy anniversary Lillorse. You know I forgot but it's our wedding anniversary next Monday....we'll be married 13 years !! Oh to have a night away for only adult things...
Hopefully the night away will do you go. If you are up a lot with Alex at night time it's draining  and no wonder you get the odd day feeling low. I know the mw who visited us early on when I was struggling said that for me I would be more likely to feel the blues....my age means I would find coping with tiredness harder and then when it's a much longer for baby....the reality does n't always match what you dreamed off and so is harder on those who experienced infertility. I'm quite a realist so didn't have a romantic expectation of what it would be like...but still it makes sense.
How's your sister doing ?

 
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