Beach Bump Graduates!

[Hann12]

Thanks Caz - actually only put it on last night!

I can see why the routine looks tough but actually doing it I have had more time to myself than the other days as she normally sleeps on me after a feed. I can still get out and do what I want too - she can nap in the pram and I can feed out too so I don't think it will stop me doing anything. It might not work in the long run but I'd like the bedtime bit to work as everyone I know with kids has said they tr to do the same thing every night to get them to understand time differences etc. I won't be fitting my life around her it will be the other way round but this is helping give me some clarity on what I can do with her. It's not strict - or at least it doesn't have to be, and she will still be demand fed if she needs more - I had to feed her twice more than the routine said today for example. She has however been more alert and happy than normal so I'm hoping it will be win win!

 

[Jenni4]

DM-I still keep the lights on low too! And I check him neurotically....I also still make audrey is breathing and she's almost 5!

 

[Clareabell]

Caz we are the same here! If I don't have somewhere to be then I stay in bed for a good part of the morning! I love my Niamhy cuddles

I go out everyday too even if it's just a walk to the local shops, for me it keeps me sane I have found that having a baby can be really isolating and I can start to contract cabin fever and feel really down!

Routine is not important to me, but she is starting to naturally put herself in one at night time, but alot of it is just around the times that she feeds and they change depending on what we are doing or on whether or not she waits three or four hours between feeds!

It's impressive though Hann and looks hard work to me so well done for implementing it with Annabelle. Looks like it's working for you both too

 

[Jenni4]

Just read your post hann sounds like a pretty convincing argument...got me thinking...you seem to have a pretty good handle on this.. We have no routine at all...but might not be a bad idea to try to things around a certain time... I sleep in the living room and don't even try to settle him until around 10 or 11! Might have to give this some thought.... Maybe adjust it a bit to our specific schedule.

 

[DragonMummy]

Jen me too! being a mother is tres traumatic....

Soph has a bedtime routine. Harry's!

 

[melissasbump]

We have a routine, during the day it fits in around what we are doing, its only the feeding which is routined then, we try to structure it in the evenings a bit more to get Harrison in the bedtime thing, have been doing that since week 2, bath around 615pm then bottle, then quiet time till he falls asleep, usually have to wake him for a 10pm feed then now he is sleeping till 5-530am so it is working for us. During the day we do time on the playmat and bouncers as well as lots of cuddles, talking and singing of course, but thats not stuctured, just as and when Harrison feels like it!

I was adamament to get a bedtime routine in early, not only for Harrison but for me and Alan too. Will be interesting to see how my mum gets on tomorrow evening as she will be doing the early evening bit, thats when we are at the theatre.

Caz, glad you had a nice day today.

Linds, hope you make it to choir this week!

Clare, baby cuddles are the best arent they!

So went into my work today, had a nice time but pretty non eventful, just had bathtime and waiting for Alan to cook me fresh salmon and new potatos.
BTW did a weigh in today, since my diet started a week ago ive lost 5 pound! yay!!

 

[Jenni4]

I wrote something....then reread what I responded to and it made no sense.... Useless post...sorry!

 

[Blue_bear]

i am generally going with the flow and our routine fits around when he feeds which is mostly every 5 hours now but sometimes 4. I keep bedtime the same at 10pm though, even though he may not always go down then and sometimes he goes down before, depends really. It suits me and he is develloping his own pattern so i am happy with that. When i actually sit and think about our avaerage days, he probably has his own daytime routine going for naps too but because i dont ever really note the time or for how long it doesnt necessarily feel like it.

 

[amand_a]

Hello all!

I cant believe how many babies are sleeping through now, no such luck for us.
We are however getting about a 5 hr stretch between 10 and 3 a few nights a week. Although some nights he will still wake every 3 hrs.

Jenn so glad you are feeling better about offering formula. I know how hard it is when nothing you planned ie birth and feeding works out how you want it too, but at the end of the day you need to be happy and healthy for your family and for your own sanity. Try not to be too hard on yourself, easier said than done I know. You are doing a wonderful job!! especially with 2 children to look after

Hann your routine is similar to the one I used for Matilda, I have to say it worked wonderfully well for us. She was so happy and hardly ever cried because i think she knew when a feed was comming. Also from about 2 months old I could pop her to bed and walk out the room and she would self settle within 10-20mins with no fuss. She really was a perfect baby

Billy on the other hand has been a bit of a monster! we have just started a routine with him so we shall see how I go the second time round.

We have had a few ups and downs lately, re lactating in terms of supply went really well. Keeping bubs happy not so well! no matter how long he fed for or how many oz of ebm he took he would scream untill I gave him formula and then proceed to scream untill he fell asleep. Then the first formula we had him on made him really gassy and un settled. The second one helped with the gassyness but he was slowly getting more and more constipated, suffering trapped wind and more screaming! Yesterday under the advice of the doctor and health nurse I have switched him to Novalac for colicky babies. I was skeptical as I know the term colic gets thrown around a lot, but we all decided that something was not right and that he should not be spending more than 75% of his waking time screaming!

Well fingers crossed it seems to be working!! after his first bottle he managed a huge poo which seems to have pushed out the last of the constipation and he is not screaming! He was still a bit unsettled last night but up now for a feed and he didn't even cry when he woke up, just grunted to let me know he was ready! He didn't scream when he changed him and......the best part is I just got my first real proper smile

He is now being a bit cheeky staring at me wide eyed at 4.20am, but still no screaming. This new stuff is expensive but if it works then its well worth it!

And just because I love them so! a picy of my LO's

 

[Jenni4]

Hann...how does the feeding after waking work out? I usually feed him to sleep... What do you other ladies do?? Feed to sleep or feed after waking?

 

[amand_a]

we feed after waking, I found with DD if she was fed to sleep she would wake 15 mins later full of beans.

 

[Blue_bear]

i find i am feeding after waking....i think....

fingers crossed you have found the right formula now Amanda!

 

[DragonMummy]

same here amanda. I feed her when she wakes. She pretty much settles herself to sleep.

 

[Clareabell]

We feed after waking too, Niamh will settle herself to sleep in her basket, she loves it!! I'm sure it will be a different story when she moves into her big cot

 

[Hann12]

Jenni - so far so good! Before today I fed to sleep too and I'm wondering if that's made her more restless and have less productive sleep. She would fall asleep on ke then I couldn't move without waking her so I was stuck sat there while she slept plus she don't burp after the feed so must have produced more wind issues. The final feed is feed to sleep though but you still burp and put them in awake. She has now been down for coming up to an hour and it's the earliest to bed so far. Plus Greg and I had dinner together for the first time in ages as she normally is up now screaming.
I know every day won't be this straight forward and it will go up and down in success but today has proved it's worth trying! It was all so easy too! I managed to clean all the bathrooms, do some washing, clean the floor, order some photos of her, update her website and send some emails. Also watched 2 films! Productive!!

Caz and Mel - glad the work meets were good!

Amanda - it's good to know you had success with the routine - bet Billy gets there soon too! Sounds like you have managed to sort out the feeding issues which must be a big relief!

 

[DragonMummy]

By the way in case anyone is interested, Boots are doing 3 for 2 on all baby at the moment.

 

[DragonMummy]

Claire with Harry, I put his moses basket in the cot bed for a week, let him get used to the room before putting him in the big cot. he settled pretty quickly.

 

[mummySS]

Hann yay for the routine working! so far so good... i'm pleased it seems to be working for you! We've not really put one in yet either but you've made me think it's worth a try... Leo's been a right ole fusspot today, bless him i think he has tummy ache but he's been very needy. The only way i can keep him calm is by shoving boobs or bottles in his mouth - am exhausted! We've just tried a 6oz feed to settle him (180 mls) - hope it doesnt backfire!

Ooh just read all the posts about waking then feeding... maybe i am missing a trick here as we always do the opposite! Will give it a try tomorrow!

 

[melissasbump]

Jenni, i was always told to feed Harrison whilst he is awake, otherwise he doesnt take enough milk and doesnt sleep long enough, its sometimes easier said than done though! Also i want his last feed to be around 10pm so we arent hanging around half the night waiting for him to wake up. I think its done differently by others though, we have only been doing it this way for around two weeks, before we were waiting for him to wake which was sometimes not till midnight and then we werent getting sleep ourselves

 

[Hann12]

Mel I agree if you wait to feed then it can be late - annabelle has been waking up at night anytime from 1-4 depending on when she goes to sleep. I'm meant to do the dream feed at 11 but think I'll do it at half ten so I'm able to sleep at half eleven otherwise I won't be sleeping until midnight. I read that if you do this then they get there long stretch of sleep from 11.30 onwards. I am a but worried that by waking her I'm stopping the long sleep from happening and instead shr might wake every 2-3 hours for the rest of the night as the second sleeps are always much shorter. It's worth a try though!

Simmy - I'm doing this because I was constantly feeding to stop the crying and to get her to sleep plus I wasn't playing enough and I wasn't able to move for all the sleeping on me. If that sounds like what you are having it could be worth trying? If it doesn't work I figure it's no loss!