***December Snowflakes 2012 Parenting***

[GenYsuperlady]

2016 - bring on Friday! Is there any way you could pump a bottle or consider supplementing with formula one bottle every few days just so you can get a little more uninterrupted sleep? I actually had to spend a night sleeping in the guest room away from DH and LO while he did all nighttime feeds so that I could really catch up after getting no sleep. My PPD was better by 50% when I woke up, and now I'm really enjoying this newborn phase!! It seems drastic in the moment, but it was SO SO SO the right thing to do for the whole family.

Summer is doing great having been on formula for over 24 hours - surely the taste doesn't seem to bother her. Already SOO much less spray diarrhea poop...but still lots of good pee. I hope she doesn't get constipated! She definitely spits up a bit more with the formula but it isn't projectile or abundant, so I'll consider myself lucky. Her gas seems to be better-- not sure what was going on that couple of days. We have finally gotten her switched over from the very plain, super slow flow nipple from the hospital to the newborn nipple with the Dr. Brown's bottles, so perhaps that has helped now that she doesn't have to suck so hard.

Last night she spent the whole night in her crib in the nursery! She had been staying in a cosleeper next to our bed but she is SUCH a noisy sleeper that we were both waking up at everything. She will be back in with us in a few days when both my sister and mom are here visiting though. I was sad to not have her in our room...it feels wrong on so many levels, but DH and I slept much better and I feel ready to take on the day. We have a fantastic monitor that allows me to press a button and check night-vision video of her if I hear a lot of noise...usually she is just sleeping and being a normal, noisy baby. Then, when she starts getting noisier more often, I know she's hungry.

I feel like an awful, cold mother not having her by my side...but on the plus side...no crib training in the future, I hope!

 

[ttc_lolly]

Chloe - Millie's eye's became gunky and that's when I started wiping them. They are back to normal today thankfully and her left eye is no longer swollen. The magic of breastmilk!

2016, that's such good news and a relief I am sure

GenY, glad everything is going well with you & Summer! Is your DH still on paternity leave?

Today was my first day alone with both kiddies as OH needed to return to work after just 1 week with us I was a little worried how it would be but it's been a good day. Sure, we haven't left the house and I haven't got changed but it was a success nontheless! We are going to visit a friend tomorrow so it'll be my first time out with them both on my own so FX'd that goes just as well as today!

 

[2016]

GenY...a good break would be nice but there's nobody else to look after her at night. DH had his hands full looking after DS and also has to work all day being now the sole breadwinner. Also she is refusing to take even EBM out a bottle - we've tried 2 different types and 5 dummies now! In the day even she gets distressed being with anyone other than me.
Last night was slightly better though and she slept 2 heavenly hours in her nest chair before taking up residence on my chest for the rest of the night.

 

[GenYsuperlady]

Oh 2016 -- your boobs are just too good!

Lolly - what an accomplishment! Is Anber still in live with Millie?

My DH is an insurance agent so owns his own business...he has done a lot of work from home and has barely gone into the office...I'm sure he'd be there more but he got very worried when I was having the worst PPD symptoms and pretty much cleared out his work schedule.

I kind of wish he would go in more now...and I'm sure he will soon as my mother is coming to stay for 3 weeks!!! Yikes!

 

[Chloe597]

I'm curious what everyone's favorite nursing position is? I tried the side lying in bed last night and while nice, it left me and the bed soaked in milk!

2016, good to hear!

Lolly, glad millie's eyes are better so quickly!

 

[2016]

I'm quite enjoying the rugby hold or biological nurturing positions. I love side lying but LO starts to choke immediately from the reflux.

 

[Baby Bell]

Hey ladies.
Baby Lewis was born on mon 3rd Dec, 7lbs 3ozs.

I'm so excited to be on the parenting site with you lovely ladies and your babas!

Sorry I haven't had a chance to back read what's been happening. Lewis is a joy breast feeding well, is a wee bitty jaundice but otherwise perfect. Only my OH and me have a sleeping problem with our wee boy. Lewis refuse to sleep anywhere but in on one of us. He won't lie down in his Moses basket day or night without screaming the place down, but settles as soon as he getting his cuddles. I don't like the idea of swaddling, but really have no idea what to do, we taking it turns to sleep as too scared to sleep with him in our arms. Do any of you have any suggestions or experience with this?

 

[ttc_lolly]

We are only really do the standard hold (not sure of its technical name!?) at moment. I have my bf'ing pillow and I'll just pull that right up to my stomach and lay Millie on her side/back.

Day 2 on our own went well! We've been out to visit a friend and are heading home soon. Millie slept & fed well again, the problems we are having is transferring her to her basket once she's fallen back asleep. She wakes straight away and then refuses to fall asleep on her own. She's still newborn though so I'll let her off

 

[ttc_lolly]

Bell, posted before I saw your reply. Congrats again lovely no advice as we are having the same problem. Millie does eventually fall in a deep enough sleep for us to eventually put her down, but it can take up to an hour or so after her initially waking and feeding I'm hoping its just a newborn stage x

 

[2016]

^^ I think it's called the cradle or crossover hold.

Babybell...yes we are in that situation too. We think a lot of her reluctance to lay in her cot or MB is down to reflux. She seems to sleep ok in her bouncy chair which I'm not normally keen on but it's quite a reclined one and very supportive. I also carry her in a soft stretchy sling a lot in the day. At night I have no choice but to let her sleep on me. I lay in the middle of our spare double bed in her room and luckily have a Snuza breathing monitor that clips to the back of her nappy. She only wants to lay on her tummy on me too!
No chance of DH helping as he has to look after DS in the night.
It won't be forever.

Looking forward to seeing the paed tomorrow aft. I keep worrying what if he can't diagnose/doesn't find a tongue tie. Don't think I can carry on with her shredding my nipples as she's doing. I use shields when it gets really bad but they just aren't suitable to feed discretely when out. It would break my heart to stop because BFing is something I really enjoy when it's going well.

Got an appointment letter through today for her to see a specialist regarding a birthmark she has on her left shoulder. The hospital said they'd not seen one like it. It's fairly large but hardly visible unless you know what you're looking for.
Anyway the only hospital that can look at it is Great Ormond Street in London. That's 2.5 hours travelling away each way! And the appointment is at 10am and then we have to hang around over 4 hours for a second appointment at 14h40! It's going to be a long day. Called them to try get more sensible times but had no luck.
At least she will be small enough to still take in the sling because I'm not braving London Underground with a pushchair!

 

[ttc_lolly]

I hope the paed appt goes well tomorrow 2016 and you get the diagnosis and Flicka the help she needs you know what you're doing so surely it has to be that? I hope there's a solution anyway. That's a pain about the appointment time and place for her birthmark too is it something serious do they think?

We sold our apartment back in October and have been waiting on an exchange date from our solicitors so we can start looking at rental properties (long story short, but the house we were buying fell through and we've decided to rent for a year or so until we can find our perfect family home. Not ideal but we need more space so it was our only option unless we rushed in and bought a house we didn't fully love which we obviously didn't want to do). I received an email from our solicitor today telling us that our buyers want to complete on 14th Dec so want us out and the keys next week!! I've emailed him back to tell him that just isn't feasible I had a baby 9 days ago, we haven't even been given an exchange date so we haven't really started looking at properties yet! I understand our buyers are currently renting though and have to be out of the place they are currently living by the 23rd Dec. I really didn't want to move before Christmas, as if we don't have enough on our plates, but looks like we will have to. Not next week thoug, no way! Will be the week after I think. Arghhhh stress!

 

[Fifipots]

Hey ladies.
Baby Lewis was born on mon 3rd Dec, 7lbs 3ozs.

I'm so excited to be on the parenting site with you lovely ladies and your babas!

Sorry I haven't had a chance to back read what's been happening. Lewis is a joy breast feeding well, is a wee bitty jaundice but otherwise perfect. Only my OH and me have a sleeping problem with our wee boy. Lewis refuse to sleep anywhere but in on one of us. He won't lie down in his Moses basket day or night without screaming the place down, but settles as soon as he getting his cuddles. I don't like the idea of swaddling, but really have no idea what to do, we taking it turns to sleep as too scared to sleep with him in our arms. Do any of you have any suggestions or experience with this?

As hard as it is, I would highly encourage you to put up with the screems and let him fall asleep by himself, the more you pick him up and cuddle him the less likely he is to ever learn to get himself off to sleep, I know it can be torture but if he's really tired enough then he'll fall asleep, it might break your heart to hear him crying but in the long run it will only make things easier for you,

My 2nd baby had to be swaddled to go to sleep and she was the only one born in the winter like this one will be, swaddling is just security to the baby and its actually a lot safer to seaddle than to have the baby sleep on or with you,

Keep persevering and be strong xxx

 

[2016]

ttc_lolly...I'm not sure what they think about the birthmark. The hospital where she was born seemed to be making a fuss about it only because it isn't like a normal strawberry birthmark. They took photos of it at birth and sent them off to GOSH and told me I'd only get an appointment if they were interested.
I should post a picture when I get a chance - it's just ever so slightly more pink than the rest of her skin and the edge of the mark is whiteish but again nothing drastic.
Im certainly not going to worry until there's a reason to be.

Thinking about whether to pick up crying babies...call me a softie but I can't leave a baby to cry if it can be helped. I certainly wouldn't whisk them up at the first grizzle/fuss and indeed as he got older there were times my son wouldn't go to sleep without a 1/2 hour whinge. Fussing over him actually made him more upset.
But I don't think tiny babies ever cry for nothing and I certainly don't think it makes for bad habits. My son settles himself to sleep beautifully for naps and bedtime. I personally would hate to be effectively paralysed and unable to communicate and be crying out with nobody asking what's the matter.
As they get older - over 6 moths minimum (though I never dared until closer to 18 months) it can sometimes be necessary for them to be left crying. My son has had rare days where he's got overtired and nothing I did would settle him so I just had to give him 5 minutes to get the frustration out his system then I would go in give him a hug and he'd go to sleep.

 

[ttc_lolly]

Yes definitely nothing to worry yourself over unless you know different

I have to agree with 2016, it's definitely a personal choice but I can't use CIO methods and especially not on a newborn crying is a baby's only method of communication, I wouldn't be able to just ignore Millie. I still don't really let DD CIO and she's alright, not clingy in the slightest. Too independent if you ask me!

 

[GenYsuperlady]

We will slowly start CIO, but not until 4 months or so.

Well I passed a new mom milestone: heading to the pediatrician over nothing. Summer wasn't eating well today or sleeping well and she seemed so fussy...so of course I decided she had thrush. Nope...normal milky tongue and just being a fuss bucket. Of course she took a 3 hour nap starting on the car ride in, then just took almost a full bottle.

Fail.

 

[2016]

GenY....well I always say rather get checked and not need to than potentially miss a problem. And you'll find the car ride to the doc and being in the doctors office is an amazing cure all for most children!
We have now 3 times in his life rushed DS to the out if hours medical centre in the middle of the night or weekend eg. after 6 hours of constant pained screaming and high temp, and when we get there he's running around laughing and playing with the toys in the waiting area making the doctor raise an eyebrow at us.
Then again there have probably been 5 more times we took him and he really did need help.

 

[ttc_lolly]

Ditto! DD loves getting better miraculously just before we go in to see the doctor she does it all the time! It's definitely better to get them checked though, so don't feel silly Gen

Millie went down at around 12 after her feed and has only woke for another at 4.45am I'm still up now of course rocking her and trying to coax her back in the basket but I've had a lovely stretch of sleep so can't complain!

 

[Baby Bell]

Thanks Fifipots, I'm not sure about letting him cry it out, he gets himself s o distressed when we comforting him, I'd hate to think how bad he would be left to himself. But we did try lying him on his side with his blanket tucked under his mattress at the sides only. This was what the mw suggestd when I spoke with her yesterday. So he was kinda in a half swaddle lol he slept for two (broken) hours like this, but for the rest of the night got himself into such a fuss when ever he was put near his Moses basket.............selfishly I want to sleep so badly.(LO asleep in my arms just now lol)

GenY I certainly wouldn't be shy about going to docs if I felt something was wrong with LO, sounds like you being av sensible worried mummy to me. They like to worry us whilst in our tummys.......now the are in the world I find that worry multiplies ten fold. Glad baba was ok and just being awkward

 

[Ichisan]

Hope your appointment goes well today 2016 will be thinking of you
Yay to the new mummies!
GenY my DD is another one that is magically cured by the doctors Dont worry about it being nothing they are quite used to seeing new mums and most of them are very lovely about it.
Baby Bell my midwife suggested putting a wheat bag or hot water bottle in the crib/moses basket first to warm it up as they are lovely and warm on you and the cold bed will make them wake up. Also if they seem very small in there use a rolled up cellular blanket to surround them and make it feel more cosy as they arent used to open spaces. My LO still hasnt gone down in her crib yet though she just looks so tiny I cant stand it She sleeps in her boubcy chair next to us at the min which is helping with her mucus as shes more upright and doesnt choke so much when shes asleep.
We met our health visitor yesterday and she was really friendly and happy to come check up on us more often as I suffered badly with PND last time and im worried about it happening again. Also Ruri now weighs 8lbs 6oz so thats 6oz weight gain in 6 days im really happy after our feeding problems
Quick question does anyone else feel like they are wrestling an octopus when feeding? Ruri likes to throw her arms around and kick out while shaking her head trying to latch I feel like I need some extra hands!

 

[2016]

Thanks Ischisan!

And I too have an octopus to wrestle. I find swaddling her in a muslin or thin blanket helps keep those flailing hands out the way.