November Sparklers 2012

[Cridge]

congrats babyfeva!! Can't wait to hear the birth story!

 

[daddiesgift]

Hope all you ladies are well!

 

[Cridge]

How are nights going for everyone? My little guy was putting in 3.5 - 4 hour stretches, but the last couple of nights he's been back to 3 hours or less.

Someone needs to explain to my husband that just because I might get 5 hours of sleep a night (6 if I'm really lucky... although 4 is probably more like it), that doesn't mean I'm getting restful sleep!! He gets all upset when I even look tired. Yesterday I just wanted to kick him.

 

[morri]

The miss here wakes about every 2 hours for a feed at night (which is about 3 times in 6 h so it is not too often , my oh is super supportive though .

 

[Cridge]

Morri - how is she doing during the day? I've been super lucky in that my little guy has been pretty consistent with 3 or more hours a night (once we got his night time cluster feeding situated out). When he goes less than 3 hours, it about kills me!

 

[sharonfruit]

Hi girls. We are doing well over here. My little girl is now 5 weeks old and has gained over 3lbs. We were feeding every 3 hours at least during the night but have started with a more structured bedtime routine this week including a dream feed and it seems to be having a positive effect - last night she was only up once through the night (touch wood) !!! X

 

[morri]

She is similar during the day as well . Unlessshe is on a growth spurt when she seems to be on the boob every half an hour

 

[lilbeanhoping]

Well ladies today after weeks I finally feel well rested! Lil man has had two nights in a row of sleeping long stretches and not being super awake at a horrible 2am. Last night he slept 10pm-4am, bottle, slept again until 9am!
I don't know if it's just the age he's at or if it's the fact he's getting a bottle of half formula/half ebm at his last feed before bedtime(9pmish) but w.e it is I'm happy!
We've had to succumb to the formula but been getting away with just the 2oz around 9 and another 2oz during the night, both mixed with ebm. I've been able to express a little more so that's good and so far no more infections/blocked ducts/thrush so that makes me happy too!
Lil man is growing like crazy! Finally grown out of all his premie clothes and even some newborn sizes
How are everyone else's lo's growing?!

 

[morri]

after issues in hospotal(losing more than 10% of weight) she is gaining weight very nicely. 2 weeks ou of hospital and hse has gained 1 kg already .

 

[gaiagirl]

Our little man consistently goes 4-5 hours the first night stretch and then 2-3 after that. He does usually wake up fussy with gas in the mornings, especially in the cosleeper but not so much if in bed with me? So I have been bringing him into bed with the first feed, nurse laying down and then keeping him in bed to sleep until morning...

We find out how much he has gained since end of Nov tomorrow! Can't wait! He is visibly bigger and definitely heavier!

He went 6-11 to 6-2 to 6-4 to 6-14 then to 7-9 within about 18 days, so I am guessing he is almost 9 lbs! We will see tomorrow!

 

[Cridge]

Oh girls - what's your trick to getting your LO to sleep such long stretches?! Mine actually had a 4.5 hour stretch last night, but he actually woke up after 3.5 and I just rocked his bassinet until he went back to sleep. His clothes were wet when he got up after 4.5 hours, so I wonder if he would have slept longer had his diaper not malfunctioned. I'm so hoping he continues on with this, but he was going 4 hours before, and then reverted back to 3 lately.

Lilbean - I'm super jealous of your stretch! Was this sudden or has been slowly been stretching it out?

 

[lilbeanhoping]

Oh Morri that's awesome!

Cridge-oh very sudden! haha I wish it gradually increased but no. My lo up until a couple days ago slept allllllll day and all night other than waking up day/night every 3 hrs to be fed. (sounds like a lot of sleep for us too but you know how it is once theyre up, fed, burped, bum changed, settled, not a lot of time until youre up doing it all again) and he was waking up at 2am for an hour or two, that sucked!
(my doctor said the sleeping all the time was a typical premie thing for first month at least and then typical newborn thing once caught up to gestational age due date. He's now caught up to his due date so perhaps that's why things are evening out I don't know)
As of about 2 days ago he started being awake more during the day! For couple hour stretches at a time.
this sleeping longer at night just started 2nights ago. I'm hoping it keeps up! My oh works graveyard shifts so I'm on my own all night and more sleep is so much nicer especially when I have to be up at 6 to get my foster daughter up and off to school.

 

[Cridge]

lilbean - I hope the long stretches keep up! I don't envy you having to be up at 6 to get your foster daughter off to school! I have to be up by 7:30 to get my son off and that's killer enough. I debate during those early morning feeds if I should just stay up or try to get another 30-60 minutes of sleep. I always opt for more sleep. Some days I'm lucky enough to let dh take care of my son completely and I don't even see him before school.

Luckily, it seems like my LO is getting into some sort of timing routine and it seems like he's always wanting to feed at 7:45am, which is great. I can get up and feed him a bottle while helping my oldest get ready for school. Then bottle is done by the time it's time to head out the door. The only problem I'm having with that is when to pump. Ninja (or W2, as I call LO on here) isn't content to hang out for 10 minutes, which is long enough for me to pump, so I have to wait until he's asleep again... which means he's wanting to feed again... I should just get up earlier in the day, but dang, I need more sleep!

 

[lilbeanhoping]

Cridge- I hear ya opting for more sleep! I do that most mornings haha 20min nap? I think so!
Can you prop lo in front of you while you pump? That's what I usually do, I feed him so he's not hungry then sit on my bed with a pillow in front of me I can prop him on then I talk to him and tickle him w.e to amuse him if he's still awake while i pump. Also close enough I can pick him up in front of me to rock a bit if he's fussy(awkward but I make it work haha)

 

[gaiagirl]

Ladies, what would you do:
My best friend came down with the flu last Tuesday (Dec 4). She was supposed to come over yesterday (Dec 10) but I cancelled because I thought it was too close to when she got sick...now she wants us to come to her house this weekend (Dec 15) for dinner. It will have been 11 days after her first symptoms, and everything I have read says you are only contagious 5-7 days after symptoms...

If it were a cold I would think nothing after 11 days, but the flu terrifies me...

Thoughts?

 

[daddiesgift]

I don't like talking about sleep patterns as I'm afraid of jinksing ourselves I guess since my oldest was an AWEFUL sleeper ill take Anthony's sleep no problem! He usually wakes every three hours at night, its never fully awake tho I've learned if you let them get all worked up you'll be up MUCH longer. Since we co sleep when I feel him start to stir I get the bottle and feed him before he's even fully awake, asking hubs to hold bottle while I change him so no crying there and we are fed, burped and changed and back asleep within 20 mins. He's starting to be more alert during the day but will nap about two hours at a time. He's asleep now but my oldest keeps trying to put a teething necklace on him so I'm sure he'll be up before we know it lol (by putting necklace on him I mean laying it across his face )

My poor boy though I breast fed exclusively 9 days those 9 days he was very gassy, weird poo look and smell and colicky. Then I got mastitis blah blah and stopped bfing. They told me before I stopped to stop eating dairy.. I didn't want to believe I had another baby with dairy/soy (protein) allergy. So we did sensitive formula for gas.. He didn't get better than the puking started, and the anus rash all for sure signs he's allergic. So we went to a protein allergy formula same my oldest drank that completely changed him.. But nope still no better so doctor has put him on neocate a allergen formula formulated for babies with gi problems. I hope and pray it works, its pretty much our last option. It's not sold on the shelves and $50 A CAN!!! Trying to get insurance to cover it now since he's tested positive for protein allergy. I tried going back to breast milk just till we did tests ect since I figured it was the same symptoms as formula minus barfing.. Nope now makes him vomit too. But I also thought I was done and was still eating dairy myself.

My poor boys have it so hard in the beginning. I really don't know why this happens. My son is 15 months and still can't have dairy or soy.

So that's been eventful. He's growing well tho, maybe a little too well, three weeks old today and TEN pounds!! His nb clothes are too snug and he's now moving out of the cloth nb diapers for him. I guess he's just the chubby brother

 

[daddiesgift]

And Gaia- I'm sure ło will be fine BUT I may put it off a few more days. Or jokingly say she needs to sterilize her house with Lysol or bleach or something. The flu is scary especially for newborns.

 

[Cridge]

Lilbean - I tried putting him in his car seat in front of me while I pumped once, but it didn't last long. It's all good - I have plenty of milk, so if I need to skip a feeding it's not a problem. I just like to get that morning milk - I tend to have more in the mornings.

Gaia - I wouldn't go near them until at LEAST 7 days after their fever broke. My whole family had the flu while I was pregnant and it sucked. It took a full 2 weeks to even start feeling half-way normal. I can't imagine what that would do to a newborn. And it could potentially be very dangerous, so don't mess around with it. If you need to tell your friend that you need to skip out on visits and dinner, then do it. Trust your instincts!

Daddiesgift - sorry your boys have such a hard time! I can't imagine dealing with allergies. I can't believe you're fed/changed/back to bed in 20 minutes!! I was just priding myself last night that I was back in bed in 40 minutes! I've tried nursing in bed and co-sleeping and I just can't do either, so I guess that's the price I have to pay.

I'm on day 2 of a successful morning nap schedule!! My first didn't sleep during the day as a baby (20 minute naps a couple times a day is all), and he was a bear to train to take naps by 6 months. So when Ninja started showing signs of a regular sleep pattern in the morning, I took off with it! Granted, it's only day 2, but I'm hoping to keep it up! I've gotten 3 hours of "me" time yesterday and today! Nights are definitely forming a pattern as well.... if only I could get him to sleep longer at a time!

 

[gaiagirl]

Thanks Ladies, I do think 11 days is long enough and I'm being crazy and obsessive but I am not going to go! I feel badly because I know how much she wants to see him! I'm trying to reschedule for the weekend after which is DEFINITELY long enough

Had an appt today and little man is up to 8-14! Growing so fast I can't believe it!

 

[Fish&Chips]

Finally subscribing to this thread. Thanks Cridge for the link x