The Northern Ireland Crew!!

[JosieM]

we plan on co-sleeping with lola

It's only natural for wee babies to want to be close to their mums. It's not for me personally though all of the time, just when they need it, though Odhrán hasn't done it since he was tiny.

 

[Speccy]

Maeve sounds like she is getting on great, Josie! I go to yoga with Matilda too and we never get doing the relaxation bit either - she is such a wriggler and just loves chatting to all the other babies! She generally wants fed halfway through the class so that's what we end up doing! Sounds like Maeve will be up and on the go before too long! Glad she is enjoying her food too.

We have a co-sleeping cot and it's great - the best thing we bought. I love having Matilda right beside me and being able to reach over and comfort her. It's especially handy if you're breastfeeding because it means you don't have to get out of bed for night feeds! It's lovely in the mornings when she wakes up and looks over and sees us and gives us big smiles. I couldn't fully co-sleep as I think I'd be a bit nervous about it, but I think it's lovely too.

You do what's right for you - it's not as if they'll still be sleeping in your bed when they're a teenager, so if you're happy to have them in with you then it's no-one else's business.

 

[EmyDra]

www.isisonline.org.uk

Site got launched this week about infant sleep, co-sleeping etc, based on some research from durham uni. We will definately be side-cribbing next time (hopefully stealing Speccy's!) I don't think true co-sleeping will be an option for us as OH smokes, I wasn't massively keen on it anyway. I'm sure baby will come in sometimes .
On the rare occasions we've tried to bring Silas in and he's actually settled to sleep, he has slept on Kevin's face! Was so funny! Then he woke up laughing and poking him and we both just cracked up (was like 4am).

My brother's girlfriend co-slept with her parents and was also long-term breastfed. They let her leave i her own time though and although she can't remember exactly when, her and her sister were both still sleeping in with their parents until they were nearly through primary school! Her Dad apparently laid along the bottom , poor guy.
It was good to chat to her about it when I last saw her, I admire her Mum!

I will be a lot more attached next time round, and take my time to rock and cuddle my baby. I just didn't do that much with Silas, was afraid I'd give him 'bad habits' and wanted him to 'self-settled'. I don't believe any of that now tbh, that was really my parents attitude to childcare, and my Dad's advise when I was pregnant saying just to 'never bring a baby into your bed' basically because of the whole 'bad habit' thing.
Kevin also says I'll have to fight him for the baby because he'll want to hold him/her all the time

 

[NuKe]

I think most people listen to their parents' advice first time round. I didn't, but that's just me, defiant and "I can do it myself". Hence why I did the entire wedding planning by myself. Total control freak. My mum was the opposite and just did whatever her mum told her to do, which she now regrets!

 

[Doodlebug.]

I'm turning into a bit of a control freak with my wedding too my poor OH, I complain when he doesnt take an intrest and I complain when he does coz hes not doing it MY way

 

[NuKe]

i can totally relate doodle!!! i said to my DH from very early on- all he had to do was make sure Poppy had a nap on the day before we met at the venue, make sure they were both dressed and there on time! That was it!

 

[Speccy]

Of course you can steal the cot; I'll be very glad for it to get plenty of use!

It can be very hard to resist other people's ideas - my family disapprove of everything I do - breastfeeding, the cot, the cloth nappies, sling etc. I think it would have been harder being a single mum too - sometimes I'd find it hard to stay strong on these things without Connor's support. Silas is a very lovely, content and confident little boy, and has a lovely bond with you, so not doing things in a more attached way earlier on has clearly not done any harm. It will be so nice for you next time round to have that support.

I'm looking to get a new sling - has anyone tried a Connecta? Liking the look of it at the moment.

 

[Doodlebug.]

ok, bit random but, I just got my period!! after 65 days it has finally came so I dont need the tablets the doc gave me and I can get my blood tests done next week instead of next month

 

[NuKe]

Of course you can steal the cot; I'll be very glad for it to get plenty of use!

It can be very hard to resist other people's ideas - my family disapprove of everything I do - breastfeeding, the cot, the cloth nappies, sling etc. I think it would have been harder being a single mum too - sometimes I'd find it hard to stay strong on these things without Connor's support. Silas is a very lovely, content and confident little boy, and has a lovely bond with you, so not doing things in a more attached way earlier on has clearly not done any harm. It will be so nice for you next time round to have that support.

I'm looking to get a new sling - has anyone tried a Connecta? Liking the look of it at the moment.

connectas. are. AWESOME. it was my fave sling everrrrrr, we only sold it to buy a R&R, which is a bit pricier, but tbh no better, just nicer prints (IMHO). I was still wearing Pops in the connecta until the other week!

 

[holywoodmum]

ok, bit random but, I just got my period!! after 65 days it has finally came so I dont need the tablets the doc gave me and I can get my blood tests done next week instead of next month

Yay!

 

[NuKe]

ok, bit random but, I just got my period!! after 65 days it has finally came so I dont need the tablets the doc gave me and I can get my blood tests done next week instead of next month

that's awesome!!!

 

[Speccy]

That's great news Doodle! Here's hoping everything goes well next week for you

That's great to hear, NuKe, thank you! Just need to pick a fabric now!

 

[NuKe]

we had carnival, which I loved, but I think the nicest is birds of Norway. I cannot rate them highly enough! check out the FSOT section on natural mamas, there's usually a few on there going cheap if u dont mind preloved!

 

[Doodlebug.]

thank u ladies

 

[Speccy]

Birds of Norway is my current favourite!

 

[NuKe]

i think it's lush!! debbie (tiggertea) has preordered the red one with wee piratey skulls i think on it? its nice too!

 

[JosieM]

Great news Doodlebug!

Thanks Speccy! Maeve is getting on great, she's getting big so fast... where did these last 6 1/2 months go? The baby yoga is great craic, it's hilarious watching all the babies interact. There was one boy amongst 6 girls and he was making a move on a few of them! Can't believe I was doing all this just last year with Odhrán and now he's all chat and like a wee boy!

That looks like an interesting site Emma. The co-sleeper sounds like a great idea. We are just sort of muddling through in this baby business, we listen to our parents' advice but go with what feels right and works best for us. Both our babies needed rocked/held/fed to sleep, even Odhrán needs rocked sometimes still (and he is a solid wee boy, hence we both have great upper arm strength!). We swore when I was pregnant with Maeve that we wouldn't rock her to sleep but she obviously needs to be close to us and you do whatever baby needs to feel secure. She loves being in the mei-tai. I'm sick of people (other parents) telling me that I have to let her cry to get her to sleep, sorry but I can't deny my baby the love and attention she needs, though I appreciate this method works for others. Besides they are only wee babies for a short while, and this is the last time I'll get to do this!

Happy sling shopping Speccy! I can see how slings can become a bit of an addiction.

 

[NuKe]

I'd never leave a baby under 1 to cry Josie! I just couldn't. I think you need to judge the situation with an older baby though. There was a point when we HAD to leave Poppy to cry when she was about 14 months, it got to the point were one of us had to sit in the room with her for 2 hours + for her to fall asleep and if we moved she'd cry. First night she cried for 20 mins then went to sleep, second night was 10 mins and third night she was fine. Like I say though, she was older and there was feck all wrong with her!

 

[JosieM]

Yeah Nuke there's times when Odhrán will play up to us, especially me! Usually it's a put-on cry and he's absolutely fine, just doesn't want to be left, after a few minutes he goes over. Though with two babies in rooms next to each other you don't want one waking the other up!

 

[NuKe]

that's one thing I'm really worried about!!! Poppy's a pretty deep sleeper though so I'm hoping it'll be ok!