OHbaby! Forums : April 2013 Babies

April 2013 Babies : Hi allWe are all well here. Ashley...

Mon, 08 Jul 2013 14:59:38 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 08�July�2013 at 2:59pm

Hi all

We are all well here. Ashley had her 3 month jabs today and she is playing happily now...not so much a couple of ours ago! She screamed the place down.
She is now 5.7kg and 62.5cm so getting tall. She hasn't put on a huge amount of weight so they are watching that.

Sleeping is still going well, waking once a night. Instead of 3-4-5am, it's now 2am ish but its five hours either side so that's ok.

Mrs JCD, how is your wee one going after the consultant?

I'm not wrapping her often during the day now, doesn't seem to bother her either way.

April 2013 Babies : Hi allSorry I've been missing...

Sat, 06 Jul 2013 06:24:37 +0000

Author: gracia
Subject: 42315
Posted: 06�July�2013 at 6:24am

Hi all

Sorry I've been missing in action - it has been a bit full on here. Little Miss has silent reflux and has had alot of sleeping issues as well as feeding issues. We have now on the 3rd try seem to have her medication right and she is now sleeping better so much better at night (we have our 1st night with only one wakeup last night) and during the day is so much better than it was.

I'm off to catch up on all posts I've missed and I'll try and post more often :)

April 2013 Babies : Wow Emma - that is awesome!!!...

Fri, 05 Jul 2013 17:55:56 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 05�July�2013 at 5:55pm

Wow Emma - that is awesome!!! Long may those nights continue!!!

Yes our little bubbas are not really even newborns anymore are they - is kinda sad for me as he is our last.... :(

I have been playing around with swaddling Josh with one arm out, just for day sleeps. Sometimes he sleeps the same but other times he doesn't seem to sleep as well so I'm just doing it ever so gradually.

Not much else is news with us except that I have been trying to get out a bit more which has been great for my sanity and great for DS1. It's still quite hard work but worth it. Josh tends to only do 45min sleeps when we're out and about but it's better than nothing. Today we rode the buses and trains (one of DS1's favourite things to do!!!) so that was cool.

Oh and also, I mayyyyy be doing some work from home in August as the person who replaced me is on annual leave for 6 weeks. It would be great to use my brain and earn some money but it will be tough with the 2 monkeys.

Have a fab weekend ladies!!! =)

April 2013 Babies : Hi allWELL the last two nights...

Thu, 04 Jul 2013 07:49:25 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 04�July�2013 at 7:49am

Hi all

WELL the last two nights I have had 7 hours sleep straight from my baby girl. She is sleeping through to 5am from her 10pm feed! And then up again at 7am ish.

I'm so proud of her lol...silly I know

11 weeks today ... Man she's growing fast. She's currently on her play mat hitting the toys laughing away. So cute and happy

Edited by emma_3335 - 04�July�2013 at 7:50am

April 2013 Babies : Hey guys. Just new on here!!...

Tue, 02 Jul 2013 15:34:06 +0000

Author: Katie121917
Subject: 42315
Posted: 02�July�2013 at 3:34pm

Hey guys. Just new on here!! I see a few bubs have been conceived through IVF on here. My bubba who was born 17th April was conceived through IUI (4th try, 1st try MC). We have a gorgeous wee girl who we are treasuring!! Just wanting to link up to a coffee group. I live in south auckland in wattle downs. Is there anyone here with a bub around same age (12 weeks) as mine who is wanting to join or has a coffee group already.

Hope you are all having a good week and enjoying those wee bundles!!!

April 2013 Babies : Hi millieden...sorry not near...

Tue, 02 Jul 2013 11:27:59 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 02�July�2013 at 11:27am

Hi millieden...sorry not near Kerikeri.

You are very lucky Speck :) glad things are going so well for you. Yay for toilet training!

. I'm lucky I have a pretty happy bubba most if the time too. And she's only getting better! Sleeping is going well, days are going well and we are happy so all good :)

April 2013 Babies : Fantastic work Emma - sounds like...

Mon, 01 Jul 2013 17:32:39 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 01�July�2013 at 5:32pm

Fantastic work Emma - sounds like Ashley is doing AMAZING! Yay! Bet that nice stretch of sleep after 10pm was well welcomed too!

Millieeden - nope not anywhere near Kerikeri I'm afraid. Sorry.

Josh has been such an angel lately, I feel soooo soooo blessed!!! I know I should stop going on about it but he really is the complete opposite of DS1. I actually think DS1 was more hard work in those first few months than the 2 of them are now! Josh is just so much more easy going, he's happy when he's awake, he sleeps well and he seems to be able to slot into our lives a bit more which is great.

Took to the shops today with both boys and planned it around Josh's sleep time which was great. DS1 seems to have grown up too as he was happy to walk holding my hand or else he stayed close to me and Josh in the buggy which was great. We went shopping for a new toy for him as a reward as he's been using the potty for a whole week now - argghhh mega excited!!!

April 2013 Babies : Hi there, I was just wondering...

Sun, 30 Jun 2013 18:59:49 +0000

Author: millieeden
Subject: 42315
Posted: 30�June�2013 at 6:59pm

Hi there, I was just wondering if there are any mums in Kerikeri or surrounding areas? I am 23 and have a 12 week old baby, and i don't know many mums in the area.. Please let me know! :)

April 2013 Babies : Well I've finished up with...

Sun, 30 Jun 2013 08:31:33 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 30�June�2013 at 8:31am

Well I've finished up with the Sleep Consultant.

Yesterday was great, Ashley had a 3 hour nap at midday...as she's meant to. A cat nap late arvo, Then bed at 6.30pm no assistance, woke her at 10pm for awake feed and she slept til 3am, the til 6.30am. Perfect.

This is from Emma ... "you have her self settling, napping well, sleeping well at night, settled in the evening! I think she is doing really well". Yay :)

She has been in her own room a couple of days now, and it's going great.

April 2013 Babies : Sleep diaries are awesome JCD!...

Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:38:21 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 28�June�2013 at 4:38pm

Sleep diaries are awesome JCD! I kept one with DS1 and have referred back to it a couple of times this time round.

So stoked they are putting an air con unit in for you - seems weird to think that it's so hot where you guys are and we're all wrapping up warm here for Winter. Maybe getting Lara's room temp just right will make her sleep even better??

Emma - sounds like the combination of medium and small sleeps is working well for Ashley so that's fantastic. Hope the lighter room goes well, I guess you could always get those black out curtains or thicker ones if it became a problem hey.

Trip to the park went pretty well. I'm in a bit of a predicament cos I'd rather get out of the house when Josh is asleep as that would give me and DS1 a good couple of hours to have a play but Josh tends to go down around 8 or 8:30am in the morning (which is too early and too cold for us) and then he doesn't go down again till around midday which is close to DS1's sleep which is at about 1pm so that leaves me no option but to go out in between sleeps whilst he's awake. Anyways, Josh cried the whole car ride to this different park we went to (5 mins away) but then loved having a kick on his blanket in the sun so that was awesome.

Emma - so cute that Ashley is a lil boxer! I was inspired by you so tried putting a toy in Josh's hand today but he hasn't quite got the hang of holding toys yet, will try again soon.

Josh is still sleeping really well at night but I cannot wait until he's doing a full 12 hours!!! I'm starting to resent getting up during the night but I think I just need to go to bed earlier to be honest.

April 2013 Babies : Cool - glad you are enjoying it.I...

Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:04:33 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 28�June�2013 at 4:04pm

Cool - glad you are enjoying it.I cant seem to get a long nap during the day anymore. Instead of three naps or so, i have two smallish ones morning, two medium ones midday and two catnaps afternoon.

Today is my last day with Emma so i must remember to think of all the questions i can for her ;)

I put Ashley in her own room today as we had tradespeople here and our room is nearest to the lounge/kitchen. She went straight to sleep so I'm going to leave her in there from now on and get our room back! See how it goes. I am almost considering putting her in her cot anyway as she can hit the sides of the bassinet if not wrapped.

The only problem is it isn't very dark in her room, her curtains are lighter than ours so day sleeps might not be as easy...and there are far more interesting things to see in her room (she thinks its the playroom i'm sure...)

April 2013 Babies : Awesome lunchtime nap yesterday...

Fri, 28 Jun 2013 07:09:38 +0000

Author: Mrs JCD
Subject: 42315
Posted: 28�June�2013 at 7:09am

Awesome lunchtime nap yesterday - woo hoo! Not so happy at 4am though when got completely inconsolable and I almost couldn't latch her.

Emma - I'm also loving doing my sleep diary, I'm such a geek!

DH's work have bought an air con unit for her room (they arranged our rental apartment here) as it's getting ridiculously hot in there - 25 degrees most afternoons and 24 degrees overnight, so hopefully that will help.

Her sleep is becoming my obsession, can you tell?!

Totally agree, online grocery delivery is awesome. How did our mothers cope without that kind of stuff?

Speck - how did the park go? Hope that Josh enjoyed getting outdoors. I'm so impressed, I can barely manage one little baby at the park! Lara loves looking at the leaves blowing in the wind and also running water from fountains.

April 2013 Babies : I held it out to her and she sort...

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 15:12:30 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 27�June�2013 at 3:12pm

I held it out to her and she sort of grabbed it, took it with my assistance so not on her own! she has def found her hands though. so cute :)

She is under the play gym/mat now hitting the hanging rattle like a boxing pro haha

im getting a wee photo shoot next week which should be fun! hopefully she is good and the cradle cap which has appeared this week disappears.

April 2013 Babies : Wow holding a rattle Emma - awesome!...

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 13:25:38 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 27�June�2013 at 1:25pm

Wow holding a rattle Emma - awesome! Did you put it in her hand or did she reach for it when in front of her? So cute that she is cooing during story time too!! So nice when they start interacting more ay.

It's so hard sorting sleeps out around all our activities isn't it. Although to be honest, we don't go out very much at all as it's still quite hard with the 2 of them. I get our groceries delivered. But to be honest I do go a bit stir crazy sometimes being at home a lot. Today I'm going to try going to the park during Josh's awake time and perhaps give him a little kick on a rug while DS1 plays on the slide etc - might be a disaster but will give it a whirl.

So awesome that your DH is so helpful JCD, I'm sure that counts for a lot!

April 2013 Babies : That's great Mrs JCD! Yay...

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 12:49:25 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 27�June�2013 at 12:49pm

That's great Mrs JCD! Yay for a happy household. You are lucky you have some great support. Probably need it that little bit more being over in the States!!

I have realised the Love To swaddle probably causes some of my problems too...she can knock her dummy out when in this, so it takes a bit longer to get to sleep as she cries when the dummy is out...so may stop using that one, not sure. Maybe just not at night? Although i will be trying to wean the dummy some time in the future....
I've spent the day at home today, done some baking and tidying up. Nice not to have to go out. Even getting my groceries delivered :)

April 2013 Babies : Forgot to say - love reading your...

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 09:25:30 +0000

Author: Mrs JCD
Subject: 42315
Posted: 27�June�2013 at 9:25am

Forgot to say - love reading your updates, I can't believe how much our babies and growing and thriving! Very cool to hear what is coming up for us as we are a couple of weeks/days behind you guys - amazing what changes in just a short space of time as they grow!

April 2013 Babies : Hello from a much happier household!...

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 09:23:03 +0000

Author: Mrs JCD
Subject: 42315
Posted: 27�June�2013 at 9:23am

Hello from a much happier household! Seems to be that our beloved Love to Dream swaddle was creating a bit of an issue - having her hands available meant Lara was doing a big startle and waking herself up. Back to the standard swaddle with a blanket for us, which we've never done before.

It is early days, but we are loving our Sleep Consultant - info is SO interesting. Day 3 of not having left the house, but determined to crack this thing as today is Day 1 of our new routine. I'm so amazed by how awesome my DH is - he is an absolute godsend, especially in times when I have been in despair.

Feeding time now, but hope you are all having a fantastic day and hope to give you an update soon!

April 2013 Babies : Hi everyone. Nice to read the...

Wed, 26 Jun 2013 19:52:44 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 26�June�2013 at 7:52pm

Hi everyone. Nice to read the updates :)

Bobsta - nice to hear from you. Yay for sleeping through the night. Wow, I dream of that day. Although Ashley is getting better, she has only been waking once at around 3am on our "routine".

Its amazing how busy we are now! I often find time to post on here when I'm on the ipad as I can take that anywhere and into our room if Ashley needs to be sat with or I one arm type while feeding etc. Not very often these days but have done in the past! Shes far too quick at feeding now.

We are still having some cat naps but we have been going out often so its hard to get her properly settled if we need to go out. Every morning I get her up regardless at 7-7.30am to start the day. This has helped and was a tip of the Sleep Consultants. She will often have two small naps before lunch then a longer one then a couple of small naps before bath etc. Bed at 6.30pm. Working on the nap duration now. We really need a few days at home...but thats hard to co-ordinate. I am going to Plunket coffee group PEPE once a week, have my Anti Natel coffee group once a week, plus other appointments, supermarket, still organising some renovations etc etc. I try to only have one thing per day or one visitor or one visit out per day but doesn't always work that way.

Speck - Thank you - we were visiting my grandparents today (whom we haven't seen for awhile) and they held Ashley and she was all smiles at them, so I suppose its just her mood at the time. She is getting better with people so im sure we will get past it.

Mrs JCD - hope things improve. Let us know how you get on with Emma.

Re swaddling - I'm alternating the miracle blanket and the love to swaddle. She doesn't mind either, but I will cut back on the MB soon. I had stopped using it but pulled it back out after the Baby Consultant suggested it.

Ashley has been really active this week. More than usual. She is holding a rattle, smiling in the mirror at herself, babbling away when she wakes or when on the floor, we have conversations in her speak which she loves and when i read to her, she reads along with her cooing...so cute!! Plus we sneakily tried the Jolly Jumper a wee bit eary on Sunday. A tad early but her head is SO strong we gave it a 5 min go, and she loved it :)

April 2013 Babies : Hi all,So nice to hear from everyone!...

Wed, 26 Jun 2013 18:38:54 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 26�June�2013 at 6:38pm

Hi all,

So nice to hear from everyone! Glad The Baby Sleep Consultant has been helpful Emma - yay yay! I was worrying about sleep while I was still pregnant and a friend recommended her to me so I've been following her on FB. So many sleep experts are so set in their ways either leaving babies to cry or not leaving them at all so I really like how The Baby Sleep Consultant takes your parenting style into account. Sounds like Ashley is doing great - keep us posted.

JCD - sounds like it's been a frustrating time with Lara's sleeping, how has she been today? Hope your sleep consultant comes through soon! We have had on and off problems with cat napping. I keep trying different things: keeping him up for longer, giving him longer to grizzle in between sleep cycles, going for walks in the buggy etc etc. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't!

Bobsta - so nice to hear that you are Lili are doing so well!!! So neat that your antenatal group is so close - bet they are a fantastic support network! ANd sleeping through the night is amaze-balls!!! Well done Lili!!

As for Joshy, he is still doing really well. I wrote a few days ago about a routine we'd settled into but of course that got thrown out the window as he has started waking up at different times during the morning, anywhere between 5:30am and 7:30am. He goes to bed at 6pm so I don't mind too much if he wakes at 5ish as that's 11hrs straight, plus DS1 is an early riser too. But then other days he wakes later so it all just depends. It's hard to make plans to meet someone at a fixed time as I absolutely HATE having to wake him. But really I can't complain. As I mentioned earlier, sometimes he catnaps and other times (like today) he has two really decent sized sleeps which is amazing.

Emma - you asked about our babies being held by other people and going out and about etc. Josh is fine being held by other people but DS1 wasn't. I think some babies are just a bit sensitive to people other than mummy and daddy. They get better though. Josh is really not a fan of the car, unless he's due for a sleep. He also hasn't overly taken to the frontpack which is a tad annoying but I'm convinced once his neck is stronger and I can put him facing outwards he will like it more!

I think I am going to try swaddling Josh with one arm out next Wed when he turns 12 weeks. Bobsta I tried one of those Swaddle Me Up wraps but I think Josh finds it annoying trying to suck on his hands through the fabric...

April 2013 Babies : Hi LadiesSorry I know I haven't...

Wed, 26 Jun 2013 12:23:39 +0000

Author: Bobsta
Subject: 42315
Posted: 26�June�2013 at 12:23pm

Hi Ladies

Sorry I know I haven't been on in a long time. I must admit I went through a stage where I just couldn't be bothered with the computer anymore! All those emails about sales on baby things, plunket emails, parent centre emails blah blah blah! lol Sorry to leave you wondering what happened, bad me!

Great to see everyone seems well. I'm glad the sleeping problems have settled a bit for you guys too Nice to see see you have settled well in the states JCD. Bet that was a tad stressful moving over there with a baby. You're more courageous than me!

We are doing great and I'm loving bundling up and going for our buggy walks in this chilly weather lol. We've been lucky and apart from a few days of heavy, we missed alot of the stormy weather. All we got was heavy rain for a bit and then we've had lots of lovely clear sunny days. I'm loving looking up at the snowy mountains and we even had snow on the top of the hills in town in the weekend which is pretty rare here. I hope you survived it all ok Emma!

She's still feeding really well. I'm so glad the breastfeeding troubles have gone and I just love breastfeeding her! She is just a brilliant wee sleeper and has started sleeping through the night. Yay! She is so happy and content and loves her play time now, a real change from back when she seemed grumpy being awake! I will enjoy this stage while it lasts as we are coming up to 3 months next Thursday and I know that 3 month growth spurt can be a real challenge so it's all likely to change in a flash!

My antenatal group are super close and we catchup every week and have a facebook group for chatting during the week if we need it which is awesome.

I can't remember who it was but someone mentioned the miracle blanket...I've stopped using mine now and have started using the swaddle me up instead now that she has found her hands. She can suck her hands for self soothing while still being tightly swaddled and it's just brilliant. I highly recommend this!

Right I better get my A into G and use the quiet time to make a bacon and egg pie for tea, nom nom!

Take care lovely ladies and precious wee bubbas

April 2013 Babies : Argh, Lara woke this morning at...

Wed, 26 Jun 2013 05:35:15 +0000

Author: Mrs JCD
Subject: 42315
Posted: 26�June�2013 at 5:35am

Argh, Lara woke this morning at 3am and then fed until 4am before refusing to go back to sleep again, which is very unlike her. She eventually fell asleep on DH (this has never happened before) and when I woke her for her feed she was in a super deep sleep. I definitely think the lack of daytime sleeping is now affecting her nighttime sleeping.

We should get our sleep assessment from the Baby Sleep Consultant later today, and honestly, it can't come soon enough!

Emma - hope Ashley is adjusting nicely to your new routine. Definitely let me know if her daytime sleeps are improving.

Speck - how's Josh doing? Hope he is being an angel and giving you lots of good naps.

Any word from Bobsta? I don't think I've seen anything for a while?

April 2013 Babies : And Speck needs the commission,...

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 16:02:31 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 25�June�2013 at 4:02pm

And Speck needs the commission, not me!
Also as Speck mentioned, add her on Facebook and she often puts wee tips on there or offers quick answers.

I'm still struggling with longer naps at times but no point stressing over it all the time. They will get there in the end :) hopefully by the end of my week with Emma we will have it down pat!

April 2013 Babies : Cool - she is really good and...

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 15:57:39 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 25�June�2013 at 3:57pm

Cool - she is really good and will go on whatever you are comfortable with. E.g. I'm not a CIO kind of person and she respects that so we work it other ways. Or if you use a dummy or co-sleep she will adjust accordingly.
I'm someone who probably needs someone helping me along with a structure...my job is very corporate and structured so I'm finding it great! She is down to earth and realises all babies are different and we are all only human!

Good luck :)

April 2013 Babies : After another unsettled few naps,...

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 11:47:23 +0000

Author: Mrs JCD
Subject: 42315
Posted: 25�June�2013 at 11:47am

After another unsettled few naps, we have also signed up for the Baby Sleep Consultant assessment. Emma - she should put you on commission!

I paid the extra for the urgent service, so here's hoping we hear from her soon!

April 2013 Babies : Oh that's awesome, thanks...

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 09:39:52 +0000

Author: Mrs JCD
Subject: 42315
Posted: 25�June�2013 at 9:39am

Oh that's awesome, thanks Emma!

I think I will contact her as our day time naps are about an hour max per time, and I know she needs more than this. Would love to use a dummy, but she can't hold one in which is a shame!

April 2013 Babies : Hi Mrs JCD. Nice to hear from...

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 09:28:44 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 25�June�2013 at 9:28am

Hi Mrs JCD. Nice to hear from you.
The Baby Consultant (Emma) has basically given me a flexible routine to follow re time frames up and when Ashley should be sleeping. I am following that as much as i can, but she doesn't always sleep as long as she should be during the day. I usually try and resettle her if she wakes and if she doesn't go back to sleep, then i just get her up and wait until the next nap. She is pretty good though.
Emma said basically you should get them up at 7am. Start the day with a dramatic wake up, lights on etc. Ashley is up for around 90 mins at a time, then down for a morning nap. Hopefully over an hour long. Then up again. The longest nap should be around lunch time as this helps the night time sleep. Up again around 2pm hopefully and then a couple of cat naps are fine after 3.30 ish. She advised most babies can only biologically cat nap around this time so thats normal before bed for the night. She also said if they sleep on you occasionally (especially cat naps) thats fine too. Or go for a walk to get them to sleep in places other than bed. Then bed for the night after bath etc around 6.30pm. I do a night feed around 10pm also which helps.
I don't want to go into too much as im sure Emma doesn't want all of her advice given for free but basically she is a support over the week and i keep a log and she comments on it, with tips and advice as well as answers any questions i have via email. Its all very personalised with an initial assessment (12 pages!)
Ashley has been settling MUCH better with this routine and although she is still waking 2-3 times a night (between 6.30pm and 7am) thats completely normal. She is pretty much self settling all the time now and if not, i just pat her bum in my arms and calm her and put her to bed and shes fine. We are using a dummy though so not sure if you're against that!!
She did advise i should keep Ashley up for at least 1hr 15-20mins even if showing tired signs a bit earlier.

Edited by emma_3335 - 25�June�2013 at 9:30am

April 2013 Babies : .Edited by emma_3335 - 25 June 2013...

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 09:25:39 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 25�June�2013 at 9:25am

.

Edited by emma_3335 - 25�June�2013 at 9:31am

April 2013 Babies : Hello all!Just a quick one as...

Mon, 24 Jun 2013 11:31:30 +0000

Author: Mrs JCD
Subject: 42315
Posted: 24�June�2013 at 11:31am

Hello all!

Just a quick one as have to get started with dinner prep - I find if I chop everything up in advance, it makes things so much easier when it comes to the 'witching hour'.

It's still pretty hot over here, and I'm actually wishing for some of your cold weather. Was 26 degrees in Lara's room yesterday - ridiculous, the poor thing!

Emma - would definitely love to learn more about the advice you've been given. Lara is normally really good at night-time, but turning into a classic cat-napper. It's driving me nuts! Does Ashley do this to, and do you have any tips that you've found work?

April 2013 Babies : Hi SpeckHaven't thought about...

Sat, 22 Jun 2013 09:09:27 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 22�June�2013 at 9:09am

Hi Speck

Haven't thought about solids yet..Ashley isn't yet 3 months so nowhere near ready. i will have to look into it one day soon i suppose. I know Plunket etc advise waiting until around 6 months but a lot of little ones are ready well before this. Something to look forward to...more mess haha.

With the wraps, the Sleep Store say... http://www.thesleepstore.co.nz/content/sleepadvice/popularquestions/howlongshouldIwrapfor
Once they start trying to roll is a good time to stop i think. Can try one arm out to begin?

So i have received the sleep assessment from the Baby Sleep Consultant you recommended. Ashley did 6.5 hours straight last night. May have been a fluke but im giving it a good go. Its almost like a project as i report back to Emma with my day. Its great so far! The report had heaps of advice and when i send back the activity log im keeping, she assists then too. So thank you Speck for this.

How do you guys cope with visitors and outings? Ashley seems to get so upset when people come over and hold her, or we go to peoples houses. Not that we do often but she seems to struggle with people around. She is great at the shops etc, its just when we are around people all wanting to hold her or give her attention. Too much for the wee dot. Which is hard when everyone wants cuddles...

April 2013 Babies : Hi all,Emma - snow ay, hope you...

Fri, 21 Jun 2013 19:02:45 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 21�June�2013 at 7:02pm

Hi all,

Emma - snow ay, hope you guys are rugged up nice and snuggly. Sounds like NZ is getting hammered by bad weather at the mo. Hope you're all keeping safe.

Sorry I've been MIA. My MIL is still here and I just find I have zero spare time at the moment what with juggling the two boys schedules and trying to keep at least semi on top of the washing, dishes and throwing a quick meal together for dinner. It's a fine line too because do I fold the washing and put it away or use that time to play with my toddler.

However we seem to have settled into a wee bit of a routine which I'm enjoying as I'm definitely someone who likes predictability. Josh is waking around 7am and is up for around 2 hours, goes down for a sleep from 9-11am, is up for another 2 hours and then sleeps from 1-3pm and then sometimes has a catnap around half 4 and other times he doesn't and then he goes down at 6pm. He often wakes between sleep cycles but then resettles himself back to seep. THe good thing is that DS1 sleeps at 1pm too so that works out well. In saying that I'm sure Josh will change things tomorrow to keep me on my toes.

Not much else to report, though I'm starting to think about weaning Josh off his miracle wrap, was thinking about doing it at about 12 weeks but not sure. What do you guys think about when you'll stop swaddling? I'm also thinking ahead to solids and wondering when I'll start. I started at around 4months with DS1 (but mostly cos he slept poorly and I thought it might help, it didn't!). So I dunno. Solids is pretty messy and when they can't sit up properly you have to put them in the bouncer rather than a high chair....hmmmmm....am leaning towards waiting a little bit longer this time around, like maybe 5 months. Then again Josh is a big boy and maybe he'll be ready for it sooner.... Have you ladies given it any thought?

April 2013 Babies : Hope your all doing well. We are...

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:27:10 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 19�June�2013 at 9:27am

Hope your all doing well.

We are expecting snow later this week so trying to prepare for that, and keep warm. Hopefully the power doesn't go out as we only have a heat pump and panel heaters until our new fire gets installed next week !

I have heard from the sleep consultant. She is doing the assessment tomorrow so that will be interesting. Ashley has been better (I'm finding the stroking the forehead works miracles! ....still it's assisted sleep but that's ok) but I'm still going ahead with it. It's only $59 at the end of the day.

Look forward to hearing from all of you :)

April 2013 Babies : I haven't cancelled the sleep...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:29:28 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 17�June�2013 at 3:29pm

I haven't cancelled the sleep consult, but haven't heard from her so will wait and see.

I find Ashley cat naps some days and then one day a week she will sleep a lot more. Maybe a catch up day. I'm not sure (like most things!). Today is a cat nap day after a good night and morning.

Bloody hiccups keep her up as she won't sleep with them of course, and they can last a good 20 mins. Even a comfort suck doesn't help most of the time.

Sunday was good with Dad and Ashley was great so that's cool. He does help out, and as she gets bigger he does spend a bit more time with her. Not so delicate in his eyes.

April 2013 Babies : I think some guys find it hard...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:44:50 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 17�June�2013 at 2:44pm

I think some guys find it hard to bond with the bubbas when they're so little but as they get older and more mobile, the guys tend to bond more. And once they're walking around and are toddlers they bond even more so because they can play so much more with them. Great to hear your partner is trying to help out more Emma, I guess that's all you can ask for.

Yeah the night wake ups just become the norm after a while don't they. A bit of a shock to the system to begin with but after a few weeks, it's second nature.

Well after a whole week of catnapping and me just getting my head around to the fact that I'll just have to roll with it, Josh pulled out two massive sleeps yesterday!!! I could not believe it!! Just goes to show that these babies of ours keep on changing. I can't believe Josh will be 10 weeks on Wed!

Emma - did you cancel your baby sleep consultation or keep it?

April 2013 Babies : Hi Speck - Relationship wise things...

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 10:48:42 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 16�June�2013 at 10:48am

Hi Speck - Relationship wise things have been better. We are getting there though. Ashley tends to play up more on the weekends when Dad is home so I think she can feel the tension or something. I'm not sure. We go out during the week and have visitors so I'm unsure whether that's it. My partner is trying to help out more, but he is happy to leave me to it and isn't even that interested in bonding with her which sucks. I'm sure he will get there.

I'm so used to not sleeping a full night, I'm not too worried about it! Ashley has been waking around twice a night for the last few days so that's ok. She goes straight back down too. Yesterday she wasn't great but as I said, things were a tad tense yesterday morning so we really need to work on that ....

Bobsta - I was thinking about you earlier. Haven't heard from you in awhile.

Chloe - welcome :) there is only a few of us here. As Speck suggested, i too have joined a PEPE group through Plunket and there are lots of bubs of similar ages. It's a great place to chat and vent lol.

Edited by emma_3335 - 16�June�2013 at 10:49am

April 2013 Babies : Hey Emma, awesome that you had...

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 14:42:58 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 15�June�2013 at 2:42pm

Hey Emma, awesome that you had another great night with settling! And yes a full nights sleep will be total bliss once it arrives!! Funny thing is though, I tend to get up more for my 3yo than I do for Joshy, well not always but last night my 3yo kept losing his teddy. I'm so used to it now though that it doesn't even bother me.

Welcome Chloe, nice to meet you! We are a pretty small group but always welcome new members. Not sure about a mums and bubs group in Auckland unfortunately. You could do the Plunket Pepe course? I did that with my first and we kept the catch ups up after the course finished. I also joined a playgroup round Panmure way that my Plunket nurse put me on to. Ask around and I'm sure you'll find something.

Josh had his 2 months jabs the other day and although he screamed when he needle went in, he did pretty well otherwise. He managed a long-ish sleep yesterday afternoon as well which was great. He's getting really big too, totally outgrown all his 000 clothes and I'm going to skip 00 and just go straight to 0 I think. I finally got around to doing his thank you cards so they've been ordered and should arrive soon, can't wait to see what they look like. DH has been off work for 2 weeks now and starts a new job on Monday, has been sooooooooooo nice having him off to help with the 2 monkeys, think it's going to be a shock to have him back at work again.

Emma - how are things going with your partner in terms of helping out with Ashley? Have you managed to find a happy medium?

Bobsta - long time no hear! Hope you and Lili are doing well.

April 2013 Babies : Hi mums, this is my first post...

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 12:35:15 +0000

Author: Chloe119731
Subject: 42315
Posted: 15�June�2013 at 12:35pm

Hi mums, this is my first post on the forum. I have a 5 yr old boy who's just started school and a little girl born 30th of April. Have been keen to find some mums of babies of a similar age so was very pleased to come across this site. Does anyone know of a mums and bubs group in Auckland area for babies around same age as our babes?

April 2013 Babies : Another good night here. She even...

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:50:33 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 14�June�2013 at 8:50am

Another good night here. She even went to bed without the dummy and the white noise all times. Weird. We were up every three or so hours though. But that's ok....

One day ill get seem decent sleep.. I dream of that day

April 2013 Babies : Cool Speck. Just got to follow...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:44:22 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 13�June�2013 at 7:44pm

Cool Speck. Just got to follow your gut and know its not always going to be right but no one can get it right first time 100%

Sounds like your doing really well so just enjoy and trust that we will all get there in the end! Haha...one day...we hope.

Mrs JCD, how are things? Hope they have improved ?

April 2013 Babies : Yay yay yay yay Emma, soooo pleased...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:30:35 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 13�June�2013 at 4:30pm

Yay yay yay yay Emma, soooo pleased to hear your little angel baby is back! ANd she's getting so big too - great to know she is thriving so well!!!

As for the dream feed, I never found them to work for DS1 either so haven't tried it with Josh.

Yesterday after I posted I ended up getting Josh up and he fell asleep on the breast for over an hour which goes to show he needed more sleep!

Today I have played around with keeping him for longer (1hr 45mins) and he slept for an hour this morning and then another hour late morning. Better than the 30min sleeps he was doing the other day but still not great. Ah well. He has his 2 month jabs this avo so no doubt things will change again.

Gotta run, he's crying

April 2013 Babies : As soon as I have a rant, Ashley...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:28:47 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 13�June�2013 at 3:28pm

As soon as I have a rant, Ashley is back to normal. Can't win!

She has been putting herself to sleep on her own the last few sleeps and is a little angel again. I still use the love to dream wrap, white noise and dummy sometimes so not completely on her own lol but with no protesting! Bliss.

Plunket was good today, she's grown 4cm since her 5 week check so that huge. Weight is steady and she's now 11lb4oz. Little giant baby! They were extremely impressed with her strength of head and legs and her ability to focus and follow so doing something right

April 2013 Babies : Yesterday was great lol. Can't...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:12:34 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 13�June�2013 at 8:12am

Yesterday was great lol. Can't win. She did go back down for a decent nap in the morning, and again mid morning for a couple of hours. I had to wake her to go to coffee group. She fed there after an awake period and fell asleep on me. All of the other mothers think she is perfect ... She is always good when we are out!
I left her in the capsule for a bit once we were home and she had another decent sleep. She went to bed for the night around 7pm which is early for her, she was still asleep when I went to bed so I gave her a quick dream feed and she slept til 2ish. I don't think the dream feeds really work for us! We were up 20 mins and straight back down. She woke again around 4.30 and against 7.30. So we are still up frequently but it's not bad when she goes straight back down. Which she has for the last couple of days. She's back down now. So I'm pleased but its not perfect!

I tend to be a bit more go it with the flow than anything else. Maybe thats where I'm going wrong. It's strange cos my job is very structured (back in normal life).

We have our 8 week check today (8 weeks today!!!) Ashley is so strong, I am really looking forward to her check today. Plunket tend to be more thorough than the docs. I reckons she will be ready for the jolly jumper soon. She holds her head now and her legs when held upright. She is by far the biggest in my group for her age ...

April 2013 Babies : Hey JCD, great to hear from you!...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:17:05 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 12�June�2013 at 5:17pm

Hey JCD, great to hear from you! How are you enjoying San Fran??

Yes these babies sure keeps us on our toes don't they, who would've thought something so small could be so powerful!

Woke up today wondering how today was going to pan out with regards to sleeps. For Josh's first day sleep he only did 20mins!!! Arrgghhh. It really stresses me out ay. I sometimes wish I was more relaxed and could adopt a more go with the flow attitude but the fact is if he sleeps for anything less than an hour it stresses me out as I feel like it's not a proper sleep ya know.

SO after the 20min sleep I took him to mother's group and he fell asleep on the boob there for about 40mins. We got home and he settled well, but woke after 30mins, left him to resettle and he did, but now he's woken again and it's about the 45min mark. I just can't decide whether to get him up or leave him ya know. I worry that if I get him up it will get him into the habit of catnapping which I don't want. But if I don't get him up I worry that he's had enough sleep and he's just lying in his cot bored yelling out "come and get me mummy"! Arrgghhhh. I guess it is all just trial and error at the end of the day isn't it and what works one day might not work another.

Emma - sounds like your night went really well, great that she settled well at 2:30am. How is your day going today?

And yeah the books are so conflicting aren't they. It doesn't stop there, I'm reading books about toddlers, some are pro discipline ie: a naughty corner or time out and others are "child centred" and say that ignoring bad behaviour makes it go away - yeah right!!! =)

April 2013 Babies : Thanks both of you!You sound exactly...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 07:18:06 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 12�June�2013 at 7:18am

Thanks both of you!

You sound exactly like I'm feeling Mrs JcD.
Yesterday we only had cat naps, which like Josh, Ashley is happy with, or seems to be.
We had our anti Natel reunion last night so we were out late. Ashley settled and was asleep by 10.30 (after a sleep in the car and at the group from 7ish til 8.30ish). She then slept til 2.30 and was asleep again in half an hour. Then she woke at 6.30 wide awake. She will hopefully go down again soon. So that wasn't bad, but again, it's ever changing!

The last book I read was the Baby Whisperer and I agree with some of it. They all have good tips but you really must take what you will from them. It was good to chat with the other parents last night and feel normal!

Edited by emma_3335 - 12�June�2013 at 7:19am

April 2013 Babies : Hi all!Sorry it's been so...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 05:04:46 +0000

Author: Mrs JCD
Subject: 42315
Posted: 12�June�2013 at 5:04am

Hi all!

Sorry it's been so long - we have also had some 'fun' times with Lara and I was so ready to get on a plane home late last week. I'm constantly amazed by how 'high' the highs are, and how incredibly 'low' the low times are with having a baby. We had a 6 week growth spurt to contend with (where she fed like a demented squirrel) and are now trying to sort out day sleeps. I'm now able to get her to settle to sleep again (my fault, as I had mixed her feed time with playtime so she wasn't fully tired before when going to bed), but she's now waking consistently around the 30 to 45 minute mark, which is very frustrating.

Emma - definitely let us know how you go with the sleep consultation. We have both Kathy Fray's and Tracy Hogg's (aka 'The Baby Whisperer') books and pulled them out in desperation the other day. Of course they completely conflict each other on a couple of major things - one says leave them to cry; while the other says never leave them to cry. We do leave her to cry, so apparently I'm either a good parent or a terrible one. There is some good stuff in them, but most of it I just think is crap (i.e patting and shushing them at the same time means they can't concentrate on crying - ah, not according to Lara!) It sounds like you are doing an awesome job and god knows, it's so hard knowing what to do when nothing seems to work - believe me, I feel your pain!

Speck - we usually put Lara on the floor under a play gym with a couple of toys hanging over her to look at. I also talk to her, read her a book and make stupid faces and give her nappy off time (thank god for disposable change mats!) She gets really active and loves to kick her legs and shake her arms. Really cute - that kind of cuteness gets me through the super crap feelings - well, most of the time.

Fingers crossed for you all (and me!) that we have angel babies this week - gosh being a parent is blimmin hard, isn't it?!!

April 2013 Babies : Oh wow great that you've...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 22:41:56 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 11�June�2013 at 10:41pm

Oh wow great that you've booked a consultation Emma.

I may have to eat my words as Josh has been all out of whack today. This morning he slept for 40mins and then he had 2 x 30min sleeps and that was it all day!!!! I left him to resettle after each sleep but he started to get worked up so I got him up. The thing is though is that he seemed to be pretty content even with little sleep (apart from later in the avo but he's pretty regularly unsettled at that time of day). It was just really weird though cos he always has at least once long sleep a day of about 3hrs - hmmmmmmmm. It made it quite a long day as he was awake for so long but at least he was happy. I don't know if it's a growth spurt or maybe to do with being in the cot or what! ahhhh babies ay, the only constant with them is change! Will be interesting to see if he repeats it tomorrow and if he does I guess I'll just roll with it and carry on with our day regardless. He may just have to get used to being lumped around a bit so that I can get out of the house more with DS1 (I usually try and make sure Josh is home so he can have that big sleep but if he's going to cat nap all day he may as well do it out and about).

Definitely let us know how you get on with the Baby Sleep Consultant - fingers crossed she has some good tips with you. I know that she's very accommodating to the type of parenting that you prefer so for Mum's who don't want to leave babies to cry, she provides advice for hands on settling etc.

April 2013 Babies : Speck8 wrote:Also Emma I don't...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:46:12 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 11�June�2013 at 4:46pm

Speck8 wrote:

Also Emma I don't know if you are familiar with The Sleepstore but if you like their page on FB they have a forum where you can ask lots of questions. They also have lots of sleep info on their website.

Another FB resource is a lovely lady named Emma as well actually who has a FB page called 'Baby Sleep Consultant'. She posts lots of interesting tips and for $10 you can ask her a question or for I think $50 you can get a full on sleep advice consultation. I have had friends who have found her to be amazing and I find her page and tips really helpful.

I have booked a consultation with the Baby Sleep Consultant Emma.

Will keep you updated ...

April 2013 Babies : Thanks Speck. Yip have tried leaving...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:53:04 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 11�June�2013 at 1:53pm

Thanks Speck. Yip have tried leaving her, although I'm not a fan of leaving her to cry we have tried it.
She doesn't usually self settle with this and will work herself up. The frustrating thing is that she will self settle 50% of the time no problem, the other half she will protest and work herself into a huge state.

I have read the Kathy Fray book but it was awhile ago, so may get it from the library again. I've tried all sorts of websites and books, including reading stuff from the sleepstore. Thanks for your advice, always welcome. I am prepared to do the hard yards but when your exhausted with little help it is tough :(

Wow, nice that you don't have to go back to work!
I don't think Ashley will be far off her big cot, growing too fast

During awake time we have floor time, nappy off time, read a story, play her Leap Pad toy which sings, bouncer, looking at her mobile, looking in the mirror, etc

Edited by emma_3335 - 11�June�2013 at 1:54pm

April 2013 Babies : Also Emma I don't know if...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:59:39 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 11�June�2013 at 12:59pm

Also Emma I don't know if you are familiar with The Sleepstore but if you like their page on FB they have a forum where you can ask lots of questions. They also have lots of sleep info on their website.

Another FB resource is a lovely lady named Emma as well actually who has a FB page called 'Baby Sleep Consultant'. She posts lots of interesting tips and for $10 you can ask her a question or for I think $50 you can get a full on sleep advice consultation. I have had friends who have found her to be amazing and I find her page and tips really helpful.

April 2013 Babies : Hey ladies,Sorry for being MIA,...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:54:37 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 11�June�2013 at 12:54pm

Hey ladies,

Sorry for being MIA, busy busy here with birthdays, my MIL arriving and my husband quitting his job!!! For a while there we thought I was going to have to go back to work! But fortunately he's had another job offer.

Awww Emma huge big hugs to you - it sounds like it has been a challenging couple of weeks. The unpredictabilty is difficult because you don't know whether you need to grab a quick shower and cup of tea or whether you can start doing something which might take over an hour to do - I totally understand your frustration.

Not sure if you're open to advice but I have read somewhere that babies between 6 and 8 weeks go through a new sleep phase as they start to become more aware of themselves and their surroundings and this is usually evidenced by being difficult to settle and catnapping. Josh has been completely self-settling since 5 weeks but I have noticed in the past few days that he's been protesting a bit more, I thought something was wrong but I just left him for another couple of mins and he nodded off. If you are prepared to do the hard yards, I think if you can get her to completely self settle for all her sleeps then I'm 90% confident it will stop her sleep problems. However she might cry and she might cry a lot so you have to be prepared for that and if you're not then it's probably not best to try it. Although I will say the younger you do it the better. Have you read the 'Oh Baby' book by Kathy Fray that Bobsta and I have read? 'Save Our Sleep' by Tizzie Hall also has some good tips. I don't follow the routines but I found the other information in the book to be helpful. As for the formula feed - by all means give it a whirl though if you're pretty sure hunger isn't the issue then I don't think it will make much difference. We did a formula top up with DS1 at about 3 months as he was waking 4 times a night and it didn't make any difference. His problem was that he'd got into the habit of waking at night and we eventually broke the habit at 4.5 months with sleep training.

Completely ignore all of my above advice though if you're not keen to leave wee Ashley to cry as I know it can be very hard and isn't for everyone =).

We moved Josh into the cot last night! He has just totally outgrown the moses basket. Fortunately it went without a hitch.

I had my first mother's group last Wed which was really cool, the ladies seem really nice. One of them had identical twin girls! I could not imagine doing all of this with twins, then again, they say twins settle each other so maybe it would be easier.

Oh question - what do you all do during your awake time with your babies? I'm always keen to learn what other people do as we tend to do the same old stuff here: tummy time, nappy free time on back, in bouncer while I shower, propped up on pillows in my room while I get dressed or put washing away, play with DS1 and try not let Josh get trodden on ;).... so keen to hear what you ladies all do!

Have a good week and Emma, let us know how you get on =)

April 2013 Babies : How is everyone going? Me...not...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:22:13 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 11�June�2013 at 12:22pm

How is everyone going?

Me...not so great! Ashley won't sleep - well she does but either short stints or takes hours to go down.

We have tried everything. We are consistent with our bedtime routine whenwe wind down for the night. Ashley will go to bed anywhere from 7pm until 11pm. Every night is completely different even though we don't change a thing! I am so fed up.
For example, on Sunday, she woke every 2-3 hours, but went straight back to sleep without an hassle each time. I could handle that. Last night she slept 4-5 hours from 7ish until 1.30 but wouldn't go back down until 5.30am! Four hours of awake time in the middle of the night. Drove me nuts.
We don't turn lights on, we don't talk to her, I rarely change her at night, especially the first waking.
My partner is sleeping in the spare room to get some shut eye as he hasn't been coping at work.
We are using a dummy which she is now taking but not every time. She really has a mind of her own and this has only started since about 6 weeks. Now she's almost eight weeks, I'm going insane! I wouldn't mind so much if she had a consistent routine but every night (and day) are different.
Even now, she has taken almost 3-4 hours to go down for a nap. She just won't settle. She doesn't scream, but will constantly fight the sleep. As I said earlier, nothing we have done changes, and she used to be so easy. Karma for thinking she was an angel!
We have a miracle blanket which I find hard to use (doesnt really work for us) and the love to dream swaddle has arrived today so will try tonight after washing.
I have tried dream feeding her, with expressed milk from the morning (which is fattier) but she still wakes heaps during the night. Next step I guess is to try a formula night feed, which is a bone of contention in this house as my partner doesn't want this. But he isn't getting up during the night. And because he starts work so early 3-5am, depending on the day, he goes to bed early, like 8.30pm, so hardly gives him any time to help or let me rest. Or even for him to chill out.
Just don't know what to do! She is feeding well, growing like a mushroom (she's bloody huge!)

Argh, vent over.sorry for the rant!

She's finally asleep, but this could last 20 mins or three hours. She is so unpredictable. I have tried following a routine but she fights. She's definitely got some personality now!

(By the time I re-read this, she is awake again. Arrrrrggggghhhhhh)

April 2013 Babies : After a few nights of literally...

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 09:03:07 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 07�June�2013 at 9:03am

After a few nights of literally screaming from early evening til 11pm ish....I feel my good little bubba is back.
Not sure what it was or if its gone but gosh it was hard work. Nothing seemed to work. Last night was a dream :) even if I only get one 5 hour stint, then gradually less. I'm over the moon today lol.

I really feel for parents dealing with colicky babies, reflux issues, etc.

April 2013 Babies : Hi allQuick update, sorry been...

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:36:08 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 04�June�2013 at 4:36pm

Hi all

Quick update, sorry been a weekend that's for sure. My partner has been off work since thurs so that has been good. Especially as we had six week check and vaccinations on Friday (which Ashley hated!). She did well, but needed some Pamol after about 5 hours. She spat most of it out but it seemed to help.
On Saturday it was a different story. I think that was the real six week growth spurt. She was horrible, fed all day, only had wee naps and we were both buggered. It was hard work and we struggled.
She is now back to normal but honestly seems to have shot up overnight. She looks huge today! I must try and measure her and weigh her. They didn't measure her on Friday so will be interesting.

Mrs JCD...woohoo your in the States, hope all is going well. You a very brave.
Speck...well done on your massive 11 hour sleep. We are only getting 5hr stretches but happy with that as she is fully bf. hopefully the six week mark improves that. I have heard after six weeks, they usually sleep better and settle down ...fingers crossed.
Bobsta...thank you so much for the advice. I did read it the other day, just couldn't reply. My partner does go and do his thing. It's when he is home and reluctant that bugs me. He has really been a good help over the last week during his time off, think he is itching to go back to work though!

Tried the expressed bottle again today, as I had to go to the dentist. Yay...she took it :)

Ashley is also super active and tiring! She is so nosey, always wanting to know what's going on

April 2013 Babies : Oh, and also, Lara definitely...

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 03:13:30 +0000

Author: Mrs JCD
Subject: 42315
Posted: 04�June�2013 at 3:13am

Oh, and also, Lara definitely needs quite a bit of winding too. I think with our diet change here (i.e even the healthiest wholemeal bread has sugar added, yuck!) she is getting more wind - or also because I am getting stronger letdowns. Thankfully I brought Infacol with us, which we've used twice in the past two days, and that definitely helps with the really stubborn wind. Horrible to watch them when you know they're in pain, and just can't burp it out! The old 'over the shoulder' position seems to work best for us.

April 2013 Babies : Hello from San Francisco! I'm...

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 03:09:32 +0000

Author: Mrs JCD
Subject: 42315
Posted: 04�June�2013 at 3:09am

Hello from San Francisco! I'm sitting here typing while breastpumping - isn't motherhood glam?!

We had a really good plane trip - Lara only woke once outside her normal sleep times and even managed the crazy 1 hour passport queue coming in. She had a big meltdown in the car coming to our new apartment so had to feed her in the backseat while we were on the move - thankfully no traffic cops were around!

How is everyone doing? Speck - that's an amazing sleep by Josh, well done!! And great to hear that they will be down to two day naps in a few months. Of course, that probably means we will be spending a lot more time entertaining them! And aren't MILs amazing for entertaining them!

Lara is really starting to interact now and loves playtime. She definitely needs more time up for activity than most babies (well, from what I hear anyway!) and is normally up for at least 1.5 hours at a time.

Our new apartment is super central - so lots of traffic noise. No need to play white noise during her sleeps - just open the window! It's also very compact with 2 bedrooms, so unfortunately more difficult for me to get an early night when DH settles her to bed. I must admit that I'm missing home already, but off to do a little bit of exploring today, so hopefully that will help.

Have a wonderful day ladies - hope you get some wonderful naptimes today :)

April 2013 Babies : Hey ladies, how are you all doing?Bobsta...

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 19:17:41 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 03�June�2013 at 7:17pm

Hey ladies, how are you all doing?

Bobsta - so pleased to hear your antenatal group girls are really lovely and have been super supportive! It counts for so much having other first time mums around who know what you're going through and can help out when you need it. And how awesome is Lili sleeping at night??? Everything is so much easier if you get some decent night sleep!!

JCD must be in the US by now, hope the trip went well and bubs' routine is re-adjusting.

Emma - hope you had a good weekend with wee Ashley and she's sleeping and settling well.

Not much new at this end, we did have a nice lil routine going for a bit there with Josh doing a big 3hr sleep in the morning, followed by a 1hr15min sleep early avo and then a 45min sleep late avo but he decided to switch things up over the past couple of days - babies ay, the only constant with them is change!!! I quite liked knowing he'd have that big 3hr sleep in the morning cos it meant I could take DS1 out and know Josh would sleep in the pram, but all good, I will just watch and see if a new routine develops and then follow that - until he changes it again of course! From memory, I think they start having 2 sleeps a day, one morning one and one afternoon one somewhere between 6 and 9 months and that makes things easier in terms of planning outings etc.

Ummmm....not much else to report. Josh has twice slept for 11hrs straight at night now (6pm - 5am) and I thank the baby sleep gods for this and am super duper grateful!!!! I know that it can change at any stage but fingers crossed for now.

My MIL arrives from Whakatane tonight so that will be nice to have her here to help entertain DS1 and also to have lots of cuddles with Josh.

Hope you're all doing good ladies =)

April 2013 Babies : Emma I'm shocked your m/w...

Fri, 31 May 2013 15:34:03 +0000

Author: Bobsta
Subject: 42315
Posted: 31�May�2013 at 3:34pm

Emma I'm shocked your m/w said you don't need to wind her! All babies take in air when they feed, regardless if it's breast or bottle. Bottle fed babies can take in MORE wind but they ALL need burping to avoid the screaming pain that can happen if the air gets trapped. Grrrrrr, it's things like that that can make it so hard for first time mums! Glad you realised and have ignored her advice! Glad the expressing went well. Did you get an electric one? I almost got a manual one as I don't do it often but I'm so glad I ended up getting an electric one as although my supply is good, I can't imagine doing that pumping by hand!!

Regarding the bottle, the same happened with me the first time I tried and I realised it's because us mums smell of milk so when we offer the bottle they get confused. I got my partner to introduce the bottle to her and it worked a treat. I haven't given her the bottle myself yet as we only do it once or twice a week as my partner also wanted to feed her and also so I can have a sleep in on Saturday morning

Heaf so glad to see you!!!! Thank you, I just LOVE being a mum. No charting this time around (thank goodness!), she was a surprise baby with my new partner lol. Not totally unplanned as we had planned on trying this year, but she just was born this year instead Hope you are well and settling into married life. I bet Holly is getting big

Yay for a successful outing this time Speck! It is pretty cold here but my darling man gets up a bit earlier every morning and lights the fire for me and bubs. What a sweety!

I hope you had a lovely Wednesday and got some decent time to yourself to do whatever!

Emma I feel for you. It is sooooooo hard adjusting to everything and then on top of it adjusting to the different roles within the relationship too. I went through the same thing. Once I realised that he will NEVER really understand how demanding it can all be for me, and I will NEVER really understand what it's like for him being a new dad, it was so much easier. Trust me, it's a big adjustment for them too, they just don't talk about it or show it like we do. It was my mum that pointed out how big a responsibility they have just providing for the family now and how important that is to them. He will get more involved when bubs starts doing more and can interact with him. I too got frustrated at how my partner could still go out and do normal things and didn't seem to understand how important the routine is to bubs. But just think, if your partner also had to stay home all the time, the BOTH of you would be finding everything hard. I came around to the idea that by accepting the "boy time" meant he will be much more relaxed and capable of helping with the baby when I really need it, is really caring and understanding when I have an emotional "moment", and in general is a much happier man so much easier to live with lol! We now have an understanding that he knows I will only ever ask him to stay home rather than go out ( to play golf, drink beer, whatever) when I am really really needing his support ( not just because I don't want him going out), but when I do ask he will stay home and not get grumpy about it. Compromise is the key!

As for me, I've been going to our antenatal catchups every Tuesday for the past month. They really are awesome and I'm lucky to have such a great bunch. There is about a 7 week gap between us but I find that really good so I can learn from others experience (as Lili is one of the youngest bubs). It's just great being able to chat and call on them whenever I need it. We setup a facebook group so we can easily call on each other for help throughout the week if needed. When I had a meltdown the next day two of them came round to visit and it was just nice to have people listen and understand. Friends and family can be great but no one really understands like a fellow first time mumma!

Lili also has really got the hang of her night sleeping, she slept 10 hours straight last night for the first time and averages at least an 8 hour stretch at a time. I'm so proud of my wee girl! (total fluke I know!) Just need to get the hang of the days now as she's much more awake and active now which is TIRING!

April 2013 Babies : That's weird that Ashley...

Wed, 29 May 2013 13:45:09 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 29�May�2013 at 1:45pm

That's weird that Ashley didn't go down after her feeds last night Emma, did you try leaving her for a few mins? Josh normally goes down fine after his feeds but last night he cried after I put him down, I thought he might have wind so I went back in and tried to burp him again but nothing came up, tried to feed him again but he was clearly full so in the end I just put him back down and he cried for a few mins then went to sleep.

Yay for getting out to the Plunket massage - it's so nice meeting mums with other bubs isn't it.

Frustrating about your partner Emma, I really think it takes a while for the guys to get their head around it all and it's so easy for them to say "they're hungry" which totally lets them off the hook because we do the feeding. You almost need to be really assertive with them and say here's bubs, I'm taking a shower, sort it out. OR what we did with DS1 was I expressed and DH gave him the bottle of expressed milk before bed.

In saying all of that I don't think DH has even changed one of Josh's nappies! Nor has he put him down for a sleep or anything. But that's mostly because he has his hands full dealing with DS1 and he is a handful. I did say to him last night though that I will show him how to put Josh down to sleep one night this week so that if I want to go out I can.

Wednesday again ladies, my break day. I can never get anything done during the other days inbetween playing with DS1, washing, cooking dinner, picking up a million toys etc etc so Wednesdays are just lovely =)

April 2013 Babies : Yeah she sort of said they only...

Wed, 29 May 2013 11:15:10 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 29�May�2013 at 11:15am

Yeah she sort of said they only need proper winding if they have had a good cry or been on a bottle. Silly really.

Last night Ashley wouldn't go back down after her feeds. She slept the usual amount of time, but once she was fed, she wouldn't go back down for a good hour or two. Is usually only 15 mins or so and back to bed, no dramas. Sigh. I'm knackered today. She has been napping all morning now as a result. I should be napping too but I'm not a huge napper.

My partner has tomorrow, fri, mon and tues off so that might be good. Although I getting very frustrated with him as he is so reluctant to help. He uses the excuse that she only wants me (kind of true) but he's not trying either. I fed up and it's making me more resentful. He still goes out, does what he wants and doesn't think its an issue. Will see how the next few days with him go.

Had a Plunket group massage thing yesterday. Was nice to get out and about and meet some other mums. Although all the bubs were much older...around 4 months. So hopefully the actual coffee group has some smaller bubs. It made me feel good though, they were majorly impressed I was out and about and how good and content Ashley was. Some of their wee ones had never gone to bed on their own so we are all doing so well :)

April 2013 Babies : Wow Emma that's so weird...

Tue, 28 May 2013 17:47:48 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 28�May�2013 at 5:47pm

Wow Emma that's so weird that your midwife said BF babies don't need burping. I usually hear people say that you should always try to burp BF babies but not stress if you can't.

Yes poos and wees are the joys of no nappy time! So much washing. I think they like the air on their bottoms though and is good to give them a break from nappies.

I too have a major sweet tooth, am trying to cut back but is so hard. When I can get both boys down at the same time, all I feel like is a nice cup of tea and something sweet.

Another successful outing this morning ladies. It was wet so I took both boys to an indoor playground and DS1 had a massive play and run around which he needs and Josh was a superstar and slept the whole time in the buggy. Will definitely be doing that again.

I hear it's pretty cold in NZ at the mo, hope you ladies are rugging up nice and warm - or cranking those heat pumps at least!

April 2013 Babies : LurkerHey Bobsta! Haven't...

Tue, 28 May 2013 12:33:38 +0000

Author: heaf3
Subject: 42315
Posted: 28�May�2013 at 12:33pm

*Lurker*
Hey Bobsta! Haven't been around for awhile, but just wanted to pop in and say a huge CONGRATULATIONS!!

Also, Holly was a super windy baby (although I wasn't very good at winding her), and I tried both infacol and gripe water (the Woodwards one). It was a total lifesaver!! Also someone recommended lifting her legs up and pushing into her tummy and moving them like she was riding a bicycle, and that seemed to help get out some of the wind.
Hope you can find something that helps, and hopefully she grows out of it before too long!

Congratulations to everyone else as well, and big hugs! You guys are doing awesomely. It is definitely the hardest job in the world being a mummy but it is the best as well

April 2013 Babies : Thanks ladies for your feeding/winding...

Tue, 28 May 2013 09:58:37 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 28�May�2013 at 9:58am

Thanks ladies for your feeding/winding stories.

I did write a big reply but I lost it!

We had to try gripe water for the first night the other night. It seemed to work so I'm glad we did! Ashley doesn't seem to be affected by wind often. She will normally do a big burp after feeding on her own. And then she is fine. If she doesn't burp, she is more likely to have a wee spill up. Ashley does spit up every now and then although nothing to be concerned about I don't think. She farts in the mornings! Big loud ones usually, which is very cute.

Although I love my MW, she did tell me that bf babies didn't need burping. Which I don't agree with. Ashley usually does need it, and now I have started winding again she is much better. I stopped for a week or so after MW said this, and I couldn't see any benefit.

I tried expressing for the first time yesterday, it went well and I didn't have any probs, although Ashley wouldn't take the bottle. She wouldn't suck. I will try again and we have a couple of different bottles so will see if that makes a difference. I used the Momiee one yesterday. She also won't take a dummy anymore.

This morning we had bare bum time on the floor, Ashley sneezed and next thing there is poo everywhere! The dangers of no nappy!

I also had to go through her clothes this morning. She has outgrown most of her newborn 0000 stuff. We are now into some 0-3m 000 clothes. Which is great, but sad at the same time. All my favourites are stored away :( growing way too fast!

I have one coffee a day so that's all good. Eat far too much sugar so I am also looking to cut down on this. Unfortunately I gained a sweet tooth while pregnant! How nice is it to eat what we want again :) I enjoyed a good eggs benedict the other da, and sushi, etc mmmmmmmmm

Edited by emma_3335 - 28�May�2013 at 10:02am

April 2013 Babies : Awwww Bobsta - huge hugs! Don't...

Mon, 27 May 2013 18:56:55 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 27�May�2013 at 6:56pm

Awwww Bobsta - huge hugs! Don't worry at all about ranting, this is what this forum is for! You're so right that the only constant with babies is change. They're like a Rubiks Cube, you're constantly trying to figure them out but then when you do they go changing on you - argh! Fingers crossed she's just going through an unsettled couple of days and will come right in the end. Just play around with a few things - keep her up for longer/shorter, burp more/less, leave her to self settle in between cycles for longer if you can etc etc. And yes Plunketline are an amazing support. My DS1 had silent reflux but he screamed pretty much non-stop for the first 6 weeks and woke 4 times a night so totally different from little Lili. I have been playing around with stretching Josh out longer during his awake time. It used to be that at the first grizzle I'd put him down but now I'm like well maybe he just needs a change of scene or a change in position. He is absolutely loving nappy free time at the moment and can do that for maybe 10 or 15mins so that has been good.

Emma - I too have been avoiding caffeine but that's it. I eat everything else. On no wait, I'm not eating eggs or peanuts because DS1 is allergic to them so I'm hoping Josh won't be.

We introduced a bottle at 3 weeks as a top up before the evening sleep and have kept it up every night. I was really keen for Josh to take a bottle early as a lot of babies don't take it if you don't introduce it until later down the track. Initially it was expressed milk but I just don't have time to express with DS1 needing my attention so we just do formula now. The first couple of times took a little persuasion (rocking him in my arms as I gave him the bottle) but he has the hang of it now.

And yes I burp after every feed. He usually brings a good one up but if he doesn't and doesn't seem bothered I don't worry about it. I use Infacol occasionally if he's going through a windy patch and it works pretty good.

Well I took both boys out today for a semi-successful outing to the library and park. But gosh there's so much more to take when there's two of them. I had Josh in the frontpack and DS1 in the buggy plus a large bag of books to return and then the nappy bag filled with nappies for both and snacks for DS1 on my back - sure is a workout. Josh was fantastic and even slept a little in the frontpack but DS1 is hard work! He can just be so naughty sometimes. I think DH and I have been too soft on him so I got out Nigel Latta's book from the library and I think we need to introduce some firm rules - argh!

April 2013 Babies : Thanks guys I really hope it's...

Mon, 27 May 2013 15:57:04 +0000

Author: Bobsta
Subject: 42315
Posted: 27�May�2013 at 3:57pm

Thanks guys I really hope it's not reflux...I did phone plunket and she thought it might be silent reflux . But after talking with my sister and having a chat with a lady from my antenatal group who had problems with her bub for awhile with sleep/crying etc, I think it is still part of her 6 week growth spurt as well as the fact she is a windy baby as she really gulps her milk down and feeds a lot in general. I am going to record everything for the next week to see if there is a pattern to anything and then go to the doctors if she's still like this. I don't think it is reflux (well I really really hope it isn't) as she sleeps fine during the night, but I will get her checked out for it anyway. I think we just had it so easy for the first 5 weeks and now she is acting like a normal baby so it's a bit of a shock to the system. I am going to just chill and get used to the fact babies cry and nothing is constant, things are always changing so to go with the flow as much as possible. Sorry I was so me me me, before, I was just so wound up after such a bad start to the day.

It's great to hear from you JCD, you sound busy!

I didn't use anything before Lili had her 6 week jab, she screamed but settled quickly and I breast fed her straight away.

Emma, Lili gets hiccups a few times a day too but doesn't seem to mind them. I think she is used to them as she got them regularly when I was pregnant too.

I do try to have a protein shake everyday and I do avoid coffee. I am going to reduce the sugar in my diet and cut out chocolate to see if that will help Lili settle a bit more with feeding.

We just introduced the bottle. I have started expressing and my partner has started feeding her that in the bottle on Saturday mornings so I can have a lie in. It has also been useful for times I just need a breather.

I definitely burp her with every feed! She gets very windy, upper and lower gas. About a week ago I got some Infacol and I think it has helped a lot with her gas.

April 2013 Babies : Speaking of feeding and reflux...

Mon, 27 May 2013 12:29:15 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 27�May�2013 at 12:29pm

Speaking of feeding and reflux etc...questions....

Do you ladies eat anything special for breastfeeding, avoid foods etc? Assuming you are still bf

Have you expressed or fed from bottle etc?

Do you burp your wee one? Do they get wind? Have you used gripe water or anything else if bad?

Rachie... Sorry to hear you are having troubles. Good luck with your wee one

Edited by emma_3335 - 27�May�2013 at 12:30pm

April 2013 Babies : Bobsta is it possible she has...

Mon, 27 May 2013 10:09:02 +0000

Author: rachie 13
Subject: 42315
Posted: 27�May�2013 at 10:09am

Bobsta is it possible she has reflux? It sounds really similar to my wee man thomas when he is awake, and he has reflux (except he now not sleeping well at night either) maybe try elevating the head of her bed

April 2013 Babies : Aw Bobsta. I don't have any...

Mon, 27 May 2013 09:51:27 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 27�May�2013 at 9:51am

Aw Bobsta. I don't have any advice but seek help if you don't think something is right?
We had a rough patch last night, I'm sure Ashley had a sore tummy and wind. It was horrible. I can't imagine what bubbas with reflux go through.

Fingers crossed you get through the rough patch. Your very lucky getting 8hours a night so a least that's something. Maybe phone Plunket? Or your midwife if she is still on board?

Hugs :)

April 2013 Babies : Argh, I'm almost at my wits...

Mon, 27 May 2013 08:58:44 +0000

Author: Bobsta
Subject: 42315
Posted: 27�May�2013 at 8:58am

Argh, I'm almost at my wits end.

Lili just seems to hate being awake at all now. She has started grizzling/crying/screaming pretty much all the time when she's awake and is only having very short sleeps now as when she wakes after a 30min sleep cycle she starts hard out crying again and can only sleep with extreme soothing. She was such a perfect baby but the past week has slowly gotten worse. She isn't feeding as well either, pulls off the breast crying. The only light I still have is she is still sleeping 8 hours a night. If it wasn't for that I would be totally losing the plot. I feel like something is wrong but I just don't know.

April 2013 Babies : Sorry about my terrible grammar...the...

Mon, 27 May 2013 08:20:18 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 27�May�2013 at 8:20am

Sorry about my terrible grammar...the iPad auto corrects and i don't always proof read!

Our play time is the same as Specks. Depends but usually after a feed, unless she only had short sleep.

Lucky you with the nice weather! It's meant to be snow weather here tomorrow!

Edited by emma_3335 - 27�May�2013 at 8:20am

April 2013 Babies : JCD - so nice to hear from you!...

Sun, 26 May 2013 16:02:32 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 26�May�2013 at 4:02pm

JCD - so nice to hear from you! Sounds like you have been super busy and I bet there's a lot to do before you go. It has come around so quickly hasn't it!

We generally do our activity time after feeding but it does change. For example this morning Josh woke at 6:15am and went down again at 7:15am and then woke at 8:30am. I knew he wasn't super hungry as he'd had a big feed at 6:15am so I gave him his activity time (nappy free time on his playmat in front of the window as was lovely and warm with sun shining through) first and then fed him, had a quiet burp and cuddle and back down again by 9:30am. BUT if he has a long sleep I always feed first and then play.

Pamol.... sometimes they recommend giving it half an hour before the jabs as a preventative measure and other times they say to just wait and see how bubs reacts and only give it if you think bubs needs it. I will probably go with the latter. It's also a good idea to do jabs in the morning or even on the weekend so that if bubs is unsettled it's during the day and not the evening and on the weekend can help cos you have DH to help. Jabs are at 8 weeks here in Oz so we have a couple of weeks to get used to them.

Yay for great night sleeps Emma, that's awesome!!! Can't believe you have been gardening and washing windows though - sounds like hard work =) he he. Our house constantly looks like a bombsite with DS1 being home all day, oh well.

Josh gets hiccups at least once or twice a day but fortunately doesn't get bothered by them. However I do find offering a comfort suck on the breast can often help them go away.

Super lovely weather over here today too, 24 degrees. Gonna head off for a walk with Josh for his next sleep and get some fresh air. I have joined a mothers group too and it starts on 5 June, looking forward to meeting some other mummies in the area, I hope they're nice.

April 2013 Babies : Mrs JCD - nice to hear from you....

Sun, 26 May 2013 12:54:56 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 26�May�2013 at 12:54pm

Mrs JCD - nice to hear from you. You sound busy!

Ashley loves a decent play time. She really thrives when she is on her play mat/gym thing or bouncer. Even just on my knee sitting up or having cuddles with someone. She doesn't go on her mat or bouncer every awake time, but always has a sit on someone's knee, watching the world or whatever.

Good question re the Pamol. I was wondering that too. Plunket rec I get some just incase so may do that.

Do your wee ones get the hiccups? Ashley gets them at least twice a day and they really bug her! She gets so frustrated! It sometimes. Delays her going downs few mins til they go, as she would never settle with them.

Cool you have started a coffee group JCD. I have got one lined up for next month so looking forward to that. I am going to a sleep/massage thing run by Plunket next week so that's something to look forward to.

Last night was such a good night. Ashley was down by7pm. Woke at 12am for quick feed. Straight back down, no noise from her at all. The awake again at 5amfor another quick feed. Straight back down and up again at 8.15am. So I'm feeling good today. Decent sleeps and no issues whatsoever about going back down. Yay. I've even been out doing gardening and washing windows lol.

It is such a nice day here today...the calm before the storm I think. Heard we are getting sleety showers early this week. Yay for being a stay at home mum :) best job in the world.

Also, I ordered a miracle blanket. Will see how that goes...although I'm not bad at wrapping her in now. She doesn't escape often!

April 2013 Babies : Oh, and also - we use the 'Love...

Sat, 25 May 2013 13:11:28 +0000

Author: Mrs JCD
Subject: 42315
Posted: 25�May�2013 at 1:11pm

Oh, and also - we use the 'Love to Dream' swaddles which are amazing and totally easy to get on - just zip up! Tried the Miracle Blanket but it didn't work for us, we probably weren't putting it on properly though :)

April 2013 Babies : Hello! Just a quick note, as I'm...

Sat, 25 May 2013 13:07:21 +0000

Author: Mrs JCD
Subject: 42315
Posted: 25�May�2013 at 1:07pm

Hello!

Just a quick note, as I'm due for feeding any moment now.

We have had quite a few weeks! Posterior tongue tie and upper lip tie snipped by laser, lactation consultant visits (great new hold which is proving fantastic, but I still have some nipple pain so loving the nipple shields - may be using them permanently), Plunket visit yesterday (9.2 pounds and 55cm tall now!), checking out a lump on my breast (lactation nodule, nothing to worry about but definitely not a blocked milk duct as everyone thought), parenting class with my coffee group and trying to squeeze in friend/family visits. Phew!

We're giving Lara heaps more activity time now, which seems to be helping her stay more settled during the day. Don't let anyone make you feel guilty about using a dummy - they are wonders when nothing else works! She's still sleeping amazingly through the night, and we are following a 4 hour routine, which seems to be going really well (fingers crossed!)

One week today until we fly out for the US - oh my goodness, I'm so not ready!

One question for you lovely ladies - do you incorporate activity time only after feeds, or instead as part-way between feeds (which is when we do our nappy change)?

And did you use Pamol after their jabs? Lara is getting her ones next week.

April 2013 Babies : Hugs Emma. It can be so hard sometimes....

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:10:55 +0000

Author: Bobsta
Subject: 42315
Posted: 24�May�2013 at 2:10pm

Hugs Emma. It can be so hard sometimes. It sounds like Ashley might be starting her 6 week growth spurt early. Lili started hers at 5.2 weeks and it took a good 4-5 days for her to settle down again. At one point she fed/sucked on and off for 5 hours straight!!! As with everything, it will pass and Ashley will settle down again.

Speck those miracle blankets are awesome aye! We have one and I swear by it. I use it for every sleep, day & night, and it's just brilliant. They can be such little Houdini's so it's much better than swaddling with just a square bit of cloth.

Lili was 6 weeks yesterday and had her 6 week vaccinations. Boy did she go red and scream!!! Luckily she settled within a few minutes and I was able to give her a feed straight away so she even smiled at the nurse as we were leaving lol.

Well I'm going to go enjoy the peace and quiet now and I've just lit the fire so it's nice and cosy too

Have a lovely afternoon ladies

April 2013 Babies : Hey ladies,Cool that you recorded...

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:27:22 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 24�May�2013 at 11:27am

Hey ladies,

Cool that you recorded everything Bobsta, is interesting to reflect back ay. I kept a book with DS1 for all feed and sleep times and how long to settle etc up to about 4 months! I have even brought it out again this time round to look back on but fortunately Josh is 10 times better than DS1 was.

Eecck for a tough day Emma, but fab to hear you have made a few discoveries. I swear by swaddling and white noise. I have Josh in a miracle blanket as he is such a little wriggler and wriggles out of normal wraps but the miracle blanket does the trick.

I think self settling is the most amazing skill we can teach our little bubbas and although it is hard, it is MUCH easier to do it when they're younger than when they're older. When they're older their cries are louder, they produce real tears and it takes longer. I just pop Josh into bed, swaddled, play white noise, shut the curtains and leave him to it and he goes down great. Sometimes he cries a tired/protesting cry for a few mins but that's it. Yesterday he woke between sleep cycles a bit and I gave him 15mins or so but ended up getting him up cos my SIL was over and wanted cuddles, but then he would often fall asleep on me so I KNOW I needed to leave him for longer. Will do that today.

Josh had his 6 week check up and is now 5.3kg and 58.5cm. Our babies are growing so fast, before we know it they'll be rolling, sitting up and crawling and they won't be little babies anymore. I really am trying to appreciate this stage so much more, especially as he is our last.

April 2013 Babies : What a day Wednesday was. Think...

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:15:23 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 24�May�2013 at 9:15am

What a day Wednesday was. Think it was the hardest 24 hours so far. There were tears from me and her, Ashley wouldn't settle or sleep. She only had 12 hours sleep in the 24 hours I recorded. I tried everything.

BUT last night was much better. Back to what we are used to with two wakings and straight back to sleep on her own. Phew. and she has really taken to being swaddled. I hadn't tried it before as she always slept happily with her arms above her head, but it works. I also had to pull out the dummy that terrible day, so that helped too.

I have also been putting her down a bit sooner, and once I recorded a couple of days, I noticed that she isn't actually staying up 2-3 hours, more like 1-2 hours. It's easy to forget exact times when it's not written down. So I'm finding writing it down helps!

Bobsta - yay for Lili being 6 weeks. That's so cool. Time flies aye. And you are very lucky to have her only wake once in the night. Although I can't complain, I only usually get up twice...I have friends who are up most of the night, every night!!!

I have Ashley's six week check next Friday and my partner has taken a few days off since he went back to work soon after her birth...so lucky him gets to come with me :)

April 2013 Babies : Hopefully you've managed...

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:22:14 +0000

Author: Bobsta
Subject: 42315
Posted: 23�May�2013 at 5:22am

Hopefully you've managed some good sleep by now Emma.

Lili is 6 weeks as of 2.43am today!!!! Although Lili had a such a good day yesterday, she's been up twice in the night instead of just the once. Only slept 5.5hours then another 3.5. I know that's amazing for a 6 week old but I've gotten used to getting up just the once the past week. Nevermind, we can't have it all!

My boobs are so so much better as I only get sore now at the middle of the night feeds. Still need to use the wheatbag for those ones but at least the medication seems to be kicking in a bit more now.

Right, back to bed for me. Night night.

April 2013 Babies : That's funny that you recorded...

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:09:27 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 22�May�2013 at 11:09pm

That's funny that you recorded the day, I have done the same but have had a bad night so far...

I'm going to record a couple of dsys and see what's really happening.

Night :)

April 2013 Babies : No problem Emma, you are doing...

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:39:48 +0000

Author: Bobsta
Subject: 42315
Posted: 22�May�2013 at 7:39pm

No problem Emma, you are doing fantastic!

Speck I did read up on Gina Ford but must admit did not like what I read...the main thing that put me off was that she is not a mother herself so hasn't experienced all the baby stuff first hand. Lili is so good 95% of the time and it's mainly settling her to sleep during the day I want to read about more, so I think I will get out the Kathy Fray book from the library.

All this talk about routines got me thinking so I actually recorded everything we did today. Here it is if your interested....

7.30am Feed& cuddle.

8.15am Sleep:went down to sleep straight away.

9.30am Feed,cuddle, skyped mum & dad, feed.

10.15am Sleep:5mins of swaying/shhhing then in bed, was drowsy & settled by herself.

11.30am Wokeup but didn�t self-settle, rocked bassinet for 5 mins.

11.35am Moderatecrying while in bassinet, did not go in.

11.45am Cryingintensified so got her up. Feed, cuddle, tummy time, cuddle, feed.

12.45pm Sleep:Slept in car seat while I did odd jobs in town.

2.15pm Putcar seat in lounge, crying after few mins but went back to sleep after rocking.

2.55pm Feed,cuddle, tummy time, play time, cuddle, feed, cuddle, feed.

3.55pm Sleep:short grizzles on and off for 25 mins then settled to sleep on her own.

6pm Wokeher up: Feed, shower, massage, cuddle, feed, cuddle, feed.

7.20pm Sleep:Went straight to sleep on her own.

She was particularly settled today and even had a really good deep sleep late this afternoon which we haven't managed to achieve in about a week!

April 2013 Babies : Thanks Bobsta. It's so hard...

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:49:38 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 22�May�2013 at 1:49pm

Thanks Bobsta. It's so hard to know!

Speck - if I leave Ashley for 10 or so mins between sleep cycles, she will usually go back to sleep. Other times I probably rush in too quickly and that's my own fault.

I think all of us are doing a pretty amazing job :) hard to think a few weeks ago we were all big fat bellied ladies and our wee ones actually fit inside us!

April 2013 Babies : Really interesting reading ladies...

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:33:33 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 22�May�2013 at 12:33pm

Really interesting reading ladies - JCD, would be keen to hear what your days are like too.

Bobsta - I haven't got Gina's book (The Contented Little Baby) but if you mention her to anyone they will either tell you she's cruel and to stay well clear of her OR they love her. Basically she sets out a pretty strict routine of sleep times and feed times and you have to wake your baby up etc etc. I thought about following it but have decided not to as Josh is settling in to his own routine. The one thing that my friend helped me achieve (and which Gina advocates) is self settling, which is really exactly the same as what Kathy Fray says in the Oh Baby book. I do wake Josh if he's been asleep for 3 - 3.5hrs but other than that, I figure, let him sleep!!!

Josh woke between sleep cycles during yesterday's midday sleep and I was busy putting DS1 to bed so I just left him, he grizzled on and off for 15mins or so and then went back to sleep and had another big sleep - yay!!

We are off to see the Child Health Nurse for Josh's 6 week check up today (can't believe he's 6 weeks already!!), can't wait to have him weighed.

Ahhh Wednesdays are soooo nice, peace and quiet. DS1 is in daycare and Josh is asleep. Is so nice to be able to catch up on paying bills and cleaning and things. Happy Hump Day girls =)

April 2013 Babies : Definitely go with what is working...

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:26:09 +0000

Author: Bobsta
Subject: 42315
Posted: 22�May�2013 at 11:26am

Definitely go with what is working Emma!!!! All babies are individuals and like/dislike different things so some may like play time more than others at this stage and some prefer quiet sleep time. There is no right or wrong!

April 2013 Babies : Thanks for sharing Bobsta. Now...

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:16:14 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 22�May�2013 at 11:16am

Thanks for sharing Bobsta. Now after reading your two stories, I feel like Ashley is awake too much! But it seems it work for her. She hardly ever has trouble going down and is sleeping well when she is asleep. Her day naps can vary from 30mins to 2-3 hours so totally depends on the day. Nights are getting better too. Se hardly ever cries...real cries and isn't a grizzly bum very often.
She almost seems to get bored if we don't play or talk, etc mornings and early evening. The midwife and Plunket nurse are very happy so I guess I'll continue with this....
It's such a guessing game isn't it!

Edited by emma_3335 - 22�May�2013 at 11:20am

April 2013 Babies : Speck8 wrote:Well I had a...

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:23:30 +0000

Author: Bobsta
Subject: 42315
Posted: 22�May�2013 at 8:23am

Speck8 wrote:

Well I had a mini breakthrough. A friend (who has 3 kids of her own) came over last Wed and she is a Gina Ford follower, who people either love or hate, but she basically helped me get bubs to self settle and that has been A-MAZING!!! No more feeding to sleep, no more rocking to sleep, just sing a lullaby, wrap him up tight and say goodnight and he settles either straight away or within a few mins. Woo Hoo!

However I'm still figuring out how long to keep bubs up for at a time and what to do when he wakes in between sleep cycles. I always give him a few mins to resettle and then if he doesn't I get him up but I'm thinking I need to give him longer to resettle cos when I do get him up he's often cranky and tired. What do you girls do? In fact, I'd love to hear how a typical day goes for you all??

I'm intrigued so will look up Gina Ford, thanks for passing that on Speck! My day would be perfect if I could just get her back to sleeping a proper 2 hours at each nap during the day like she was doing being her growth spurt.

In terms of when I get bubs up...in the morning it's easy as she settles herself and when she wakes it's a proper wakeup because she's hungry. But in the afternoon I keep her in bed for at least two sleep cycles and will rock her in between to settle her if she doesn't do it on her own. I try to keep her in bed for 2 hours at a time but as I'm sure your aware, sometimes that's a battle not worth fighting!

April 2013 Babies : Sorry in advance this post ended...

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:11:45 +0000

Author: Bobsta
Subject: 42315
Posted: 22�May�2013 at 8:11am

Sorry in advance this post ended up being quitelong.........

Interesting reading ladies! My routine is very muchlike yours speck....

She usually goes down for her big sleep anywhere from 6.30-8pm (variesdepending on the day we've had)

She will sleep anywhere between 7 to 8.5 hours now (woohoo!)

I get up and do a feed and change of nappy - the time this takes hassignificantly reduced to about 30 mins.

She goes back down no probs and I go back to bed and she will usuallysleep another 3.5 to 4 hours.

We wake anywhere from 6am to 7.30am and do another feed.

After that we have short cuddles and cuddles with dad before he goes towork.

Then she's back in bed and she goes to sleep easily for another 2 hoursor so.

During this time I have my shower, breakfast, do a quick house tidy andthen enjoy some computer time. (basically do as much as possible!)

She wakes again for another feed any time from 9.30 to 10.30am.

After this feed we have active time which can be anywhere from 30mins toan hour.

Then it�s bedtime again but takes more to settle her now as she�s goingthrough her 6 week growth spurt.

She used to sleep another 2 hours but now it�s more like an hour.

I will keep settling her by rocking if need be but I don�t pick her upor talk to her, just making the shhhhh noise while I rock her.

She gets up for another feed around 1.30ish, give or take an hour. Idon�t do play time as it over stimulates her by this time of day so I justspend time cuddling and soothing.

She starts getting more grizzly around this time when I try to put herdown again and will only catnap.

I�ll get her up again when she is getting too grizzly to settle orcatnap and this is usually around 3.30ish.

It�s a feed then bed as really grizzly, tired and gassy by this stage.

It�s constant settling and cat napping for the next wee while.

I get her up again around 5pmish. She will stay up until bedtime at thispoint.

We do feeding, cuddle/soothing, shower with dad, massage, feeding,soothing etc.

She then goes to sleep and is out like a light!

Phew! I�m tired just reading this lol! Was great to actually write itout as I haven�t really thought much about our routine.

Naturally it varies slightly but I would say that�s our main routine.She�s changed her day sleeping since she started her growth spurt so is nolonger the perfect day sleeper that she was. But she has increased her nightsleeping so I don�t mind so much. Apparently she will settle down again oncethis phase passes.

Although it�s recommended to have play at each waking time during theday, I found she started getting way too overstimulated so have cut it back toonce a day and do it in the morning when she is alert and happy. It�s a greattime for tummy time and lots of smiles!

I met my plunket nurse yesterday for the first time and she recommendedonce she is awake, aim to have her down again in an hours time. So that hourincludes feeding, nappy change, burping, cuddles and then 5 mins wind down timebefore bed again. I tried that yesterday afternoon and it was much much betterso I�m sticking with that for awhile as I really think it�s too soon for her tohave much play time, she seems to be a baby that likes (and needs) her sleep.

Edited by Bobsta - 22�May�2013 at 8:15am

April 2013 Babies : Thats also interesting reading...

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:45:26 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 21�May�2013 at 4:45pm

Thats also interesting reading Speck.

Ashley can be awake for 2-3 hours quite happily and doesn't seem to get overtired or grizzly. She isn't a huge sleeper anymore! I failed to mention she also has a huge awake time in the evening. She is super awake and alert now and very strong.

Had last MW visit today. Ashley has gained 300g in a week and is now 10lb 13oz! Wow... No longer little

Edited by emma_3335 - 21�May�2013 at 4:47pm

April 2013 Babies : Ohhh nooo Emma - kind of funny...

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:15:22 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 21�May�2013 at 4:15pm

Ohhh nooo Emma - kind of funny though! Glad you only live 5 mins away.

Wow your typical day is really interesting and good to hear. It's interesting that you can keep Ashley up for a couple of hours in the morning because Josh can stay up for about 1hr 30min max! Sometimes he can only manage 40 or 50 minutes!

Our typical day is a bit like this, though of course every day it changes:

7am-ish - wakes for the day, feeds, has a little play and then down by about 8-8:30am and will generally have a decent sleep here of 2 - 3hrs.

Then he'll be up again, fed and play for an hour or so in total and then down again. He might only sleep for 45mins at this next sleep but I try and get him to resettle and if he does he generally has another decent sleep. If he only sleeps for 45mins, he can't stay awake for as long and then needs to have another sleep.

Then he usually has a catnap in the afternoon of 30-45mins around 3ish.

From 4pm he cluster feeds and is a little unsettled so we do lots of feeding around this time. DH gets home around 5ish and baths Josh at 5:30pm and then he's down for the night at 6pm. He then wakes anywhere between 12 and 2 (although the other day it was 4am!!!). But last night it was 12:30am and then again at 5:15am.

He's really not up/awake for very long at all, especially since he's a fast feeder. Sometimes I think he sleeps too much but then again he's still pretty little.

I managed an outing to the park with both monkeys today, Josh slept beautifully in the buggy and DS1 had a good run around - yay!

April 2013 Babies : Funny story ... I was just THAT...

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:50:57 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 21�May�2013 at 3:50pm

Funny story ... I was just THAT first time mum at the supermarket. No it wasn't Ashley crying or making a fuss...it was me leaving my bloody wallet at home and not realising until at the checkout.
Luckily I only live five mins away, but meant I had to bundle bubba in the car again, go home, then take her back out and go back in to pay. The staff were awesome and helped me with my groceries to the car so that was cool. But man, what a major fail!

April 2013 Babies : Speck - mmm a typical day. Not...

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:41:28 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 20�May�2013 at 8:41pm

Speck - mmm a typical day. Not sure there is one but little miss' routine has changed (improved) over the past few days so here goes.

Ill start at bedtime...around 9pm she will go down for the night, she will usually sleep for 4-5 hours, up for feed and quick bum change if needed. I keep it dark and she usually stays half asleep and goes back down no prob. Although we can be up for anywhere from 20 mins to an hour. Depending on her hunger. If she is unsettled, it can be longer but this isn't often. Usually she will sleep another 3-4 hours. Around 5am my partner gets up for work and Ashley and I are usually up feeding too. We go back to bed and depending on the day, she will sleep another couple of hours or more. Sometimes this is in our bed with me.

She will wake around 7am usually (although can be later!), depending on the night before. This is an awake time for her (after a feed) so I spend a couple of hours cuddling, jiggling, playing, her on the bouncer or play mat, etc while I try and get a coffee and breaky in.
She will feed again after a couple of hours and have a decent nap. I shower and do housework where I can!

We don't have a strict routine, I follow her cues. Some days she won't have another decent nap. Others she will after lunch for a couple of hours. Some days she just cat naps. Mornings and evenings she tends to feed a lot, more cluster feeds.

My partner gets home around 5ish and after awake time and our tea, he bathes/showers her (every second day usually), I feed and we have a quiet time getting her to bed. I am feeding her now, and she will be in bed very soon.

Like I said, we don't have a real routine. We go with the flow. I work around her and will do so until her feeds settle. Like tonight it feels like she has sucked me dry. Almost feel as though I have nothing left in there, which is unusual for me. I'm usually like a tap, filling breast pad after breast pad! She has fed all bloody night! And no decent nap since a car ride at lunchtime!

Right, off to bed....look forward to your typical day stories!

Night

Edited by emma_3335 - 20�May�2013 at 8:44pm

April 2013 Babies : JCD - awesome to hear things are...

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:48:51 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 20�May�2013 at 4:48pm

JCD - awesome to hear things are going well, yay!

Bobsta - OMG!!! How flippin annoying that you had to find that out for yourself from Google!!! Sometimes google really is a good thing ay, as well as trusting your gut instincts when you know something isn't right.

Emma - yay for self settling, there is nothing better than a bubs that self settles!

And yes the guys truly don't GET how hard it is being at home with bubs. Working is ten times easier!!! And being the milk machines that we are just makes it even harder. Even if we do pop out on the weekends, we're always conscious of when there next feed is and are they going to sleep for 2 hours before needing another feed or just 45mins - arghh!!! DH and I had a LOT of discussions/arguments about this last time round with DS1 but fortunately after 3 years he gets that he needs to ask me first before he goes out in the evening (I always say yes but it's nice for him to check in with me first in case I've had a horror day and really need him home) and he's pretty good at letting me get away for a couple of hours on the weekends to run errands, but of course I do always need to come back for feeds. I love breastfeeding but I also look forward to weaning. I did 9 months with DS1 so we'll see how I go this time.

Well I had a mini breakthrough. A friend (who has 3 kids of her own) came over last Wed and she is a Gina Ford follower, who people either love or hate, but she basically helped me get bubs to self settle and that has been A-MAZING!!! No more feeding to sleep, no more rocking to sleep, just sing a lullaby, wrap him up tight and say goodnight and he settles either straight away or within a few mins. Woo Hoo!

However I'm still figuring out how long to keep bubs up for at a time and what to do when he wakes in between sleep cycles. I always give him a few mins to resettle and then if he doesn't I get him up but I'm thinking I need to give him longer to resettle cos when I do get him up he's often cranky and tired. What do you girls do? In fact, I'd love to hear how a typical day goes for you all??

Also - I managed an outing with Josh in the frontpack!!! YAY! I realised I'd been putting him in there when he was overtired or unsettled so I tried putting him in during his awake time and he was great, he grizzled a few times but nothing major. Of course this outing was on a Wed when DS1 is in daycare as I'm still not brave enough to manage another outing with the 2 of them!!!

Love hearing from you ladies, keep up the good work, being a Mum is one of the toughest jobs in the world but also the most rewarding!!!

April 2013 Babies : Hugs to you Emma...your post is...

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:13:48 +0000

Author: Bobsta
Subject: 42315
Posted: 20�May�2013 at 8:13am

Hugs to you Emma...your post is exactly how I have felt this past week so I assure you it's not just you. Love my wee darling to bits but it's damn hard being on call 24/7 and the men just don't quite get it. I too have a bit of envy going on as I miss being able to just up and go some where when I feel like it. If a friend sends a text to play a quick round of golf, or go for a quick beer, we can't just say yeah sure, meet you in 5!! But I realise it's hard for them to understand and he probably thinks it's easy being at home all day!! We had a big talk about it so he is starting to understand just how challenging it can be and I understand how it is for him too so we have a better appreciation for each other. I then went out Saturday morning to do some odd jobs and the groceries and it was just AWESOME to be out a few hours on my own. I might make Saturday morning grocery shopping on my own a regular thing!

Rach, where do I start?! Once I read about it I tested my boobs and highly recommend you do this too. After a feed, walk topless into a cold room. Then watch your nipples and make note of the sensations you feel and the colour changes. Then warm up by using a heated wheatbag, hot water bottle, or hot shower. If the sensations fades instantly and your nipples go back to looking normal I think it's a pretty sure sign it's Raynauds. The best way to describe the pain is a deep throbbing, stinging, achey and pain feeling in and around the boob. Sometimes it can be sharp pain too. Once I paid attention to it I noticed it would start in the nipple but very quickly move deep into the breast when there was the slightest chill in the air. The nipple will go white and in extreme cold purple!! I didn't notice this at all as most of the time it changes colour was when I had a bra on. The first time I picked up the colour change was when I got changed for bed and took my bra off that night (usually I keep it on). It was the morning after that I decided to keep searching until I found out what was going on as I just knew it wasn't normal to be in so much pain. I put up with it as long as I did as everyone said "it takes time to get used to the sensation of breastfeeding" but I just knew what I was feeling was not right, despite there being no information in any books under the breastfeeding problems chapters.

For me it seems worse in one breast than the other, but it's definitely not pleasant in either. I found the pain comes after feeding rather than during the feed. For anyone with this, it can vary from mild to severe but if you read all this and it sounds like you...you don't have to put up with it. Go to your GP and get some Nifedipine. It's a medication used for high blood pressure but is used to treat Raynauds. Technically it's not recommended in breast feeding in NZ which is totally bizarre considering it's used to treat Raynauds in breastfeeding!!! There have been many medical studies about it so I have no problems taking it and both my midwife & GP said it is actually fine to take. Good luck, I hope this helps!

April 2013 Babies : Bobsta can i ask what the symptoms...

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:48:04 +0000

Author: rachie 13
Subject: 42315
Posted: 19�May�2013 at 11:48am

Bobsta can i ask what the symptoms you had with Raynauds Syndrome and your breasts? Because i have been having problems with mine, they go white sometimes when pumping and then the milk wont come and they so sore at times.

April 2013 Babies : Hi everyone. The last few days...

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:38:27 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 19�May�2013 at 11:38am

Hi everyone.

The last few days have been tough, but good. We have sorted the self settling, and Ashley will usually go down awake now and be asleep within ten minutes. So that has been good. We had one rough night where we were both in tears but she managed to sleep a five hour stretch after and then another four so was worth it.
She slept this again last night so fingers crossed this is her new routine.

I am getting more and more annoyed at my partner though. I guess it's almost a resentment feeling as he gets to 'escape' from it when he goes to work. And if he is here, she often still only wants me...or food. It's hard to give all day to her, and then have her dad want some attention too. Things are a bit strained but he helps where he can. I'm just a tad over it this week, so hopefully things get better. I am loving every minute of being a mum but it is tough and to have someone need you 24 hours a day takes some getting used to, so I completely get where you ladies are coming from!

Bobsta - that completely sucks that you had to self diagnose! Not good enough aye... i hope things get better for your poor boobs!

April 2013 Babies : I'm sorry I haven't...

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:44:22 +0000

Author: Bobsta
Subject: 42315
Posted: 16�May�2013 at 7:44pm

I'm sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I had a few meltdowns as really hit the wall with my sore boobs. It was getting worse and worse and nothing seemed to explain it. Finally I came across something in a book so I googled and read some medical articles that described perfectly what I was feeling. I spoke to the midwife and went to my GP. I have Raynauds Syndrome. Thankfully there's medication for it so in time I will once again have boobs that feel like boobs and can start to really enjoy breastfeeding. BUT WHY THE HECK DID I HAVE TO FIGURE THIS OUT FROM GOOGLE??? I'm soo frustrated that this is not taught at the antenatal classes, the midwife did not mention it edspite her knowing full well what it is, and it not being in most pregnancy/baby books!! It affects around 20% of breasfeeding woman for goodness sake! Ok rant over.

I'm so glad you are all well and Emma, she is simply gorgeous!

Speck, I feel for you. Most days things are rosy and I love everything. But the odd day things are just crap. Not Lili, sher is such a good baby, but I just feel crap and those seem to be the days my damn partner decides to go for a damn beer....like tonight for example. Grrrrr. Ok so maybe my rant isn't over yet. Sorry for being such a grump but I'm just frustrated. Partly I haven't posted because I've been so up and down and didn't want to bring you all down!!

April 2013 Babies : Hi everyone. Hope you are all...

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:48:19 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 15�May�2013 at 2:48pm

Hi everyone.

Hope you are all doing well.

Speck - sounds like you are doing an amazing job, I can't even imagine doing this with another wee one. Chin up :) fingers crossed things have got a little bit better.

Mrs - good luck with the feeding. Sounds like your wee one is doing really well.

I have just had my first Plunket visit. Ashley is now 10lb2oz (was 8lb 8) so she's doing well. We are still ticking along. She is still waking around the same times each night. Usually she is down by 8.30pm (just before is her 'awake time') then up every three hours or so. She is getting better at sleeping during the day, with one or two reasonable apps and a few little ones.

Feeding is still going well. She's guzzling it back. And I am getting a pump so in time, I can express if needed. Maybe then I could have a feed off! Probably not haha.

April 2013 Babies : Oh cute pic of Ashley, such a...

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:59:04 +0000

Author: Mrs JCD
Subject: 42315
Posted: 14�May�2013 at 3:59pm

Oh cute pic of Ashley, such a cutie!!

We have a guzzler as well, she is very appreciative (lots of noises!) while feeding. We are still working on the feeding thing - sore nipples, need to improve latching - so off to Plunket Family Centre for a feeding assessment tomorrow. It's hard to practice getting a good latch when you need nipple shields!

Otherwise, she is doing amazing and I'm loving seeing her 'rolls' grow on her legs and arms - super cute!

DH is amazing with her, which is just awesome to watch.

Better run, as time to do chores now while she sleeps. Oh, and we find the front pack amazing - and it's super comfortable - definitely doing to come in handy for our flight (eek, not long now, I'm in denial!)

Hope you are all doing well :)

April 2013 Babies : Gorgeous pic Emma! She looks like...

Sat, 11 May 2013 13:07:09 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 11�May�2013 at 1:07pm

Gorgeous pic Emma! She looks like a very happy lady

Well it has been a tough few days over here. The trip to the shops was an epic fail. By the time I got out the door Josh had already been awake for 40mins and was starting to get grizzly and tired and needed to go down again but I persevered anyway. The main problem was DS1. I had Josh in the frontpack and I couldn't lift DS1 into a trolley so I just held his hand. He's hard enough work on his own but with a newborn it was near impossible. He kept trying to run off. Normally I would just pick him up but of course I couldn't do that. We lasted about 10mins before I threw in the towel and went home with 2 crying boys - arrgghh!!! I do have a Phil and Teds double buggy but if Josh is going to be crying, it's easier for him to be on me than in the buggy.

Then yesterday, argh, mega tears from me. I just couldn't settle Josh for a long sleep, he'd wake after 10mins and I kept putting him back on the boob and it just wasn't working. I was a wreck by the time DH came home!!! I called the Aus equivalent to the Plunket Helpline and had a good cry and talked things over - ahhhhhhh I adore my boys, and I would so love to love this newborn phase but the utter truth is I really don't. It just breaks my heart too much when I can't get it right. It sounds awful but I just can't help but wish Josh was 6 months already....

Anyways, today is a better day cos DH is home so I can focus on Josh a bit more. I've tried swaddling him with one arm out this morning and am giving a different settling technique a whirl because my boobs are nackered from putting him on about 30 times yesterday! Wish me luck.

I hope the rest of you are having a nice weekend with your little ones and families =)

April 2013 Babies : Hope this works, wanted to share...

Thu, 09 May 2013 15:38:50 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 09�May�2013 at 3:38pm

Hope this works, wanted to share with you all. My darling Ashley, three weeks today

April 2013 Babies : Hey ladies, agree the updates...

Thu, 09 May 2013 14:04:31 +0000

Author: Speck8
Subject: 42315
Posted: 09�May�2013 at 2:04pm

Hey ladies, agree the updates are awesome, I really enjoy reading how you are all getting on!

OK well there goes my boy guzzling theory, he he!

So stoked with you ladies being able to use the front pack, I'm hoping Josh gets the hang of it really soon as I'm feeling really house bound at the moment. However I've decided that today when Josh wakes up next I'm gonna venture out with the 2 monkeys and just give it a shot. I'll put Josh in the front pack and perhaps put DS1 in a trolley. I need to get some slippers and winter PJs for DS1 so it needs to be done. Worst case scenario is Josh cries the whole time but we'll only be gone half an hour or so and I can handle that. Wish me luck ladies!!!

Awww Bobsta, it sucks when they have wind hey. Have you tried gripe water? I also find the baby whisperer's (Sharlene Poole) technique for bringing up wind to be pretty good.

Emma - nice to hear I'm not the only one with a catnapper. It's just annoying more than anything, particularly when dealing with DS1 but I know that TONNES of baby do this and from memory it does get better with age. By the time DS1 was 6 months he was in a pretty good routine of 2 long naps a day and perhaps one extra catnap.

Josh has done 40mins this morning, I went back and resettled him and he's asleep again now (has been 10mins) but not sure how long he'll sleep for. That's ok, I've got DS1 ready and we will just jump in the car when Josh wakes next.

JCD - would love to hear how you're getting on....

April 2013 Babies : I just love these updates from...

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:20:47 +0000

Author: Bobsta
Subject: 42315
Posted: 09�May�2013 at 9:20am

I just love these updates from you all, gives me the warm fuzzies reading about it all.

My boobs get that hard tingling feeling when I'm due to feed only sometimes, mostly I get the ache afterwards which is weird. My midwife is coming today so will ask her about it.

Have just started using the front pack when I go out and it's just awesome! She just snuggles up and I can do the groceries easy peasey! I spent almost all yesterday out and about which was a big confidence boost that I don't have to limit myself to 2 hours then go home for a feed and nap. I found a parents room in town and for 20c you can use it for as long as you want, perfect for feeding and changing in privacy!

Lili is a guzzler too and chokes herself when she goes too fast which is kinds of cute haha. So that boy theory is out the window! She did have major wind yesterday which was just awful, I have never heard her scream until now. Took about 2 hours to get through it and I think it was that bath that eventually settled her and calmed her down. It's so awful when you know they are in pain and there's nothing you can do about it but wait it out.

Well I better get on and use this quiet time to do a bit of a tidy up round the house. So good to hear you are all doing well.

April 2013 Babies : Speck, my wee girl also chokes...

Wed, 08 May 2013 19:15:43 +0000

Author: emma_3335
Subject: 42315
Posted: 08�May�2013 at 7:15pm

Speck, my wee girl also chokes when she feeds sometimes. She guzzles like nothing else. I can hear and see her gulping it back most of the time.

Ashley is also cat napping at the mo. she is still sleeping well throughout the night, but during the day is another story. Yesterday she cat napped all day. Today we both managed to have a decent nap, so much better!

Some days I feel like we have a wee routine sorted, other days is out the window. I am happy to go with the flow...luckily!