April/May 2011 mummies over here please!

[Devon Maid]

Over the past week and a half, Alice seemed to get a bit more demanding during waking hours and didn't want to be put down. She's always been un-settled in the evenings, even more so in the last few days. BUT she has slept through the last 5 nights, only waking at about 4-5am for her soother, and then going back to sleep until anywhere from 6.30am to 9am But we don't get any peace in the evenings and so hopefully the next step is for her to go to sleep a bit earlier rather than being grumpy, very hungry and crying on and off until about 11 every night.

She had an ulstrasound on Friday and it confirmed that she has congenital hip dysplasia in her right hip and she had a harness fitted yesterday She has to wear it for 8 weeks and hopefully that will fix it, they did say it wasn't too bad.

Hi SS! I could have written exactly the same about Ellie being more unsettled during the day. She's currently lying in her moses basket crying despite just being fed and having a clean nappy on! So I'm guessing she's just overtired so I'm just leaving her to cry herself to sleep as don't know what else to do! Having said that, she's just dropped off - result! I've put her in a sleeping bag for the first time as I'm worried about her getting too reliant on being swaddled. So far, so good.

Also, I had a friend who's baby wore a harness and although it's quite shocking to look at initially, she soon got used to it and her baby had no discomfort whatsoever which made it easier to get used to. You're probably more distressed than she will be but big hugs as it's still not a nice thing to happen. I didn't register that our girls are only a day apart! Be interesting to keep comparing notes on them!

CH - don't be pressured into exercising! What does it matter if you wait a few more months until you're fully recovered? I've said to myself that I'm waiting until Ellie is at least 6 months before I think about dieting and exercising seriously again.

I'm going to make the most of the peace and quiet now and get on with the NCT newsletter which I have to get done by the end of the month!

DMx

[fangol]

Hi gang,
Great to catch up on news. I think little Bea is about to wake up so not sure how long I've got!
I, too, have found Bea more unsettled, there you go, we were lulled into a false sense of security! She is still pretty good. I find the guidelines of awake for around an hour really useful, sometimes when she really cries it is literally because she is so tired. Which is soooo wierd. Why don't they just drop off to sleep????? Oh no, that would be far too easy....! DM, how long does she cry for before she goes to sleep? I just can't do it, she gets herself in such a state , I do a little bit of warm milk, swaddle and bum pat (such a life saver!!!!) and she goes off... sometimes it's just swaddle in a dark room and she's off. Just seems to depend. SS, if Bea is awake for longer than an hour and a half in the evening she is a NIGHTMARE... I can't stand it. So I make sure is awake around 5/5.30, feed her up, keep her awake for that amount of time (ish) top up feed and then in bed for around 6/6.30... or that's the theory. Yesterday DS woke her at 4pm. Wot a nightmare. By 5.30 she was knackered but there is no way I would put her to bed at that time. So strung her out until 6.30 and it took hours to get her to sleep...... these babies, they do keep us on our toes.
DM, don't say that about the reliance on the swaddle, ds was swaddled til he was nearly 6 months old!!!!! .... I'll stick with it for the moment....

SS, just wanted to say big hugs to you, I would feel the same. Even tho you know deep down she'll be fine and, in the long run, it is a tiny amount of time, it's still hard. Make sure you let us know how it goes. My best friends LO had one and she was absolutely fine with it.

Ch, I am seriously impressed with your gym visit. I couldn't contemplate it at the moment. walking to school is enough and I am hoping that it will build up my stamina and start strengthening my muscles, I feel so incredibly out of shape. I know EXACTLY how you feel about the clothes thing, 2 weeks after having ds I was in my linen trousers and I cannot do them up this time (4 weeks later..), it's a bit depressing. Don't be too hard on yourself, if your other half's birthday was a couple of months away it would be so much easier . So, DM, I am with you on the walking long distance thing, my bum area starts to ache and I feel so tired. But labour and childbirth are such major things. It's hardly surprising....

Oooops, there she blows. Better go. Just quickly, do your babies do this 'thing' when they are a bit restless and trying to get to sleep with they start straining/pushing their arms and legs about before they start crying? That's when I have to bum pat.... sigh...

Anyway, catch you later and sleep dust to all xxxxx

[fangol]

I wonder how NA is btw? Haven't heard and just hoping all ok ... aswell as everyone else of course xxx

[Vienna]

Hello! Sorry I've not been around. You know how it is!

SS, Sorry to hear about Alice, I'm sure once you get used to the harness it won't seem as bad, although I can totally understand where you're coming from and I'd find it upsetting too. I really thought that was a picture of Alice and thought she'd grown really quickly!

DM-I'm struggling with walking too, I've not pushed the pram that much only on school runs. I'm still seeing the chiro and she says that everything is weak down there until about 3 months. Still I had lots of nice long walks planned and found now I can't walk that far but hopefully it will get better. Also I started bleeding again yesterday after being a week of nearly dry which is so frustrating. I remember with Amy I was about 10 weeks until I was fully clear.

PRgirl, hope you're ok my love

Fangol, I'm sure it's ok to change Beatrice's name, especially if you've not registered her. I love both names Let us know what you decide.

CH- Time to go shopping me thinks for you? Can Dean take the kids for a couple of hours just so you can go and get something? Hope he had a nice birthday

Congratulations to chickster

Hope Hedgehog and Purple Lady are doing ok too. Sorry if I've missed anyone just trying to go by the last few posts to catch up.

Sam is the same as what I've read from you ladies, currently likes to sleep all day and be up all night from 2am onwards Finding it draining but luckily for me hubby is taking one of the night feeds of me so I can sleep. My pelvis is twisted again and it's taking it's time to be manipulated back to where it should be, so my back is killing and walking is a nightmare. I'm determined to keep going even though I've been told to treat myself as though I'm still pregnant.

Oh well had better go and feed the milk monster

[Northern Angel]

I wonder how NA is btw? Haven't heard and just hoping all ok ... aswell as everyone else of course xxx

Thanks for asking, only had internet access for two days since Olive was born BT engineers been here for last five hours and think its fixed. Sorry no time to catch up though, Olive needs feeding before school run... All good though. Love to all xx

[shining star]

Hi NA Congratulations to you!!!!

Thanks for the hugs.......I've been really up and down with it, fine one minute and down about it the next. I visited my friend today and her 1 week old baby, and it seeing how small he is made me sad that she already doesn't feel like a little baby anymore, the thing is so bulky and makes her feel much bigger than she is Anyway, enough feeling sorry for myself.

I'd be interested to see what kind of 'routines' every one is in. Routine is probably the wrong word, I don't mean in terms of how much they eat, sleep etc. but with regards to how you do naps and bed time:

Do you put them in their cot / moses basket for naps at home?

Do you put them up to bed early in the evening and then only wake them to feed?

Alice naps in the pram / car seat if we're out and about during the day. At home I've put her down for a nap in her cot in her room the last couple of mornings (although at night she sleeps in the moses basket in our room) but if she's hard to settle I might put her in the pram so I can push her around a bit to sleep.

She tends to have awake time in the evening, and if she's slept a lot during the day I'm wary of letting her sleep in the evenings. But I think we're falling in to a trap of her getting overtired and really grumpy. She can be awake and unsettled the whole evening and then we bring her up to bed at about 9.30 / 10 pm for a feed and to settle her to sleep, but it could take until 11 or 11.30 to get her to settle down. I'm sure we're doing it all wrong but I don't know what to do instead!!!

[ChelseaHarvey]

Zach is another one tha seems unsettled through the day as well, i really dont know why he has been very hard to settle this week & is not sleeping for more than about 45 mins in the day, where as he use to do a few hours. He is such a fidgeter as well he moves like mad & moves his head side to side when asleep (he sleeps on his front) i dont know if it is wind that is causing him to move so much

He is so strong as well im really surprised how strong he seems to be he has been pushing himself up on his arms for awhile now like doing pushups, he also pushes himself/wriggles to the top of his cot when he is put down to sleep at the bottom. At 3-4am when he wakes & i put his dummy back in i find him up the top of this cot. He also rolled this morning but im putting that down to a fluke as we were on the bed although last week he went from lying on his back to rolling onto his side & onto his arm

What are your LOs sleeping in at the mo where it has been so warm, Zach has been going to bed in a vest with a blanket over him. I did put him in his grobag the other night for the first time



I keep thinking about trying to put him down to sleep on his back but where he moves so much i just no he will end up waking himself up. I have had to go back to using a dummy again which is a PITA if he is not properly asleep like in the day the amount of times i have to keep plugging it back in who else is using dummies - i forget & do you find this?????? Its a right PITA

when she really cries it is literally because she is so tired. Which is soooo wierd. Why don't they just drop off to sleep??

Fangol i hear you on that. Zach does this cries loads & i stick his dummy in & he is straight off to sleep, hence another reason why i have had to go back to using a dummy as i could see he was so tired but he would just not drop off........

Do you put them in their cot / moses basket for naps at home?
Do you put them up to bed early in the evening and then only wake them to feed?

SS in the daytime if were at home Zach sleeps on the sofa on top of his mussie or on his lottie playgym. Only because if how unsettled he seems to be & the amount of times i have to plug the dummy back in... I CBA to be up 7 down the stairs every 5 mins as he never seems to drop off into a deep sleep in the day, he tends to about 6-6.30pm depending on what time he has had his bottle....

In the day if we are out he sleeps in his carseat/carrycot i cant beleive how big he looks in the carrycot now, there is no way he is going to be in that at 6 months still even 4 months id say. The seat part of his buggy says from 6 months+. I dont get why though as it lies flat so he is in the led down position why he cant go in it now?? & it would make my life alot easier. Its such a mission & palava taking it out & putting it in the boot along with his buggy...

At night-time after Zach has had his bottle at either 6-6.30pm he gets put in his Pjs & then he goes up in his bed or sometimes he stays on the sofa until i go to bed as this week a few times i have fed him again..

How much is everyones LOs drinking now & how old are they??

Zach will be 8 weeks on sunday & every bottle now is 8oz. The amount of feed though this week that he has been bringing back up is unreal.

[fangol]

She has just nodded off. I normally put her to bed between 6 and 7. So NOW what the heck do I do????
Grrrrr
CH will catch up later and answer your questions xxx

[Devon Maid]

No real routine here. Bedtime has been creeping earlier and earlier and is normally between 9 and 10pm. She has a feed just before and then gets winded and swaddled. Sometimes she goes straight off but mostly she cries between 5-20 minutes before nodding off. Having said that, the last few evenings, she has been going to sleep in our arms at about 7ish so think it might be time to start a proper bedtime routine at 7. Ellie cat naps 10 mins here and there all morning and is unsettled in between and then has a long nap just after lunchtime but times vary for this.

[Northern Angel]

Routine wise, I'm breastfeeding on demand. Olive feeds about 7 times during the day and twice overnight. She cat naps alot during the day and has settled down to having a long nap between around 12 - 2.30/3pm. At the moment, she naps in her moses basket, as I'm staying close to home. But I'm happy for her to have a sleep in the car seat if necessary. I'm bathing her at 6ish and settling her down in her moses basket at 7pm where she stays until morning with a few feeds. Olive seems much more settled than Jack was, but not sure if this is because I am 100% more laid back?

Off to bed now as I've had two visitors, plus BT engineer in here and a phone call from a friend who can't visit so I'm absolutely shattered as no nap time today! x