New baby and post birth advice #60

[opintionatedperson]

I blame tiktok for making us think we need so much in our freezers and I hate the pushing of breastfeeding as well down your throat. Not great for the mental health. I could pontificate for a long time but I won't .

Baby stomach is tiny literally mls are needed and if latch is good you might not need to hand express.
My fellas couldn't latch so I hand expressed and I literally got maybe 2mls by myself but a midwife was able to get 5mls for example.. I was lucky the ward was quiet so they were available that's not always the case. We also topped up with a bit of formula which I was open to . But so what feels right for you and baby

 

[justonemorepage]

Anyone else reading this and wondering where the rest of the one and done club is

I'm one and done for many reasons but if it was feasible for us I'd want a 3-4 year age gap as eldest would be in school so would have more time to focus on baby when on maternity leave. That is if it all worked out in an ideal world lol.

@RibenaBerry regarding colostrum harvesting, I would spend ages trying and barely get a drop. It was so frustrating but I did end up breastfeeding (combi feeding) for 4 months. I second what others said about mental health. My baby had a poor latch and I really struggled with pain due to this. I knew nothing about breastfeeding going into it and thought it would come naturally but I really had to work for it. My mental health suffered as a result and I tried pumping but that didn't work either for me. In the end the baby just stopped herself. It broke my heart but since I've been fully formula feeding my mental health is on the up and baby is absolutely thriving so try not to beat yourself up too much over it but also get support early on. Midwives, feeding consultants and breastfeeding groups such as le leche league will have so much information at hand and are all there to support you. Good luck and all the best!

 

[watermelon sugar]

I’ve not long started using sleeping bags because my baby has been so tiny she’s not been able to use them so far. Only had her in a vest and the sleeping bag the last week because it’s been roasting, it’s a lot cooler tonight. Gro egg says 23 but feels cooler? Got her in a babygrow & a vest, and will put her in sleeping bag does this sound right? Super paranoid don’t remember this with my first

 

[opintionatedperson]

I’ve not long started using sleeping bags because my baby has been so tiny she’s not been able to use them so far. Only had her in a vest and the sleeping bag the last week because it’s been roasting, it’s a lot cooler tonight. Gro egg says 23 but feels cooler? Got her in a babygrow & a vest, and will put her in sleeping bag does this sound right? Super paranoid don’t remember this with my first

It sounds perfect to me
I'm dressing my baby tonight in a baby grow , vest and 1 tog sleeping bag. It's 23 atm but will drop during the night to about 21 so that's what I tend to do.
It's personal preference but I know myself tonight I'll have my pj's on and a duvet and he typically has an extra layer to me.

 

[freddofrog]

anyone else at the weaning stage and baby isn’t particularly interested? baby frog will kinda take a mouthful or two of a puree and then all interest is lost.

i’ve tried some food he can hold too like bits of toast, pitta, egg bites, brocolli etc and he’s got slightly better (will suck on it for a min or two) but that’s it really.

feel a bit rubbish about it as other mums seem to be giving their babies a proper little dinner at almost 7 months and my son can’t be bothered with it disheartening especially when you’ve made them things specially and it ends up on the floor. i never get cross or frustrated with him so he doesn’t associate the high chair n food with that but gosh sometimes i wonder why ive bothered at all!!

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Colostrum harvesting wasn't mentioned to me with either of mine. I didn't have any leaking or anything whilst pregnant, and I've never got the hang of hand expressing either time. I breastfed my first for 12 months and my second for 16 months.

If it's something you think you might want to do, my biggest tips are:
1- Research, research, research. Be prepared, know what to expect, especially cluster feeding, because some smart arse will always try and tell you that if they're feeding a lot it means they're not getting enough.
2- drink gallons. I had water bottles in every room.
3- don't let anyone else influence your decision to continue or stop. It's your choice whichever way you go with it.

 

[watermelon sugar]

It sounds perfect to me
I'm dressing my baby tonight in a baby grow , vest and 1 tog sleeping bag. It's 23 atm but will drop during the night to about 21 so that's what I tend to do.
It's personal preference but I know myself tonight I'll have my pj's on and a duvet and he typically has an extra layer to me.

Ah perfect thank you! It’s been a bit chillier today hasn’t it so she will definitely need an extra layer tonight! I have a 1 tog too

 

[calmyourritas]

anyone else at the weaning stage and baby isn’t particularly interested? baby frog will kinda take a mouthful or two of a puree and then all interest is lost.

i’ve tried some food he can hold too like bits of toast, pitta, egg bites, brocolli etc and he’s got slightly better (will suck on it for a min or two) but that’s it really.

feel a bit rubbish about it as other mums seem to be giving their babies a proper little dinner at almost 7 months and my son can’t be bothered with it disheartening especially when you’ve made them things specially and it ends up on the floor. i never get cross or frustrated with him so he doesn’t associate the high chair n food with that but gosh sometimes i wonder why ive bothered at all!!

My little girl never really showed any interest until she was way over 12 months, she would have a spoon or two of puree but wouldn’t even attempt any finger food or anything. I stressed so much about it thinking what am I doing wrong, but they get there in their own time! She just lives off beans and nuggets now anyway

 

[Crones884]

Ah perfect thank you! It’s been a bit chillier today hasn’t it so she will definitely need an extra layer tonight! I have a 1 tog too

Someone shared this with me a few threads back so just throwing it back in

 

[Nfj]

Hi all, can anyone reassure me about colostrum harvesting please? I’m almost 40 weeks pregnant and have been trying to hand express colostrum pretty much every day since I was 37 weeks with no luck whatsoever I know it’s not necessary and is more of a ‘just in case’ thing but I’m beginning to worry I won’t have any colostrum once the baby arrives. Did anyone have the same issue and go on to successfully breastfeed?

I didn’t either bother trying with #1 and bf for nearly two years without any issues. I only stopped during this pregnancy as I couldn’t hack it anymore. The aversions
---

Colostrum harvesting wasn't mentioned to me with either of mine. I didn't have any leaking or anything whilst pregnant, and I've never got the hang of hand expressing either time. I breastfed my first for 12 months and my second for 16 months.

If it's something you think you might want to do, my biggest tips are:
1- Research, research, research. Be prepared, know what to expect, especially cluster feeding, because some smart arse will always try and tell you that if they're feeding a lot it means they're not getting enough.
2- drink gallons. I had water bottles in every room.
3- don't let anyone else influence your decision to continue or stop. It's your choice whichever way you go with it.

This is such good advice. The crap I’ve read and seen online, and heard in person, about cluster feeding.

 

[Burrito88]

Anyone else reading this and wondering where the rest of the one and done club is

over here! I can’t believe I used to want 3 kids, one is definitely enough for me

Hi all, can anyone reassure me about colostrum harvesting please? I’m almost 40 weeks pregnant and have been trying to hand express colostrum pretty much every day since I was 37 weeks with no luck whatsoever I know it’s not necessary and is more of a ‘just in case’ thing but I’m beginning to worry I won’t have any colostrum once the baby arrives. Did anyone have the same issue and go on to successfully breastfeed?

I had a planned c section due to breech position and didn’t want to harvest colostrum in case it induced labour and I got into big trouble with a breech birth baby burrito ended up having a tongue tie so the midwives provided syringes and eventually an electric pump for me after baby’s arrival. my husband was holding the syringe while I massaged my boobs like crazy and we were getting 0.1ml my boobs did eventually get the message and the colostrum was easier to harvest. We supplemented the odd feed with formula too until my milk came in. As someone else said, newborns need a tiny amount!
Remember if you keep the syringes in the freezer don’t take them into hospital for the birth - ask a trusted person to bring them in after baby is born otherwise they will defrost and become unusable (must be used within 24hrs of defrosting I believe?).

 

[freddofrog]

My little girl never really showed any interest until she was way over 12 months, she would have a spoon or two of puree but wouldn’t even attempt any finger food or anything. I stressed so much about it thinking what am I doing wrong, but they get there in their own time! She just lives off beans and nuggets now anyway

ah thank you this is good to know! it’s probably just my own stupid comparisons to BLW videos i see on tiktok n my automatic assumption is i’m doing something wrong.

i have no doubt whatever fancy finger food i create for him, one day we will be sharing a mcdonald’s in the car

 

[opintionatedperson]

ah thank you this is good to know! it’s probably just my own stupid comparisons to BLW videos i see on tiktok n my automatic assumption is i’m doing something wrong.

i have no doubt whatever fancy finger food i create for him, one day we will be sharing a mcdonald’s in the car

Tiktok is a curse.. I need to delete it again as I re downloaded it recently when I was ill...
They'll all be on chips from McDonald's in a few months

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Tiktok is a curse.. I need to delete it again as I re downloaded it recently when I was ill...
They'll all be on chips from McDonald's in a few months

Order them at the counter instead of the machines and you can have them with no salt

 

[Greenfly125]

Awh see i feel like ive been robbed of that cause she was big so we are in 6 to 9 month babygrows i feel like i never got the small small baby cuddles if that makes sense?
Hope you're on the mend too!!

Just seen this and can so relate. My baby was over 10lbs so was never ‘small’. It feels so irrational and stupid because I am grateful for a big, healthy baby but I never had those tiny baby cuddles.

Baby is 4 months…
Highs
-watching him figure out rolling and finding his toes
-him rubbing his feet together on the changing mat
-when his face all screws up in excited anticipation before squealing
-smiles in the morning

Lows
-the 4 month sleep regression and the multiple wake ups when he’s hard to get down again
-the messy house is starting to wear me down as he won’t nap in a cot

 

[watermelon sugar]

I never done my highs and lows!

Baby is 13 weeks old today

Highs - seeing how good her big brother is with her, how she smiles at him and giggles when he talks and plays with her
How she started doing little giggles
That the last few days she’s slept in until gone 9am
She’s rolled from her front to back a couple of times
The colic seems to have disappeared *touch wood*

Lows - she’s got a right cry on her thats ear piercing and sometimes I just feel helpless
Struggling with juggling the two now it’s the summer holidays. Feel like I don’t give my eldest the right amount of attention

 

[fudgebox]

Baby fudge has turned feral over the weekend, we went swimming for the first time Saturday and then he started crawling the same day and now he can sit himself up from any position and pulling himself up on things so we’ve had to lower the cot right down, he’s just absolutely crazy it’s hilarious

 

[freddofrog]

highs
- he is now very content with playing on his play mat with his toys
- he can army crawl across the floor now !
- finally naps in his cot which is HUGE!
- been loving this age much more than when he was tiny

lows
- not very interested in food, despite my best efforts (see post above…)
- some nights i think we have bedtime sorted 100%, then the very next day he’s up till 10-11 for no reason at all!

no huge lows really!

 

[LavaFlake]

Love playing the fun game of has my baby’s sleep gone to shit because of teething, wind, the four month regression or mercury being in retrograde.

I feel like it just gets worse and worse. He was inconsolable last night for a good two hours. I think under his gum from the front I can see teeth maybe. But who knows?!

I was going through my WhatsApps and I sent a message to a friend at the middle of June saying his sleep was going downhill. It’s been relentless and I’m so tired.

 

[manpyj89]

Love playing the fun game of has my baby’s sleep gone to shit because of teething, wind, the four month regression or mercury being in retrograde.

I feel like it just gets worse and worse. He was inconsolable last night for a good two hours. I think under his gum from the front I can see teeth maybe. But who knows?!

I was going through my WhatsApps and I sent a message to a friend at the middle of June saying his sleep was going downhill. It’s been relentless and I’m so tired.

The sleep deprivation as a new parent is absolutely the worst part. A few bad nights in a row and I start to spiral and my mental health takes a real turn. I’ve nothing to say that can help, just solidarity