Newborn advice

jellyhead

savvy's tip was that babies are all different so not to worry if what works for others doesn't work for you. many new parents worry when their baby isn't 'typical'.

a midwife on the hospital ward tried swaddling when all 3 of us in the room had squawking babies after midnight. on 2 of them it worked like magic but it just made my baby even more cross lol! he was a thumb sucker even when newborn in hospital, she said you could see he'd been used to playing with the cord in the womb because he could use his hands. he could put his thumb in his mouth, remove his scatch mitts and clutch a comfort blanket so he wouldn't stand for not having his hands free. worth a try but if it makes baby cross then don't worry.

jellyhead

by the way - what's the inside of the basket made from? are you sure it can't be tumbled? what about drying on a radiator?

the covers for our swing and boucy chair both say they can't be tumble dried but i've done both in the drier a couple of times (used line or radiator the rest of the time, don't want to use drier all the time in case the covers shrink). no ill effects. i suppose the print might get ruined but they're only in them for a few months.

darth_vader_4

My experience was very similar to that of across. My baby liked being wrapped in swaddling. I found that as long as they were wrapped up warm they slept well. If your baby likes to move her arms try wrapping the swaddling so that her arms remain free and use a knitted cardigan to keep her top warm.

Savvy_Sue wrote:

... The next best thing was my finger, or his father's finger (but mine was nicer.)

As for putting a finger in its mouth I don’t know about that…especially if it’s the same finger that checked its nappy!!!!!!!!

Savvy_Sue wrote:

...One way of finding out if the nappy is clean or dirty is to stick your finger down the back ...

Not very hygienic. I would take/seek advice from your qualified Health Visitor.

Congratulations on you new baby girl, enjoy the time as it passes faster than you think!

Karnam

i dont stick my finger into the nappy, but i do lift the side of the nappy around the elastic on the leg and look in. my mum used to do this. you do need quite clear light but you can see it easily if she needs a change.

jellyhead

i do that too, he gets very grumpy about it though lol!

mrsbez_2

Hello there!

I think you are doing really well and yes it is very tiring and hard work but it gets alot easier with time!

I can only let you know what i tried:-

-talk to health visitor - see if a change of formula brand will help with sicky problem, also keep baby upright for a while after feeding - over shoulder.

- i was told to cluster feed in the evening - forget the 4 hour rule - this cluster feeding really worked for me - feed twice in evening - say 4pm and 7pm and then again at 11!(you just have to make lots of bottles!)

- try to prop the top end of the cot/moses basket up to help with sick/positing, so that it is on an angle. (i agree with letting babies sleep where they are most comfy, in prams etc) we took pram upstairs for a while.

- bottles - i'm still making them so i freshly boil the kettle, i rinse out and always empty kettle and fill with fresh water to boil, fill bottles with boiled water and cool in a jug of cool water, add formula when cool and put in fridge immediatley, don't add formula until last minute as the milk can go off.

This is only my experience, our daughter is now 13 months old and i found it so hard to start off with! just use your own judgment and don;t compare with other babies and books! newborns don;t usually sleep through the night straight away and you do get used to not alot of sleep.

Just smile and sleep when you can, don't worry about housework either, get all your visitors to do that!

(just in case there are any breastfeeders reading this - eat loads and this really helps with feeding and filling them up!)

enjoy

pdoff

wish i was doing as well as u! ds2 is 13 days old. sleeps all day then awake at night. no probs getting himself to sleep in day in car seat or on sofa but screams when put down at night. finally slept last night at 4am but i was up at 7 with ds1 who is 3 years old & no longer naps in day so i dont get chance to sleep when baby does. dh back at work tomorrow so i will have to do all night stuff on my own now. good job my ceasarian scar healing well! u r doing brilliantly!

Karnam

my baby wont sleep in her crib at night, only during the day. its a warmth thing, she prefers sleeping in our bed at night.

jellyhead

*HUGS* i remember the shock of my husband going back to work lol! does your 3 year old go to nursery? i use the alarm on my mobile to wake me up if i nap in the afternoon. my husband sets it to go off in time for me to wake up and set off to collect my son from school. most of the time i'm awake anyway but in the early days i would fall asleep on the sofa while rocking the baby.

jellyhead

hi karnam, our baby likes our bed too. he starts off in his crib, a sleeping bag helps. if you zip baby into the bag before you put him down he warms up in there and is less likely to notice the cold when you put him into the crib.