MSE Newborn to 1 year (& beyond!) baby club 2

IHateDida

cleofish wrote: »

Has anyone heard or tried a 'dream feed'? I was thinking that if I could get LO to go down early that perhaps we could try the dream feed? Or do you think it might be too early?
As it is now, if she is sleeping around 11/11.30pm I change her nappy and wake her and give her a feed, wind her and take her upstairs to get her down in the moses, sometimes this works sometimes it doesnt , she still seems to wake for a feed around 2am anyway. We keep her downstairs until around 11.30 as when we tried getting her to bed early she would just wake and I would end up bringing her downstairs anyway.
Anyone fancy sharing their sort of routine that they had for their 6 week old?

Hi cleofish - I had (and still have) a similar routine to you with the 11pm feed, and the evening sleep routine also started around 5-6 weeks (a bit "hit and miss" in the early days but I am so glad we persisted).

Basically the "routine" starts at around 5-5.30 - aka the "witching" hour....we play gently with her or dance to some "tunes" on the radio with her (!) then at 6pm (or 6.30 if we are home a bit later) we read a couple of books (she doesn't understand a word but her interest in her books has grown and she seems to just like hearing our voice - she particularly likes Room on the Broom!!). Then its bath (with a bath book) and then a bottle of milk - and we pop her down in her cot and pop her Tomy Dreamshow on (we have used this since birth to signal that its time to sleep).

Then at 11-11.30pm we get her up for her "dream feed" - another bottle and also a nappy change (which wakes her) - pop the Tomy light show on again and she sleeps until around 7am. Then its another bottle and a nappy change and then I pop her down in her cot again until she wakes between 9-10am (sometimes if I am lucky....10.30am!). I started bringing her into our bed at 7am but she just got hyper and wouldn't settle and it would be a really loooog day - and have found popping her down in her cot for another couple of hours = a really happy smiley baby for most of the day (with a nap sometime mid-day or early afternoon).

I have found the most important bits of our routine are her Dreamshow and the bottle at 11pm, and also putting her back in her cot at 7am.

WOAD - my LO was tongue tied and also my birth was a little cr*ppy - but I expressed and formula fed for 3 months and it nearly killed me - but the guilt won at the time. When I switched over to entirely formula feeding - it was such a relief - I had much more time and the guilt eased when I realised that LO wasn't suffering because of it. A midwife said to me - a happy mama = happy baby, and this is sometime that I strongly believe in. If you want to give BF-ing another chance, then do so (and get support), but if you're not entirely happy, don't beat yourself up over ff-ing - loads of us do it, and it doesn't make you a bad mum (although it does make you a bit financially poorer!!!). The relief that I felt when I went over entirely to formula was immense after nearly killing myself expressing every 3-4 hours (and if you do express - try a hand expresser - I went through 3 different electric breastpumps and I have to say that the best pump I came across was a "First Years" manual breast pump that I got from Amazon for less than £20!

And don't let anyone convince you to try nipple shields - they are the most undignified things ever, milk goes EVERYWHERE when baby decides to look around (and they fly off creating an angry baby as you try to attach them again!) and they aren't like bf-ing to your baby - they are more like bottles!!!!! I happily destroyed the ones that I was recommended to use with a pair of scissors!

Saffagal

IHateDida wrote: »

don't let anyone convince you to try nipple shields

In the defence of nipple shields (never in my life imagined I'd ever say such a thing!) But I really believe they helped me continue breastfeeding. In hospital LO latched fine, we got home and a day or so later my milk came in, my breasts grew and LO struggled to latch meaning I ended up with painful, cracked nipples. I Dreaded feeding her!!!! Night feeds were the worst. At my midwife's suggestion I sent OH to buy me a pair of nipple shields. I used them for about 36hrs, just long enough to let my nipples heal a bit and to get to a breastfeeding group to get some support and help with latching. I haven't used them since but they got me through one of the worst patches.

IHateDida

Saffagal wrote: »

In the defence of nipple shields (never in my life imagined I'd ever say such a thing!) But I really believe they helped me continue breastfeeding. In hospital LO latched fine, we got home and a day or so later my milk came in, my breasts grew and LO struggled to latch meaning I ended up with painful, cracked nipples. I Dreaded feeding her!!!! Night feeds were the worst. At my midwife's suggestion I sent OH to buy me a pair of nipple shields. I used them for about 36hrs, just long enough to let my nipples heal a bit and to get to a breastfeeding group to get some support and help with latching. I haven't used them since but they got me through one of the worst patches.

Ok.. good to hear a positive take on them! I think they were suggested too far along for me to make any real progress with them (they were suggested a few weeks in when LO was still being cupfed - that blinking cup - aaggh - I still have nightmares about it:mad:!). LO just got really angry as milk wouldn't come out as fast as she wanted - she already had had the cup (but no bottles as I was still positive about BF-ing being a possibility) where she could drink quite quickly.

minimuffin12

Hi guys, re routine, In the early days I craved a routine so badly, As everyone else has said, you have to distinguish between day and night. He is sleeping about 11hours now with a few cat naps during day., last bottle at 7 30pm. Although he keeps me on my toes and was up at 5.30am last fri, was a looong day! Things definitely eased into a routine about 8 weeks, esp as we started to get out and about. I got my £2 blw book today, so pleased with my bargain! Took lo to baby music today, he is only interested in chewing whatever instruments are there.lol

sunshine_1988

I really wanted a routine too, but my LO had colic so our bad times for that were between 6-11 at night so we couldnt do a routine really. He fell into.his own routine in the daytime re sleeping and feeding and from about 4-5months the evenings were easier to manage as the colic cleared. We always did bath and pjs too, and I always got him and myself dressed in the mornings - tbh I think that was for my own sanity

I did alot of walking with the pram, spent alot of time and money at shops and retail parks! He would settle much better in the pram and the fresh air really helped me. I used to try and have little things planned so I didnt feel I was cooped up, even if it was just knowing I was getting him weighed the next day that was good enough for me!

Hope everyone is well? My OH had a sickness bug yday so me and LO stopped at my mums, he missed his daddy alot though and was very excited to see him this evening!

Also, I move house in two and a half weeks yey! Anyone know how katie is doing with her sale?

Finally - did anyone see the peaches geldolf and katie hopkins debate on this morning? I youtubed it just now....


Xxx

katiechoc_2

Hi sunshine . Eep not long til your move, are you all ready? Ours is a waiting game at the moment, not had anymore interest, but it's only been a week, and it's not the best time of year to try and sell. Impatient though!

George is sleeping badly again, driving me mad. Was working til gone midnight last night and he was up before I even went to bed and 3 times since. Been up since 5 off and on. Planning on getting a duvet and pillow but think I'm clutching at straws thinking its going to make any difference

Sorry for the moan, too tired for this no sleeping malarkey. I thought by 18 months we'd be ok!

Mrshaworth2b

Morning ladies.

Katie hope you can get back to bed! You've beaten me this morning!

Off to work soon so just a quick post. Sorry all ladies having lo sleeping probs.

New mums welcome and congrats just wanted to say about the whole routine business. In the early days - forget it. I was exactly the same, craving a routine, however small. But.... Now looking back I wish I had just gotten on with it and enjoyed my baby instead of reading all about sleeping routines and feeding routines and bedtime routines! For the first month we didn't try to go upstairs to settle lo until 11pm by 6 weeks he was rubbing his eyes at 9pm so we brought bedtime forward, by 8 weeks he rubbed his eyes at 8pm so again brought it forward. Now however at nearly 8 months, he could quite happily go anywhere from 8:30-10 before sleep.

By all means have a little routine to keep you sane but please don't worry about your lo, I didn't realise we had a routine unt 12 weeks, because I just did all I had to, to get through the days with him. It WILL all work out in the end, you might want to punch us all for keep saying that but guess how we know..... Because we've been there and done it. Enjoy your tiny babies, I miss mine! (Although have to say I love the interaction now, so I can cope with less cuddles!)

Enjoy your day ladies

katiechoc_2

Morning mrsh2b . No going back to bed for me. Once I'm up at that time, that's it. Feeling a bit less pathetic and woe is me now, I know others have it worse so I need to suck it up really

We've got our first frost here this morning. Brrrrrr! Going to have to get wrapped up when we go out to get his quilt set from argos. Regardless of whether or not it helps his sleep I'm excited to put the covers on and make his cot all cosy

Hope everyone else had halfway decent nights!

*Nutella*

katiechoc wrote: »

Sorry for the moan, too tired for this no sleeping malarkey. I thought by 18 months we'd be ok!

So did I! My LO falls asleep in her cot no problem, but wakes up at some point between 10 and midnight and just screams until I pick her up and cuddle her back to sleep in my bed. It's at least three months since I spent a whole night in the same bed as OH. I'm going to start sleep training in January - we're off to my parents for two and a half weeks for xmas, which always messes up our routine, so I don't want to work hard on establishing something that'll get thrown out a couple of weeks later I hope he likes his pillow and duvet! Do *not* look at bedding from Dunelm Mill - it's soooo nice!

Sunshine, I used to do exactly the same thing re. leaving the house - I had to have at least one activity a day that involved getting dressed and getting some fresh air. Very important for sanity! In fact I still make sure we leave the house every day.

Hope everyone is well - have a good day all x

Claree__x

*Nutella* wrote: »

Do *not* look at bedding from Dunelm Mill - it's soooo nice!

You know you've basically just said don't push the big red button, right? :rotfl: