??May & June Mummies 2016??

[Alrm198]

I'm the same StephyLou, I'm worried people will think Meryl is older than she is because she's quite long and has a fair amount of hair. I really want to meet someone who has a baby the same age so I can compare them

Meryl had her weigh in on Friday during HV visit. She weighed 9lb 9oz and was on the 25th centile. HV very happy with her and Meryl even gave her some cheeky smiles

She started finger feeding on Sunday morning - we were laid in bed, having woken up at 5am for a 15min top up and some interaction with Daddy, and at around 6:30am Meryl somehow maneuvered her way to my hand and started sucking my knuckles to wake me up. DH was awake but contently watching her and her baby-ness lol. Since then she has started doing it to her own hands when she's a bit sleepy and might consider a feed. She also grabbed my hair yesterday and has taken to stroking my top between finger and thumb whilst feeding...

She's 7 weeks old today - time is moving so quick! Hopefully off to get some passport photos done of her tomorrow. Gonna find a Max Spielmann or Timpsons - does anyone have any experience of using them? DH has a week off work when Meryl is 11 weeks and we're planning on going away camping but would also like the option that if the weather is bad, we can get a last minute deal and go somewhere a bit nicer.

 

[Ttc1234]

Thanks for replying yorkslass. Rory has just been weighed and is 10lb 12oz and is 6 weeks tomorrow. I knew he had taken a bit of a growth spurt - now explains why he feeds so much. The past 2 days he has been really unsettled and fed most of the time. Breastfeeding is definitely quite hard. I'm thinking of going to my local support group this afternoon. Anyone tried expressing yet ? I'm going to try tonight so I can maybe get a break at some point as it's taking its toll on me.
Thankd

 

[Phoenix85]

I'm getting passport photos done tomorrow too hopefully. I want to go away at the end of September so need to get on with it. I've filled in the form, just need a counter sign and include the photos Birth certificate & cheque.

Phoenix was 6 weeks old yesterday and weighs 9lb 4oz now. She was only 6lb 4oz at birth so she's gained 3lbs already.

I've been expressing most days since she was 5 days old but I took a break from it last week. Yesterday I got 5oz over two sessions (3oz in the morning 2 at night) and today got 3oz this morning and will pump again later tonight.
I'm donating mine to the milk bank though not to feed to Phoenix, however I do have about 10oz in lansinoh bags in my freezer which I'm keeping for her if I need it.

 

[Ttc1234]

How often is she feeding and for how long Phoenix? I know every baby is different but I don't know many ppl who bf and with this being my first it's hard to know what's nromal. He doesn't really give me any cues he's finished feeding apart form faffing on the breast after 40 mins or so

 

[Siskin]

Phoenix, you're a genius! Changed my routine so that now I'm only expressing a little just to relieve engorgement, and so that I am now doing the night feed rather than having my husband give expressed milk at that time. I'm also continuing with the block feeding as it seems to result in A being more satisfied after a feed. This really seems to have helped. A had a night feed at midnight and then slept till 5:45am the last two nights when we tried this! I know two nights isn't really enough to say that it'll be a permanent change, but just getting those two blocks of sleep has made me feel so much better!

The breastfeeding advisor looked at me as if I was a bit mad when I mentioned block feeding to try to ensure A was getting the hindmilk with his feeds, but I think I'm going to continue with it as it seems to be working for us. Apparently his latch is ok so that's something.

Yorkslass, A and Rowan sound very similar in their patterns. A feeds very frequently through the day too (which works for me, if he's happy to stock up during the day and then have a longer sleep at night!). He is also pretty fussy every evening and either wants to be carried about or on the breast. I've resigned myself to this and will probably miss him wanting to be close all the time when he's bigger! I still have concerns about his weight too as he has dropped from the 50th to below the 25th centile and had only gained 80g last week - hoping this will pick up as I wonder if some of his spitting up was due to fast letdown (it always seems to be when I'm particularly engorged that it's at its worst).

Ttc, it's really hard isn't it, when you have no idea whether what you're doing is right or not. I'm the same as A is my first too. He's 8 weeks now and has slightly more of a routine, but at 5 weeks he seemed to be constantly on the breast throughout the day, feeding every couple of hours and taking 40-45 minutes per feed, snoozing the rest of the time but then crying as soon as I took him off the breast! He also cluster fed all evening every evening from 6-11pm ish and I think this is also normal as a way of stimulating your breasts to increase supply. Also as Yorkslass said I think they have a growth spurt about this age which doesn't help.

I too found it really hard to know when he had actually finished a feed. Eventually I resorted to breaking the latch with a finger when he didn't seem to be actively sucking. This had the positive effect that it seemed to wake him if he'd fallen asleep mid-feed and was still hungry, in which case I put him straight back on. If he was drowsy and contented I just left him be until he stirred again. Honestly I think at this stage you just need to go with it and trust that your baby will let you know what they need - as long as they have plenty of wet/dirty nappies and are gaining weight, it should all be good.

 

[Ttc1234]

Thanks Siskin - can I ask what block feeding is? Thanks

 

[Alrm198]

I'm going to try expressing tomorrow. I've been saying it for weeks but haven't actually gotten around to doing it. I think I got myself in to a bit of a tizz about it all tbh

I was interested to read on NHS website that you can try giving baby the BM cold from the fridge if baby will take it and that you only need to get the milk to room temperature before feeding...

 

[StephyLou]

I'm going to try expressing tomorrow. I've been saying it for weeks but haven't actually gotten around to doing it. I think I got myself in to a bit of a tizz about it all tbh

I was interested to read on NHS website that you can try giving baby the BM cold from the fridge if baby will take it and that you only need to get the milk to room temperature before feeding...

Thea has taken it cold from the fridge on hot days but usually sticks her nose up at it until its a little bit above room temperture. I think from the breast it must be slightly warmer.

 

[Phoenix85]

Breastmilk is at body temperature when they get it directly from the breast

Aww, Siskin I am really glad things seem to be improving, I hope it continues

TTC I honestly couldn't tell you how much she feeds or how long for I don't pay much attention to time, I just put her on when she's fussy and either leave her til she's done or unlatch her when she's been on a while and my nipple starts feeling irritated LOL.

She sleeps loads between 7pm and 11am, between those times she mostly only feeds every 2 to 4hrs and sleeps inbetween. She'll feed at around midnight/1am, feed again around 4am, and then again about 6/7am and then usually I leave her and she'll sleep til around 10/11am or longer sometimes but I tend to get her up by 11am at the latest unless we've had a more unsettled night or something.
Then for the next 7hours or so she will have some alert and quiet/happy time for maybe 15 minutes at a time, but spends a lot of the day being grizzly (tired) and feeding, falling asleep, and waking herself up and we do it again and again haha.
Unless we're out somewhere and then she might sleep in the sling.

 

[Phoenix85]

She's just fed for about 20 minutes, I laid her in bed and she's woken up and has hiccups now LOL. But she;s not crying, just making squeeky noises lol.

 

[YorksLass]

Haha! Hiccups are too cute - Rowan sounds like a chicken clucking
She's had a heck of a couple of days cluster feeding and crying and waking every hour or two in the nights, yeesh! Had to just let her lie next to me in bed so she could get some rest, but then of course, I didn't sleep for fear of squishing her! Must be having a good ol' growing session. I had a feeling she'd come out of it today and was right - after a grouchy morning, she's been really chilled, actually fell asleep completely at 7pm, only woke up just now at about 11:30, had a small amount of expressed and some boob and seems to have fallen asleep again now.., fx for a relatively peaceful night!
Thanks for the tip about melatonin in the night milk phoenix, I had an instinct that the milk was somehow different at night, but partner wanted to give her any old milk for the bedtime feed - I kept insisting on giving her evening milk though! We've found it quite good to give her some expressed last thing and to top off with boob if she wants more as, being a lazy feeder, she was just falling asleep before satisfying her hunger and then waking not long after hungry again. On the bottle, I think she fills her belly better before passing out lol

 

[Blueclass]

Hi it's been a while since I posted but great to see how you ate all doing. Summer is now 10 weeks and had her weighed yesterday and she is now 12.3lb and following the 50th percentile. She has started eating her hands and dribbling, lots of smiles and she is just the most amazing little bubba. Iv booked to join a baby massage class, has anyone else been I'd like to know if it was worth it xx

 

[Maud]

I did baby massage with my first. Enjoyed it so much we did a second course. It's not available this time unfortunately as my children's centre has been closed down and we'd have to travel too far for a private course.

 

[Blueclass]

Ok thanks, all the childrens centres here charge but it's only £28 for 5 week I think. X

 

[Maud]

Ours charged too, although it wasn't much; maybe £4 a session. I'm still annoyed we can't do it again as I met some lovely mummies on the course last time.

 

[Ttc1234]

So I've started expressing with my medela pump and it's pretty good. Got 1oz last night and 2oz this morning after feeding.
I'm storing it in the fridge atm until I get 5oz then going to get oh to give him bedtime feed each night. If out of the 5oz he doesn't take it all and I've heat it up can I put it back in the fridge to use again?

 

[YorksLass]

I looked at baby massage vids on YouTube lol - Rowan loves her massages, it's become part of her bedtime routine then a bath with warmed towels... it's like she living in a spa hotel haha

 

[Siskin]

Ttc, block feeding (I think) is where you use one breast per feeding session (rather than switching baby to the second breast) or for a set period of time, eg a couple of hours. I'm using it at present to ensure that A fully empties one breast to get to the hindmilk as I was worried that he wasn't managing this (I've had problems with oversupply and engorgement). It seems to have helped.

Regarding the expressed milk, once I've warmed it I don't usually put it back in the fridge. I usually take half a bottle out, warm it and see if he'll take all of it before then getting and warming the second half if he wants it. This has prevented a lot of milk being thrown away when he randomly decides he's full up!

 

[Blueclass]

I only give 2mls of milk at a time incase she don't want it.

 

[Elfs Mummy]

Hi ladies were currently on holiday which is lovely we've had beautiful weather until today. Charlie has started sleeping through from 10-6 most nights which has been amazing shame the biggest ones been up. I'm looking into donating milk I've currently for 50oz in my freezer and 20oz in he fridge I'm expressing twice a day for 5 minutes and getting around 18 oz from both sessions which I don't need as Charlie's only having 4/5 oz in the evening before bed