He goes to sleep at night just as well when he has had the daytime naps outside (sometimes as much as 6 hours asleep in buggy during the day outside).
Usually he is put down awake at nighttime feeds, because I have to give him thrush drops after the feed, which is an instant waker up!
He does use a dummy, and I think that might be the issue? Cause at night time, when falling asleep he tends to spit it out and that wakes him a bit as he goes searching for it ... when he is in deeper sleep and he loses it it doesn't bother him ... So when he is actually going to sleep at night, I replug the dummy for abour 5 - 10 mins or so, till he is in deep sleep and doesn't care any more, and if he wakes during the night, he can settle himself without the dummy ... or me reassuring him.
Now poor man is napping in the baby bjorn once again on me! Gaah!
Maybe I should try putting him to sleep without the dummy at night?
Well, the hour has whizzed by and I have to sign off, but my book "First Time Parent ( the honest guide to coping brilliantly and staying sane in your baby's first year)" covers all these issues and more so for those that didn't win a copy, do have a look (it's out in paperback in May). You might also want to check out Fairy's network of new mums and pregnant women called Fairy Godmothers for support and tips from other mums. My main belief is that new mums (and dads) have much more 'expertise' than we think and we don't need to be patronised or told what to do - once we've got the basic info we can work out our own way of doing things. It's hard to squeeze it all into these webchats, but I'll try to come back and answer the Qs I missed later on. Good luck in the meantime! Lucy x
Hi TallKatie2 - poor little (very cute) baby girl. Colic is a very vague term used to describe non-specific gut pain of young babies, and it does often begin at around 3 weeks ish of age, peak at around 6 weeks and fade off by around 3 months (I've got a section on this - and general wailing from gut pain - in First Time Parent). I can see you're worried about her health so do see your GP for peace of mind if you haven't already (though I'm sure she's fine). You're also worrying a bit about her feeds - understandable, most of us have worried at some point whether our baby is getting enough milk. However, the best way to tell if she's getting enough is to take her to your health visitor/baby clinic (find it via your GP if you don't know about it already) and get her weighed. If she's putting on weight just fine you can stop worrying about that too. For the wind/tummy pain you could try different teats and brands of formula, and also try burping her the way I've described to another mum today. If she's healthy and growing but none of this works then it's about finding ways to cope til this 'colicky' phase passes - and it will. It's about survival (for you - your baby will be just fine): get support - breaks, relief, help around the house, rest wherever you can etc. Good luck! Lucy. ps. on the poo front - I should just say that it's not unusual for the poo regime to slow up as a baby grows. Some babies poo a lot (newborns often go after every feed) others (especially breastfed babies) poo as little as once every 3-4 days. The odd green poo is normal too. (btw I have a section in my book on poo, too:let's face it, it's something we mummies all a little obsessed with)
[Modified by: LucyAtkins on November 10, 2008 02:43 PM]
Camlo - ooo I'm impressed that you can even keep your eyes open enough (and hands free) to type with a 12 day old. At this stage - and very few people tell you this - the reality is that you kind of have to give in and just spend a lot of your time breastfeeding (as you've no doubt noticed!). It really helps, psychologically, if you accept it. It takes a while for the 'supply and demand' thing to balance itself out. The key to efficient breastfeeding - where your baby gets a really good amount at each feed - is that old Latch On Technique (again, I'm repeating myself but it really is the root of most breastfeeding issues). My First Time Parent book has a checklist of ways to tell if you're doing it right (too long to retype here!) and also pics etc of a good latch on. Or get a breastfeeding advisor (try NCT/La Leche league or your local hospital) to take a look at your latch on technique. It's normal for feeds to be unpredictable so do feed on demand, and let him feed as long as he wants to - offer both breasts. Ideally you're aiming for about 6 - 8 feeds in 24 hours when the feeding is efficient, but even this is unlikely to always be nice evenly spaced feeds. Basically, a 'good' sucking pattern is quick short sucks to start with that soon change to slow deep sucks. He should come off spontaneously when he's done. If this isn't happening do get a specialist to look at that latch on (your health visitor may not have the most up to date training - a trained breastfeeding advisor is what you want). Keep up the good work! Lucy
Sammie - baby swimming is a brilliant idea. You can take them from day one if the pool is warm enough (though frankly you'd have to be superhuman to be that organized). I can recommend Water Babies (www.waterbabies.co.uk) it's brilliant - and they have info about babies and swimming generally. Have fun! Lucy
Hi Sara, I can see the temptation, I really can, but don't do it. Honestly. The advice on weaning babies onto solids is actually from around six MONTHS (not four months) because scientific evidence from the World Health Organization (ie.loads of medical studies) shows that around this age a baby's body is better able to cope with real food. If you give rusks or other foods to your little one now, there is a chance that he will develop health issues like digestive problems (for instance an intolerance to wheat) or allergies such as asthma or eczema later on. At 7 weeks your baby's system just isn't ready to cope with things like rusks and though he may seem fine to you, there's a chance that you'll end up with problems later on. I know there'll be a lot of grannies saying 'in my day...' and a lot of other mums saying 'just give him..' but there'll always people who'll do silly things not realising that all the best evidence really IS to wait. Give him nice regular milk feeds and be patient: he'll thank you for this later in life. Lucy
Lilyloo - yes, really go for it on the routine (and the mobile - you can get ones that clip on the cot so they can watch the little bunnies go round with the same sleepy tune or whatever). Keep it REALLY reassuring and consistent: hope it works.
Replies
He goes to sleep at night just as well when he has had the daytime naps outside (sometimes as much as 6 hours asleep in buggy during the day outside).
Usually he is put down awake at nighttime feeds, because I have to give him thrush drops after the feed, which is an instant waker up!
He does use a dummy, and I think that might be the issue? Cause at night time, when falling asleep he tends to spit it out and that wakes him a bit as he goes searching for it ... when he is in deeper sleep and he loses it it doesn't bother him ... So when he is actually going to sleep at night, I replug the dummy for abour 5 - 10 mins or so, till he is in deep sleep and doesn't care any more, and if he wakes during the night, he can settle himself without the dummy ... or me reassuring him.
Now poor man is napping in the baby bjorn once again on me! Gaah!
Maybe I should try putting him to sleep without the dummy at night?
[Modified by: LucyAtkins on November 10, 2008 02:43 PM]
Camlo - ooo I'm impressed that you can even keep your eyes open enough (and hands free) to type with a 12 day old. At this stage - and very few people tell you this - the reality is that you kind of have to give in and just spend a lot of your time breastfeeding (as you've no doubt noticed!). It really helps, psychologically, if you accept it. It takes a while for the 'supply and demand' thing to balance itself out. The key to efficient breastfeeding - where your baby gets a really good amount at each feed - is that old Latch On Technique (again, I'm repeating myself but it really is the root of most breastfeeding issues). My First Time Parent book has a checklist of ways to tell if you're doing it right (too long to retype here!) and also pics etc of a good latch on. Or get a breastfeeding advisor (try NCT/La Leche league or your local hospital) to take a look at your latch on technique. It's normal for feeds to be unpredictable so do feed on demand, and let him feed as long as he wants to - offer both breasts. Ideally you're aiming for about 6 - 8 feeds in 24 hours when the feeding is efficient, but even this is unlikely to always be nice evenly spaced feeds. Basically, a 'good' sucking pattern is quick short sucks to start with that soon change to slow deep sucks. He should come off spontaneously when he's done. If this isn't happening do get a specialist to look at that latch on (your health visitor may not have the most up to date training - a trained breastfeeding advisor is what you want). Keep up the good work! Lucy