4 month baby & mummy update

It's hard to believe 4 whole months have passed since little Squidge entered our lives, it's hard to remember what life was like before he was a part of it.  It feels like he's doing something new every day at the moment.  There was a point about a week or so ago where he seemed to all of a sudden be doing so much more, amazing to see.

CLOTHES

He's fully in age 3-6 months now and has been for about a week - trouser legs are still a bit long, and tops are a big baggy, but 0-3 months are just too small - he's also progressed to the next size of socks (0-6 months) - as much as he has big feet and long legs, I have to remember that he's a really small baby, still in the 5th percentile.  I've also discovered how much I love Zara baby clothes - I love how they're different from what you can pick up everywhere else, and such great quality.  I bought some navy blue corduroys the other day, they're so incredibly soft!

TEETHING

Yep, he's teething, and it's been horrific.  I won't go into it too much as I blogged about it here, but basically he's been chewing his fists, drooling lots, very grouchy and grizzly, and has very rough patches on his gums.  We've found that Dentinox has really helped, and Ashton & Parsons teething powder.  I've also realised I need to get some baby feeding spoons as the only spoon I could give him the powder on was a normal teaspoon, not ideal as it can't be steralised.

SLEEP

He's still sleeping well, he goes down about 8:30/9:00pm and sleeps through until about 8am - although he does grizzle a bit from about 6am - but it's usually when his dummy has popped out, so I just pop it back in and he goes back to sleep.  The last couple of nights, since the teething, he's been waking about 2:30am and grizzling, but again, just popping his dummy back in makes him go back to sleep.  After chatting to other mummies at the mummy club I go to I realised just how lucky I am that he is sleeping through the night already :)

FEEDING

His feeds have been going really well.  He's feeding every 3 hours (so, 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm & 8pm) and has about 5-6oz per feed in about 10-20 mins.  I tend to feed him on about a 45 degree angle (used to feed him sat very upright) as I find it's easier to burp him afterwards if I feed him that way.  I love how we have this routine now, it's so much easier for me and him knowing where we are

PROGRESS

Apart from smiling all the time (making my heart melt) he's also reaching and grasping at toys, he even held a rattle the other day and waved it around :) He's developed a love for his giraffe comforter, he loves how soft it is and how chewable it is :)  He's rolled over onto his side a couple of times when he's on something squishy, still early days though.  He loves sitting up, it's his favourite, although he can't do it unaided, he still loves being upright.  He's cooing like crazy, chatting away and making some very explosive sounds, some of which are very high pitched!  All in all he seems to be coming along great :)

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10 week baby update

It's hard to believe Squidge is 10 weeks old, 10 weeks!  I can't believe how quickly it's going, it's like he's doing something new every day.  With that in mind, this is a very long post, so I'll crack on :)

Tummy time

Squidge with nanny

We've been trying to give Squidge as much tummy time as we can, his head is... well, it's mishapen with a big flat spot at the back.  The Dr isn't worried, she seems to think it'll fix itself, but we're trying to help by giving him tummy time on his play mat, and I'm using it as an excuse to cuddle him more on my chest/shoulder :)

Sleeping

My little angel, fast asleep in his moses basket (which he's rapidly growing out of)

Going back about a week ago, we had spent 2 weeks being up with Squidge until 4-6am every night, he just wouldn't sleep when it was dark and we were slowly losing our sanity.  Although, the funniest occasion was when he kept us up until 5am.  We both then slept through the alarm the hubby had set (7am) for work and didn't wake up until after 10am!  When we looked over to Squidge, he was lying in his moses basket smiling his head off, the cutest thing ever.  We couldn't help but smile and giggle about it :)

Squidge punching Daddy in the face in bed :P

Well, after being utterly exhausted, we read up on what to do to fix his night and day that seemed to be the wrong way around and this is what we did.  His last feed of the evening (around 10pm), I take him upstairs and feed him in the dark (we have a light on in the nursery that gives me enough light in our bedroom to see him to feed him).  I don't speak to him, I only feed him and when he rejects the bottle, I put him in his moses basket.  If he cries (not grizzles) I'll pick him up and continue to feed him, but if he grizzles and whines I leave him as sometimes he'll go off to sleep.

This seems to be working, not 100% but a vast improvement on what we were getting!  Now he'll sleep from about 11pm until about 12:30-1am, then wake for a feed, and go back to sleep about 2:30-3am until about 8am.  It's so hard not interacting with him when he's sat there smiling his head off at me though... I'll share a secret, I do smile back, and sometimes I'll kiss him on the head (I can't help myself!)... I'm terrible I know!

Developments

He's doing all the things he should be and more, it's really amazing to see him develop.  He's smiling, giggling and cooing, and even starting to bear is own weight when I stand him up.  A couple of days ago after changing his nappy, I stood him up on the change mat/table and he stood up alone, my hands weren't really touching him, just there to grab him when he fell or wobbled.  It's funny, he can't really push himself up if he's on his tummy, but he can bear weight on his legs, lol.  It's still his smiles that get me the most, he has the most beautiful smile he really does.

He's also been loving his bouncer, now that he's quite active in kicking his little legs, he gets a bit of a bounce on, he likes looking at the little dangling animals too :)

Expressing

This is the sad part of the update... my milk supply is gone :(  I'd tried expressing more often, but the reality was I'd express 3 times in 3 hours and then I wouldn't get the chance again for the rest of the day.  Each express I was lucky if I'd get 5-10ml, so it's now been a week since I've expressed, which makes me really sad :(  I think the hubby is a bit disappointed in me for stopping too... I really feel like I've failed Squidge, I wanted to keep him having breast milk right up until 6 months.  I know it's an excuse, but I really was struggling to find the time to express, I feel like I've either been out of the house, or had visitors here a lot, and the time I've been alone and able to express, Squidge has been awake and needing my attention.

Out and about

Mummy and Daddy with Squidge at Dyffryn Gardens Christmas craft fayre

Handmade Christmas tree ornaments from Dyffryn Gardens (£2 each)

We haven't been too many places with Squidge as hubby has been super busy with uni work in the evenings and at weekends.  We've also had our boiler replaced as ours died, so we went a week without heating and hot water, not ideal with a new baby!  The hubby did manage to take us to Dyffryn Gardens last weekend though, to their Christmas craft fayre (with carol singers!).  We're members of the National Trust so we've been trying to head to NT places to take advantage of our membership (that's why we bought it, so we could visit places for free with Squidge over his first year).

Cooking & Shopping

On a side note, I've also been experimenting in the kitchen!  I'd seen on Pinterest an image of Ferrero Rocher brownies, and considering they're the hubby's fav chocolate, I thought I'd give them a go - and they turned out fab!  I also made what I would call, Reeces Kisses, balls(ish) of crunchy peanut butter, covered in a blob of melted chocolate, which is then put in the fridge to set, super tasty!

I've dug out the Tassimo machine and stocked up on t-discs, so I'm enjoying Costa lattes at home :) 

I picked these up in Aldi, I was replacing some flowers and thought I'd opt for something more festive, and that would last longer :)

So that's my update, sorry it's been such a long one! Maybe I should go back to weekly updates?

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6 week update

So I've been a mummy for 6 weeks now, it's been 99% awesome, really it's 100% awesome, but seeing him cry his eyes out with colic breaks my heart, that's where the 1% has gone.

Colic

Just over a week ago Squidge developed colic - I'd always thought he suffered a bit with it, you could see he was uncomfortable with wind and would grizzle before fluffing or pooping, but a week ago it stepped up into a whole other level.  I blogged about it here (I won't repeat myself) :)

Cluster feeding

He's also been cluster feeding for the past couple/few days.  Where he used to feed every 3 hours, it's now about every 1.5 hrs, even in the night, which is really hard work.  We're giving him 120ml of comfort formula each time and some times he's looking for more after, other times he leaves 40ml or so.  He's cluster feeding as he's going through a growth spurt, something we've noticed as he's started growing out of his newborn sleepsuits & vests and is now mostly in 0-3 months (they're still a bit big, but they fit better than the newborn size).  According to the Wonder Weeks app, he's in the middle of a development leap too - ticks all the boxes of the signs of that too.

Breastfeeding

We've taken a step backwards with breastfeeding, in the last week every time I've tried I've failed, he just screams and gets frustrated.  I'm still expressing, but my supply has started disappearing again, this is mainly because of his cluster feeing, I'm not getting the time to express during the day, and over the last week the hubby has been busy every evening with his uni work so I've struggled to express then too - meaning I've been averaging twice a day.  I'm trying to express at least 4-5 times a day but I'm just not getting the time.

Meeting Grandad

This last week my Dad, Squidge's Grandad, flew over from Ireland to meet him and spend the weekend with us :)  This was really special for me as he's the only parent I have left after losing my mum a few years ago, so seeing him with Squidge was very special.  It's just a shame that he doesn't live closer, it would be lovely for him to be a bigger part of his life.  But to make up for it, his Nanny and Gramps (hubby's parents) are only 10 mins away, it's lovely to know that he'll grow up with them being a big part of his life :)

Moses basket

He's filling up his moses basket these days too, if Ewan the Sheep is in his basket with him, it touches his head, so we've moved Ewan out to give Squidge more room.  I think it'll only be another 2-4 weeks before we have to make room for his cot in our bedroom and move him out of his moses basket.  It's both wonderful and sad at the same time, it's lovely to see him grow and develop, but part of me wants to keep him all tiny and 'as-he-is' at the same time.

Mummy

As for me, I'm 90% better now.  I'm still a bit sore where I had my stitches, well, it did get better and now it's sore again.  I'll be having my 6 week GP checkup soon, so I'll mention it then.  I've also been getting nerve pain up my spine from the epidural, I'll mention that too.  I have my repeat GTT (Glucose Tolerance Test) this week to check and see if I'm still diabetic or if it's gone as we hope it has, so fingers crossed for that!  I've nearly reached the end of my daily injections of Clexane too (anti-DVT), only 2 days to go!  Other than that I'm doing well :)

I wouldn't change being a mummy for anything in the world, I love it.  And I've grown to really love the days when Daddy is at work and it's just me and Squidge, these made me so nervous to begin with, but it's a nice opportunity for some mummy/baby bonding time.

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First month of being a mummy

Little Squidge is officially one month old now, I cannot believe how quickly that has gone!  When parents say 'it goes so quickly' they really mean it!

The husband has now gone back to work, so in the day I'm alone.  We've only had 2 days properly by ourselves so far (today and yesterday) as Friday I was out and about in town and taking him into work to show him off.

Yesterday was probably the hardest day I've had yet.  Squidge just wouldn't settle, he was awake for 6 hours and grizzly.  I've had a bit of a cold and I think he's picked up a little something too, as he's been a bit snotty today.  Yesterday was hardest because I just couldn't do anything, he wanted to be hugged all the time and wasn't happy unless he was being cuddled, so that meant I couldn't get myself a drink, I couldn't express... it was really frustrating.  At least if he was awake and happy he could have gone in his bouncer, rocker, gym and been content.

First family selfie

He's still gaining weight too, when the health visitor weighed him last week, he'd gone up from his birth weight of 6lb 9oz, to 8lb 1oz, which is great :)  When you see him just in his nappy, he still looks very tiny and quite skinny, but his face is still nice and chubby as it should be :)

We've also noticed that quite often he'll be awake between feeds now too, typically during the evening - he'll just be there, awake and looking around, moving his limbs - it really is lovely to see him learning and evolving.  He can also hold up his head for short amounts of time now too, typically if you hold him upright, he'll hold his head there for a while, or if you lay him on his tummy on your chest, he'll lift his head up to turn it around or just hold it up :)

Mummy and Squidge ready for our first outing to Pettigrew tearooms

We also had our first couple of outings over the last 2 weeks.  Firstly we went to a blogger meetup at Pettigrew tea rooms (my favourite place in Cardiff!), it was the first time we were out without Daddy. It went well, Squidge was really well behaved and didn't cry, he slept through the whole thing! And then a week or so later, we went into work for Halloween as they always do a 'bring your kids to work' day for it, I think that might be where I picked up my sniffles from, it was lovely to see everyone though :)

As for sleep - well, it's mixed!  He went through a growth spurt at about 3 weeks, and he was cluster feeding, so for 3 nights in a row I had 2 hrs sleep, and was up with him from around 3/4am right through until about 7/8am, they were tough days!  But typically he'll sleep for 2-3 hours a night between feeds, the longest has been 3.5 hrs.  He's managed to have a 6.5hr sleep in the day too, so I know he can do a long sleep, it just needs to be at night :P  We've also got a new Silentnight mattress (this one) which has helped a lot with my sleep, it's firmer than our old one but more comfortable and supportive.  It's a pocket sprung one like our old mattress, but this one has built in memory foam.

All in all a great couple of weeks, I wouldn't change it for the world.  I'm loving every minute of him, and all the changes he's going through, I even love sorting through his nursery and clothes and all the standard mummy stuff that comes with it.  Yeah it'd be nice to get more sleep, but sleep isn't everything (remind me of that when I'm tweeting at 4am because I've been up with him for hours!).

Georgina <3
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Being a mummy - Week 2

17 days old - lying on the bed next to me at hospital, sleeping like a little angel :)

I'm sorry I've been so quiet this past week, it's been a bit chaotic and I've been back in hospital, I'll tell you all about it.  Squidge has been great (as usual), apart from the odd night of badly-timed cluster feeding.

Visitors
I don't know what it's like for most new-parents, I had visions in my head of having people visiting on a daily basis, so in preparation I stocked up on biscuits, tea and coffee ready for Squidge's arrival. The reality - we actually haven't had that many visitors, maybe a couple each week - it's been mostly just the 3 of us chilling at home with hubby and I learning about Squidge.  Needless to say, the biscuits were slowly consumed by us instead!

Health issues
Over the last week I've begun to feel quite poorly, feeling sick in general, having a bit of a temp, flu-like symptoms etc, as well as sharp pains in my lower abdomen, and my 'lady-parts' were getting more sore.  Then on 19th Oct (Sunday night), I started getting really bad period-type pains, I got up to go to bed and pop to the loo, and saw my blood loss had increased, and with that I passed a massive blood clot (think the size of a beer mat).  So I called the midwife ward who asked me to come straight in to their assessment unit.  I was there from 1:30 am until 6am - examined by a Dr, had bloods taken and a swab.  They decided that I have an infection and sent me on my way with a new 7-day course of Co-amoxiclav (antibiotics).

Fast-forward 3 days to the 22nd (Weds).  It's the afternoon, we've just bathed Squidge, I pop to the loo and the same thing happens again, blood loss and a large clot (about a third of the size of the last one).  So I called the assessment unit again and they asked me to go in.  Off the three of us headed. We had a little wait when I got there but not too long (about half hour).  They took my stats and my temperature was a little high (37.8 I think) - that combined with my pains and clot was enough to get me admitted for IV antibiotics.  Luckily they were able to get me a room, not just a bed on a ward, and the room had a double bed, which meant the hubby and Squidge could stay with me :)

Lunchtime the next day I had an ultrasound scan (thought I was done with these!) to check my uterus for RPOC (retained products of conception - i.e. placenta/membrane etc).  The good news was everything was as it should be, my uterus is lumpy (how it should be after giving birth, apparently!), my endometrium is 8mm (standard?) but they did see another clot - so I'm expecting to pass another one soon.  By 6pm I was discharged and sent home, boy was it good to be home, and sleep in my own bed again - I joke though, sleep, haha - Squidge was cluster feeding every hour, so I didn't get much sleep!

Awake time
Squidge has started being 'awake' between some of his feeds, typically between about 6-8/9 in the evening - he's just there, eyes open taking in the world :)  It's lovely, and each day he seems to make new cute baby sounds, only yesterday he did a really cute baby sigh - I'm loving all the firsts :)

The Highs

• All of his firsts - his cute baby sounds
• His weight gain - now 7lbs 7oz (he was 6lbs 9oz when born 18 days ago)
• Getting discharged from hospital
• Spending quality time with the hubby and Squidge - very precious moments

The Lows

• Being admitted to hospital and feeling poorly in general
• Some VERY poopy nappies, lol
• Squidge crying his eyes out when he was hungry and we didn't have any bottles steralised ready :(

Georgina <3
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First week being a mummy

The night before coming home - he was up all night and would only settle on me - I didn't sleep :P

A week ago today Squidge and I came home from hospital and began our family life together with the hubby.  It's been the most amazing, wonderful and tiring week I've ever had, and I've been somewhat emotional.  It's been filled with ups and downs but it's an experience I wouldn't change for anything.

The week started off very difficult.  Apart from being very sore from the stitches and the long labour (read more about that here), I'd also had a sleepless night at the hospital the night before - Squidge just wouldn't settle - no nurses were on hand to help me and I had no idea what he needed (it turned out he wanted more food, but I had no idea).  Needless to say it's been a big learning curve for me (and the hubby).  He'd only settle on me, so I had to stay awake until about 5am when I managed to get him to sleep for an hour, I was utterly exhausted.

Our first night at home was no better - we learned that cluster feeding existed the hard way and didn't get any sleep until 7am once we put Squidge in his Poddle Pod (what a life saver!).  We did discover a day or two later that keeping the lamp on in the bedroom seems to stop him cluster feeding and feeding normally, we've learned to sleep with the light on now :)

The next couple of nights were much better, he'd sleep for a good couple of hours between feeds which is enough to keep us feeling human.

The highlights

• Watching Squidge's face and all the little expressions he pulls when he's sleeping
• Endless cuddles from the little man, and knowing how well he soothes when cuddled up to me
• Seeing his Daddy take care of him - melts my heart - hubby is such an amazing father
• His smell - a mixture of milk and the Aldi non-bio washing powder
• Finally being able to express enough milk so that he's almost 100% fed on breast milk and not formula
• Going to the breastfeeding clinic yesterday and seeing Squidge latch on and successfully feed, then him feeding again when we were back at home, twice! (here's why it's been so stressful) 

The lows

• The frustrations I've had with breastfeeding - I've shed many tears over it
• Sleep deprivation
• So many poopy nappies!!!  As much as some of them smell horrendous, it's mixed with pride that he's filling them :)
• Finding it difficult to get on top of everything like the washing and housework - we've been so tired we just don't have the energy for it

It's been the most wonderful week of my life and one of the most difficult.  We've had immense support from the hubby's parents who have taking loads of washing away for us, brought food over and a gazillion other things I couldn't even begin to list (thank you both) :)

Georgina <3

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