h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just a bit of a warning for those who don't want to hear a bit about breastfeeding stuff, no need to read on.

has always been good at night, and his new trick is now not just sleeping five-then-four hours (with a feed in the middle), but dropping it entirely and sleeping for eight. This is, in theory, good, but it means that my breasts wake me up in the middle of the night, usually having soaked their way through the breast pads and through my nightclothes.

While he is still only sleeping through on the odd occasion I don't need to train my boobs to sleep through as well, so it's downstairs to the expressing machine (I want to have a bit of a stock so that I can leave him with Mr Vip for the odd evening). Half an hour later, with one boob now comfortable it's a bit easier to sleep. Back to bed. Then, an hour later, wakes up for a feed. Then he's awake for an hour. Then falls asleep. By this stage it's 7am and Mr Vip is up and getting ready for work, and even if I got back to sleep is on his daytime schedule of a feed every two hours.

So despite the fact that is sleeping more, I'm sleeping less. I'm not complaining too much - between 11pm and 5am today I got unbroken sleep, which I know some mothers dream about! Still. I'm sat here typing through a haze of sleep and actually wishing for the days when he woke at 3 and then slept again for four hours...

I think you'll adjust, although in the meantime it is a nuisance to wake up in a pool of milk. I remember sleeping with towels under me to save the mattress and sheets. You have my sympathy.

I also resorted to using the baby to make myself feel more comfortable, in dire emergencies, as in those days breast pumps were not so good as they seem now.

You sound as if you're turning into a wonderful mum, Vip and seems like a lovely baby! Well done!

Oh, it's just a matter of time before things settle down. He had a cold recently so started waking twice through the night, which threw things out a little. Once he settles back in to a routine he is comfortable with my body will adjust to fit. it's just hard work at the moment!

I think because he is a good baby, it gives me a chance to try things out and to be a good mum to him. I probably wouldn't khave nearly as much fun or patience of he was still feeding every two hours all the way through the night!

Man oh man, do I remember those days. Like Lanza I slept on a towel (at least I always knew where it was )I don't think I'll ever forget hearing my boys cry and suddenly dripping.

Your body *will* adjust when does, it just takes a wee while.

In the meantime, just relax and sleep as and when you can and express as and when you can. Has got used to feeding from a bottle yet? Maybe Mr Vip could help with the early morning feeds at the weekend to give you a rest.

We actually tried a bottle only last night, and he spat it out and cried a lot. I'm going to try ordering a different brand one today and experiment again when it arrives - this time with 30ml (1oz) rather than the 150ml (5oz) we wasted yesterday! Had I realised he would turn down a meal I wouldn't have put it all in there - I worked hard to express that!

Mind you, he is refusing a dummy as well (and these are posh, designed-for-breastfeeding ones). He might just have to stick with me until he is weaning and learns to drink from a cup.

Secretly I'm a bit pleased, although it does rather ruin any plans I had for any occasional evenings out in the next six months. My viola will just have to wait!

I've found that maernity towels (with plastic backing) are brilliant. But a towel is also good.

It took K (my youngest) a few attempts with a bottle, but he got used to it eventually. My eldest (J) was a greedy buggar and didn't really care how he got it (sadly the same is still true, hence the fact that at he weighs the same as his age - 18)

To be honest, we found the bottle quite difficult to manage (it was disposable and the bottle part was made of a flexible plastic bag, so you needed two hands for that and one for the baby!) so a change of brand is as much about that as ! Hopefully these ones will prove to be a hit. Perhaps on the second or third attempt.

ahhh the joys of being a parent





RJR

Well, after trying with three different types of bottles and several times with two of them, we may have to admit effect with bottles. It's not such a bad thing, and it won't be long before he can take a feeder cup anyway, so it's not toobig a problem. Oh well, orchestra will just have to wait!

None of mine took the bottle. None of them took formula. The big one, I started foods after six months I think, and she still just wanted mamma, but the younger one was delighted at oatmeal at three months, and dropped me completely by five months...

And they are both alive today, so I suppose I didn't hurt them too badly.

Any which way works. Sippy cups work earlier than you might think, and baby porridges are good stuff.

I think will like food, as he watches us very intently when we eat. He still hasn't found his hands yet though, so we have a way to go!

Fingers crossed I will be able to avoid formula altogether, bottle or no. It seems like such a wasteful expense when it's all here on tap!

Sorry, just need to complain... OW OW OW!

went from 19:10 through to 05:50 this morning. That wasn't so bad, but he only fed from one side so now the other side is in agony. It was a bit of a battle to get him down for his morning sleep, but now he is asleep I can't wait for him to wake up! Ow ow ow!!

I have so much more sympathy for dairy cows these days.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh. Teething.

I need say no more.

Poor Vip

I remember being so tired I used to put the baby onto the living room floor with various toys, barricade the door with a stair gate and fall asleep on the sofa out of total exhaustion. He must have been about the same age as crawling, not walking.

He survived, he's the same age as you I think Vip

I considered going down with him for his nap this afternoon. I should have done - he went for two and a half hours!

It'll pass, it'll pass... eventually.

It gets a lot easier once they hot one and start walking properly. Never underestimate the value of a physically exhausted baby.

My parents were much more unhappy when i started moving well - than they had a roaming problem to deal with

Anyway I was probably four before i walked well - before that (and, i personally feel now) bum shuffling was the way to go (much quicker than crawling, and with a better view of the world)

Hum, dilemma. If I go in and ask Mr Vip to turn over to stop him snoring (which is keeping me awake through the wall), I'll wake up , who is currently breaking his current record for not waking for a feed. But if I don't go in, I'm going to be sat here, listening to someone snoring for an indeterminate amount of time.

I'm going to compromise: I'm awake now so I may as well go downstairs. It's only going to be a short while until wakes up anyway... unless today is going to be the first day he's slept through since we moved bedtime to 7am! But I tell you what, being up at 4:30 is a vast improvement to the sleep I've had over the last three nights, so I'm not complaining!

Solution: just wait for Mr Vip to turn over by himself. Yay! It's a shame I'm so awake though. I guess getting 7 hours sleep with only one wake up is enough these days.