Jenson was a breech baby and at my 20 weeks scan I was told he had a 2 vessel cord so I was highly monitored from 28 weeks. Jenson’s weight had declined from my 28 weeks to 30 weeks scan, so I was monitored twice a week and scanned every 2 weeks. By 36 weeks Jenson was still breech and they offered an ECV. I went in to be scanned before the ECV took place and was made aware that the cord was very close to Jenson’s neck and he had very little water surrounding him. I decided I wanted to take what I felt was the safer route and have an elective c section.
My c section was pretty horrendous for me, and I ended up out of it on strong pain killers and gas and air, so when Jenson was born I have no recollection of his birth. Jenson came out crying but unfortunately got a little distressed so needed some oxygen to help him breathe, I was too unwell to hold Jenson so he was passed to his dad for skin to skin and I met Jenson out in the recovery room around an hour after he was born. Jenson was born at 39+3 weighing 6lb 15oz.
Immediately, in the recovery room I had skin to skin with Jenson although I wasn’t in the best state myself, I tried to breastfeed. We had a few latching issues, but I continued and was told when back on the ward Jenson had a very bad tongue tie, which you could see so clearly. I expressed colostrum and syringed this to Jenson, but it didn’t seem enough to calm him down. The hospital gave Jenson a syringe of formula while we tried to get more colostrum. We were discharged from hospital the next day.
When home I continued to breastfeed with nipple shields as for some reason, he couldn’t latch to my left boob at all, this become extremely uncomfortable for me, so I hand expressed and tried to pump to relieve the pain. On day 5 we had Jenson’s tongue tie cut.
Jenson’s feeding and weight loss got worse, we continued with breastfeeding and the oral exercises. On Day 10 Jenson was weighed again and he had lost even more weight, so we were then having daily weigh-ins and I was feeding, pumping, feeding pumping. I kept the pumping up but I really was not getting much milk at all! We found Jenson would never settle in the evening after a feed, so we introduced formula in the evening just a few ounces as I lost a lot of blood and was beyond exhausted, I really needed to get some sleep. Jenson during the day wouldn’t wake up for a feed, he was super chilled and when I did breastfeed, he just fell asleep on the boob, I would strip the clothing off to keep him awake but on day 11,12,13,14 he had lost more weight. So, we got admitted to hospital.
Jenson was a very mottled-skin baby, jaundiced and was losing weight so we were kept in overnight and had blood tests etc. They advised to pump and offer formula to help with the weight gain and all bloods came back ok except his thyroid which was due to the fact he was jaundiced and after a repeat set of bloods done 2 weeks later, he was absolutely fine!
We left the hospital, feeding, pumping and offering formula top ups and I just felt overwhelmed with it all as well as trying to take care of myself and heal from surgery I found it all too much as I barely got off the sofa or out of bed! So, by around day 18 I think, we decided to go to fully formula fed. We started on Apatamil and immediately he fed, would stay awake for feeds and seemed so much happier until around a month later, he was screaming scrunching legs up, so we changed to HIPP Organic.
Jenson has been on HIPP Organic since he was around 6 weeks old until 8.5 months old. I was told Jenson had silent reflux so we he had Gaviscon here and there but not every day as it made him constipated. Jenson has always suffered with constipation; we have had numerous doctor appointments and tried so many laxatives! The reflux stopped by around 10- 12 weeks and he hasn’t had any Gaviscon since.
I took Jenson to a cranial osteopath which I found helped the constipation, but since weaning the constipation has got worse. We went through a stage when Jenson was 14/15/16 weeks old, where he refused bottles and was screaming constantly, again we ended up in hospital as this was during the hottest days in the summer. I paid to see a private dietician as I was getting no help from our local GP/ hospital. The private dietician told me no CMPA issues and to start slowly weaning Jenson. We started this when he was around 20/21 weeks and started him on prune puree to help the constipation and this did help. We then moved onto other vegetables etc and the constipation began and so did him refusing food. One week Jenson would eat lots, the next nothing and it’s been like that for months!
We have had a few months now where he ends up so constipated, he is sick for 4/5 nights always in the evening, he will wake up crying and then projectiles. We were on holiday in October and Jenson was badly constipated and not himself at all, he then started being violently sick, we were told he had a viral infection, this turned out to be Hand, Foot and Mouth. Every time Jenson was given pain relief, he was sick and we have found Calpol doesn’t seem to agree with him! Since then, we have had another episode of chronic constipation leading to sickness and was told if he was sick again to go to A and E. We tried suppositories and Jenson was still sick so we went to A and E to be told he has another viral infection and again it seemed he had Hand, Foot and Mouth. I believe he is getting poorly from such bad constipation!
In November 2022 Jenson was prescribed Laxido daily in his milk and if he didn’t go every 2 days we were to give him suppositories or Dulcolax. Jenson has since seen private doctors (a week ago) who have done ultrasounds and prescribed Aptamil Pepti 1 in case of a dairy allergen. We also were to follow a Gluten & Dairy Free diet (as we have Celiac in the family, my partners niece has Celiac – she is 2) Immediately, Jenson was poo’ing and was eating more! This lasted for around 3 days, he now won’t eat and is suffering with the most awful wind, waking up screaming in pain and just doesn’t seem happy, unless in his cot asleep!
Jenson is also now constipated again, so it hasn’t helped at all! Jenson will go down for his naps well and bedtime but is waking in the night with chronic wind. At the moment we are having to shhhh him, cuddle him, feed him the tiniest amount of milk just to get him back off to sleep. Sometimes, this is literally an ounce! Feeding him in the night is ideally the last thing I try to get him to sleep.
Jenson has 2 naps a day with daily sleep time around 2 hours 45 minutes-3 hours
I am very consistent with my routine and find Jenson’s been in a good sleep routine for quite a while. we haven’t had many sleepless nights other than the odd teething night up until now, only when he has been unwell or when he is developing new skills then he has been awake crawling or standing in his cot! Jenson is a nightmare for napping on the go or out the house, so I ensure we are home for nap times! He loves his cot! I have probably made a rod for my own back there!
Jenson doesn’t have a dummy, at odd times he has a Muslin as a comforter or he may suck on it as a bit of comfort, but if I was to take this away it wouldn’t be an issue, he has always gone down well and self-settles.
Wakes anywhere between 6.30-7.15am and go downstairs he has some milk, then I leave it around 30 minutes and offer breakfast. This could be toast, porridge, Weetabix, pancakes (he normally refuses) sometimes he will have yoghurt or eat the tiniest amount. Throws it on the floor and whines in his highchair.
30 minutes prior to Jenson going down for his nap (I work on a 2.45 – 3 hour wake window from when he has woken that day) I take Jenson to his room, change his nappy, white noise machine on, feed him milk and put him down in his cot awake and within 5 -10 minutes he is usually asleep. He may stand up in his cot and then he will lay back down and go to sleep
Jenson normally wakes around 10.30am/11am
I bring him down and offer lunch around 11.30am Roasted chicken, sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, rice, potato, pasta anything like that, avocado, houmous, yoghurt, watermelon, berries, etc! One day he will eat well and the next he won’t!
We then will go for a walk, play, or go to a class and then home in time for his next nap.
Jenson goes down around 2/2.30pm again, I take him up to his bedroom, quiet play time, offer him a bottle of milk and he goes down in his cot awake and self-settles to sleep. (I work on the time he has woken. Normally aim for a 3.15-3.30 wake window) Jenson will then wake around 3.30-4pm.
I offer him dinner around 4.30/5PM and then we play until our bath and bedtime routine starts.
Jenson is always in bed and asleep by 3.5 hours after he has woken from his last nap, so this may be anywhere between 7-7.30pm. We start bath time around 6.15/6.30pm and I have the blackout blind down, get him ready for bed, have quiet play time, white noise machine goes on and I feed him around 30 minutes prior to putting him down in the cot. Sometimes Jenson will take the bottle, other times he won’t until 7PM on the dot, he also is fussy with a lot of bottles and pushes them in out, in, out!
Once fed we burp him, wind him, and again have some quiet time before he is put in his cot awake, within 5 minutes, Jenson is asleep.
Over the last 6 weeks, Jenson’s been waking religiously in the night, normally anywhere around 1-3am (but most nights it’s at 2am) and then again between the hours of 5am-6.30am. If its after 6.30am I don’t mind us getting up for the day, if its before 6.15am I try my hardest to get him back to sleep.
Jenson wakes up screaming in his cot and we can normally shhhh him back to sleep, by just stroking him and saying shhhhh, but he then normally wakes 30 minutes later with terrible wind and will only go back to sleep once we have got the wind out of him! This is happening sometimes 2-3 times a night, it really does vary at the moment, and it hasn’t always been like this!
Jenson is quite an independent little boy, he is super nosey, loves watching people and sussing everyone out! Jenson doesn’t enjoy being cuddled to sleep unless unwell. He is sociable, but he’s always onto the next thing, he crawled quite early and now is walking along the furniture and with his walker. He doesn’t stop and is very determined. I would say he knows exactly what he wants, and he is sure I know of that!
My partner and I work really well as a team but he does work in the City 3-4 days a week now so I do most of the feeding, etc, although when his dad is around he is super supportive and very hands on. I have a good family that are supportive as well, so I have a good team around us! 😊
