Polly is generally a happy, calm baby when not hungry or tired. She was quite unsettled during the first few months due to weight/ feeding issues and she gets very upset when overtired now. Each nap and sleep is a battle and she resists them strongly due to over tiredness.
Polly born (6.1 lb) via emergency c section at 38 weeks as a result of PROM and failed induction due to position in pelvis. I was on progesterone from weeks 15-36 of pregnancy due to PROM risk. I haemorrhaged during the C section and was given a blood transfusion. All of this led to me not being able to hold Polly for many hours after her birth. She did skin to skin with her dad. I was on hospital for 5 days in total before being allowed home.
Breastfed for first 3.5 months with one expressed bottle or formula bottle at night (due to weight gain issues). She lost 10% of her birth weight and took 3 weeks to gain it back. I saw lactation consultants multiple times and was told her latch was fine, but her weight gain continued to be slow despite feeding 1.5-2 hours. She was eventually diagnosed with tongue tie at 5 weeks and it was corrected. After that she suffered colic (diagnosed by doctor) for 7 weeks and cried uncontrollably for a large part of the day. It was less severe at night and she saw an Osteopath after a month and it calmed by 3 months. I cut dairy, tomatoes, beans etc out of my diet by this point in case she had intolerances, but it didn’t make a difference. During this time she would reject the boob and dropped a centile again and was only pooing every 4/5 days. I started to express and offer her BM via a bottle and after a few weeks she began to reject the BM bottles completely. I stopped all BM by 3.5 months as advised by the health visitor. Since being on formula Polly’s weight has been fine and she seems much more content. The only issue is reflux, but it doesn’t seem to cause her pain.
Polly refused to sleep in her cot from the day she came home from hospital. Her Dad and I kept her in the living room in her Sleepyhead bed on the sofa for the first few weeks and stayed awake in shifts through the night so one of us was always with her. She had to be held for all naps for the first 3 months or in the baby carrier on walks. From month 1-3, we would put her to sleep in her sleepyhead on the sofa at night and her Dad would bring her in to my room in her sleepyhead and put her into her cot like that beside me and I would feed through the night.
4 months+ she would nap in her bassinet pram and sleep directly in her cot without sleepyhead.
Infacol for colic and a few doses of baby Gaviscon (prescribed by doctor). I stopped the Gaviscon as it caused constipation.
Occasional Anton & Parsons herbal teething powders now.
Polly wakes in her cot between 6-7am and will generally be happy to chat to herself for 30 mins.
I then put her down for a nap after a wake window of 2 hours, unless she shows signs of tiredness early (rubbing eyes, red brows, tearful)
Each cot nap is a struggle and increasingly so recently. Occasionally I will put her down on my bed and she will sleep slightly longer. Generally cot naps are 30-40 mins. She has to be rocked for 20 + mins and put down when fast asleep with her dummy every time. I also use a white noise bear for naps and a cloth I’ve slept with for scent. She usually wakes up chatting but occasionally upset.
I usually take her for a pram nap (dummy and muslin draped over pram) at lunchtime and she may nap for 30-60 mins. There are usually some tears and resistance at first and then she will go off. Since 4.5/5 months she has woken from her pram naps crying and desperate to get out (very curious). She is still in the bassinet but will move to the upright pram at 6 months.
Can be 3-4 naps a day depending on the duration and I always leave a wake window of 2 hours between her last nap and bedtime.
Bath from 6:15-6:30 and then a leg massage in her room and into her nappy and sleep bag. Bottle and then lots of tears (v tired!) and rocking to sleep with dummy for 20+ mins and put down fast asleep on her step-brother’s bed. Up until this week she has been waking up crying 2/3 times and had to be resettled before sleeping until 11 ish. I go to bed at 9:30 and her Dad will stay up and give her a bottle and nappy change around 11:30 and then rock to sleep without dummy and put her in the Next To Me cot beside my bed. He will then go to sleep in his son’s bed. Polly tends to wake up around 4 (but can be between 3 and 4:30) and I will give her a bottle and rock her back to sleep without dummy but with white noise and put back into her cot asleep. She usually stirs a bit and doesn’t seem to go into in a deep sleep at this time and wakes fully between 6-7.
5 in a day, 5 hours apart. Generally 4am, 9am, 2pm, 7pm, 12. Bad reflux after bottles except 7pm and 12am bottles. We hold her up for 20 mins after feeds. She usually drinks all of her night’s bottles but wind or reflux in the day stops her drinking bottles and she won’t want to go back to it that feed.
Day 1:
6:30 – woke in cot and happily chatted to herself for 30. Then I brought her into bed with me for a cuddle.
7:20 – nappy change and go to the living room for a play
8:30 – baby porridge (started 3rd September and only has about 2 teaspoons) and milk bottle (150 ml). Held up for reflux. Brought up milk a few times
9:20 – (30 mins) cot nap. Resisted and had to be rocked for 20 mins and put down asleep with dummy.
9:50 – woke up chatting, nappy change, play, get dressed for day
12 – 1pm (60 mins) pram nap. Resisted and took 45 mins to go off to sleep with dummy.
1:30pm bottle (160ml) and held up for reflux. Brought up milk a few times
2.:45 – 3:15 (30 mins) cot nap. Resisted and had to be rocked for 20 mins and put down asleep with dummy
3:15 – 4:20 play mat, read books, tummy time (she’s never been a fan but now flips herself on to her tummy but she can’t flip back!)
4:20 (30 mins) cot nap. Resisted and had to be rocked for 20 mins and put down asleep with dummy
5:10 – wake up. Daddy home from work play time.
6:15- 6:30 bath with relaxing music
6:30 leg massage, nappy, sleep suit
7 – bottle (180ml). Lots of tears as very tired but resisting sleep. Up until a month ago she would be so upset we would have to get her off to sleep and dream feed her as she would refuse her bottle due to upset. Rock to sleep and put down on her brother’s bed (in her room) when asleep. Asleep by 7:30.
8:30 – woke up and resettled.
10pm – woke up and had to be held and rocked for an hour
11:15 – bottle (140ml)
11:30 – back to sleep without dummy
2:15am – woke up and rocked to sleep for 20 mins with dummy
4:30am – woke and bottle (130ml) rocked back to sleep for 20 mins without dummy
Day 2:
7am – woke for the day in a her usual chatty good mood. Play on play mat in living room.
8:55 – nap on my bed (40 mins) . Rocked to sleep with dummy
9:40 – wake up, baby porridge and bottle (110 mls) brought up quite a lot of milk an hour later while on her tummy.
12:15- 12:45 (30 mins) – pram nap
2:30 – bottle (180 mls) brought up quite a lot of milk 30 mins later
3:30 – play with sensory toys
3:30-4:40 – pram nap (70 mins)
5:00 – Daddy home playtime
6:15 -6:40 bath, massage and into sleep bag
6:50 – bottle (220ml) – wind halfway through and refused the rest but then finished the bottle. Rocked for 20 mins and put down asleep with dummy. Woke after 10 mins and had to be rocked to sleep again with dummy.
11:30 – woke. Nappy change. Bottle (230ml) at 11:45 and back to sleep without dummy.
4am – woke. Bottle (130ml). Rocked back to sleep without dummy.
7am – woke for the day.
