New baby and post birth advice #3

[SophSpinsSillyStories]

Car crier too - sprogling number 1 used to be too but now he falls asleep as soon as the engine starts so I console myself by thinking that it will stop at some point! My mate put her baby in the front seat so she could console him but I’m not quite there… yet….

 

[Definitelyme]

I’m sending sympathy to you all! My eldest son cried every car journey until he was 18 months, and there were times I honestly thought I was going to have a breakdown. It’s so hard to listen to the screaming, while driving (especially with 3 other voices talking at me and their CD playing as well ). My youngest daughter was 9 months when she stopped so I’m hoping this boy only has 4 months left because the torture is unreal!

@I’mThankyou_ and you have two crying?! Bless you, you’ve the highest spot in heaven waiting after putting up with that!

We all need some of these I keep seeing ads for https://www.loopearplugs.com/pages/parents-2

 

[Icbaaaa]

Is it normal for baby's nappy to be stringy and mucusy when they've got a cold or viral thing? My daughters had 3 dirty nappies today so far and the first was green, seedy mustard with black bits and mucus (Dr's have checked her over for the black bits before and said it's normal) (nappies are usually mainly green too cos she's on kendamil), 2nd and 3rd were both seedy mustard with quite a bit of mucus in them both. She's also teething so not sure if that contributes! Anytime I text my HV she always ignores me!

 

[mg89]

All these comment about car criers - we are going away tomorrow and baby will be doing 90 min trips in the car and he's only done two 20 min journeys in his 9 months, one being when he was taken home from the hospital. I'm dreading it!!

Is it normal for baby's nappy to be stringy and mucusy when they've got a cold or viral thing? My daughters had 3 dirty nappies today so far and the first was green, seedy mustard with black bits and mucus (Dr's have checked her over for the black bits before and said it's normal) (nappies are usually mainly green too cos she's on kendamil), 2nd and 3rd were both seedy mustard with quite a bit of mucus in them both. She's also teething so not sure if that contributes! Anytime I text my HV she always ignores me!

My little one had really grim nappies when his 2 teeth were cutting and during a cold - apparently due to excess snot/saliva? Weirdly the NHS says no evidence of this during teething but everyone I've spoken to who's a parent says the same.

 

[WhatABore]

Just a wee moan from me…

Baby is a car crier. 3 out of 4 of my babies have been, and it makes life just that little bit more difficult than it should be. My parents kindly take my toddler on a Wednesday so I have all day free until the school run. But getting out to do errands is pretty much impossible as he screams the whole time in the car. Or if I go at nap time that’s fine, but if it’s only a 20 min car journey then he only sleeps for that 20mins, then he’s exhausted, and then 20 mins of screaming on the way home I dunno what part of my kids is broken to make them cry in the car and not enjoy it like other babies

Ahhh I feel so bad for you!
All of mine loved the car. My first and second, wouldn't matter how long we're in the car, they'd sleep that long.
This time it was a bit of a shock to the system where she'd sleep briefly and then scream
So I really feel for you!

Although with my second, we ended up with her only napping if we were driving. Ended up costing a fortune in fuel because she wouldn't nap and would be a nightmare otherwise

 

[Definitelyme]

All these comment about car criers - we are going away tomorrow and baby will be doing 90 min trips in the car and he's only done two 20 min journeys in his 9 months, one being when he was taken home from the hospital. I'm dreading it!!

I sure he’ll be perfect but definitely try and go at nap time. And have a wonderful time away x

 

[ejej123]

Is it normal for baby's nappy to be stringy and mucusy when they've got a cold or viral thing? My daughters had 3 dirty nappies today so far and the first was green, seedy mustard with black bits and mucus (Dr's have checked her over for the black bits before and said it's normal) (nappies are usually mainly green too cos she's on kendamil), 2nd and 3rd were both seedy mustard with quite a bit of mucus in them both. She's also teething so not sure if that contributes! Anytime I text my HV she always ignores me!

I’ve always been told nappies can go really funny when teething! And obviously if baby is unwell x

 

[CrimeJunkie]

Omg when the formula is wasted………..

This is the worst!! Especially now I’ve moved my LO onto goats milk which is £21 a bloody tin

Just a wee moan from me…

Baby is a car crier. 3 out of 4 of my babies have been, and it makes life just that little bit more difficult than it should be. My parents kindly take my toddler on a Wednesday so I have all day free until the school run. But getting out to do errands is pretty much impossible as he screams the whole time in the car. Or if I go at nap time that’s fine, but if it’s only a 20 min car journey then he only sleeps for that 20mins, then he’s exhausted, and then 20 mins of screaming on the way home I dunno what part of my kids is broken to make them cry in the car and not enjoy it like other babies

Just catching up on the thread. I have a car crier too! Well, mostly when we stop at traffic lights which is an absolute nightmare when you live in a busy town centre car has to be moving for a good 20 mins before she’ll fall asleep and instantly wakes up as soon as the car journey ends

 

[WhatABore]

This is the worst!! Especially now I’ve moved my LO onto goats milk which is £21 a bloody tin


Just catching up on the thread. I have a car crier too! Well, mostly when we stop at traffic lights which is an absolute nightmare when you live in a busy town centre car has to be moving for a good 20 mins before she’ll fall asleep and instantly wakes up as soon as the car journey ends

Haha the traffic lights thing
I approach them on red so slowly so the cars still moving and if I have to stop... I let the car roll a tiny bit.. Pull it forwards.. Roll back.. Pull forwards. To keep a slight movement I must look like a right weirdo

Or approaching traffic lights and me and my partner are both there going "No no no no don't change don't change. No no no"

 

[Sw4]

Hey guys can I ask some really dumb questions about sterilising? I've been exclusively breastfeeding so far but have finally decided to try and pump maybe once a day and try a bottle feed with the expressed milk. But I'm finding the guidance really confusing.

We have a tommee tippee microwave steriliser. So it says if you sterilise bottles and leave the lid closed they remain sterile for 24 hours. But obviously I need to open the steriliser to get out a bottle to pour my pumped breast milk into (I have a manual Mamia 'pump' from Aldi which is amazing, tested it for a few mins the other day but I poured the milk away. It's not really a pump but more like a gentle pressure to collect milk from one boob as I feed from the other, like a Hakka). NHS guidance says use a sterilised bottle as soon as possible but it also says you can store breast milk in the fridge for up to 8 days (I doubt I will, but still). So can I pump in the morning, pour it into the sterilised bottle and store in the fridge for a while or not? Or do I definitely need breast milk storage bags? Or can I just keep the milk in the fridge in the pump and then pour it into the freshly sterilised bottle just before I need it? I am utterly confused tbh, am I just overcomplicating things? I have a lot of admiration for those that bottle feed, you must be so organised! The only reason I've been putting off trying a bottle is because of this whole sterilising malarkey which sounds ridiculous but there we go .

So basically if anyone who pumps and stores breast milk could tell me exactly what they do it would be much appreciated

 

[I’mThankyou_]

Hey guys can I ask some really dumb questions about sterilising? I've been exclusively breastfeeding so far but have finally decided to try and pump maybe once a day and try a bottle feed with the expressed milk. But I'm finding the guidance really confusing.

We have a tommee tippee microwave steriliser. So it says if you sterilise bottles and leave the lid closed they remain sterile for 24 hours. But obviously I need to open the steriliser to get out a bottle to pour my pumped breast milk into (I have a manual Mamia 'pump' from Aldi which is amazing, tested it for a few mins the other day but I poured the milk away. It's not really a pump but more like a gentle pressure to collect milk from one boob as I feed from the other, like a Hakka). NHS guidance says use a sterilised bottle as soon as possible but it also says you can store breast milk in the fridge for up to 8 days (I doubt I will, but still). So can I pump in the morning, pour it into the sterilised bottle and store in the fridge for a while or not? Or do I definitely need breast milk storage bags? Or can I just keep the milk in the fridge in the pump and then pour it into the freshly sterilised bottle just before I need it? I am utterly confused tbh, am I just overcomplicating things? I have a lot of admiration for those that bottle feed, you must be so organised! The only reason I've been putting off trying a bottle is because of this whole sterilising malarkey which sounds ridiculous but there we go .

So basically if anyone who pumps and stores breast milk could tell me exactly what they do it would be much appreciated

I've been pumping into a sterile bottle or bags when I've ran out of bottles & storing in the fridge and using as & when & going by the rule of 666 for storage.

Could you express, pour it into the bottle & then store in the fridge?

 

[WhatABore]

Hey guys can I ask some really dumb questions about sterilising? I've been exclusively breastfeeding so far but have finally decided to try and pump maybe once a day and try a bottle feed with the expressed milk. But I'm finding the guidance really confusing.

We have a tommee tippee microwave steriliser. So it says if you sterilise bottles and leave the lid closed they remain sterile for 24 hours. But obviously I need to open the steriliser to get out a bottle to pour my pumped breast milk into (I have a manual Mamia 'pump' from Aldi which is amazing, tested it for a few mins the other day but I poured the milk away. It's not really a pump but more like a gentle pressure to collect milk from one boob as I feed from the other, like a Hakka). NHS guidance says use a sterilised bottle as soon as possible but it also says you can store breast milk in the fridge for up to 8 days (I doubt I will, but still). So can I pump in the morning, pour it into the sterilised bottle and store in the fridge for a while or not? Or do I definitely need breast milk storage bags? Or can I just keep the milk in the fridge in the pump and then pour it into the freshly sterilised bottle just before I need it? I am utterly confused tbh, am I just overcomplicating things? I have a lot of admiration for those that bottle feed, you must be so organised! The only reason I've been putting off trying a bottle is because of this whole sterilising malarkey which sounds ridiculous but there we go .

So basically if anyone who pumps and stores breast milk could tell me exactly what they do it would be much appreciated

I was always told that if you take the bottles out of the steriliser, and put the bottle lid and cap on.. They're sterile for 24 hours.
Same as I use Mam. So they're in the microwave. And they stay sterile for 24 hours as a made up bottle.

I was also told with my first (this was 8 years ago though)
That it isn't as much of an issue if you're putting breast milk into the bottles as breast milk is sterile itself. Where as formula contains bacteria. Hence the boiling water

 

[Sw4]

I've been pumping into a sterile bottle or bags when I've ran out of bottles & storing in the fridge and using as & when & going by the rule of 666 for storage.

Could you express, pour it into the bottle & then store in the fridge?

Thanks I've just looked up the 666 rule! But what I'm confused about is let's say I take the bottle out of the steriliser but don't use it straight away, but I open it up to pour the breast milk into later that day and put it in the fridge. Does this mean the bottle is no longer sterile as I haven't used it straight away and it hasn't been kept in the steriliser?

I was always told that if you take the bottles out of the steriliser, and put the bottle lid and cap on.. They're sterile for 24 hours.
Same as I use Mam. So they're in the microwave. And they stay sterile for 24 hours as a made up bottle.

I was also told with my first (this was 8 years ago though)
That it isn't as much of an issue if you're putting breast milk into the bottles as breast milk is sterile itself. Where as formula contains bacteria. Hence the boiling water

That makes sense about the breastmilk.

Tbh it seems like the UK is particularly anal about sterilising. I spoke to a French friend about this the other day and she pretty much laughed in my face and said she's never heard anything like it. Also what about when babies randomly start putting stuff in their mouth, we surely can't always ensure every single thing they could possibly put in their mouth is sterile?!

 

[Hbirdette]

Bit of advice pls... just been to check on baby before I go to sleep.... sleeping on his tummy! Is it ok to leave him? He’s 6 months.
can’t say I’m surprised as we are both tummy sleepers but just checking if I’m ok to leave him or not?

 

[WhatABore]

Thanks I've just looked up the 666 rule! But what I'm confused about is let's say I take the bottle out of the steriliser but don't use it straight away, but I open it up to pour the breast milk into later that day and put it in the fridge. Does this mean the bottle is no longer sterile as I haven't used it straight away and it hasn't been kept in the steriliser?



That makes sense about the breastmilk.

Tbh it seems like the UK is particularly anal about sterilising. I spoke to a French friend about this the other day and she pretty much laughed in my face and said she's never heard anything like it. Also what about when babies randomly start putting stuff in their mouth, we surely can't always ensure every single thing they could possibly put in their mouth is sterile?!

I always said before, they want you to sterilise bottles until 1 year... But you don't sterilise boobs before feeding?
I've also never been told to sterilise bowls or cups or spoons ect when feeding. I don't sterilise their hands constantly or their toys.
But bottles supposed to be to 1 year

Bit of advice pls... just been to check on baby before I go to sleep.... sleeping on his tummy! Is it ok to leave him? He’s 6 months.
can’t say I’m surprised as we are both tummy sleepers but just checking if I’m ok to leave him or not?

It is as soon as they get to they age they can roll onto their front, it's safe to leave them. Mine started doing it at 4 months. I hate it.

 

[I’mThankyou_]

Thanks I've just looked up the 666 rule! But what I'm confused about is let's say I take the bottle out of the steriliser but don't use it straight away, but I open it up to pour the breast milk into later that day and put it in the fridge. Does this mean the bottle is no longer sterile as I haven't used it straight away and it hasn't been kept in the steriliser?



That makes sense about the breastmilk.

Tbh it seems like the UK is particularly anal about sterilising. I spoke to a French friend about this the other day and she pretty much laughed in my face and said she's never heard anything like it. Also what about when babies randomly start putting stuff in their mouth, we surely can't always ensure every single thing they could possibly put in their mouth is sterile?!

Honestly, I really don't know. Sterilising has always baffled my brain. I just take what I need from the steriliser and by the time I need something else it's ran a new cycle Sorry I can't be of much help there.

 

[littlepup]

Bit of advice pls... just been to check on baby before I go to sleep.... sleeping on his tummy! Is it ok to leave him? He’s 6 months.
can’t say I’m surprised as we are both tummy sleepers but just checking if I’m ok to leave him or not?

I don’t know from experience but I had the same last night and the google consensus was that once they can comfortably turn and roll it’s ok to leave them.

@Sw4 I leave everything in the steriliser until I need it (if. Doing a batch up to 24hrs) or just keep in the cupboard and don’t sterilise it until it’s needed. Bottles only need to be sterile before actual use so just wash them up when you’re done normally and sterilise just before you want it.

I use cold water Milton. It’s literally a big tub of cold tap water, drop in a Milton tablet or capful of fluid. You drop in a bottle and 15 mins it’s ready to be used, you don’t rinse or dry it. So in your sceanario I’d just set it up before feeding and when finished, take the botttle from the cold water, give it a shake, tip the milk in then cap on and pop in the fridge for up to 6 days.
When bottle is finished either wash it up and store in cupboard then do the 15min soak just before you need it or wash it and pop it back in the water if you’ll need it again soon. The cold water mix lasts 24 hours so you can keep cycling bottles through or leave them in there and change the mix every 24hrs (though if you leave them days can make the plastic go cloudy)
You can buy a bottle of sterilising fluid for £1 if you have a measuring jug/dish deep enough to submerge a bottle and lid/cap and try it that way.

 

[Chickenandgravy]

Thanks I've just looked up the 666 rule! But what I'm confused about is let's say I take the bottle out of the steriliser but don't use it straight away, but I open it up to pour the breast milk into later that day and put it in the fridge. Does this mean the bottle is no longer sterile as I haven't used it straight away and it hasn't been kept in the steriliser?



That makes sense about the breastmilk.

Tbh it seems like the UK is particularly anal about sterilising. I spoke to a French friend about this the other day and she pretty much laughed in my face and said she's never heard anything like it. Also what about when babies randomly start putting stuff in their mouth, we surely can't always ensure every single thing they could possibly put in their mouth is sterile?!

Hello, microbiologist here your bottle will be sterile as long as no air is allowed to get into it before you use it, so if you take it out the steriliser and make sure the top is on it, it will be fine to add your breast milk to at a later time, as long as it is within 24/48 hours of sterilisation depending on what method you use. As someone else has mentioned breast milk is anti microbial anyway so it shouldn't cause any issues, it's more formula you need to worry about!

I'm absolutely anal about this stuff and despite doing it for an actual job I still over think it

 

[Kitt]

Bit of advice pls... just been to check on baby before I go to sleep.... sleeping on his tummy! Is it ok to leave him? He’s 6 months.
can’t say I’m surprised as we are both tummy sleepers but just checking if I’m ok to leave him or not?

HV told me when she came that it’s fine. You still have to put him on his back but if he turns onto his front himself then that’s okay. Just don’t put him down on his front.

 

[orange club biscuit]

I always said before, they want you to sterilise bottles until 1 year... But you don't sterilise boobs before feeding?
I've also never been told to sterilise bowls or cups or spoons ect when feeding. I don't sterilise their hands constantly or their toys.
But bottles supposed to be to 1 year

yeah I thought this was a bit ridiculous too! My baby’s hands get filthy somehow, always covered in bits of lint also I’m sure ‘back in the day’ no one ever did all this sterilising stuff so religiously and we all turned out ok…right?!

I’ve just started doing the same re expressing, have been pumping using the medela and also collecting leakage/let down in the elvie shells (side note, anyone else get an insane amount of let down? I swear I get 5oz a day from the shells ). Would highly recommend the Medela microwave sterilising bag, I was previously boiling everything on the hob and it was a right ball ache!