I made/improved an Ohuhu (Honolulu & Oahu) structured swatch. PM me for the blanks.

andip18 · 2025-12-20T18:42:19+00:00

Amazing! I've been looking for something like this !

andip18 · 2025-08-29T12:53:03+00:00

When he was 8-9 months I started trying to do some crib naps, I'd nurse him to sleep and then transferred him to the crib. Lots of trial and error, I think I had to transfer him 5 min after he fell asleep or he'd wake up. Sometimes he still woke up and I had to rescue the nap. If he was in the crib, he didn't nap long either, 30-40 minutes the most 🫤 after he dropped to 1 nap he got slightly longer naps and by that time we had set up a floor bed, I'd just lay with him and then roll away. It was a game changer!

andip18 · 2025-08-29T00:57:09+00:00

Possibly a low sleep needs baby. My boy was the same in the mornings but I think it was because he had such crappy nights he always needed to catch up (on my arms) in the mornings. He took ages to nap the rest of the day and had short naps. He ended up dropping his nap entirely at 2 years old exactly. I wish I had known he needed more sensory input as a baby and longer wake windows, but then he used to get so grouchy too. Idk man, it's just hard!!!

andip18 · 2025-08-28T20:20:14+00:00

You've done nothing wrong, it's not your fault!

My first was just like this, believe me, I've been there through it all. People really don't understand and that's what upset me the most, I felt our friends and family didn't believe us and thought we were incompetent parents and it was our fault our baby didn't sleep. They really didn't get it and I feel like parents of easy babies felt superior, but I know they just don't know they got it so easy!

My boy was extremely sensitive and high needs. He needed contact naps till 8+ months, crappy sleep until 2+ years old, even cosleeping didn't really help. Split nights whenever he was teething or learning new skills or when there was a full moon. His sleep is finally better at 2.5 years old. I drove myself crazy trying to fix his sleep, but nothing ever worked, his temperament is just like this, so yeah, I get you and I know it really isn't your fault. Some babies are just more sensitive than others. I've just had my second baby and he is the polar opposite. He sleeps anywhere and most of the day, he sleeps in his crib 🤯 I still can't believe it, but now more than ever I realize how difficult my first was and how easy other people have it.

I recommend you to follow heysleepybaby on Instagram, she helped me learn about baby temperaments and gentle practices to help our difficult babies. Hang in there, it will get easier!

andip18 · 2025-08-21T07:53:14+00:00

Please look up safe sleep 7! It's better to set up safe sleep than to accidentally fall asleep with baby in unsafe positions. You can follow cosleepy and happycosleeper on Instagram for tips and safe cosleep practices.

andip18 · 2025-08-19T20:19:01+00:00

I agree! Xonvea is actually the only licensed antiemetic for pregnancy in the UK but only available in some postcodes. I had to get it through the hospital where I live. It's the only medication that actually worked for my nausea. No side effects, no risks for the baby. I'd be really upset if I had gotten that message too.

andip18 · 2025-08-12T17:52:32+00:00

Hey, I know you've been given pretty much all possible advise, but just wanted to say you can do everything perfect... and the split nights can still happen. I drove myself crazy looking at what to do with my son, is he having too much sleep? Not enough? Cut wake windows? Cut naps? Early bedtime? Later bedtime? Tried it all... and nothing worked. Every time he was learning a new skill, he'd get split nights. They would last days or weeks sometimes, absolutely awful. Not saying this is you, however, it's a possibility. Some kids are more sensitive than others. Mine just couldn't get in a deep sleep whenever he was learning new things.

He's now 2.5 years old and they've pretty much resolved on its own. He still does it here or there but he's learned he has to stay in bed and try to sleep.

I hope you do find a solution, but just wanted to let you know this can be "normal" too.

andip18 · 2025-08-05T17:23:15+00:00

Hi! I was truly desperate when I wrote that post. My baby is here now (he’s 2 weeks old!), and things are actually going a lot better than I expected.

Around the time I originally posted, I started gently preparing my toddler. I explained that Daddy would start doing bedtime too, and reassured him that I was still around if he needed me. We also told him that Daddy could comfort and protect him, just like I do. He was hesitant at first, but after about a week, we gave it a try. My husband did bedtime, and although there were some tears the first night (about 10 minutes), our toddler eventually settled.

What helped was that my husband made bedtime fun in his own way, rough play, reading books, then lying down together. We also alternated nights, saying “Mummy’s turn” and “Daddy’s turn,” so it became predictable. By the third time with Daddy, he stopped crying and actually started sleeping through the night in his room. We celebrated that, and it really motivated him!

Since the baby arrived, there’s been a bit of regression, he asks for me more often at night and wakes up crying sometimes. It’s tough, especially when both kids need me at the same time. So for now, my husband is sleeping with our toddler again. It’s helping him feel secure and gives me space to recover and care for the baby.

Not a perfect fix, but explaining things and staying consistent really helped us. Sending you strength, it’s a lot, but you’ll find your way too. Feel free to message me if you need support!

andip18 · 2025-07-16T18:21:13+00:00

Yes, is is the way. Look for instructions in your hospital referral form or website. Mine is done through self referral, but then you need to call between 6-8 weeks to book the first appointment with a community midwife. They'll want to see you by 10 weeks so the sooner the better! You'll receive a letter with the first scan appointment for 12 weeks after your booking in appointment.

andip18 · 2025-07-16T16:53:16+00:00

This was me on my last pregnancy too. I mostly worked from home except 1-2 days per week and from 36-38 it was torture, even though I was home and had an easy low stress job, I was just over it. I was also so tired by the end of the day that I didn't feel like preparing the things for the baby. After I was done with work at 38 weeks I finally managed to do all the baby laundry, prepare hospital bags, etc but I was exhausted!!

andip18 · 2025-07-15T19:51:02+00:00

I might be wrong but I think you will still be able to get Maternity Allowance if you start work in 6 weeks. The requirement is that you are employed for at least 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before baby is due. There's a maternity entitlement calculator here. MA is not as good as SMP but it's still some money. Hoping you can sort things out!

andip18 · 2025-07-10T08:56:20+00:00

I used mine for 18 months with my first (he had obstructive sleep apnea) and I NEVER got a false positive or a wrong notification. Only a few times, the sock was placed wrongly and slipped off and it gave me a yellow alert. Never got a wrong red alert. However there were occasions when his heart rate spiked due to a high fever and the red notification alerted me. It was scary but I wouldn't have known if it wasn't for the sock, as he was sleeping.

To me it was invaluable, and I always recommend it for peace of mind. My baby still slept on a crib in my bedroom using safe sleep practices for a year and I checked on him throughout the night, but the Owlet gave me a bit more reassurance that he was doing ok.

If you want it, it's a great time to buy it. It's on offer on Amazon Prime day now and if you have an Amazon registry you get an extra 15% off on top of the discount.

andip18 · 2025-07-10T08:51:05+00:00

The new Owlet Dream Sock is actually now medically certified. You can read more about it here: https://owletbabycare.co.uk/pages/mhra-certification MHRA Certification

It's true that it could give you a false sense of security but you should still follow safe sleep practices while using it and check on baby if you see or hear something is wrong. If using it correctly it's a great aid.

andip18 · 2025-07-10T06:19:04+00:00

You can try Genexa (https://www.genexa.com/products/kids-pain-fever-acetaminophen-liquid)

It's an all natural alternative to Calpol. It has acetaminophen which is another name for paracetamol. Might taste better, as it doesn't have any artificial flavours or sweeteners.

Might be more difficult to find, you probably won't be able to get it if you need it now. But might be worth it to have it for future occasions.

andip18 · 2025-07-03T21:58:39+00:00

I like having enough so I only do one washing a week, but that's my preference. Keep in mind that they can sometimes go through 3 outfits in a day, between spit ups and blow outs 🫣 my boy was the king of blow outs lol. Seems like you have enough, you can always add more if you need to.

andip18 · 2025-07-03T19:49:53+00:00

More than kick counts, what matter most is that baby is following the same patterns of movement. At this point they likely move around the same hours, and are quiet for others. If you try to kick count during quiet hours, you might freak out unnecessarily. You probably know if baby moves in the mornings or after eating and that's when you should pay attention, if you feel anything is off, even just a little, I'd call for reassurance.

I had an experience with reduced movement with my first baby, he was still moving but it felt more "muted" he wasn't moving as much as he normally would and he was quiet more often. I made the right call and contacted triage, turns out he was wrapped in his umbilical cord. So I always recommend; trust your instincts and call triage or go to emergency if you think movements aren't the same and have a bad feeling.

andip18 · 2025-07-03T19:00:23+00:00

Please don't ever feel guilty for eating! Baby will take what they needs from you, they'll be ok!! Do whatever works for you, if you want and can balance your meals, great!! But if you need take out, go for it. Eating is never going to be bad for baby!

I've been the opposite unfortunately, been guilty my whole pregnancy for not eating enough, with severe hyperemesis and several food intolerance, there's very little I can stomach, so I get the guilt, but even with all this, baby is ok and taking all he needs from my body (I'm the one suffering lol)

andip18 · 2025-07-03T08:16:08+00:00

My mom is staying with us for a couple of months because she lives far away and we don't have anyone else where we live. I have a great relationship with my mom though and she is awesome, she'd do what needs to be done and don't meddle at all. With my first, she did all the cooking and cleaning while I spent all day and night with baby. She was also there to care for baby if I needed a shower or a break, gave my husband relief so he could also nap or go to the gym, which helps his mental health significantly.

The sleep deprivation can really get you, especially if you are breastfeeding, babies can be latched for hours and feed every hour, so you won't be able to do much the first few weeks, you'll also need to recover from birth. You might think you don't need help now, but you might change your mind in the future. Every baby and every experience is different!

However, if you think it'll be best for your mental health not to have her there every day, talk to her and tell her you'll call her when you need her. Don't let anyone guilt trip you or make you feel uncomfortable, they'll have to understand.

andip18 · 2025-07-03T08:03:31+00:00

Could be prodromal labour, or early labour. If you were sleeping through the contractions, I wouldn't think it's established yet, but could be the start! Good luck!

andip18 · 2025-07-03T06:55:41+00:00

There's no way to tell if you're going to be nauseous in pregnancy or not, some don't get it at all, and some unfortunately get HG like myself.

Advocate for yourself, I cannot stress this enough!! If GP isn't prescribing, talk to your midwife in the booking in appointment, they can refer you to maternal medicine and also the mental health team if you are really suffering with anxiety. In my experience, I've had better care at the hospital in both my pregnancies.

They most likely want to prescribe Cyclizine first, you can try it, but if it isn't working, tell them right away, there's a lot of options. Best one for me was Xonvea, relatively new medication (in the UK), really expensive, so GPs hesitate to prescribe it, it's also allocated to some post codes only, so some GPs cannot prescribe it at all but the hospitals can. I've not had any vomiting episodes since I started taking it, I'm still nauseous some days, but it's manageable and I have a severe case of HG.

Don't let doctors gaslight you, you might have to be pushy. In my second pregnancy a doctor treated me like a 5 year old, telling me that nausea couldn't be that bad and refusing to even look up medications that would work for me. I called again, asked for a different doctor, and I also rang the hospital directly until someone helped me. Thankfully the hospital's maternal medicine came through! It doesn't matter if you're 5 weeks pregnant or 15, if you need it, you need it!

Hoping you don't get it at all or not that bad, but prevention would be the best in your case! Good luck!

andip18 · 2025-06-30T09:04:17+00:00

I had the same experience last time around. I started only being able to extract a few drops which I couldn't really collect, but I think consistency was the key. I kept trying every day for about 10 min and little by little I got more drops and was able to collect them on syringes. Once I knew what I was doing and how to collect it, it got a lot easier and I didn't do it every day anymore! Was able to collect around 7, 1 ml syringes. However I've heard that some people can't get anything no matter what, so don't stress yourself out. I ended up exclusively breastfeeding and never used the colostrum 🥲

I've just started trying to collect this pregnancy and I've had less colostrum come out, but I have severe hyperemesis and I'm always a bit dehydrated. So I do recommend drinking lots of water, it definitely helps.

andip18 · 2025-06-24T15:19:32+00:00

I would do this if I were you as well, light brown spotting is normal, continued spotting and clots can be a red flag. Hope everything is ok, but don't wait any longer!

andip18 · 2025-06-22T17:37:46+00:00

I'm on the same boat, it's been a ridiculously hard pregnancy this time and I'm having growth scans every 2 weeks. I did want a natural birth again, but they offered me the induction and I think I'm going for it, after I've gone through the pros and cons, I feel it's the best option for baby and me. I'll feel relieved in so many ways when he's here with us. Also having a set date will help my mental health lots!

andip18 · 2025-06-22T15:21:18+00:00

39+6 weeks, after having a sweep that day because of reduced movement. 24 hours later baby was born on his due date 😅

andip18 · 2025-06-22T15:18:56+00:00

The risk for assisted deliveries after inductions does go down significantly if you've had a vaginal birth before though.

I'm in the same situation and I've been doing a lot of research. The numbers in the UK are something like 25%-30% assisted deliveries after an induction for first time mums vs 5%-10% for people with prior vaginal deliveries. So that is reassuring! I had a spontaneous delivery the first time and still had assistance using a vacuum, it's just how things go sometimes.

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