To think pregnant women should be made aware of this?!

[mum2Bomg]

I'm putting this here for awareness more than anything else.

I've just been told (warned) about something by a friend. I told her I was having a little girl as we found out at the scan. She's now told me that some newborn baby girls can have bleeding similar to a period.

Why does no one tell you these things? I would have absolutely freaked out and run to he hospital if I hadn't known!

Is this common knowledge? I used to work in childcare and no one has ever mentioned this.

[NeedMoreSleepOrSugar]

I thought this was going to be about Group B strep - as pp said - get tested!!

I knew about the bleeding thing, but a friend mentioned to me recently that her DD had bled and she hadn't known about it until she rang the hospital in a panic

[billabye]

My baby DD also had what looked like a mucus plug. I knew about the bleeding and swollen breasts but wasn't expecting the huge blob of mucus

[a1992]

They can lactate as well, my friends little girl did

[mum2Bomg]

I'll see if anyone tells me once she's here - not annoyed with anyone :) Everyone saying there's no need to know until she's here is right, it's just this doesn't seem to be common knowledge so was worth a post as there are lots of Mum's on here.

Is this another one of those 'ooh, don't talk about ladies and bleeding' things tho?!

[Birdsgottafly]

I thought this was common knowledge. It was in the one baby book that you were given 32 years ago.

I told my DD about it, but it was covered in her Childcare course.

The MWs mentioned it to my DD, when pregnant/after birth, also.

[mum2Bomg]

Woah to the lactating - I clearly need more books!

Group B strep!? Argh what's that?!

[mum2Bomg]

Only 21 +3 but it's going so fast and I thought I knew quite a lot.

You Mum's are legends

[BibbidiBobbidi]

I doubt it OP, I think that when you're pregnant (I don't know how far along you are?) you have a lot of into thrown at you with regards to the pregnancy it's self.
The further along you get the more HP will tell you about the babies themselves.
I learnt a lot of stuff from my antenatal class and from my own research.
You don't go to the classes until you're in your final trimester, that's when they tell you everything baby related, or that's what happened to me.

Congratulations x

[mum2Bomg]

I even googled it to make sure she wasn't loopy!

[1frenchfoodie]

I was made aware in an NCT course earlier this year.

[BibbidiBobbidi]

Strep B - www.nhs.uk/conditions/streptococcal-infections/pages/introduction.aspx

Definitely get tested for this!!!

[JapaneseSlipper]

You wouldn't need to know it working in childcare. It happens to newborns.

It sounds me that you are not near the end of your pregnancy. You would find out closer to the time, I think - through hospital classes, NCT, the midwife, or once the baby is born.

[splendide]

I had a leaflet with (alarming) colour pictures of things you might see in nappies and this was covered.

[Banana99]

I didn't know it and I did read several books. A friend mentioned it in passing (she has 4 girls) - I would have freaked otherwise.
No one at the hospital or home visit after mentioned it

[KP86]

Yes, lactation is also normal. But it's important to not squeeze the breast/nipples if it happens or you'll stimulate more to come!

[KitKat1985]

I didn't know until I got pregnant with DD1 and read it in my pregnancy book / was told at NCT classes. DD did bleed when she was a few days old but only slightly (spotting for a day really). Found out last week that we are having another girl so fully expecting this to happen again. But you are right, I don't think it's particularly well known.

[paddypants13]

I also knew that and Dd is 3.5. Not sure when I was told ie before or after birth.

[JapaneseSlipper]

Just read your update - you're still a while off! There is a lot to learn and newborns do an awful lot of strange things (the skin peeled off my PFB's hands and feet, for example), some or all or none may actually happen.

Basically the best thing is to be open to weirdness, query everything if you aren't expecting it (because some things will happen that you aren't told about simply because of the sheer volume of stuff you need to learn), but don't panic in the meantime!

I'm now remembering summoning the midwife on my first night in hospital, saying to her "the baby's hiccupping!!" while bemused midwife looked back at me clearly thinking "...and?"

[mum2Bomg]

Thanks KitKat1985 I thought it was just me!

[NeedACleverNN]

Yep I knew that.

I read a lot of baby and pregnancy magazines and it's mentioned in there every few weeks.

[Footle]

One of my sons had a hard swollen lump behind his nipple for a day or two in his first week. It just went away on its own. This is 30 years ago and it was common enough knowledge that I wasn't worried.

[EarthboundMisfit]

This was in my pregnancy book.

[mum2Bomg]

Lol pregnancy is so weird!!!!! (Magical)!

[Schwabischeweihnachtskanne]

It is in standard "What to expect in the first year" type baby manuals books so people who read those while pregnant would know... I suppose its something midwives could sensibly mention on their first home visit to mothers of newborn girls to avoid panic though!

[FatimaLovesBread]

We got loads of things to look for info given on discharge and it was written in that along with nappy change info