July 2010: The end is nigh... To antenatal we say goodbye!

[stac14]

We're all nearly at the end so here is our last antenatal thread

aw thats a brilliant weight gain dh! im sure you feel all the better for hearing that! did you ask her about anything else like how much he wakes or his grunting?
memphis definately keep an eye on how your feeling. dont be hard on yourself for feeling the way you do about dh taking him for a walk cos it will change.
grumpy congrats!
will catch up more later

Memphis please go and see your GP and ask for a referral before 6 week check. I have PTSD, which we are not sure if it's from the birth or something prior, but it certainly got worse after the birth.

My Psychiatric Dr says that PTSD can always be avoided (even in soldiers in places like afghanistan) if adequate counselling is received before 6 weeks. I think it's really important that you speak to someone.

I say this as someone who still has only had an overnight babysitter once, and still (DS is 2.5) won't leave our little village when someone is babysitting in case they need me to be home in under 5 minutes!

It really is difficult, and I understand if you don't feel comfortable approaching your GP about it. I didn't - DH had to dob me in to the health visitor, but by that time I was having full blown hallucinations. Could you ask your partner to speak to the GP for you and get them to come out to your house where it feels a bit less formal?

Whatever you do, don't underplay it. Tell them exactly how you feel.

Hope it gets better soon for you. I'm sure it will.

stac glad the new medicine seems to be doing the trick.she sounds like she's doing a lot better anyway.
went shopping today! all the clothes that we got as presents and she had about 4 things that fitted her! everything was neborn or bigger sizes so i went and bought some lovely clothes for her!such fun shopping for baby clothes! and of course i got nothing for myself!well 1 maxi dress and that was it! dp's mum and sister had ellie for the few hours. and then i had my first client this evening! have hair to do every evening this week feels crap being back to work so soon but there's nothing i can do unfortunately.

kk I said he wakes pretty much every hour through the night and she just said its normal and he will settle soon and just to persevere [with breastfeeding]. I forgot to ask about the grunting but Ive been keeping an eye on him during the day with his naps and he seems to grunt when hes coming out of his deep sleep but isnt fully awake yet and I think because Im half asleep myself at night it feels like he's doing it all the time.
Hes also got really bad nappy rash even though Im still just using cotton wool and water, shes suggested buying a barrier cream for him, its all round his bum hole and the skin is actually broken
I wonder if thats got anything to do with the grunting?

dh i have a great tip for nappy rash use the white of an egg on his bum, just separate the egg, rub it on his bum each time you change it. The remainder can be kept in the fridge and it truly works no need for creams x

Soz posted before i was done.

memphis i have people offering to take rileigh too and i'm not ready either. I do feel anxious about leaving her but i think a lot of mums feel this way. But if your constantly anxious it may be that you need something to even you out. I'm on antidepressants, i started them a week after rileigh was born because i was scared of getting pnd again. Please dont be afraid of talking about your feelings hun.

kk i love baby shopping. Hows the gaviscon for ellie? X

dh mum was saying to a woman today about ellie grunting and singing in her sleep and she said its a sign of a happy baby! dont know how true that is!
stac i dont know to be honest she stil gets sick the odd bottle but she's feeding well so i dont know whether to just take her off it or just see how it goes.she drank 7 oz this evening! and puked then about an hour or so later but id say that was down to just being a hound!
we bought her a play gym today too and she kicking away in on it now! this is her awake time in the evening and she'l take her feed now and hopefully sleep til 6

stac thats interesting Ive never heard of that before, Ill give it a try and let you know if it works.

kk Id like to think Dylan is a happy baby lol Ill go with that explanation, it sounds better than hes doing a poo!

Dylan slept from 11-1ish then after a feed he slept til 4:30! Its the best sleep Ive had in weeks. Unfortunately he didnt sleep too well after that but still, I can handle it cos Ive had 3 hours sleep in a row!

My stupid new docs dont let you book appointments in advance, I have to book on the day so ive got to call them at half 8 tomoro morning. I want to go and get my contraception sorted. I was going to book my 6 week check when I went in but obv got to wait til the day for that too grr.

morning ladies, its rained all throught the night and still raining now, this may be 1st day i dont take lyndon for a walk!! he woke at 2 (dh sorted him) then 5.30 and 8.30! didnt think he would sleep as he slept for 5 hours prior to that think his cold had wiped him out.
dh my mw and hv recommended metanium for nappy rash, you use a tiny bit and it clears it up by next day, lyndon got it for a couple of days also try and let Dylan lie on mat for a short time with no nappy on if he likes to kick about on floor?
kk i love shopping for baby stuff too! ive been shopping 4 times for stuff for me and always get nothing but loads for Lyndon, dh wanted to treat me to some boots but the were uncomfortabl, in the end we gave up shopping and he bought me parts for my motorbike so much for my post pregnancy wardrobe

BTW Memphis I wasn't suggesting you jump straight on to medication, just talk with a counsellor about how you are feeling.

My GP instantly offered me beta blockers (which I refused due to breastfeeding) but my CPN (community psychiatric nurse) says I made the right voice and counselling was a far better option for me. Talking through the trauma of the birth is sometimes necessary and being on medication can help with symptoms, but the root problem is still there.

As stac said, I'm sure it's no big deal, but would hate to think you didn't get help if you needed it. Might be a quick chat to your GP is all you need

I can't wait to go shopping. FiL gave me £50 gift card for debenhams to go buy myself some apprpriate nursing tops, stupid hip means I still can't walk well though, so still recycling my raggy tops from when I had DS that don't really fit because I'm about 2 stone heavier this time!

dh i checked the net regarding the grunting as rileigh seems noisier asleep than awake and its perfectly normal, on 1 site it was called grunting baby syndrome and they will grow out of it. The suggestion was to buy ear plugs, don't think that will work lol. Let me know how you go with the egg white

kk the carobel is good as it thickens the milk which helps prevent being sick. How did you find being back at work?

memphis i think i'm the same, we have been trying to go to the park which is lovely but defo not for the pissy rain lol. Hows lyndons cold?

gracie is the mw coming today? Let us know how you get on

Hows everyone else? X

gracie by chance my hv just called to change fridays app to tomorrow, had nice long chat with her, she seems very understanding and wants to discuss it more tomorrow face to face. shes so lovely just talking to her puts my mind at ease. thats lovely that FIL gave you a voucher for you!
stac his colg is ok he doesnt like me clearing is nostrils but i dont know how its possible for those tiny nostrils to be so full! his eyes looked really watery last night but theyre ok today hv says its normal when theyre bunged up, hows was rileighs night is it getting better now with thickeners?

wow dh hopefully he keeps that up!
stac its ok being back at work.at least i dont have to leave the house!
memphis did you get a spin on your bike yet?
gracie hows your swelling now?
oh my god i a SO bloody happy today! ellie took her last feed at bout 11 last night and didnt wake til.................7!!! it was 6 the 2 mornings before.hope im not jinxing it by saying anything! and then i got 2 big smiles off her!when she was looking right at me! i think im the happiest mammy in the world today!

oh wow kk thats amazing!!! dont think it will be long til lyndon sleeps through but that is impressinve then to be rewarded with smiles!! im so jealous!, not had spin yet was still feeling bruised until 2 days ago maybe take it out next week! on the bright side i can get my leathers on again now!

well i thought rileigh had done well last night, she slept from 11 to 5 had a bottle then back to sleep till 8.30. Regarding the thickners they are fab but i need to get the next level teats x

was about to say "morning" but realised its well into the afternoon!

KK i am well impressed! about your sleep last night, your back to work and your night out at the weekend!!! welldone!

stac glad to hear things are looking good with Rileigh now and she has all the right meds etc! poor wee lamb.

memphis so sory to hear your having such a hard time of it yourself. Thats great that your health visitor is coming tomorrow and you feel you can chat properly to her. Hope the anxiety eases soon- it must be eating you up- keep talking

DH sounds like you've been having a crazy time of it with such little sleep- hope last night was a sign of things to come!

I also had a good night- Sam fed at 9.30 and was in moses basket sleeping at 10pm- i went to bed then to and slept til 2.30 when sam woke for feed. He then went straight back down at 3am til 6.30 when i gave him quick feed and DH got up and entertained him and I slept til 9.30 i feel wonderful and have really enjoyed my day so far as i feel re-energised!
DH has taken Sam out for a walk for first time without me! Thought i would feel like my arm had been cut off but i'm quite chilled out about it. DH also looked quite the proud daddy as he walked away with the pram feel so loved up and lucky to have two handsome boys

Question for breastfeeders- if expressing a bottle how much do they need? my right nipple is agony at the moment as scab has come off leaving very tender new skin underneath which is agony when sam latches on. I expressed a bottle for him yesterday as i just couldn't face the pain. He had 120ml expressed then latched on to left side and had big feed straight away. The bottle seemed to come nowhere near filling him!
I want to be able to leave DH bottles when i go out and for regular night feeds but so scared i don't leave enough!
Will see what you guys think, might post of BF topic too.
Wonder if i didn't express for long enough TSC your description of a 3 course meal was really helpful and i'm now leaving sam on much longer- he tends to slip off a bit during "pudding" so been more concious of keeping him on for that important bit!

Afternoon all,

Ive posted in the sleep section but thought Id see what you guys think too.

At what age are you all getting your LOs into a bedtime routine? Not necessarily a strict one but so they know its bedtime and they have to go to bed.

I had a reply saying they dont really understand routines until they are 4 months old!

Also at what age does daytime naps start to have an effect on how much they sleep during the night?

Thanks ladies!

dh im not sure about that one! but id like to think when she's about 2 or 3 months she'l be in bed early? not sure really just gonna go with her for now.
thanks becky!
memphis fingers crossed lyndon goes the night for you very soon. you might feel better too with more sleep x
well ellie just had her bcg injection there! i completely forgot about it so was an hour late for the appointment! she was brill though just a big waaaaaaaaa when he done it but she calmed straight away with the dummy!

dh elisha sleeps 7-7 and has done since birth. I wake her for dream feeds, but it is straight back to bed with lights off as soon as windings over.
She definitely understands routine and starts getting all snugly and yawny at about 6pm.
It's totally up to you when you start a bedtime routine, and I'd never encourage someone to start one until they are ready yo, but I do get frustrated with all this 'children don't understand' nonsense. My HV tried to tell me children don't understand 'no' until at least 18 months with DS he most certainly did understand and I was not going to let him get away with running amok until then!

hello everyone, sorry i haven't been on! so sorry that so many of us are having a rough time with the feeding and the sleepless nights. it's so hard, isn't it? i am not really enjoying bfing but am determined to keep going, and absolutely everyone says it gets easier after 6 weeks. we can do it!

am so tired - we had two epic 6-8 hour cluster feeds in the evening/night on Su nday and Monday nights, and then although J slept much better lastnight I just couldn't get to sleep, and was lying awake sweating. i do feel a bit better today as at least i was lying down resting rather than feeding, which is very tiring.

we have also bought dummies yesterday after he had been awake and just wanting to suck the night before. however he didn't need one last night at all. i feel bad as i know you're not supposed to give them to a breastfed baby under a month old, but as everyone else seems to be finding, they may be a necessity!

stac mw did come and she has put on 50 grams! Pretty good for two days. She is going to come back again Monday and weigh again though.

aw KK Ellie took that really well, i made more noise than that and i had mine in high school!!!

DH I hope sam will be in a routine very soon! We are trying at the moment although its a very loose routine but aiming for bathtime at 8pm then feed and bed by 9. not always getting there but i really hope that we can make it earlier as he gets older- I sincerely hope thats before hes 6 months!

emster i'm with you all the way on the "we can do it" attitude! PMI!!! It is hard work for now but like you say it will get better- i'm already noticing a bit of a difference as sam is getting a little more head control and easier to latch on and keep positioned.

gracie 50 grams in 2 days- thats great, must lighten the worry for you

DHs friend just came round with a massive bag of pressies for Sam and us! I'm totally blown away with how generous everyone is- anyone else feel like this?
We can't go anywhere without someone putting money in his pram! Going to open Sam's first bank account tomorrow and teach him how to save from now! A concept neither DH or I really learned well! Just don't want to waste away all this money- will keep it for when he needs things we can't afford!

emster thats supposed to read PMA- positive mental attitude, got no idea where the I came from! lol!

aw becky thats lovely! im finding people very generous too but we've only had the money thrown at her once! yeah the doctor said the she was braver than me! he asked if i had any questions before he done it and i asked would she scream loads!
gracie thats brilliant thats elisha is up the weight! hopefully she keeps moving upwards!id say its a great relief!

becky wrt expressing, I just express til hardly any comes out. You might have caught Sam at a hungry moment when he'd have wanted both sides anyway. Also they feed quicker from a bottle (usually) so they might not register how full they are for a while. When I left DD with DH I'd leave a couple of bottles just in case, he never had any problems though

kkfairy at your sleep! I'm still getting 2 hours at a time...