September 2011 - a Happy non-alcoholic New Year!

[Louplet]

Hi

Still whispering the good news but is there anyone else out there wishing they had made the most of the Stilton this Christmas? [Wink]

Hi there, I hope you ladies will help me out - can I please ask you all a question?

If you were attending a breastfeeding education session for pregnant mums and their partners, and you were asked "name one thing you know about breastfeeding and one thing you'd like to know" what would your answers be?

I'm a BFing peer supporter and I have an interview for a job as a breastfeeding support worker on Thursday. I have to give a presentation about what I would cover during an antenatal Bfing workshop and how I would deliver it. I was thinking of starting by asking everyone to introduce themselves and tell me one thing they know and one thing they'd like to know about BFing. Obviously I need to know what type of answers I'd likely receive!

And I thought who better to ask than the lovely pg mums on MN

nnenz as a 3rd time mum who has breastfed two I would say that one of the main things I didnt realise but should have known was abount the need to balance fore and hind breastmilk and how to achieve this in the best way. When my daughter was first born we didnt know about the different milk balance and so switched breasts too soon and then she wasnt getting enough of the high calorie milk for it to last well till the next feed. I also think it helps to tell first time mums that breatsfeeding takes a while to settle down and that your breasts work out how much to produce and when within usually the first six weeks and that you dont experience the symptoms long term that you do at the start - knowing how sticking with it is so worthwhile really gets you through what can be a daunting few weeks at the start and I am sure that many mums would keep going if they realised this. Hope that helps,
sumi I lived in chiswick for a long while and have alot of friends still there so if there is any local info you need give me a shout. It really is a brilliant place to be with little ones.

I would echo the bf comments above. Plus importance in getting help and time to get it established.took me 5wks to feel comfortable & enjoy it. I only lasted that long as I had to use nipple shields then weaned off them but my DD never took a bottle. This was v hard on me so timing when u introduce that is crucial. I was advised at 6wks by that time it was too late. With this baby I'm going to try at 2wks to mix expressed bottle and breast I hope anyway! Gd luck for ur interview its a really important job I just wish I'd had ur services 4yrs ago.

feralgirl thanks for the tips...even i really dont want to invest too much in clothes im gonna wear fir 6 months (hopefully!) thou finally bought a pair of mat jeans from gap yest...they feel weird !!! will def chk out new look and dorothy perkins...thanks...

Minkyjj thanks so much...will def take you up on that one

sumi, I think H&M does nice maternity basics, especially the trousers/jeans are really good. The legs look like normal trousers, rather slim but they have a very soft over bump band. I'm not sure if I am going to wear them much during the summer this time but I also liked them in the first months of bf as it kept my belly warm.
The tights were comfortable too (so I suppose leggings would too) and I am still in their nursing bras (although there wouldn't be anybody to do a proper fitting)

Hello all, I haven't posted for ages but been lurking and being reassured by your (common) experiences in the meantime.

Just wanted to say to the first timers that I had a really positive labour and birth first time around - it was a homebirth with a pool, and I am hoping that I can do this again second time... I can get a bit evangelic about birthing if I'm not careful, but my experience was 100% positive, and I think it's good for people to know this because as you have been saying, most people seem to enjoy launching into tales of the most horrendous and dramatic tales (bit it their own or 'a friend of a friend'), it seems to be a bit of a thrill for them!

So to balance things out (and admittedly I was very lucky in having a totally straightforward pregnancy and a very supportive team of community midwives) my homebirth went absolutely to plan, was fairly quick (6 hours), and this time I will be using hynobirthing techniques again as I believe that this helped me to remain calm and approach the whole thing with a positive frame of mind.

We bought a birthing pool because DH is a bit anal about anything re-usable and plastic, and couldn't bear the thought of me wallowing in something that someone else had previously bled/sweat/shat into - wouldn't have bothered me personally , so I really hope that we get to use it again otherwise it'll be a very expensive paddling pool!

Just had delived jeans trousers leggings and 2t shirts from Asda the lot under £:50 and they fit! I'm curvy 16-18 & they all got nice large over bump soft bands if anyone wants cheap basics.

Hello Ladies!

I had my anomaly scan today (19 + 1 wks). Baby was kicking like crazy, but I couldn't feel a thing - which seemed really strange, however it appears I have an anterior placenta, which explains why I haven't felt much yet.

We told sonographer that we didn't want to know the sex, but I was squinting at the monitor when there was an all too brief 'potty shot', my first thought was its a boy, a second later, no, I think it's a girl...so still none the wiser!

We've also made our first big purchase of a travel system (buggy, pram and car seat) today - after really liking the iCandy Apple (but not the price), we had a play with the Graco Symbio. We liked it and as it was on special offer, bought it!

I don't want to go too mad on maternity clothes either, but have had to resort to buying a couple of pairs of maternity jeans (from Mamas and Papas), so much comfier than my normal jeans!

Loomer - We're considering a HB, but aren't yet sure as this is our first. Your positive HB story has helped us to decide to look into this further, so thank you!

I had my scan too today, everything seems fine and within the normal range and as it seem we are having a boy. Although the sonographer was so quick with her judgement and didn't really prove it so I'm not sure how certain it is.
DD came with us but wasn't too impressed. I guess, we should actually have explained her first what is going on but in general I feel it is still a bit early as it is still far away for her.

Glad lxr1 and urigurke had good scans. Rather jealous of the home birth, I'd have much preferred that option but alas is not to be. Good luck with those that explore that route I think it must be alot less stressful to be in your own environment with one on one MW than a busy hospital, if your pregnancy is low risk.

congrats lxr1 and ursigurke on the good scans...must be such a relief right ?

Ooh Loomer, thanks for that. I read the article about HB in The Guardian and it shook my resolve a little but your story balances it out! I'm still planning to do it I think and I'm quite up for the whole hypnobirthing thing too (although my loony pg colleague from work has gatecrashed the private session that I'd planned and invited herself along as well but I feel too guilty to say no because her bastard DH has just buggered off and left her ).

Had our scan yesterday which was good because, if I'm honest, I've been feeling a bit unconnected to this baby recently as a result of it having made me feel so massively crap. It was good to see it in so much detail and cheered me up a lot. Plus everything's fine which is nice. We had an ace sonogrpaher who talked us through all the details; I can't believe they can even check for cleft palates and hair lips now!

neenz I would imagine that most people at your class are going to want to know if BFing hurts, for how long and what do you do about it! Although I was very lucky and DS just latched on perfectly and I never had one jot of pain in the 18 months I BF.

What I really wasn't prepared for with BFing for was how hard DH found it though; he felt like DS and I had this amazing bond that he was completely excluded from and was really worried that DS wouldn't love him as much as he did me. DH has only recently told me this though - in his typically emotionally stunted manner - but it really explains a lot! I think this time round we'll do a lot more skin-to-skin bonding with DH and the new DC in an attempt to counteract it a bit.

I think maybe some first time dads can find it really hard, esp if they're working, and they're not so involved in the whole night feed/ sleep deprivation thing that is part of BFing.

feralgirl and ssmile. GUTTED to hear you are both feeling crap. I know I've banged on about it since my headaches but do try a snack in the night. I got the idea because this book recommended it for nausea and I just thought I'd try it for headaches... And I swear I feel like a whole new person. A friend of mine has said it works for her nausea too. It is the very last thing I want to do at 3am and I have to force myself to do it but the one night I didn't do it I felt AWFUL the next day. Headache, nausea... The works:( try a muller rice, one with fruit in it.

And if you have tried it but it didn't work then just accept a cyber hug from me.

Congratulations to all the recent scans too.

I am officially massive now and the littlun is wriggling all the same. Dave felt to last night by laying the side of his face over my belly. Was a gorgeous moment.

Take care!
Lx

feralgirl My DH would relate to what you said about BF. It left my DH feeling a little excluded especially as my DD would not take a bottle even off expressed milk. It made it really hard for him to have time alone with her as he knew that if she screamed there was nothing he could do but race home and get her to my boob! He kept persisting in trying to just take her for a walk by himself so I could get an hr to myself but he said it made him feel stressed as he couldnt walk too far. I think as long as you can encourage a little expressed bottle feedin it would help our partners feel more connected if they want to. We are going to try really hard with this one to try this and it will help me feel less like a milk machine in those early few months!!

On a different note I tried out Aqua fit on tuesday (having never done it before). The GrandPs were visiting so could give me a break for an hour so I jumped around in the pool being the youngest one there and boy did it make me ache the next day. Not sure if I will go again think I would prefer a good swim instead but just feel like really need to get some exercise in as everythings going flabbyy.......I hated the loss of fitness with my DD as it took me SO long to get it back again I trying hard not to lose it all again this time. Not helped by the lovely sunny days when normally I would have cycled to work but just cant do that much now. Ho hum. Hope everyone enjoys a fab restful easter break!

Hi all,
Great to hear about everyone's scans so far. I had mine today - was lovely to see wee one moving around so much, even though I still can't really feel it - placenta is on the front apparently. Sonographer even commented that it was cute when we had a face close up (but bet she says that to everyone ;-)!) Scan pics weren't so good as first one, but still nice to have.
Very reassuring to know all's well as had been quite worried and paranoid for last couple of weeks - can't believe how much it can make you worry - I'm usually quite level headed.
sumi been meaning to reply for a while - yes, I have enrolled at NCT classes - they start in three weeks (although unfortunately I'm missing the first one as we're off on holidays!!!). ALso doing the NHS ones, but they're not til July I think.
Can't remember who was asking about maternity clothes (sumi again?), but I have been having some quandries, especially as I'm petite and more or less size 6, which no shops seem to have in store, so I've become an e-bay addict instead and bought a few things nice and cheap. Have gone for size 8 mostly in the end, and I'm currently wearing some 2nd hand Mamas and Papas jeans, which are a little loose (but guessing that'll change soon enough!), but nice and comfy.
Hope everyone's keeping well and following redlaura's midnight snack advice ;-)
Off for a swim now methinks...

Exciting to hear all about your scans. I had one today but not as exciting - an echocardiogram which was basically an ultrasound of my heart - dont know why but my Consultant had requested it - the sonographer and I had a laugh that it wasnt quite as exciting as seeing a baby! My 20 week scan is less than 2 weeks away though so I am sure that the time will fly past. I have been feeling really exhausted again - I think its the rushing around over half term after my two dcs. Its also been an up and down week with my ds having a major assessment which we have waited months for and being referred for further assessments as a result - kids are such a worry, who would have them! Despite all the stress though, the sunshine makes it much better and as I live so near to the beach we have been enjoying an early summer by the sea and I must admit that I feel very spoilt being able to take my exercise by walks along the beach. I am also really looking forward to the Easter weekend - always a special time for me because I love the church services and the fact that its a bit like christmas but with less stress and pressure and a great time to enjoy family time. So ladies, I hope that you all have a wonderful Easter, enjoy a good few Easter Eggs, beautiful sunshine and may you and all your families all be blessed.

Hi! Just joined Mumsnet, so thought i'd introduce myself. I'm due with my second on the 17th, already have a 23 month old. Just diagnosed with SPD and have been signed off work for a month, so suddenly have more time to do internetty things!

Haven't had anomaly scan yet, got to wait until May 4th and getting very impatient! Hope everyone has a great Easter weekend

Hi katebc and welcome aboard. Sorry to hear about the SPD! Hope it's not too bad for you.

Hope everyone is enjoying our first sunny bank holiday in ages!!!

Meerkat11 thanks for both the tips ! hope everyone is having a lovely warm long weekend :)

Katebc welcome aboard - being a bit thick here but cant work out what spd stands for? hope that the time off in the sunshine is helping to make you feel better though.

Also new to mumsnet... due 21st with our first. Just starting to realise how much earlier I should have looked at antenatal claases - d'oh! I've got an echo next week and a detail scan the week after. Happy Easter everyone :)

welcome onesuzymac - we are due the same day! Mind you I will be at least 1 week earlier as I am having a section. I have my scan next tuesday, nervous but also excited too. Just cant decide whether to find out what we are expecting - this is my third so as I have one of each already its not too important but it woulds help in deciding what colour to but of everything.

Minky - SPD = Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction, essentially pelvic pain caused by pregnancy, believe it can get very painful for some, work colleague ended up on crutches with it when pg with her first.

Welcome katebc and onesuzymac!

Reached the 1/2 way point on Monday - 20 weeks to go...September feels ages away, but at the same time, the first 20 weeks seem to have gone much quicker than expected!

Have been receiving lots of 'advice' from work colleague....and when I told her I had an anterior placenta, her response was - 'ooh you'll have a really painful labour'. Thanks, really wanted to hear that...

Welcome katebc and onesuzymac! Nice that there are still new people joining us.

lxr1, my placenta is anterior too and I have done some quick research about it (as I was a bit paranoid about my blood problem and maybe having a higher risk of getting problems with a anterior placenta) and all I could find about it is that it doesn't matter where the placenta is as long as it is not too low down (which could be in all cases, anterior or posterior,...) You will only feel the baby's movements later and hear the heartbeat less well. That's it. I haven't read anything about a more difficult labour. (I think they need to be a bit more careful if you are having a caesarian. Sorry I do not remember if you will have one or not)