April 2011 - towards motherhood boucing on yoda balls, eating coc pops and riding frozen surfboards we are

[SnapFrakkleAndPop]

Raspberry leaf and all round.

Continuation from here. No Mofo C bombs yet been dropped in the delivery room although our first 2 babies have arrived. Congrats to gormers and Jo, we hope your little ones are still doing great.

ILTMIMI so are stabbing pains in the fanjo 'a sign' then? I keep getting that (hopeful)

Nah, I don't think so. I've just over done it I think

MrsW According to my MW you can take RLT from 36 weeks.

Raspberry leaf tea apparently increases the efficacy of smooth muscles - like the uterus. It is believed that taking RLT can shorten the second stage of labour, but this has not been proved by scientific studies with large enough numbers to be relevant. I certainly feel that I've had more BHs since I started drinking RLT (at 35+6).

Different websites seem to vary in their advice about when to start taking it, but most agree that you should build up to 4 cups a day by the time your baby arrives.

I understand that each capsule contains about the same amount of whatever it is that's in RLT as one cup. Have you read the instructions on the tablets yet?

Lis I am so jealous of you getting a whole night's sleep. I haven't slept right through the night since Christmas day. I know it's good practice for when baby's here, but I would really like just one night uninterrupted before this baby makes an appearance.

Hi to everyone else, and huge congrats to those with new arrivals. Will see you over on postgrads when I eventually get there :)

Ah well...all in good time! though very much liking the idea of waking up with new baby all ready beside me :)

Jolly don't be jealous! I'll pay for for it tonight no doubt! I saw you changed your birthing centre to Aboyne. I had thought that it had been closed down or at least under threat when we moved away 2 years ago. Good to see it's still going.

I'm taking the capsule RLT. It says I can take up to 6 caps a day, but I take 3 maybe 4 if I remember! 1 Cap = one cup of tea.

Move it

Yup, am a regular mnetter but not mnet royalty hence no instant recognition of my posting status

Ali 28th March was a good day for both of us!

The 28th was a good day!

Puss I just think it is so funny that after us saying for months on here 'oh I bet we end up having these babies on the same day' - that we actually did And both sections - I never even got as far as labour this time, the Dr said my cervix was like a carrot!

Petal - how's the feeding going? DS2 has decided that 4pm-8pm is his frequent feed time, which is fine this week while DH is still off work, but next week when I'm trying to cook dinner and give DS1 his dinner and get him bathed and into bed is going to be a nightmare

Ali - Felix isn't that predictable, the frequent-feed session seems to move around the clock. We had it this morning, so hopefully that's it till tomorrow, although he's been so 'good' today I'm expecting him to wake up any second and go till 4 or 5 am.

I've got no idea how anyone could do any of this with another DC around! Massive respect to you!

DS is back above his birth weight now, we've been signed off from the midwives (which is a bit sad, really!). Still waiting on the guthrie result to see if he's PKU like his daddy.

Nips are looking better, but still sore. Let-down is surprisingly painful! Does it get better?

Has anyone tried Lily Padz? What are they like? I'm thinking of getting some for the nipple protection as well as the leak prevention - can't stand pads moving around on my nips at the mo (DH is loving the boobs-out time going on at home!)

Well after lots of regular (every 25/30mins) contractions/BHs last night I then fell asleep and nothing happened - no miraculous baby in bed with me this morning

Petal - well done on the feeding, hope even if the PKU test comes back positive you can keep going after all the hard work you've put in. Some people do just find the letdown painful, some never feel it. Hopefully it will ease as F gets into more of a feeding pattern (won't go as far as routine just yet!).

Ali - have you seen those Little Dish meals? They can be a godsend for busy times to have a stock in the freezer. Plus DS1 doesn't have to have a bath every night/could go to bed a bit later, if that's what it takes to keep your sanity.

MW coming round later, DH going to meet her, hopefully he'll get on with her & hopefully she'll be on duty whenever this baby decides to show up.

Although I get excited about labour maybe starting I am also having nervous moments. Not about labour as such, but about the baby being 'out' and somehow not being special not sure I can explain it. Being heavily pg is special, a newborn is special, then somehow older babies aren't as much IYKWIM? Not sure I do either!

I've not tried Lily-padz Pet, but my friend who was a prolific leaker really liked them, although I don't think they keep their stickyness for that long.

How are the nips? If they're lipstick shaped after a feed the latch needs adjusting as it means F needs to take your nipple further into his mouth.

Are your nipples cracked or just sore? If they are cracked it is suggested you wet heal them by slapping on the nipple cream and putting in a breast pad and not actually letting the skin dry. I know this sounds counter intuative, but actually letting your nipples dry out can cause the cracks to get worse. Think of a dry riverbed analogy, the dryer it gets, the more it cracks.

I've always got painful let down for at least a couple of weeks and it then starts to tail off. I used to count through it to get through it and I would also have to make myself visibly relax my shoulders, neck, back and stomach muscles (I would tense them to try and counter the pain) because I ended up walking around like a hunchback.

Hurrah for F regaining his birthweight. YOU did that!! You grew that baby, you birthed him and you're still nourishing him - it's amazing isn't it?

No baby in bed beside me either JKS

I had a shite nights sleep, so after hosting the coffee morning today I'm going to go back to bed when ds has a nap - what a lush!

I know what you mean about this baby not being so special JKS. I think once you've had the first baby everybody gets a bit 'whatever' about you having subsequent children - well that seems to be my experience anyway. With ds2 everyone said how special and precious he must be after losing ds1. Well of course he's bloody special and precious, every child is, and this baby will be just as much as well.

I thought I recognised the name puss

Morning.

Thanks for the tips. LO did as I thought he might and fed constantly from 11pm till 3.30am. Glad it's not an every day thing at the mo!

I do get lipstick nips occasionally, but usually when I can already feel it's not right. However, none of the bf literature seems to advise how to deal with a strong, angry little man thrashing around ('rooting' is putting it mildly) getting more worked up the longer it takes either of us to get sorted. It's impossible to 'support the back of the neck' in the right place, etc. However, you're right - he's this strong because I nourished him. Which is a satisfying thought. He's also this stubborn because I grew him! But, you get what you get!

So, nips were ok yesterday, but are starting the day sore today! Oh well, better crack on while he's relatively sleepy!

Thanks for the help.

Hi again girls!

Henry had his second night at home last night and although he's lovely it's not been fantastically easy. He's got slight jaundice as it would appear that having enormous boobs is no guarantee of milk supply I am deeply envious of those who actually have a 'let down'.

We're having to top up with formula and I actually cried when the VERY probreastfeeding community mw told me. He'd lost 400g in a day. Am trying to be positive though as it's not my fault nor something I can control. I got the birth I thought I'd never get and a beautiful healthy son so I can't have it all!

Am persevering with bf in the hope the supply will start to increase, I refuse to give up!

Hope to hear of more babies soon!

Morning all. Another beautiful sunny day.
Still nothing happening here. Walked up the steep hill behind the house yesterday evening, to see if would get things moving. Dd insisted on wearing her wellies and a bobble hat! Dh ended up carrying her on his shoulders, then she announced she needed a poo when we got to the top. Poor Dh then had to rapidly walk home with her shouting at the top of her voice "I need a poo, i need a poo" fortunately he made it back in time. I brought up the rear waddling slowly! At the moment she is being incredibly demanding, and only wants Mummy to do things. She has taken to growling at Dh and also shouting at him which is completely unacceptable. We are trying to instigate strict disciplinary procedures! Resorted to confiscating favourite toys after a warning about her behaviour. She then gets said toy back as a reward for good behaviour, god its really exhausting!

Thanks for the reassurance about engagement I think it was from Snap I also had a look at the Spinning baby website as suggested.

JKS I am also worrying a bit about the arrival of new baby and already having dd. I think your love just expands and you still love your dd/ds just as much. I think dd will seem so much more grown up when this baby arrives. I know what you mean ILTMIMI also about this new baby not being as special as your previous. With dd we had loads of things that people bought for us and gave us. This poor new baby has not been bought anything at all. We have bought dd a new doll to look after, complete with its own change mat, and sling for her to carry it around in.

Congratulations Puss!

Morning Petal sore nips are horrid aren't they. I used tons and tons of lansinoh which really helped. I also always supported dds head on a pillow in the early days and made sure her position was always nose to nipple so I held her directly parallel to me, which my Mum thought looked strange but worked for us!

Well enjoy the sunshine everyone.

No midnight stork deliveries here either. Am hoping maybe the postie will deliver it instead?

Cycle little and often and your supply will come back up.

petal I have lilypadz ready to go although obviously not actually used them yet. Apparently French women swear by them and I've never seen one with random milk stains or visible nips yet, although it's quite rare to BF anyway.

muffin mine seems to shift between head down, oblique and almost transverse (even with my supposedly strong stomach muscles ) I could have sworn blind last night that I had a head poking out one side and a little bottom the other, but it seems to have righted itself this morning.

Cycle sorry crossed posts with you. Every baby is different. I wouldn't be surprised at all that you don't feel a let down yet. Well done for persevering with breastfeeding. You will get tons of advice on here, and also from NCT breastfeeding helpline, there is also La Leche. Its very early days only your second night at home. If your struggling then ask for help from your midwife or when I had dd there was a breast feeding support worker that i could contact.

If it doesn't work out for you please don't beat yourself up about it. I know from friends how upsetting and stressful it can be, and the terrible guilt they felt when they ended up formula feeding. I was v lucky that I didn't really struggle. You are a good Mummy no matter how baby is fed and I;m sure there will be others on this thread who will post with more advice and support.

Cycle it is still very early days for your milk supply, it really is. Lots of skin to skin and feed, feed, feed. Even H suckling at the breast will help your supply - as will lots of feeding at night. Concentrate on sitting on the sofa and doing nothing but feeding - it will pay off. Some jaundiced babies will be sleepy so they don't feed as much, so you then get in a cycle of the jaundice getting worse and then they feed even less.
Also, step away from the scales, daily weighing is no longer recommended. Ask/tell your MW to look at other clinical signs of well being. Wet nappies, pooing, awake and sleepy times, cying for a feed. Not everyone feels a let down either, so don't use that as a sign of your supply. Keep the faith in you and H

Pet - if F is a thrasher, swaddle him nice and tight before a feed and then he can't thrash, although that won't stop the woodpeckering! If you try and latch him on before he's gagging for a feed this may help with the bobbing head.
Also, try NOT to support the back of his neck. F needs to latch himself onto your nipple, not you putting him on there. A good analogy is someone else trying to give you a drink from an open cup, it's hard isn't it? It's easier for you to bring your mouth to the cup when someone else is holding it, not vice versa.
What you need to do is support him by his shoulder blades (his head won't fall off honest!) when he's laying lengthways across you. If you bring him towards you with his shoulder blades he is able to move his head, neck and mouth forward and latch himself on, then you can use a cushion to support your arm and his body weight.
Blimey this is hard to describe in writing, but the position you want to aim for is:
Take your right arm and bend it across your chest so your elbow is touching your right breast and your right hand is touching your left breast. Now imagine F laying along the length on your arm with his tummy to your tummy and his shoulder blades are supported by your splayed right hand (so you're feeding from the left breast). At first it feels very awkward, but lightly support his head or your left breast with your left hand and soon you'll both get the hang of it.

God that was an epic one wasn't it

ILTMIMI yes, thats exactly what I meant about the position for feeding. you explain it far better than I could though! You are v knowledgable and helpful. I know where to turn now if I struggle with feeding new baby.

That's what is so good about this thread isn't it. There is always someone around with good advice and support.

Biological nurturing is also quite good for thrashers who sometimes thrash because they don't like being held or constrained, so swaddling or the traditional cross-cradle position doesn't help.

Morning, morning. Jen DS is being a mega pain as well. I thought the difficult behaviour was supposed to come after you brought the baby home??? Hoping he is just getting it all out of the way early and will be an angel when I have to contend with bfing a newborn and entertaining a toddler. Thank god for paternity leave, DH isn't going to know what's hit him!

Had my last MW appt yesterday and came out in tears . She told me baby is not engaged and is back to back (OP, is that it?). DS was OP too but I didn't find out until I was in labour with him. I had done everything by the book too re spinning babies/getting baby in good position and it didn't end in a pretty way. I was hoping for something a little different this time round...you know, aromatherapy oils burning, plinky plonky music playing, me swanning about in the pool taking in the lovely lilac walls on the birthing centre. Came out of the appt feeling like it will be a repeat performance of DS1's birth. I know it might not be but I wish I didn't know.

Don't know if it was the stress of being upset or what but had really bad stabby pains for hours last night, although nothing defined enough to time as a contraction. Went to bed hoping I'd wake up to find a baby next to me this morning, but no. All went away. Damn it.

Sorry to moan on. Is such a gorgeous day, am going to force myself out to enjoy it and try not to think about forceps and episiotomies! Come on Aprilites, hope someone has a lovely baby today!

Hello all,

Just quickly popping in to say that Samuel (Sam) was born at 2.27am on Thursday morning. Didn't get to use the MLU as it was full but did get to use the birthing pool in the delivery suite and it was amazing. I still can't believe the difference it made once I was in the water!

I'll post more details on the postnatal thread when I get chance, still hit and miss with the breastfeeding and latching on but getting home last night and getting some sleep seems to have helped me relax and has helped this morning.

Woohoo! Congratulations beetle!

Congratulations Beetle!

Cycle the timing of feeds is important for supply. You need to be feeding in the midnight-4am slot to make the most of your high prolactin during that phase of the night. When I had problems with DS1, I was expressing twice from each side during that time period. It was exhausting but really did help my supply get going and I only had to do it for a week or so.
I sympathise with the enormous boob thing, mine are huge and so are my nipples and I do have to help T on otherwise he can't get a proper mouthful. He is getting there and I have to do less head steering each feed :)

ILike - that is a great description of the position, I remember with DS1 being surprised how far across my body he needed to come.

Congrats puss and beetle...excellent name beetle we are expecting a Sam(uel) :-)