Nov 2011 - Feathering our nests and buying baby vests

[PamSco]

Taking liberties again as there are only 5 posts to go on old thread. Hope everyone is well this morning!

I seem to carry boys v differently to girls - so back to tiny bump again even though 3rd baby which means insides totally squashed and constant heartburn. DD was bigger lower bump throughout.

Oh that's interesting Ali. My SIL said I'm wide around the middle so I must be having a boy. I did interpret wide to mean fat, of course. I don't feel wide. Do you know what you're having this time?

twojacks I didn't take it as bragging don't worry . Glad your scan went well.

Boy again and I am definitely a similar shape to DS1 & diff from DD and feel more squashed. Don't know what old wives say but I carried DD all stuck out the front and the 2 boys I have gone wider - can't bear to see my rear view my bum is huge. When I went for my flu jab last week the nurse asked why I was eligible - so @ 33 weeks I could be mistaken for being a bit fat rather than pg!

That being left off a meeting list cause of your pregnancy brain is SO wrong. I am really angry about that! That said, I am also aware I have been WAY to stupid to be in work today. Seriously dumb. It shouldnt be allowed. Which rather undermines my rage.
Feeling sorry for myself again. Dont seem to be able to pick myself up lately. And my head is hurting a lot. I fell asleep trying to do some work and when I woke up my head was killing me and I feel sick. Not having the most empowering, encouraging day here.

Awww thanks for giving me a chance to preen about Willow She's just the light of my life right now, and her lovely, ridiculously chattery brother is my own tiny hero. He is such a funny little character. I swear he woke up in the middle of the night yesterday - I was up pumping milk in our room just nearby - and I clearly heard him say 'park cars' then he dozed off again. He's obsessed with lining up and 'parking' his wee dinky cars and is so funny.
Today me and W had a lovely two hour cuddle, she slept for most of it with one hand clamped possessively on my boob, made rooting attempts and lots of lip smacking noises but she's still too wee to try to feed. Am nervous about it as it'll be so much more tricky than DS but I can't wait either. Once we got past the first month, BFing DS was just about the nicest part of being his mum when he was teeny tiny small I think, so many lovely shared moments just the two of us cuddling. I can't wait for that with DD.
contraception ah ha ha ha ha that's not a chat we're needing right now, the nearest we got was shortly after DD was delivered when DH vowed he was having a vasectomy even as they were stitching me up after the section because he can't cope with the stress of our families births. That said Fife NHS sends you off home from the maternity unit with some condoms to prevent v closely spaced siblings so it must be an issue for some folk, I can't say I even know what we've done with them. I think I might look at the copper IUD as I don't like hormonal methods much but am content for something that will be highly effective as I'm happy with our wee family as it is too.
bump shapes I love this sort of thing. FWIW I was low and all out in front with DS so much so I never had heartburn with him, with DD I was much higher and the bump was wider so you could see it from the sides when you looked at me from behind. I wonder what it would have looked like full term? I guess I'll always miss the end of this pregnancy, but if Willow needed to be out then I'm so grateful she is out and getting the wonderful care she is doing.

Hello all,
Back from our wee holiday to the Inner Hebrides, which was lovely, apart from being stuck in Oban for 3 days waiting for Hurricane Katia to pass so we could get on a ferry (a lot of tea and cake was consumed :))

Can't believe there is a new thread already, have read the first and last couple of pages, and I'm glad to see that everyone seems to be getting along grand (apart from the usual niggles - my lower back is starting to complain a bit).

I had a wee look at the photos of Willow poppet, she really is adorable, perfect. You must be so proud of her. It really is a bit of a wake-up call that I have a similar wee girl inside me too !

Re contraception, as we're definitely not having another, I'll probably go back on the coil, which worked great for me for the past 4 years. I'll wait until my 6 week check up though - don't think I'll be wanting anyone/thing poking around my nether regions before that .

Finished packing my baby hospital bags this evening, so feeling quite organised, though still not 100% sure that I have enough of everything.

Question: nursing bras - any thoughts or advice? I was going to get a couple from M&S, but was wondering what previous mums have done/found best in the past? Cheers :) xx

I have a question too. I clearly don't plan too far ahead and have only really got round to thinking about feeding the bubs....I bf my dd for a bit but really struggled and gave up after a couple of months. XP kind if thought cos I was doing it he didn't have to put in a lot of effort and I was utterly shattered! I want to bf again at least for a bit and OH just finds it a little scary but is happy to support me. What should I invest in? A pump? Ah my god I feel totally unprepared for this!!

Is it just me, or as time passes on, are we getting chattier and chattier? We seem to go through about two pages a day now!

Things are all positive on here now, and I feel bad about doing this to our thread, but I have had the day from hell and I need to vent.

Had hospital appt today. For starters, I wasn't seen until almost three hours after my appt time, and was just so uncomfortable sitting in the waiting room. They took a pin prick blood test three times because they couldn't get a reading from the machine (and it really stings, not like the wee tiny needle thing I use at home) but by the time I actually got to see the doctor, the midwife with the machine had finished work for the day, packed away the equipment and gone home, and the results were locked away too! So it was all for nothing, and I have three bruised fingers. Then, Dr (who was absolutely lovely) told me that if I can't get my blood sugar under better control by next week, it will be insulin for me, and I have already cut out all the crap, I am at the point where I am frightened to eat anything, even if I'm lightheaded with hunger, my blood sugar is too high.

And then when I saw the other consultant about the actual baby, she did a scan, and the baby is still a gigantic monster baby, and she said that with my history she feels a VBAC is too dangerous, and they would strongly recommend elective CS, and I am terrified. And although she was nice as well, her English wasn't very good, so when I tried to ask her about the horrendous pelvic pain I have been having, she said it was just Braxton Hicks, but its not, because I know what they feel like. I can hardly walk, I'm shuffling along like a 90 year old.

Then, to add insult to injury, I have to pay for four hours car parking at the hospital. I don't object to paying for the parking, I understand why they charge (our hospital is out in the middle of nowhere and people were abusing the car park something terrible, like a free park and ride etc) but I didn't bloody want to be there for four hours, its their fault that I was there that long, I had no choice!!

Anyway, I came home, felt all weepy all afternoon, and then when DD saw me crying, she cried too, and I felt terrible. What a day!

Snoozle, I'm not diabetic but I have a lot of people that I work with that are and the key thing I am always being told is that you must eat regularly to regulate your blood sugars! I am sure we have some Health Care Professionals here who will be able to give you much more info but I just wanted to answer you. Write today off to 'experience', use the day positively and write down the questions you have. And eat something. Be kind to yourself, pregnancy is tough!! Can you ask your MW about the pelvic pain although it may be worthwhile looking up pelvic girdle pain etc, I am really not the right person to give you advice as I just don't know! And eat something!! Don;t make a decision about VBAC/CS until you have been able to get some information and had time to think about it and let it sink in. Chin up tomorrow is another day!

When people talk about babies in regards to percentiles, what does this mean?

Also I agree with voodoo snoozle it's about eating regularly to avoid highs, lows and crashing!

Voodoo BFing Invest is a good breastfeeding pillow, one that properly wraps all the way around and that you find comfortable. Having nursed all mine well past a year, I'd say being able to relax is one of the key steps to getting a good start. Also a good water bottle/water bringer (like an OH) is good as keeping fluids up is very important. I would not worry about pumps at the start in most cases, and there are lots of other things like soothing creams and nipple shields which can help if there is a problem but at first just try to relax into it and know it will take time as both the baby has to learn how to do it just as much as you do (even my third took about 1.5-2 months before it was really comfortable between us, she had to learn and I had to adjust to her).

H007 here's one of my fave nerdy sites www.baby2see.com/medical/charts.html

Babies are measured to understand their growth from all the data over many years you can estimate what size an "average" baby should be for the weeks gestation. There are a few different measures - in our hospital it is head and tummy they measure. If you imagine all those measurements are put on a graph and the range of the graph (smallest to the biggest) equates to 1 to 100.

A percentile is 1% of data. Does that make sense? I'm not great at explaining. Might help with an example...

So my Boy at the 20 week scan had a head on the 25th percentile so 75% of all babies had a bigger head then him at week 20. But he had 98th percentile leg length - so only 2% of babies had longer legs.

As of today he is on the 50th percentile head and 52nd for tummy - so Mr Average!

Snoozle what a rotten day, and you have to pay for the pleasure. DO you have access to ante natal physio? Where I am you self refer - no gp involvement.

I had a good appt today. I spoke with a very nice Dr who is supportive of me labouring in water - yay! Also agreed with my plan for no constant monitoring unless a medical reason is identified. This will all be on my notes (apparently). Such a relief.

Centiles basically doctors measure babies lengths, weights, and head size on a scale from one to 100 (hence centile) and the larger the number the larger the measurement. But it's also a measure of how common a measurement is. So if a baby is on the 25th centile then only 25 percent of babies at that gestational age are born that small, but if a baby is 98th centile (as DS was ) then 98 percent of babies are born smaller. Does that make sense?
Voodoo Well I'm not sure how my BFing journey with DD will work out as so far its just me and the pump as she's too young to feed, so it depends on how well she learns the ropes and a good dose of luck too! However I did BF DS and I'm learning a lot this time round too. The most important thing I've found is frequency of feeds/pumping. That's the key I think, even if you don't get much at each particular feed. I was doing it at 8 times a day but it wasn't enough - I'm now doing it 11 and my supply is gaining every day. That equates to a newborn wanting to feed two hourly during the day and once or twice at night - which was something DS did, so isn't unrealistic. And it is the night feeds that are most important for supply - as they prime your hormones most to make more milk the following day. Once theres a real baby involved and not just a pump/bottle you'll also want to make sure they're doing their bit and are latched on correctly. After the first couple of weeks it shouldn't hurt. Really really - if it does get them checked for tongue tie/poor latch and you checked for thrush (which is agony). So make sure you have numbers for the NCT, la leche league and your HV - all of who can help you either in person or on the phone for free. As for a pump, you can hire one at very short notice if you need it - and firms deliver within 24-48 hours so I wouldn't necessarily go out and buy one. Previously I'd have said yes, but this time I'm getting v little out of any pump but doing it by hand I'm yielding over 800ml! Other than that, eat lots of oats, drink masses of barley water (no really it seems to be a miracle!) and if your DC is full term consider some of the herbal aids like fenugreek, or nursing teas you can buy. Again with DS I found nursing tea wonderful, but they don't recommend things like that with a premmie. Finally as a last resort you can ask for a prescription of domperidone (which is actually a baby reflux medication) which coincidentally boosts supply too.
Hope that helps.

bras I've been wearing a maternity bra for about 3 months. The bravado seamless silk and it is heavenly comfortable. No lines of elastic so no digging in anywhere. Bought it here...

www.nursingbra-shop.co.uk/ShowDetails.asp?id=112

I'm waiting until after birth to get more in case I get too big for the largest size. The site above deliver in a day or two. Unlike the maternity trews that look like they maybe here next June!

voodoo I found bf exhausting in the early days and my DH was pretty supportive - took 6 weeks off.

This site is good and has some useful info on positioning which I'd have liked at 3am on the PN ward when I was hand expressing milk because I couldn't get DD to latch on!

www.biologicalnurturing.com/

I agree with Kanga it can take a while for you & baby to work it out together and definitely the water bottle!!

Funnily enough - as I am still feeding DD - I have found this week that the bf-thirst has returned and when I'm settling DD for bed I have to send DH to get me a glass of water!

LLL also do a leaflet called something "BF for dads" or "supporting women who bf" (I have it downstairs - will check tomorrow. If you call the helpline one of the BFC will send you a copy for free.

Pam thank you so much for posting that page. You won?t believe how I?ve been struggling to find bras that are bigger than 34C here! And delivery at £1 worldwide..? Yay, I shall be shopping!

voodoo agreed, that you should not buy a pump yet. I am planning to do the research into breast pumps and the other stuff you need for bottle feeding, but not buying. If things don?t go well with BF then DH can nip out with an exact list and buy.

snoozle what a horrendous day :(
I agree with eating regularly to keep blood sugar even.

Being left off meeting list...I have been dropping off emails left right and center. Not a bad thing for me :)

Bump shape: I am carrying high and stick out front only and carrying a boy. Heartburn is dreadful :(

Any thoughts on the flat sheet question? I am happy to use the sheets I got as top sheets, but just wondered if they are in fact the correct size (can fold over on the sides, but the head and foot only go to the end of the mattress and can?t fold over)

I suffer from the most horrendous stomach cramps again this morning and no idea what from. They start after I eat and I am wondering if it is baby being particularly enthusiastic at kicking and shoving my poor stomach. Yesterday I was even sick :(
Only happens in the mornings though

Hope everyone is doing well. It?s hump day! :)

Merlioness It sounds like the sheets are the wrong size - Are they completely square?

bumpshape/size well, I'm carrying a girl high and all in front - DP has even commented on how my waist has actually got smaller from behind!
I'm going to make the sonographer double check today though...

Pam Any good ideas for someone who's pushing K-cups already? :(

Snoozle,

I would complain about that long wait, not good enough in my opinion, hope your bloods come back ok, I agree you need to eat little and often rather than big meals which will send your bloods soaring after you've eaten. Have you seen a dietican? They might be able to help you with a meal plan, otherwise there is a load of advice on the Diabetes UK website, www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Introduction-to-diabetes/What_is_diabetes/Gestational_diabetes/ which should help to put your mind to rest. Like others said, today is another day :)

Well twojacks I hope I never meet your OH as I'll know exactly where to lookI won't know where to look.

Poppet Willow is gorgeous, loving the frog pose. It's almost yogic.

Snoozle I agree, little and often is the best way, starving self is never good and will have you rocking up and down. Slow re4alease stuff could be good? porridge and the like?

Cali I see on that website other bras go up to L so that may do you? I'm going to bravissimo for a nursing bra fitting before LO arrives but I fear there sizes may not go up enough for me. Dang.

I've started NHS ante natal classes. S'ok. Geared for people who are totally clueless and haven't even opened the free NHS book you get given by midwife. I missed week one due to work so it was also a bit clique too, maybe good practice for all the horrendous looky-up-and-down mummy and baby groups I hear about.

Reet, better get off bum as need to get the train through West today.

Have a great day folks.

Folic See, I loved my NHS class last week - going again today... V. small group with jsut 4 couples, lovely mw's, very dad friendly... Postcode lottery, again, methinks.

Cali it might be worth emailing the bra shop link I posted. The couple who run it are fab, really nice.

I had a really good hospital appt yesterday. Had a bit of a stand up discussion with the anaesthetists. I stated I did not want an epidural unless a medical reason was identified. The [male] consultant said how would I know how I will react to "the pain". I replied that I felt tested with the gallstones and confident. He said, "ahh but have you ever been in labour before?". [smug warning] Me: "have you?" Tee Hee

Anyway the nice Dr said I could labour in water and don't have to have constant monitoring. Woo Hoo!

Haha! Loving his smug & patronising come back to you about having never been in labour. Hilarious! How did he think that comment was going to sound?

I got some lovely nursing bras from La Senza when I had DD but they don't seem to do them anymore (just checked the site). Will look at Pam's link but suspect I will be too small...

He was ok really, but I could tell they like dealing will with yes sir, no sir types. It brings the worsed out in me.

Anywho - I finally buckled and bought maternity trousers last night. Was hoping to get away with elastic bands on my buttons.

Sainsburys have some great flared tunic tops at the moment, not maternity but work the same. Not in their cheapest range (£18 each) but look like they will be good for feeding as well if you don't mind popping out the v neck.

Cali they aren?t square. Rectangular. I bought a crib from Mothercare and bought flat sheets to go with it. The packaging said ?Moses basket/Crib?, so I assumed they?d be right. But to me too they seem too small. Oh well, top sheets then
Hope your scan goes well

Pam Absolutely love the comeback!