We will BROOK NO ARGUMENT on having serene, pain free, uncomplicated pregnancies and sneeze births! Vol 8

[ScreamIfYouWantToGoFaster]

Hello ladies! I can't wait to see how many No Brooking babies arrive during the course of this thread!! Do you realise we have now filled SEVEN threads (and that's just the graduates!) That's 7000 posts and counting!

Let's all get settled in for some serious No Brooking, we have a lot of painless sneeze births to get through over the next couple of weeks!

hawthers, you're doing wonderfully! 3 months is great. That's my aim for the boys- 3 months ebf and see from there. And i fed with no problem last time, but that doesn't mean it'll happen again, esp with two to feed. Plus, one formula bottle, one ebm bottle and boob is not failing!!! He's still near as dammit ebf and getting loads of breast milk and all the benefits thereof. You're a wonderful mum by the sound of everything you've posted. Be kinder to yourself, you'll look back when less sleep deprived and caught up in it and think wtaf was I torturing myself about?! Xx

Hawthers - To second dream and biscuits you have done amazingly to get to this point ebf. I totally understand why you feel disappointed as after not doing well with dd1 and bf I feel determined it's going to work this time too. But you can't control what happens and the meningitis thing obviously did have a bad effect on the bf but that's not your fault so don't beat yourself up about it. As dream says any bm they get is a bonus so focus on the fact he's still getting all the benefits of it even if it is supplemented. Look after yourself. xx

Hi all! Sorry for the radio silence - busy few days!

Scream, thanks for the performance hooray! I've had a few performances in London before, but this one happened so quickly which is what's pleased me! The organisers requested some scores, I sent it off and within a couple of hours had a response saying they'd love to put it in their concert. It shows that my compositional CV and my contacts are all growing and I'm getting somewhere, which is a lovely feeling! :)

Popcorn, aww to your DH! My DH found it harder to communicate with the LO earlier on, but got a lot more sweet about it once he'd seen scans etc. Now he talks to it a lot and plays with it (this rather active LO likes playing games with his feet!). He actually gets more of a response from it when he talks to it than I do, which I suspect is down to the fact I spend all day teaching/singing, whereas it only hears DH's voice up close when he makes an effort to talk to it..!

Dream, that all sounds incredibly confusing... but I would prepare yourself for the potential soon arrival of your boys! :) I'd be going for extra monitoring if I were you, whenever concerned - whatever your DH says he's not the one with responsibility for looking after them, and the one who can feel all the movements and subsequently worry about them! 35/36 weeks is fantastic for twins!

Too, congratulations on Maia's gain! Every little helps :)

Purple and Jen, I'm also tempted by the Bambino Mio offer, but did have my heart set on birth to potty nappies. At the same time, £30 isn't much to spend on nappies. The tuttos are gorgeous though.. not such a good offer, but they are lovely...

Biscuits, hope the stitches are beginning to feel better? Raw edges sounds horrendous :( Hope the blocked ducts are feeling a lot better too - sounds truly horrendous - this bf lark all sounds a tad scary..!

Hawthers, you shouldn't feel down about giving up EBF. As the others say, you've done fantastically to get to this point! As the others say, you're still giving him bm, which is the important bit - he'll still be getting all the goodness, as well as a little formula to help him along!

Have attempted to upload a new bump photo (31w+5). Slightly concerned about outgrowing my work maternity clothes in the next two weeks, which would be a bit of a problem (after that I only have a couple of odd days at the office, and they won't mind me turning up looking ridiculous!).

Lovely day working from home today. Speaking of which, I probably ought to actually do some work..

Right, Too green poo probably means (like me at the moment!) you have a bit of an overactive let down. So milk passes through baby very quickly in simple terms. Can make babies a bit agitated and windy. If you notice she is coughing and spluttering to begin with, then u can pop her off and express the first bit of milk off. Also the block feeding, where you feed off on side for a set amount of time. I am only doing this for a couple of feeds on one side as, I really don't want the low milk supply I had last time.

Biscuits google galactagogues. Anything that makes you feel good releases oxytocin, sitting down with a cup of tea (warm = good) before a feed is a way of getting your oxytocin going.

Blocked ducts; massage towards the nipple, hot compresses before expressing/ feeding and cold afterwards if it makes you feel better.

Ibuprofen, Ibuprofen, ibuprofen for pain and inflammation, no being stoic neck the pills with a side order of paracetamol if really sore!

Feeding on all fours helps as well, but is an advanced tactic that is very effective. Savoy cabbage leaves in your bra is a good one.

Just keep the milk flowing in that boob to pull the blockage through and keep an eye on your temperature and how your feeling, if you have a temp feel fluey get to the Docs for some antibiotics.

This sort of thing is very common in early days as you boobs are flooded with milk.

Hawthers every breastfeed counts, you have done really, really well and little F is still getting magic mummy milk! Have you spoken to anyone about the appropriateness of medication in your case? Your Gp with the recommendation of a lactation consultant should be able to prescribe Domperidone. However, please don't dwell you have done great and expressing for top ups is really, really great too :)

Music you should get a couple of tuttos, they really are worth it!

Day 5 here got the heel prick test :( Hope I don't cry!! Hoping for a weight gain here after a 4oz loss on day 3. Can't remember what else I was going to put.

Purple - I love you for all your advice .

And I love you even more for introducing me to the word 'galactagogues'. How have I got to the grand old age of 34 without this word in my life! I am going to make it my mission to drop this into conversation today - I love it!

I am disappointed that dark chocolate isn't on the wikipedia list of galactagogues, but I don't see why this should put me off! Surely it would fall under the description of 'making me feel good'. And man, could I drink a cup of tea just now - I can't remember the last time I had one!

My boobages feel heaps better today so I think I've resolved the blockage thing. Handily I'm already on antibiotics for my undercarriage (although maybe not the same sort they would give for mastitis, but it still has penicillin in it) so if there was any infection hopefully I caught it head on. Thanks for the advice about ibuprofen though - i thought that was still a no no while bf, but I guess as with all these things it's a case of weighing up the risk and reward and if it gets the inflammation down then that is obviously a good thing.

Good luck with the heel prick test Purple - and the weigh in. Keeping everything crossed for you. Does your boy have a name yet? If you don't want to share on here for fear of outing that's fine of course, but just wondered?

So, I was wondering about starting a post-natal thread? I don't want to cut away from the ante natal thread, but I was hoping we could have a big overlap like we do with the ttc thread? Rather than 3 separate threads, it's sort of an open plan layout with some nice ornamental arches between the three areas?

Biscuits you learn some cracking words with my course! Might please you to know you are now in the final stage of lactation called Galactopoiesis or lactogenesis 3...

Glad your boobs feel better! You can take many drugs when your BF there just often isn't the studies as they are not ethical lol so not much licensing.

If Dark choc isn't on the list it should be! Like I said if it makes you feel good then it is a winner, but warm foods/drinks are widely acknowledged anecdotally. Again, many people say galactagogues are a load of rubbish! Anyway, Kellymom is a basic looking website but the information is good and evidence based some great words on there too.

Glad you appreciate the advice, I guess my course is working, sometimes you don't realise how much you do know, esp when you hang out with lactation consultants regularly!

I think he will be Hugo, just biding my time and waiting to see. Oh and if anyone knew me irl read my posts on here it would be obvious who I am!

I am fine with a postnatal thread, just concerned I won't keep up with two threads at once... We do need a birth stories thread I think! Needs to be amazing as although we are really good, it might take a while before there are a 1000 no brooking babies!

I hope the MW isn't too late, I have a feeling my bp is a bit dodgy :/

Loving the open plan layout thread idea biscuits!

Same here for rl and being outed Purple. I have hidden nothing basically!

Sibling rivalry has hit us today like a ton of bricks. This morning dd poohed in her bed (took her nappy off first) and smeared it all over bed and carpet. Major tantrums over breakfast. Inconceivable tantrums over lunch. Very little eaten. I have been letting her do lunch watching telly in the lounge and today made her sit at the table which may explain it but was thinking after the poo incident that maybe she needs some boundaries reinstated?

Abbie feeding hourly this am seems to have upset her more and she keeps screaming NOO MUMMY at me when I pick a crying Abbie up. She is however being very sweet with Abbie and trying to stroke her/cuddle her.

Also the one hour of the day she was happy when I took her for a walk when Abbie was asleep ended in boredom and disaster as I locked us out and e had to wait for dh to come back from work to let us in

I have driven her round until she fell asleep so she's asleep in the car in the drive with baby monitor app on and Abbie is asleep in her car seat in here with me now. Thinking I might wake her up to have a good feed whilst dd is asleep. After a cup of tea and some coffee cake though (that should sooo be on that list!).

Then it's countdown to a glass of wine/bottle of beer tonight as I think I've earn it bf or no bf!

Oh Pomme - what a morning!!!! You poor poor thing. I am dreading when that moment hits here . I've also been letting DS eat his lunch (and sometimes dinner) in front of the tv. Maybe I should crack down on it.

Gosh, if ever anyone had earned a cuppa and coffee cake (and a bottle glass of later) it's you my love!

Remember our mantra - This too shall pass

Maybe if you can get a good feed into Abbie she might give you an hour or two to spend some one on one time with dd1 to do something she loves? Reading or playing with a favourite toy?

I know I'd be so cross with DS for behaving badly that I'd struggle but my rational self says to ignore the bad behaviour and reward the good. Can't see how I'll apply that though when it comes to it...

I'm off to eat chocolate on your behalf xx

Sorry for down post. Was feeling the middle of the night blues.

purple I'm already taking domperidone and done all the fenugreek stuff. Think it would be best for me particularly my mentals to accept where we have got to and just enjoy f.

Thanks everyone else for your comments. The important thing is f, how he is fed is ultimately academic. Bucking up now and giving myself a break promise.

Agree to post natal thread. Keep meaning to set it up - right going for it now..

linkity link

Did it work??

Yep, working fine Hawthers

Hawthers - no apologies necessary - things always seem worse in the middle of the night.

But you are so right - the important thing is how F is doing and everything else is really academic in the grand scheme of things. And he's still getting loads of awesome milk from you. Make sure you get loads of dark chocolate down you though - I'm on a mission to get it recognised on the list of galactagogues (based on no scientific research whatsoever )

Blimey pomme that sounds like a helluva morning!

Ahh musical that's really sweet! DH is very child-friendly (he works with them, in fact) and he seems really, really excited about me being pg which is just lovely :)

Hope you're feeling a bit better hawthers :)

Waiting for the hospital to phone to arrange my scan, but they're not! Arg! It's like watching paint dry!

Hello all, another week done! I thought I might have to work extra hours today but sorted at the last minute! Good job as I am struggling with just doing my contracted hours now. 2 more weeks until Easter holidays and a chance to rest up a bit. :)
Well done to all the new mummies who are doing a fab job!
My first baby is 17 tomorrow,he is getting L plates for his birthday!Make the most of those early years because time really does fly :)

Keep ticking those weeks off Wants . I should probably know this but how many weeks do you have left at work? And happy birthday to your DS1 tomorrow - eeeek re the L plates!

Did you ever sort out when your DH has to go to China? Does it tie in with the Easter hols at all?

Also brooking that the hospital pull their finger out and get back to you with a scan date Popcorn

biscuits I have 4 more working weeks with the Easter break in the middle. I am 31+1 today. DH is going to china from the 28th march to the 14th April so will be away for the whole of the Easter hols! I am going to my dads for lunch on the 1st april (about 45 min drive away) and then planning to take it easy for the rest of the time:)

Pomme, that sounds horrible to have to deal with. I take my hat off to you.

Purple, thank you re the green poo! Has gone back to yellow again now and the spluttering etc has also calmed down, for now, and she's latching much more easily yesterday/today and seems to feed with greater ease. How is your BP? Did the MW come? Hugo is a lovely name.

Does anyone know how long jaundice lasts for? Bean's still a bit yellow, although the hospital didn't think it was bad enough for her to need the UV light.

Wants, yay for 2 weeks until the Easter holidays! Happy Birthday to your DS for tomorrow.

Popcorn, did the hospital phone yet? Can you phone them?

Hawthers, thank you for the post-natal thread. Chin up, my lovely, you have managed to feed F under really difficult circumstances and I think you've done a brilliant job.

too - the doctor said Abbie was still a bit jaundiced at two weeks although I can't see it. Dd1 was still jaundiced when they discharged us at 16 days and had a yellow nose for what seemed like months!

Evening all!

Musical that sounds very exciting to have people calling you up to compose for them and immediately deciding to include your work in their concert! Very nice! I'm in awe of successful creative people, it just seems so hard to get anyone to recognise (and pay for!) original work! Fortunately as I lack any creative skills whatsoever I never have to deal with this problem!

Pomme that sounds like a nightmarish morning! Well done for getting through it and I hope you had a more relaxing afternoon. Fingers crossed for today being a blip and tom being much nicer!

Hooray for Maia's yellow poos! I have to say I've heard that new parents are constantly discussing the contents of their babies' nappies but I've never actually seen it before... Makes me wonder what it will be like when I start doing it!

I hope Popcorn got a scan date in the end. If not make sure you give them hell on Monday!

Biscuits I hope the stitches are less sore today? Still No Brooking away for speedy healing for you!

Hawthers I'm sorry you had such a difficult night. Everything really does seem worse in the small hours. FWIW I just want to echo everyone else and say what an amazing job you'v'e been doing, and it's fantastic that little F is still getting so much breast milk from you!

Purple can I just say that not only are you amazing for great advice, but you're soooooooooo much better than the bf counsellor who led the NCT bfing class I attended today. She was DIRE!!! She spent 2hr45m of our 3hr class talking about how you're supposed to breastfeed and how if you feel any pain whatsoever it's clearly all your fault for doing it wrong. In the last 15 minutes she finally opened up to questions and I dared to raise the point that everyone in our class already wants to bf (she had also been bludgeoning us about the evils of formula) but that alot of Mums who give up bfing in the first 6 weeks do so because they encounter problems. I asked her to give some advice on common problems faced by new Mums and she just went back to the whole "well you should do it this way, but if you don't then it'll hurt and you have only yourself to blame!". It was ridiculous. I actually had to prompt her to get her to admit that actually sometimes there is a little pain, such as engorgment or blocked ducts, and it took even more coaxing to get her to suggest things we could do to get through these issues. Suffice to say that I will be coming online to talk to Purple with any bfing issues rather than my local bfing counsellor!!

Apologies to anyone I've missed out. I hope everyone else has had a good day and is looking forward to the weekend!

Eek Pomme that sounds awful!

Well done Musical - sounds very impressive :)

Sorry to hear about the stitches Biscuits, really hope healing goes well in the end :(

Good pooping Too's DD! Those Korma yellow ones are lovely....

Hurry up Popcorn's scan date!

Scream what a pointless class! Almost everyone I've talked to in RL and on here has encountered some wee problem so to pretend it's all good as long as you do it right is a bit bonkers!

Sorry if I have missed anyone, need a wee whine tonight.

Have had an extremely uncomfortable couple of days. Yesterday I felt enormous and my bump all tight and had lots of odd pains and strong BHs. Today I felt less pains but have been feeling all tight tummied and sick since lunch time. Much to DH's shock I couldn't even eat my tea (one of my favourites) and have had some plain buttered toast and ginger snaps.

He reckons I've been overdoing it a bit at work (possibly true), so i should probably get my ass to bed and rest.

I had my 'mode of birth appointment' earlier this week, they seemed a bit at first that I was so keen to try for a VBAC and even more so when I said I wouldn't be rushing in for a sweep or to get waters broken till I have to. If no sign of baby and waters can't be broken, I will eventually just get a CS date by the sound of it.

Got a better summary of notes from last time - DS was completely back to back and 'well impacted' in my pelvis when they hauled him out! Also I got to 8cm not 5/6 as I was told before.

Purple any tips on good baby positioning welcome - this one was lying ROP too, I know it's early days at 34wks, but anything I can do before or during labour to help turn them would be good. I have been sitting on and leaning over my ball a bit while watching TV and trying not to slouch back too much.

right away to bed.... night all.

(PS 2 weeks work left and I CAN'T WAIT!!)

Come on biscuits, fanjo healing update please, is the no brooking working for that?! Hope your bf is no more uncomfortable at least...

musical, how will we know how you are when you're rich and wildly famous to claim 'Oooh, we were pg on mn together'?! I am like scream, not creative at all sadly so always in awe o people like you!!

jaggy, 2weeks sounds just about do-able. Yay! With you on the horrible bh and vomiting. Grim. Dh had to dig my latest leap out car and puked effort into the flowerbed, super grim!!

aw dream, that sounds grim indeed. :( how are your wee wrigglers? hope they are suitably active and not worrying too much.

i managed to not actually puke and feel a bit better for a sleep. (just woke up for obligatory night wee and trying to get back to sleep is always hard- DH snoring tonight too!)

still don't feel that hungry though.

the bhs at work were weird yesterday, actually a bit sore. one of my workmates was joking about me going into labour as my bump apparently looked huge and i was nervous for a wee minute!

i am thinking happy thoughts that it's my uterus toning up for a sneeze birth...

think baby spike (forgot it got a name alongside biscuit crumb) has shifted position which is why i feel odd.

hope the night shift aren't having too much bother with their snuggly babies. :)

Purple, I went all out and bought the value pack of 12 tuttos! DH was a little at the price, but enjoyed picking out all the colours! They conformed to nearly everything we wanted in a reusable nappy. Hope they're lovely when they arrive! They say it could take up to two weeks... so I'm hoping they arrive after my last day of teaching in a couple of weeks time!

I'd also like to second Scream's words about you being amazing for great advice! :) Thank you! Maybe you should be the Brooking Guru... Scream, what a pointless class! That's one reason I haven't signed up for more classes - I'm worried that because I've read so much on MN (and have had such wonderful advice from brilliant people such as Purple!), that it'd just be disappointing.

Wants, hurrah for another week over! I have a list on my desktop that tells me how many days I have left (6 teaching, 4 in the office!). I'll still be working on freelance bits after that, but it'll be from home and at my own pace- and I'm really looking forward to it!

Pomme, sounds like a horrible morning! Hope today is considerably better.. and hope you enjoyed your wine/beer last night! :)

Scream, it is very exciting! I've never had a piece be sent off and accepted so quickly! The money is the hard bit - which is why I spend so much time teaching . It often takes a long time to build up a career in any creative area, so I expect I won't be wildly rich and famous for many moons to come if ever dream ;)

Yikes Jaggy, sounds tough and uncomfortable :( At least you only have two weeks left! I only have two proper weeks left, and I really can't wait. I can't cope with spending my time bouncing around anymore - I get out of breath while trying to sing through pieces with kids, which isn't particularly helpful! More resting required for you definitely!

I hit 32 weeks tomorrow, yay! I know I could read back, but I haven't been able to find it.. is the RLT recommendation 1 cup a day at 32 wks? At what point do you up it?

Any nice weekend plans? We have friends coming for lunch today, but nothing after that! Might try and finalise my birth plan.. and will be signing the contract for the house today, hurrah! Not that that means anything will happen in the imminent future, but it's another step at least..

Hope all the brooking babies give their mothers some sleep and feed well this weekend! :)

Muscial - last time I took lots of device from various people and it all seemed to make it worse. this time the only advice I've taken is from this thread and everything is going a million times better. Sometimes too much advice is just confusing. I have never been to an antenatal class either.. Opps! RLT I upped it to 3-4 cups a day at 36 weeks. I am convinced it made my second stage so quick/easy. Congrats on your piece, you sound very talented :)

Stair gate gone so dd1 came to wake me up at 6.09am but a lot calmer than yesterday's poo fest! This am easier as dh here and although Abbie is slightly growth sporty it's eased off a lot and she's had some good sleeping periods this am.