PART 3!! Sept-2012 Baby Bus!! Christmas-and-New-Year-Shaggers-all-aboard!

[TinkerMaloo]

Cant see another one anywhere on the board and part 2 is full up (finally) so here is part 3! (unless I'm just being a moron and missed it?)

Chat more please ladies, we are too fat and useless to do anything else! ;)

Hey ladies, regarding baby weight, I've found this website/ page useful-

www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/fetaldevelopment/chart/

This is also a good one as it gives 10th and 90th percentile-

www.baby2see.com/medical/charts.html

(scroll down to the estimated foetal weight percentile chart)
It gives an average, and then a minimum and maximum weight, and according to that, for about 30 weeks the baby should be approx. 3.5lb.

Hope it helps!

Planning a shopping day in July with my Mum & Sis. Bit concerned that it might be a nightmare to be honest. Trying to figure out bottles & feeding kit at the moment. I plan to breastfeed BUT with a c-section it might not be possible from day 1, plus I want DH to help out in first couple of weeks... any words of advice. completely clueless

Hi pgreen, I had a csection with dd and wanted to breastfeed. I tried in hospital and was expressing in hospital, and they fed her from a little cup all milk she got from me but was topped up with formula which we gave her in bottles from hospital as she wasn't gettin enough from me. When I got home I tried feeding again and she just did it! (A lot more relaxed without a midwife squeezing your boobs!) Kept expressing so dh could help out but she didn't like bottle so I just fed her. To be honest spent alot of time expressing, sterilizing and should have just enjoyed feeding and then passed her to dh while I slept!

pgreen i wouldn't worry too much. I had a category 1 c-section, under GA, and DS had apgar of 1 when born on a Friday morning, can't get much worse than that, and all i wanted was a calm home waterbirth! When i came round from the GA, they lay DS next to me on the hospital bed, and positioned him for me, and he latched on no bother. He continued well, and my milk came in on the Sunday afternoon. I suffered with a lot of discomfort after about 4 weeks, but by 3 months i had no pain or discomfort whatsoever, and continued to BF until he was 15 months, although dropped a couple of feeds from 12 months to kick start periods so i could try for DC2. When on the CS ward (they kept us all together rather than mixing us with vaginal birth women) the only person i came across during the 5 days they kept us in who wasn't breastfeeding was a woman who had twins, and she said that she wouldn't even consider breastfeeding as she had 2 other children at home, 6 and 2, and that there would not be enough time in her day to BF so she went straight onto formula - which meant the staff could help to feed them!

PS, i was told the best bottles to avoid confusion if possibly combining BF with bottles, is the tommee tippee closer to nature ones, they are more like a boob. DS had reflux and lots of wind issues, and so we used to give him cooled boiled water mixed with gripe water from 2 months, and used those bottles, he always took them fine, and it never affected BF'ing. If he has a bad night now, we still use them to give him water and he will usually suck for comfort and settle very quickly (tip from a hv a while ago, if they are ok through the night and suddenly start to wake again, don't give them milk else they will think they will get milk whenever they wake and will wake on purpose for it then out of habit, whereas water isn't worth waking up for!)

I had c section with dd and breast fed. Think it's a struggle at first which ever way the baby is delivered but we muddled through with so additional bottles of formula when needed. Unfortunately I had some circulation problem in my breasts, similar to Raynaulds syndrome and bf became more and more painful and in the end I was giving more and more bottles of expressed or f milk and think dd got sick of all the chopping and changing and started to refuse the breast. So I did 4 painful months and I'm pleased I managed that but I'm ff this one. I used the Nuk bottles, found these to suit us best.

I also expressed after my cs as he was taken away to the NICU. Tried to bf when he moved to SCBU but ds had problems latching on. A dose of mastitis later and him being away from me for so long, my milk dried up. Was heartbroken at the time. Funny he had problems sucking out of the Tommee Tippee closer to nature ones - I think because they were too like a boob and he used the avent instead. This time I do want to bf at the start for a month and then move to mix feeding.

Thank you all so much moogs1000, Loopyhasanotherbean, leelteloo and ballroomblitz. Really appreciate your experiences, I'm "planning" for it to be easy peasy and little man will just take to it and my boobs will do the right thing. BUT just incase want a plan B. I'm also "planning" to be up and about in no time - yeah right. Lat time I had surgery on my stomach I wasn't able to sit up properly for 5 days..... but here's hoping

we are planning to use a combination of boob and bottle so that DH can help with feeds etc, but i think we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

I saw the midwife today at 28+4 and all is good, no more protein in my urine, result of GTT came back ok although i'm at the higher end of normal, so i have to just keep an eye not having too much of the good stuff, and bump is measuring perfectly, so ner to all those lovely people asking if i'm sure theres only one in there!
She has referred me to the physio though as im still getting nasty pelvic and hip pain, so hopefully a few exercises will help that.
And now i'm at work and and my boss is asking me if i think my assistant is going to be able to cope when i'm on maternity leave.... and tbh i'm really not sure. It's definitely a good thing that i have maternity cover starting next week as well and we're not just leaving her to do it all! 7 weeks time and he'll have to deal with it anyway :o

Hi all,

Just thought I'd check in - been on my hollibobs for two weeks, and now am counting down the 9 weeks left of work

Sounds like everyone's doing ok generally. Weighing in on the whole bf/bottle thing, I will try to bf to start with, but will have everything in for bottle feeding if needed. I also want to bottle feed more every time someone says I should bf as i am stubborn and contrary. I'm just in the process of convincing DH that whatever I choose is best as always

I had to ring my mw this pm as I had a slight panic about not having any info about antenatal classes yet, but have been assured that I will get this at my 28 week appointment, and I shouldn't have already had all the leaflets at my 24 week appointment like i was told at my 20 week appointment, the lying biyatch. Also had a letter from Sure Start about my free parenting classes, but don't know whether to go - it's miles away from where I and DH live and work, and it'll mean I'll have to take 3 hours off from work every week - has anyone been to these? What do they cover, and is it worth it??

I have been so busy at work. Trying to get the person covering me up to date as I'm going on mat leave soon

I feel like I haven't slept in about a month.

The good news though is that I got a new phone (iPhone 4s (yay)) as I can't reach my laptop when it's on my lap and I couldn't mn. So now I have the mumsnet app just to keep me going

I am having stressful times at work as well - trying to recruit both a permanent person plus my own maternity cover for next year and my boss insisted on having the deadline for applications ONE DAY before the interviews! So I've shortlisted as I've gone along thinking that this late in the school year we'd only get a few decent candidates and all of a sudden I've got far too many for the time we have available and the number of lessons I can arrange for them to teach! And the HR lady who has to do all the admin is doing her head in over it. Grr. So I'm knackered (also because I keep waking up at the crack of dawn - must get blackout curtains in our room as well as the baby's!)

I just cannot wait for the end of term (four and a half weeks and counting) and for the baby to come...I am dying to meet the little one and cannot believe I still have to wait another 12 weeks. Pelvic pain has started on me but it's not too serious; midwife says to come back and get a referral to the physio if it gets worse though.

pgreen I have similar BF plans to you - I am hoping all will be fine but want to be prepared for if not. So much to consider!

To all those intending to try breastfeeding.

It is damn hard during those first few weeks! (and during the 6 week growth spurt etc etc) And if you are like me you will want to give up! but my advice is DONT!!! If you stick at it it does get easier (quickly) and you will be glad you did!

no bottles and equiptment to clean/carry about
less colic/reflux/wind
always ready nomatter where you are and always at the right temp etc
perfect formulation every time

if you are struggling to latch, it hurts etc and you need advice then get it! people are available to help but you will have to actively seek them out.

Sorry if this is a bit of a lecture or preaching to the choir, but I feel so strongly about giving it a proper go and not just giving up at the first (or second or third) hurdle.

I see it as a choice of feeding baby a proper healthy fresh meal vs a pot noodle.

I do appreciate that for some people (inverted nippes/ C sections / prem babies etc etc) that its very difficult/impossible, but for 95% of us! WE CAN DO IT! :)

i agree BF can be hard and is worth sticking at, but i would stress that i don't think it really matters whether it's a CS or what. We all have boobs, and a lot is down to being stubborn, thick skinned and not giving up. Met 7 other couples at NCT. All started off breastfeeding. I was the only CS. 4 gave up BF within i'd say the first 2 months, and another gave up not long after them. Another gave up at 6 months. 1 fed till 12 months, and i fed till 15 months. Most of those who gave up early had messed about trying to give bottles as well as BF and i think it is better to forget bottles altogether and let baby and boob do what they are designed to do. A baby will suck to increase your milk production, and if you move them onto a bottle then they are not sucking on you enough to create the demand, and it can easily become a slippery slope where you are then not making enough for them, and they are getting upset because they want more, so you give them a bottle, and then they are not sucking on you, and so on and so on. 2 of the ones who gave up early got mastitis because they weren't feeding enough and didn't feed through it, just felt sore so increased the bottles, which was the worst thing they could do. DS would feed and feed, every night he would cluster feed, but from 7 weeks he would then sleep from 10pmish for 8 hours or more overnight. So although we lost our evenings for a few months, BF'ing worked and he was satisfied and would sleep through. And a benefit of BF is you save a lot of money not buying formula, and DS only did one poo a week for months, which i'd say is another big advantage over formula fed babies!!! Also DS cried a lot less than the others, as i could just whip a boob out and feed him, whereas they had to get the bottles made/to the right temp, all whilst their babies screamed very loudly!

I would add that i don't know a single person who has not had pain or discomfort at some stage when BF'ing, and i think it is normal and would just recommend getting lansinoh as it works miracles!

While I totally agree with breast is best; I do not agree that all the women who can no longer breast feed are "giving up" because they are weak and not committed enough and some how don't care as much as those women who's breast work the way they are meant to. If my legs didn't work the same way a the majority of the population and I was judged for my decision not to use them and to use some other means of locomotion, it would be seen as prejudice.
Please everyone have a jolly good go but try not to feel any less of a mother if it doesn't pan out the way you want it to.

I agree with leelteloo - I stopped breast feeding DD at about 3 weeks because when I got mastitis for the second time she refused my milk. My nipples were literally in shreds, it looked like someone had sliced them with a knife, and that was after 3 mw's had reassured me that her latch was perfect and the problem was her strong suck and my fair skin. I expect I could have carried on but the whole family would have suffered, and seriously I think I would have needed some kind of reconstructive surgery to my breasts if I had carried on. Sometimes lansinoh just isn't enough (I used it). I felt so guilty for 'giving up'. I couldn't speak about it without crying for months and it still upsets me now even though I know I made the right decision. It's really not about feeding baby a proper healthy fresh meal vs a pot noodle.

I will definitely try breastfeeding again this time and I really hope it works out better than last time, but if not I hope people won't judge me.

I'm pro breast feeding, this is my first baby so I have no prior experience but will give it my best shot. However, I am going back to work full time after 6 months so logically it seems sensible to introduce bottles to ease the transition. Any tips from mothers who breast fed and went back to work before a year? And no I won't be able to express at work

At first I felt a bit cheated that BFing turned out to be so much harder that I anticipated - bleeding nipples, tears and paracetamol at every feed, what seemed to me to be an insatiable baby but I made a real nuisance of myself at the breastfeeding clinics and we cracked it and DD happily fed for 12 months.

So for me the learning was that the help is out there, whether it's calling a helpline every day or having a BFing counsellor come to the house and help with positioning, there are wise people who can help and it does get better. Sometimes feeding felt counter-intuitive and I didn't believe it was meant to be so hard or so gruelling but quickly those dark early weeks passed and we fell into a good pattern. Hopefully it won't be as hard this time but I have learned to hang on there and we will turn a corner.

Kate Evans The Food of Love is a gorgeous book about BFing that I used to turn to when I was close to jacking it all in.

monkeys don't give a hoot about people judging you, unfortunately I think it comes with the territory when becoming a parent - people have different views on how our children should eat, sleep and behave etc but just be confident in your own decisions and don't give anyone else a second thought.

just to add i'm not judging those i know who gave up early, but i know from lengthy conversations how much they all regret their actions now, and wish they had never touched a bottle...and one of them has already had another child, and this time is breastfeeding and not using bottles at all and has so far not developed any of the issues that she had last time, and puts it all down to the fact that she has purely been BF'ing this time round. Hope you also have a better experience this time madmonkeys.

gingertessa how come you won't be able to express at work? it is a legal requirement now for employers to support breastfeeding and provide a private area for expressing and storage for milk?

Loopy I think you're right that it is a legal requirement to provide facilities for expressing milk in the workplace, but my job requires me to visit various places that I am not directly employed by and I know it will not be practical in terms of timing (with on call commitments).

Hi all!

I am reading with interest what many of you are saying about babyproofing.. When should we have done all that? I had some delusional idea that a baby wouldn't be crawling around for at least a year but i think i am wrong!

Would you advise babyproofing house before born? I am starting to think that might be wise....,, and er how does one start?

Chocco welcome! Sympathy on the iron levels. I have anemia too and it is a pain getting it up. The herbal iron floradix seems to be helping me a bit more than the doctor's ferrous fumerate prescription did actually, as long as i devour it with vit C laden things :)

Thanks Loopy and MakeTea.

Isn't it hot? DD went in the paddling pool this afternoon while I sat in teh garden feeling fat and hot! I've been really tired these last few days so started teh pregnacare tablets again in case I'm a bit anaemic. I'd lapsed with them, so back on the straight and narrow now! Anyone else stuffing fruit down like there's no tomorrow? So far today I've eaten 6 nectarines and a banana, and there are some apricots and pears crying out to me in the kitchen. Oh, and a whole punnet of cherry tomatoes at lunchtime.

winterMymble you don't need to babyproof yet, as baby won't be crawling until sometime next year, although i will be amazed if your baby isn't crawling by 12 months, you might even have a walking baby by its first birthday...at the very least i would expect it would be cruising round furniture by then... so its something you can do later on, but we did do it before it was needed, as prefer to be ahead of things like that, and then i have peace of mind that we are ready for anything!

yes, v hot and meant to be 26 or higher here tomorrow, not looking forward to it at all. i stay on pregnacare all through conception, pregnancy and whilst breastfeeding, as i know my diet isn't always what it should be. And re fruit, no, not eating much here, normally i eat lots but this pregnancy is odd, i can't seem to cope, if i eat much at all i am suffering from terrible wind..

Just in case anyone doesn't know, 20% off mothercare if you spend £100 or more at the moment.

Off for healthy tea (not) of pizza ..followed by apple and a yoghurt so not all bad!! too hot to be bothered with cooking tonight, already had 2 showers today.

MadMonkeys i share your fruit passions.... Apricots, mangoes, bananas, and apples apples apples.... Can't get enough apples... In fact i will go and get another one now!

Thanks Loopy! I think i will try to find out a bit about babyproofing... I think our house is going to take quite a bit of adjusting!