Sneeze births please, and we'll BROOK NO ARGUMENT

[TheLittleFriend]

Over here Brookers. I'll stick a cake in the oven

Oh Smegs well done, congratulations. off to find the name.

smegs I'm so pleased for you, congratulations. I shed a happy tear that it was a sneeze birth in the birth centre like you wanted too. Enjoy these first precious moments xx

smegs congratulations, sneeze birth sums it up! Enjoy your newborn snuggles

Well done Smegs! A true brookers birth!Brilliant size baby and beautiful name. Hope you are back home today and that you can get some rest. Xx

Smegs - you and she are Christmas stars. Well done on your sneezebirth - just what you hoped for and such a relief I'm sure. She's a good size isn't she? (Slightly crosses legs, DS was only 7lbs7...)

Gen - knew I'd missed someone, sorry, but the triplets always confuse me.

Thanks for advice. I need to try to leave a bit open for my Mum/Step-Dad and MIL in case it might help to have them around. My DMa just gets a bit anxious about doing stuff and 'helping' which turns into a pressure for me, but DP got a bit arsey about it last night (possibly a little drunk after pub trip with work colleague - he seems to enjoy a bit of an argument when he's had a few) and I think he might find someone else 'helping' out helpful so now I have to rethink.

Boo - I think your list is right except now of course you can cross Smegs off.

xxx

Wow, smegs. A real sneeze birth & a beautiful name!

Morning all, and congratulations smegs!! Enjoy all those newborn snuggles. Such a lovely name and sounds like a nice sneeze birth too. Hopefully see you on the post grad thread soon.

Cot building day for me today. Then I might do some batch cooking of soup and plan some other meals to make. Anyone have any recommendations? I was going to make some bolognaise, but we don't actually eat much red meat, so I need some other ideas.

tock I don't know if I'd ever have my mum to stay and help, but I doubt she'd offer... She's coming up in the new year for a few days though, staying at a hotel. I'd have my dad stay to help maybe if he could, but he stays often and is very good at taking care of himself, cooking, shopping and washing up. He'd be hands off on the baby too, just doing what he could.
Could you talk to your DMa and explain what kind if help you'd like, and what you'd prefer to 'practice' doing without any help?

Awww Smegs Congratulations, lovely

Stacks - meal things to freeze. I make fish pie mix up and freeze it and then to make it i just have to boil potatoes and mash them and stick them on the top of the defrosted fish pie to go in the oven. Not exactly a microwave meal but not too complicated in the preparation. And you can get loads of veg and good fish in the fish pie so it is super filling and nutritious when you need it most. I also make a sort of bolognese with chicken and peppers so the same tomato sauce but with chicken and peppers in it. That freezes well. Thai green curry, that freezes too.

Big congrats smegs and yippee for sneeze birth, no induction and newborn smuggles!!

Good morning other brookers. Very sorry i have been tres AWOL. I have been reading in but havent been parricipating like a Very Naughty Brooker. I will play now though. Thankfully DH got made perm in his now job and his old job gave him a nice settlement when we filed a tribunal claim so the stressfest that has been weeks 12-23 is now resolved. Now i can focus on exciting preggo stuff!!

I am the mystery brooker who fills the March - June gap - due in April. I think i am after the tripe whammy triplets and before Boo?

Anyway I wont attempt to do a catch up name check but will hopefully not be hiding any more!!

Errr .... Clearly I meant newborn snuggles. Im not suggesting for a minute you smuggled a newborn smegs!!!!

Yay Froot so pleased for you and DH, not surprised you have been too busy to brook, but your back now.

The new and correct (hopefully) list is -
Smegs
Stacks
Nuts
Tock
Whims
Gen
Little, Bartlet, Olives
Froot
Me
Sparks

That's a lot of Brooking babies

Yay congratulations smegs

Anything happening with you yet Stacks?

Oh Smegs! Only just seen this and it brought a tear to my eye - so happy for you with your birthing centre sneeze birth after everything you have gone through as a brooker. Well done! Will go on FB shortly to admire her name.

Froot really happy for you and your DH too! I knew there was someone else after the triplets, but couldn't remember who - sorry!

We need some more BFPs - better turn the brooking up to max.

Stacks, batch cooking and freezing is an excellent idea. Can I also suggest macaroni cheese (I actually do mine with cauliflower, mushrooms and bacon in it for extra taste!). Bolognese isn't a bad idea anyway in case you are a bit anaemic after birth and it is easy to cook and freeze. I love the sound of Biscuits' chicken and pepper pasta sauce. We do a chicken pasta bake with chicken and peppers in tomato sauce, to which you add a bit of cream and top the whole thing with mozzarella. Not sure how well it will freeze, but perhaps you could make the tomato/pepper/chicken sauce and freeze that, then could serve with pasta or make it up into the pasta bake thingy. Hungry now!

Pooh generic your pasta bake sounds delicious!

Guess I'll be cooking that soon!!!

Oooh! Not pooh

Stupid phone

Congratulations smegs! hope you're enjoying all the snuggles!! :)

Yep, as much of a sneeze birth as pushing out a 9 pounder can be!

Thanks so much everyone. I feel sooooo good, what's all that about?! I know I'll probably get the blues in a few days, but I'm just enjoying this bit as much as possible .

Does anyone want the details? Not that much to say anyway, as it was so quick! But it may be nice to have a cheerful birth story out there, especially when my first was so different.

And bf going well too. I'd forgotten how much I'd enjoyed it! Yes, I am one of those annoying people for whom it never hurt. Nipples of steel

Smegs yes please to the birth story. Great that you feel so good and BFing has started off well.

If you get chance to post on the brooking FB page for those of us who don't know the name of your beautiful DD please do.

Definitely a birth story please smegs!
And I'm so chuffed about how good your feeling

Did you get there in time for the ab's for strep b? I didn't get there in time with dd, kind of expecting the same thing to happen this time round.

smegs you are an example to us all. Let's hope the high continues and the blues stay away.

tock Can you let your folks pop in for a couple of hours early on? my parents have always come (from 2 hours away) within minutes of hearing within a couple of days, and have brought presents for the other children (much more useful than stuff for the baby!) and a couple of meals. Then my mum comes for a few days once MrWhim is back at work.

I've also found it's useful to put a list of jobs on the fridge or somewhere - wash up, change kid's beds, sweep kitchen floor, iron shirts, take rubbish out, buy milk etc. This particularly came into its own when MrWhim was in hosp and the house was full of well meaning but useless brothers of his.

I have also bought play dough (which I loathe, but my mum doesn't mind) and she can play with that with the big boys while I get on with the baby.

stacks cook lots of stuff you can eat one handed! chunky soups are ideal as you don't need veg to go with, and if they're chunky they're easier to eat with the wrong hand! Although the number of babygrows we own with soup stains on is testament to the fact this can be easier said than done.

And make snacks too (or at least stock up). I've been making loads of biscuits for the kids, and always do double so I can freeze a batch of dough. Then it only takes a few mins to have fresh cookies. Things like oatmeal raisin ones, or blueberry muffins with brown flour - kind of sustaining but not too worthy for when you need sustenance and a treat. I get starving when breast feeding, and apparently you can't just eat chocolate. You might also appreciate a bit of extra bran / dried fruit, and biscuits / flapjacks make good vehicles for it.

Right, that's enough advice for now. I've got about 15 Brit mums coming round in a tick. Terrifying, but my turn to host our toddler group!

Smegs, I'd love to read your birth story and I'm glad you're enjoying the high! I remember that feeling well from DD, like I could do anything. And I loved BF'ing too and found it fairly straightforward.

Whim I will be stealing some of your tips - especially the freezing of cookie dough and aiming to make healthy(ish) snacks - cheaper too. Enjoy your meet-up!

Biscuits it's MIL's recipe and it is delish! And simple too.

Smegs I would also love to hear your birth story.

I am stealing all your easy freeze recipes for next year

Ok! So, I went in to the day unit yesterday morning for monitoring, had a sweep and headed off to the supermarket. Did the weekly shop, headed home, ate lunch, was about to start cooking stew and realised I wasn't feeling great, so went for a lie down shortly before 2.

At 2pm almost on the dot I had first contraction, like a bad period pain in my back. Got up, walked around, did some hip rotations during which helped. They were spaced at 8 mins apart for a little while, but the walking made them go faster and by 3pm I was getting 2 in 10 minutes. Called DH and my Dad, DH pegged it home and ignored my protests that I wasn't sure I was in labour , called the hospital and they told us to come in. Which we did, after my Dad and DH had a nice cup of tea

When we got in at about 5:30ish (because of bad traffic) they sent me directly to the birth centre (yay!) where they told me i was 5cm, could get in the pool at 6cm, and they set me up with antibiotics ASAP. However while they were setting up the cannula (3 attempts, my fault ) the contractions went into overdrive and I felt like I needed to push. So on all fours, over beanbag, loads of gas and air and just went for it -took about 20 minutes of pushing all in. Bizarrely it hurt more just before the waters went, than when she crowned! Although I remember saying I needed a break .

Even without the water, it wasn't that bad! And the feeling I got when I saw DD2 - I did that. I knew her instantly, IYKWIM. I'm a bit surprised that the cannula siting actually hurt more than giving birth .

We did try to slow down the pushing but it's a lot harder than it sounds - you're fighting against your own instincts. Anyway, it looked like I might have a bad tear, and they took me up to theatre to be stitched up with a spinal block. But it wasn't, just moderate, so I got the very nice experience of stitches with no pain whatsoever . In fact it wore off very quickly and they took me back down to spend the night in the birth centre with DH & DD2. Where I still am till 6:30 tonight because obviously I only got one lot of antibios in labour. I don't mind, it's lovely here, like a hotel! Although the food could be better .

Oh, and did anyone else feel that G&A made everything feel like that Chris Morris show, Jam? I swear it all went creepy and slow-mo for a while, and my voice went super deep. Like the anti-helium

Ooh gen can you share your MILs recipe or will you be cast out for spilling family secrets?

I love the recipes I get off here - I have a whole folder where I print them all out

Smegs - what a story - sounds nice (as birth stories go iyswim). And I know what you mean about the 'I did that' thing! I had it with ds2 and always felt like I'd 'cheated' having forceps with ds1. Obviously I hadn't and he wasn't coming out any other way, but I had that vague feeling that I hadn't completed my mission iyswim. (It's totally irrational but quite common for CSers to feel too apparently). But with ds2 I just looked at him and thought 'I've done all that on my own with a little help from DH of course.

So glad you're back in the birth centre now though . And yy for stitches with a spinal - I had that after ds1 (sadly there was a lot of damage!) and it was far nicer than the stitches this time with only G&A.

And also yy to the slow mo G&A and weird voice effect. Do you think our voices really do go deep sounding to others or is it just in our heads?

I remember lying oh so elegantly, legs in stirrups, being stitched up on the G&A watching DH cuddling ds2 and it was just the perfectest thing