June 2013 - thread 9 - not many babies left to arrive now :-)

[MrsBri]

New thread as we appear to be talking a fair bit!

Lets hope we've all given birth by the end of this one :-)

Oh Steff, sorry to hear that.

Good luck for tomorrow ladies maybe 3 new babies woohoo!

Sorry about being back in hospital steff hope you have an easy night and are back home soon

In other news knackered new mummy alert! The good news is the doctor doesn't think its postnatal depression which is good he just thinks I'm having a bit of a low point which he said is normal as the hormones balance back out

Left Theiah with hubby at 9pm so I could have a couple of hours sleep which has worked a treat only real downside is that he didn't wake me up so I'm now sat downstairs expressing while they are both sleeping upstairs

Good luck to the ladies tomorrow! Or should I say today.

Hope the night feeds go ok steff, pinkapples it must take some getting used to and hormone-wise I bet they are all over the place!

I think this is a stupid question but my bump has not stopped moving, baby is going crazy in there! Is this normal...? I know you are supposed to look out for decreased movements but what about increased is that anything to worry about? ( or am I just being paranoid??)

dont worry about it pumpkin, some days Ethan went berserk in there just having a good bum wriggle, enjoy the Mexican waves - much better than a flabby post section belly

Well I've woken up as my waters have gone, getting contractions regularly now - so might be a fourth baby today!

DH is downstairs tidying up, apparently we just ring up again when we want someone to come round...all sounds very relaxed!

Ooh exciting. I'll be reading through the night to see the announcements! Its the one advantage of night feeds - I can be awake at the same time as you lot despite the 11 hr time difference!

Sorry to hear about Ethan Steff, hope he piles on the weight so you can go home.

Waiting with anticipation at morning feed here to bumble hope your doing ok and hubby is looking after you

good luck bumblebee!
we've just had our 3 hourly feed of ebm topped up with formula so now im expressing, think it's all down to supply not being established as quickly as him due to him being slow on the uptake at birth, we're keeping going today on it, it's absolutely heartbreaking dp not being allowed here, luckily their visiting hours that he's allowed here between are longer than on the maternity ward so he can be here for 14 hours rather than 10, still horrid him going especially as I feel so rubbish with not being able to express enough milk yet, hopefully because im still feeding him myself before the expressed stuff and formula it won't have an effect on him taking just me when we're set up and established,
got to say this hospital grade pump is quite nifty though

Steff, my DS dropped a huge amount of weight too, one of the reasons I'm combi-feeding. It's not nice to see the tubes and I know if you're anything like me you'll be blaming yourself - surely a good mum should be able to produce enough milk to sustain her child, that's all he needs from me etc etc...
This isn't true - your supply may or may not sort itself out, in the meantime you are being a wonderful mum by making sure he gets everything you can give him - NOT just milk - but love and attention and all the things a boy needs to thrive. Talk to him, hold him if you can - all of these even more valuable than the goodness of your milk (which you're getting to him anyway!)

Sorry if this is too touchy-feely (un-MN?!) but I was a wreck when DS was ill and an auxiliary nurse had this chat with me when no one else had thought to.

thank you forgets, I really do feel like a failure, giving him my milk Is tge one thing im supposed to be able to do and I feel so crap that I cant do it
I hated it when they told me he is dehydrated, it feels like they're telling you you've neglected him,.

are you still combi feeding? I would literally give anything for it to be me in hos position, even dp broke down at the first tube feed because Ethan howled and was coughing because of the tube

he's so tiny and helpless and I want to make him all better

Happy birthday Sarah!

hands over massive diamonds

Sounds tough Steff. Are you not able to express enough as you're still building your supply? Expressing can be hard if you're stressed too so try to relax as much as you can (easy for me to say!). You might want to look into fenugreek capsules once you're home as these can boost milk production. I had issues with lack of supply from when ds was 6 months and fenugreek helped BUT don't take it without reading up about it. I'm not sure if it is OK in your situation or jot, but you might want to researchit. Kellymom website usually has great into about all thing bf-ing related.

But aside from that you're doing a great job, so don't beat yourself up about things not going exactly to plan. You're not failing.

Steff - it's awful when they are in hospital and full of tubes, I completely sympathise. And with the whole providing milk thing. I am expressing as much as I can but regardless, for someone with massive boobages I just don't produce much. So we are combination feeding and J is thriving. I feel better seeing his cheeks chub up than I do bad because I am not able to give him all the milk he needs....hope that makes sense.

Fingers crossed you're allowed home soon.

Good morning ladies!

Steff, sorry to hear that your LO is poorly. you're definitely not a bad mum, your supply may just be sorting itself out. He's getting all he needs by any means, that makes you a good mum.

I had my LO on Sunday his heart rate decelerated quite harshly and quickly after they broke my waters so ended up being a grade 1 EMCS.

But nevertheless, he's here and beautiful and healthy which I'm massively grateful for.

Hope everyone is doing okay.

Happy birthday Sarah!

Congratulations happy! I hope you're recovering well!

Mrsbri I hope that you're recovering well too!

Stef- sorry to hear you're having such a tough time of it. You're doing such a good job. Please don't beat yourself up over this. Bf ing is so hard and especially so after a difficult birth as your body is trying to get itself sorted before it can concentrate on producing the milk. That's exactly what happened to me with DS. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. You give him what you can at this point and the top ups will also be helping. And forget made such a good point about the milk not being the only way that you are being a good mum. I bet he hasn't gone a few mins without you checking on him/ gazing at him all full of love/ hugging him.

Bumble, learner, curious and sunbeam ( did I get those right?) Good luck today! Looking forward to updates of you having baby snuggles!

Pumpkin I was wondering the exact same thing about movement. This lo was crazy last night. I've hardly slept. Kicking, rolling, jiggling. I swear she was trying to headbutt me down there too. I have mw today so interested to see what she says about it!

Pinkapples- glad to hear your dr reassured you.

Pinkbear. Good to hear that your friend and her baby are both doing well!

Enjoy getting out and about today ladies! Have a feeling I'll be stuck at midwives most of the morning- not know for appointments to actually run to time!

And sunny I think you should go for it if you want to. You could just go for part of it or even tell DH to phone if there's any problem and you'll head back then. It'll do you both the world if good as DH will get some one on one time too.

Ooh good luck Curious and Sunbeam am jealous your going to meet your babies! And learner and Bumble fingers crossed things progress.

Sarah I would be really annoyed and agree think you should sit him down in front of computer and go shopping! Surely it wouldn't have taken two minutes to get a card! Happy birthday!

Steff sorry to hear you're back when you thought you had escaped, hopefully he will pick up and you will be out soon.

Happy many congrats hope you are recovering well.

Hubby said he's going to refuse to move if I have baby and have to stay overnight lol, he says they will have to call security!

He ordered one of the nursing chairs and stools from mother care yesterday - we have nowhere to put it! Live in a tiny bungalow. God knows what we will do with it but he's been going on about it for months lol.

Yes this baby is still moving like crazy, never had her movements calm down! Got a few funny feelings last night think they were Braxton hicks as belly was going hard but not really painful, nothing more though.

Good luck everyone today. I don't want to go into labour anymore, I feel like absolute crap. Not content with having a chest infection, I've also now got horrible sinus pain, earache and a blocked head! I'm sat here with a hot wheat bag on my face but all it's doing is giving me flashbacks to childhood illnesses! I could not cope with a baby right now.

Baby Anna Jane arrived this morning at 4:14 weighing 7 pounds 14

Had to come to hospital as bp high but all good

Congratulations learnermummy.

Congrats learner that was a quick labour , hope all went smoothly

Congrats on the new arrivals! Hope mums and lo are recovering well.

Happy birthday Sarah

Hawk I hope you start feeling better when the antibiotics kick in - and that you hold on until feeling better!

Steff hope your out again soon - these babies are going to age us with all the worry they cause!

We have weigh in today - and really need to go to the post office to collect a parcel - DP birthday on Thursday and unless I get there he won't have a present to open! Just waiting for the shopping to be delivered and then that's my day sorted.

Congratulations learner.

Steff my baby also lost weight and feeding is an issue. We also combi feed. Totally understand the guilt. Some people never get much when they express me being one of them. Do whatever is needed to keep you sane. As others have said cuddles stroking and talking are just as important as what he's being fed. You are in such early days its an emotional roller coaster and even more so now you're in hospital. You are a brilliant mummy, Ethan is lucky to have a mummy who loves him so much. X

Steff I'm still combifeeding - it's not easy in its own way but is the

^bugger

...it's the only way DS was able to get back to weight (he reached his birth weight again within a week of us switching, had a huge gain). He had been really ill and it was all a bit frightening, have no idea if the stress or the traumatic ending to what had been a decent and strong labour affected my milk, but I still can't satisfy him fully for a feed (and express very little) so top-ups it is.

You are doing so well and as massagegirl said, Ethan is so lucky to have a mum who cares so much about what he is eating, and about his welfare. I know how hard it is when nurses are thoughtless in what they say too ( I had one who knew I had been trying pitifully to feed DS for seven hours straight, switching between scabby, bleeding breasts. Her response to his weight drop? 'You will have to do something about that baby's feeding, get him on the breast'. WTF!!)

Happy birthday Sarah! I hope your DH has got the message :)

And welcome Anna Jane - congrats Learnermummy!