Due in July 2013 - newborns to the left of me, big bumps to the right, here I am stuck in the middle with you babe!

[SlouchingPanda]

Hello shiny new thread!

slouch good luck tonight!!!

good luck slouching.

mightbe Im.using an app called i baby I think. I thought it would help if midwife asked how he was feeding etc..

j has started cluster feeding...this is a new experience... im hoping he starts to like sleep in equal measures

Baby has been moving a lot and I am now getting lots of pressure down there. No bh though but some minir back pain (think that is more when baby is moving) could this be it starting?

Hi all

Another outie to add to the list - Alice born on Monday weighing 6lbs 6oz. Not quite the natural birth I planned but she is here now and she is gorgeous!

I wanted the help of the professional mums out there - I'm having difficulty getting her to latch on and she is clearly hungry, although she has done 2 poos and 1 wee. She has been screaming this evening, rooting and sucking her fingers which I take to be a sign that she is hungry.

She takes the breast but doesn't latch on properly - she sucks at the nipple but not the entire nipple for about 5 seconds and then pulls off crying. Or she pushes away with her hands. I've tried both breasts, tummy to mummy, nose to nipple, tickling her chin, nose and cheeks but this doesn't seem to work.

I'm thinking of giving her a couple of spoonfuls of formula as it's breaking my heart to see her so sad. Any tips?

Good luck to poco and slouching! Will catch up on the rest of the thread later.

Congratulations to all the new mums on phone, so apologies for no personals. Reading all the birth stories is making me quite ! Although reading about all the latching issues I'm also almost glad baby hasn't come yet and I don't have to face this!

Is there a wide-awake club any more or have you all hatched? Am 39+0 and have developed what I suspect is PUPP which is driving me mad tonight.

Sorry for the me post...hopefully things will progress soon and I.can join all of the outies in blissed-out sleepless land

Congratulations, MummyKanny! I'm afraid I'm no help with BF advice - both of mine have just seemed to know what to do (as soon as they got past their initial too-sleepy-to-feed couple of days). I'm sure our technique isn't exactly 'right', but it works.

Fingers crossed for Slouching and poco.

Hope you get done sleep, MrsRoss. Awake BF, just waiting to see if she'll settle again - its easier to stay awake than be woken up after a few minutes.

mummyKanny I'm having similar issues, particularly with my right side. I thought we'd got it sussed last night as she cluster feed and latched beautifully each time, but my milk had now come in and I'm having similar problems. I'm just persisting but it kills me when she screams. She find my right harder so over given up on using that side at night For now as it's too stressful. Have you tried expressing some off? I found that helps a little. Also ask on the breastfeeding boards, there seems to be lots of experience there and often people on in the middle of the night.

Congrats hai

Good luck Slouching and poco, and anyone else progressing! I'm so glad not to be pregnant anymore but F is certainly bringing jet own challenges, mainly feeding related. I could just sit and look at her all day though...

Thefeeding app I'm using just to remind me whether i last fed on l or r boob . A friend recommended it as atm both boobs arrived rock hard v quickly and i just forget ! If you wanted you could be v anal about it (!!) and record every sleep, poo, pee etc. I want be using it when the feeding and had boob phase has passed but its helping me right now.
How is everyone's night going? I just got a three hour chunk of sleep and Joshua is now having a feeding frenzy.
Congratulations on lthe new arrivals can't tag anyone personally on phone

Oops sorry several typos and auto correct mistakes. Boobs arriving rock hard?! They go rock hard half an hour after feeding. So looking forward to getting them back to usual size and no engorgement.

I find the first few days they struggle to latch as Boobs and nipples large and newborn mouth v small. It takes them a little while to work out how wide they need to open their mouth and i find like someone else said sorry can't remember who that i need both hands to hold baby and really direct their head/mouth etc. At first then in a few weeks they just get it and know what they're doing more. Joshua needs his cheek tickled a lot to remind him to suck too.

mummy I think the heat might not help so ive found lying down or laying back help him to position himself without a,struggle.

Thanks all, glad to know I'm not the only one with problems! I will persevere.. I managed to express some colostrum and gave her that, even though it wasn't much. I also fed her about a teaspoon of formula and she has finally stopped crying. Not perfect but I've not slept since Sunday night and have had a stop fly long labour in between so I was desperate!

I'm a bit worried because she passed meconium and inhaled some so I feel doubly cautious. Sure she is fine, just need to nail the breastfeeding!

yes do. sorry for brevity typing with one hand...this is the advice that worked for me...Spend a day settling togetger skin to skin. try to feed at first sign.of hunger as beyond that he gets too frustrated to latch. lie somewhere cool. try those two positions' ...they should be able to self latch (google

Thanks, will try laying down too. Tomorrow's task is skin to skin. Midwife arrives for a visit so hopefully that will help. Considering a lactation consultant if we get really desperate.

DH and I taking it in turns to sleep as baby is sleeping on her side. She cries on her back and we are both too tired to do anything else. Any other side sleepers out there?

Well, I'm still having really strong BH about every 7 mins, but it was the need for some jam on toast which got me up and out of bed ... continuing to pass the show (sorry to those reading this eating breakfast) but I'm not convinced they're real contractions yet. I walked 4 miles yesterday and am planning to get back out there a bit later on to try to speed things along.

Off to bed for more sleep, I hope, but the dawn chorus has started and they are awfully loud!

Congratulations MummyKanny and my sympathies MrsRoss for your rash. Cold, wet flannels and lots of mouisturiser might help, but you may well need to see your GP if they don't...

41+0 (and really hoping today's the day!)

slouching hope you meet little one today!

mummykanny our baby and side sleeps a bit. Also had the meconium thing. He is ok on his back but sometimes i get him out of crib to feed and he's on his side. If he's just brought up some milk in his sleep its quite a good thing as he Isn't laying on his back sputtering. But i did wonder of there is anything i should do to prevent him getting onto his side??

I hope you got some sleep, Slouching and things get moving for you this morning.

Mummykanny, if your milk hasn't come in yet she may not be satisfied by the colustrum, L was in a terrible mood the day before my milk came in. Also if you are engorged they find it difficult to latch on, it's like trying to hold onto a firm beach ball with one hand! I was advised to do loads of skin to skin which really gets the milk flowing.

On a similar theme, don't underestimate the need for a good wind. I've been told by mw, friends and a bf consultant that bf babies don't really need winding, but L is v windy (from both ends!) I've been using infacol at night to help because as soon as he was laid flat in his cot he started writhing and crying in discomfort, he settles much better now.

Dinky, I too have to wait in all day for CMW and HV it's such a pain, especially went they don't bloody turn up as happened on Monday.

Way to go vinegars DS! Self potty training is very impressive

Congrats to the new mums and strong labour vibes to those of you on the brink of something exciting.

L has a really stuffy nose and I hardly got any sleep last night for fear he might stop breathing. I've googled it and there doesn't seem much you can do about it other than spend the whole night worrying!

mummykanny congratulations - love the name not just because its our first choice I really hope the bf gets easier for you soon, it can't be nice struggling through x

slouching hope the BH's have turned into something more now! Very exciting and fx you'll have a newborn to cuddle tonight

It is unreal how hot it was last night i ended up wrapping a plastic ice block in a flannel and sleeping with it under my face! Probably not too good for me but I was in tears felt like being in a hot car with the heaters going full blast!

OH has the day off today so ill let him have a lie in then think ill drag him out for a nice long walk and we can do some shopping! Sure hell be pleased!

Hope everyone is well!

39+5

Congrats mummy.

Well woke up and still pregnant at 40+3, off to a coffee morning with the girls from my antenatal group all with their babies. Seems pregnancy forever is where I am at, maybe I can tempt her out before she goes to uni. ;)

Mummykanny I found feeding hard the first few days- especially when my boobs became engorged. The breastfeeding lady came to see me. She said imagin baby's chin has Velcro on it and attach that to the bottom of your areola- then the nipple should flip upwards and in... I also used lots of the nipple cream as I had sore nipples. I think the latch got better as my nipples got harder... Two weeks in and the latch seems to be ok now.

Hourly feeding last night because of the heat... Plus a squirting poonami all over me...

Slouching sounds like things are hotting up- good luck!

Fx for slouching and lancs. Hope today is your day!

I was hot as last night too! Awake from 4 to 5.30 and really vivid dreams; it seems I was in the Apprentice final too! Ha!

Coffee with a friend this morning then an Internet shop this aft in prep for next week. Feel guilty at DS being at nursery at the mo. I worked four days prior to mat leave and I'm too huge to give him a lovely time at the mo. I know he's in the best place as he loves it but just conscious we've only six days left just the three of us. Being silly and sentimental probably!

Keep cool everyone. Hope mw has you at the top of her list Dinky!

mummy I also was going to suggest winding, I find Theo does lots of head butting my boob when he had some wind. It is stressful the 1st few days but it does get easier!
Thanks for the dummy suggestions princess and other ideas, last night it took a while for Theo to settle in his basket but I didn't give in and get him out and he ended up staying in all night only woke at 12:30 and 5, sounds like he is just waking up now so good night! Better go attend to his lordship :-)

Congratulations Evelyn (you have chosen a fabulous name ) and minimizing on Alice (another beautiful name). 're the feeding, F was rather the same. Sounds obvious but has she been checked for tongue tie? That can cause problems latching, not taking enough of the breast and just nipple feeding. Hopefully the midwife will be along later to help you out. Hand expressing to reduce the fullness in the meantime is gentler on your poor nipples, sounds like you're doing a great job.

Good luck slouching and pocopearl - hope it's the start of something for you today. I'm too waiting for a health visitor visit today, just can't remember why she's coming!

Minimizing??? Mummykanny I meant. Bloody auto correct!