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!

and congratulations silver. I haven't heard that name before but it's really lovely.

hope baby wombat is no longer keeping her mother waiting

right this little vegemite has finally fallen asleep...see you all in 3hrs sleep well everyone xx

Evening all. Sorry for limited personals but I'm reading on phone during a rather stop-start feed and I've forgotten who said what!

Congrats silver on a seriously swift arrival! Hope you have adequate pain relief to be comfy. I was given paracetamol, diclofenac and codeine to cycle every few hours.

Hello phie, you sound like you're doing well.

Whoever asked about engorgement and latching: yes it is a problem for littlies. When they latch they draw breast tissue into their mouth (not just nipple). If the breast is so full that they can't draw it in they won't get a successful latch (either they'll fail completely or end up hanging on to just the nipple which will make you sore). As someone else said, the solution is to express a little first to slightly soften the breast. You don't need a pump to do this, you an express by hand (I hold baby underneath and express into his mouth - it goes everywhere but he gets some and it saves the hassle of pumping, plus it keeps him calm for the minute or two it takes to be ready to latch him on). Hope that helps!

Hmm last week M had a perfect latch, first time pretty much every time she latched lovely & knew what to do but the last few days she's become frantic, I'm still using her early feeding cues but she takes a good few attempts to latch often causing me some pain. Even if she latches well first time she'll have 3 or 4 sucks before pulling away for another attempt thus causing milk to start dripping everywhere, from what I can tell nothing has changed, positioning is still the same & I'm not letting her get to crying before feeding. I feel a little bit at a loss of what to do.

Persevere I think Phie. J has phases of seeming to forget how to latch, or seeming too lazy to try properly, but is perfect at other times. Latching spot on tonight, but he's just done a massive sick and poo to remind me to pay attention to him not mn.

What are your dhs doing up here? Is there some sort of meet up they're not telling us about? Mine has phoned twice a day since he finally got a flight on Friday. Every time J has been yelling about something... at least dh isn't getting a false impression of the temporary single parenthood.

Phie. Could it be wind? Da has had a couple of days where all he has seemed to want to do is feed, rooting frantically despite having only recently fed and popping on and off. Only worked out yesterday that the culprit is wind - he's not hungry he's just desperate to suck to get some pain relief (and then finding it doesn't always work). Our solution has been that if he's had both boobs and is still frantically rooting to assume wind and try to wind him, rub his tummy, cycle his legs etc until he calms down.

Another one who's slipped behind!!

Many congrats to the new arrivals and thanks to all those who've shared birth stories. Really enjoy reading them!

Aw Dinky sorry to hear you feel like that but it'll pass I'm sure as the dreaded lurgy disappears and things calm down a bit. It's obvious from your posts that you are a wonderful mother. If it's any consultation I swear my little one doesn't know me from Adam yet. She tries to root for nipples on anyone from my dad to DH's mates !

Think someone else mentioned squirming and coming off Nipple. Still getting same issue here. Thought it was oversupply or fast flow but other times wonder if it's actually frustration at slow let down or lack of milk. Can't win!

Otherwise going well here and just love DD more every day! Still just keep staring at her and grinning like an idiot most the day. Trying to make effort to leave the house every day and talk to another adult though to keep my sanity! Not easy when just popping out for a walk still seems a military operation. Also finding driving difficult as I'm quite a nervous driver anyway and just don't particularly enjoy it and now have to contend with a baby who does always enjoy being in carseat (cue continuous crying) , worries over sauna-like temperature of car and general anxiety worsened by now being responsible for two lives!!

'Doesn't enjoy' that should read!

Now realise Dinky was talking about an older DC! Excuse sleep deprived brain! The sentiment remains the same though!

Quick update to let you know my daughter was born. yesterday at 1645 weighing 7lbs 8oz. Will update more later!!

phie and others with latching problems I second what mightbe said about wind, I find Theo needs to suck on a dummy sometimes while being held up on my shoulder, he's not bothered about the dummy most of the time but it does seem to help on occasion, I try it if he's head butting my boob rather that latching straight on.
Need to get off mn and get showered or I'll never get dressed!

Oh congratulations wombat x

Hello all

Sorry for lack of personals but feeling a little zombiefied today. Congratulations to those who have had their babies (there can't be many left now!) in the last couple of days and hugs for those who are struggling for whatever reason.

Interesting to read other people's BF experiences and recognising lots of our own little teething (ha hopefully not literally yet!) problems there. I too seem to have the common problem of massive engorged boobs leading to poor latch but have found just expressing a little bit by hand before a feed really helps this and as someone said, you can use this to drip a little bit onto the baby's lips, either to soothe them if they're getting impatient or wake them up a bit if they're too sleepy to properly feed.

One issue which I've had is that now my milk's come in and there's so much more of it than the colostrum, it's almost as E gets a bit of a shock sometimes, and it makes her cough and splutter after a few minutes on the boob. She then unlatches and usually can't really be bothered to go back on, which has led to some very short feeds. Everything else is indicating that she is getting enough, but I do hope so. Will mention it to the MW when she does her 5 day visit later but just wondered if anyone else had this and whether it will pass as she gets used to the quicker flow.

Congrats Wombat - wonderful news! Welcome to the world miniWombat! Hope all going well with you both. Is that now all of our regular posters with babies? If so, time to shift to the postnatal hall of fame?

Thanks to BB, Cheek and the other lovely ladies sending sympathy in my direction - honestly, life isn't too bad. I'm just a bit sleep deprived and know this stage will eventually pass. Took j to the cranial osteo today and as I suspected she said his whole digestive system seems really tight and in shock, which explains why his sleep is all over the shop and hes being a grumpalump. Mast join Princess llama on the wheat and dairy free plan (bye bye fro-yo!) to see if that helps his digestion settle down.

Phie and others with engorged boobs try reverse flow compression (on the drjacknewman site) which will soften your areola to let them latch on.

Ama - sounds like a powerful let down. Try leaning back biological nurturing position which means your flow is working against gravity so should slow down. J (and his big brothers) have their own way of dealing with it - they get the flow going then bob off the boob to let the first gush out - means anything and anyone in the vicinity might get soaked!

Yay for the arrival of babywombat! Congratulations!

Time for the post-natal thread