Graduated elderberries - 30+ and looking forward to DC1! (Thread 6)

[HazleNutt]

Oh, looks like I wrote the last post! So new thread here where we will see more berry babies and hopefully loads more graduates as well.

Is OH sleep deprived by any chance? Seems likely he wants a beer, grub and an early, undisturbed night

Ha ha you could be right though the lucky bugger usually sleeps though all the night feeds/expressing/nappy changes anyway. Tbh I don't think he really thought it through about leaving me on my own and just booked a hotel like last time. I don't mind TOO much, the course is only once every two years so he's got no excuse to escape again for a while

Oh my god the baby just exploded in a volcanic eruption of vomit, seriously it was like a geyser of sick, I had to change everything I was wearing even down to my pants...nobody warns you about that!

Eek purple I've got one itchy palm, been itching on and off over the wkend and today. Googled just out of curiousity and it's saying itchy palms and feet could be OC, really hope not as yours was awful wasn't it? Right no more googling, going to put my head firmly in the sand on that one!

Cross post - really sorry but at geyser of sick! I thought baby sick was only cute little dribbles, clearly not!

Hmm not sure Alex, just the one hand doesn't sound like what I had, mine was both hands and feet and then all over and I scratched until I bled but if you're worried ring your midwife and they can do blood tests to check.

Hopefully it isn't but don't panic, even if it is it was only bad for a few days until they gave me the magic drugs then it was all fine anyway. Cold seems to be the best way to soothe itching as well, cool showers, windows open, hold a cold glass of drink maybe? Hth!

I though babies just did little spit ups too, I stand corrected!

Apologies for intruding but wanted to share this -

It's my Mumsnetaversary! Yep I have been on MN a whole year now and what a rollercoaster ride it has been.
Some of the first few i met on the way Puppy, Pip, Happy, Aquarius, Yorkie are still with me and some lucky buggers like Janey, Hazle, Quod, Cavort/Rach have graduated (miss you ladies). Many have been and gone and there are some excellent slightly newer berries (you know who you are) still heading along the yellow brick road with me now. If you don't know it already I have appreciated every word of support, comfort and occasional sausage wang you have thrown in my direction x

P.s. congrats to all the new mums

Oh lovely lovely bunny, is it really? That makes sense actually, I think we 'met' in aug when I came off the pill? It's crazy how a year has passed already.

Well I've got absolutely everything crossed that this next year is the year you get your BFP, I genuinely do, hugs.

Alex - if you read about OC I think it's a whole different level of itching to normal preggers itching. I actually made my lower legs bleed itching, but compared to what poor purple went through it was a different level!

Exploding vom? Lovely. Something else to look forward to. I had piss all over my legs yesterday, and poo in my hand a few days before that.

Shitty shitty day today. Breast feeding has become a nightmare suddenly (since I was ill) with non infectious mastitis, a blocked duct and now a milk blister on my nipple. All the above we're confirmed by a lovely breast feeding specialist I ended up calling this morning when I was in tears from the pain (and i don't think I'm a wimp with pain given I stopped taking painkillers less than five days after my c section). Anyway I have managed to almost clear my mastitis alone, she helped me with the latch which given all the other issues had gone a bit squiffy, and generally was lovely and saved my sanity and my boobs. On top of all that Miles has barely slept at all - managed two hours this afternoon but that was it really. So an exhausting day I don't mind putting behind me! Not that I'm really moaning, I wouldn't change a thing of course, so please don't think I'm being ungrateful. I'm not. But was very glad when DP got home and give me a break!

Oh and bless her she was in my lounge within two hours of me calling for help - the nhs is amazing hey.

Happy MNversary Bunny! I look forward to your anniversary BFP.

Ouch, ouch, OUCH Janey, get well soon to your boobs as well, that sounds terrible.

I feel pretty much at the end of my tether myself this morning after less than 2 hours sleep, which is pretty typical at the moment. Apart from a few slightly longer naps which she currently takes during the day, Elodie is now feeding pretty much constantly, anywhere from 1.5 hours to 20 minutes apart. The tongue tie means she is unable to feed efficiently as her jaw gets tired before she's full and she takes in loads of air. My nipples are very sore. And she rarely feeds to sleep as if she nods off I generally wake her up winding her, so by the time i've settled her back off she's getting hungry again. I can't not wind her as she will wake up screaming after 10 minutes. Added to this she has some kind of baby radar which despite being sound asleep she wakes the very second we put her down and starts niggling which gets gradually worse leading to hysteria until she is picked back up. DH has moved to the spare room on work nights to stop him falling asleep at his desk.

TT is getting snipped next Friday which seems aaaaages away. I am really hoping the tongue tie snip leads to more efficient and spaced out feedings and sleeps (as it should do) because if there is not an improvement on my current situation I will be moving to mixed feeding or formula while I still have a few shreds of sanity left.

Apologies for the moan. Everyone says it is hard but I have still been left surprised by exactly how hard it currently is. FX that everyone else has textbook babies! (some people must, the lucky buggers!)

Sorry you're having a rough time cavort I can't lie, between your post and a post I've just read on making sure you remember haemorrhoid pads for the hospital bag, I am feeling a bit weird, daunted and freaked out about the whole thing! Have work stress too and have to keep reminding myself it will make no odds to me and my mat pay in three months time.

I've already said to DH I wouldn't mind at all if he wants to sleep in a spare room sometimes on work nights to get a better night sleep, think that's a good idea when it gets too much. He says he won't and will be fine. Yeah - we'll see

Ahh cavort that sounds so so hard! Could you call the hospital explain the situation and see if they have a closer appointment/cancellation, might be worth it, as you say for your sanity and wellbeing as much as anything else! I feel for you all. If you can express could you try to build up a bit of a stash hard I know when you are constantly feeding and have your mum or a friend round to look after her while you go to bed for the afternoon? I hope to use my mum and dad like that.....hopefully they won't mind.

They do say the sleep deprivation is the worst part, friends have recommended that my OH take the 2 weeks paternity and then take another 2 weeks holiday 3 to 5 weeks later as that is when it starts to get really tough re the lack of sleep. He was planning it take a month straight off.

Ha Alex I don't mean to scare you! Even though my current misery I know it is only short-term and the tongue-tie is obviously exacerbating things, which probably won't happen to you. And even through my bleary eyes she still makes me melt when I look at her.

I know DH feels guilty going to the spare room but he is under orders as I don't see the point in us both being knackered. He gets up to help out on weekends though so I get a little break and some sleep.

And don't worry too much about piles. I got some little ones from pushing which were never painful and went after a week.

You have my sympathies cavort, you really do. Miles has generally been pretty good, but along with all the feeding issues refused to sleep all day yesterday. As predicted, he slept terribly due to being over tired last night, so I've been up since 2am. Brought him down to the lounge to try and let DP get some sleep, doesn't make me any less knackered though.

One thing - is she always 'properly' feeding? The breastfeeding counsellor yday pointed out when he wasn't swallowing too deeply and said he was comfort feeding and not taking too much milk, so to take him off at that point if I was too sore at the moment. Might be worth a try?

And I know absolutely how hard it is to find time (and enough milk) to express, but if there was any way you could express some for the weekend your DH could do one night for you? I'm sure just one night's sleep would make the world of difference. IME it's quickest and easiest to express between 2 and 4am, or first thing in the morning. I got 100ml this morning from just one boob, which I will be using this evening to give my poor boobs a break from the inevitable evening cluster feed...

Mother the clinic won't bump us up the queue as she is putting weight on so in their eyes it's not urgent.

I am expressing but because Elodie only feeds little and often that's how I am having to express to get a decent amount. I don't want to give her more than one bottle of expressed per day until she's a bit older but I might ask DH to start giving it to her when he gets up about 6.30am so I can sleep longer.

Cross post cavort! I guessed he helped anyway at the weekend, but being able to sleep through one feed really is amazing.

I felt at the end of my tether yesterday too and almost ready to give up on breastfeeding as the pain was so bad. Thankfully I got some help straight away. You've got my massive sympathies that you've got to wait until the end of next week x

Sorry you're having a hard time Janey and Cavort, you both have my sympathy.

Alex - I didn't get any piles and I suffered virtually every pregnancy nasty going so they're certainly not inevitable!

Janey yes she does suckle and I do try to take her off when she does it. She's putting so much weight on I have no worries prizing her off mid-feed.

A full night's sleep sounds like heaven but I would still have to get up to express as my boobs would kill after a few hours of not feeding. Her night feeds are only short, like 20 minutes, so DH will get up at the weekend straight after each feed to wind, nappy and settle her off to sleep which is what takes longest and still sounds like a good deal to me.

Poor janey! Are you feeling any better today?

And poor cavort! I only had one night when Vic was fussy and didn't want to sleep - the day had been too hot and he was sleeping most of it, so was wide awake at night. And that was miserable already, I can't even imagine how exhausted you must be feeling.
Hopefully it is the TT causing the problems and the snip will make all the difference. Yes, ask DH to feed her so you can sleep at least a little longer.

I really should try out the breast pump so could get out of the house without the baby for a little while, but have simply been too lazy.

cavort have you tried not to change nappies in the middle of the night (unless she has pooped)? I did it at first as well, but that just woke him up, so now it's feed and back to sleep, even if he's a little wet. If he's had enough to eat, he will then fall asleep immediately.

I am pretty knackered (and I bet Janey is as well) but I am increasingly surprised by how little sleep it is possible to survive on. Elodie has been wide awake since 6.30am so I am hoping for a nap soon so I can get back in bed. I am still in my PJ's waiting for it!

I did stop bothering with wet nappies if she was asleep but because we have to wind her which generally wakes her I figure we may as well sort the nappy as well while she's disturbed. Sometimes she will burp while asleep if we gently put her over our shoulder in which case I wouldn't even consider waking her with a nappy change.

I always do a nappy change - as without it Miles feeds for approx 90 seconds, then falls asleep. Then wakes up ten mins later starving....and repeat. So I generally try to wake him up properly once he's stirred, and feed him for ages. Apart from last couple of nights that takes about an hour and Miles usually means 3-4 hours sleep after.

That's the theory anyway. As the bags under my eyes prove, it's far from infallible.

Despite vowing to hold out, I have cracked and tried her with a dummy, which she is currently sucking like her life depended on it. It will either be our saviour or downfall I suppose but I doubt it can make our current situation any worse. If she takes to it I will try to wait until she is comfort suckling at the end of a feed and then replace nipple with dummy in the hope she will settle without me while I get back to sleep. What could go wrong, eh?

Well I'm the lest experienced of you lot in this motherhood malarkey and am only just starting to find out the joys of bf etc.
But our first two days went like this: Lara is quite happy during the day and feeds every 3 hours or so (although she did feed 3 times on the hour at around noon yesterday) as long as she is getting cuddles. She hates being in the pram or basket at the moment. Then from 11 to around 2/3 she cluster feeds manically. It is knackering. I come upstairs with her and let DH has his chilled x box time . He comes up then and cuddles her to sleep in his arms. That means he can only doze off as she is on him but I can sleep. I got almost 4 hours like that. Then I feed her and will cuddle her myself for the next shift so as he can sleep. Then after the 9am feed I managed to put her in the basket and miraculously she is still there so we both got another 3 hours. Mw said sleeping with her on you is ok as long as you put pillows etc to make sure you don't roll over and squash her. In our case I think it's just a comfort thing for her and rather than fight for her to be jan the basket and nobody gets any sleep, at the moment we are going with that option.
Def try expressing more cavort so as DH can do an evening feed perhaps even on a work night? I will start expressing as soon as I can to help me with the evening cluster feed as my tits are on fire at the end of it! My plan is to have enough for DH to do the first one or two of that marathon which should give me some rest.
I agree its harder than anyone ever tells you. But also more amazing.

I would not worry about piles either. But do get yourself some tea tree oil for when you come home in case you tear. I didn't buy any and am now having to go round pharmacies trying to find it.
I hope the baby talk is not getting too much for you ladies. We got kicked out of conception last time so we may need to move to post natal before it happens again

lol Vic did those cluster feeds earlier as well, but has stopped now, so might happen for Lara as well (beautiful name by the way).
I also tried the dummy as needed to give my nipples a break, but he absolutely refused that.