October 2013: no pushing in from the back of the bus, please

[MrsHoratioNelson]

Stats sheet here

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?pli=1&key=0AidVHHwJSwC3dDU2VzFhWWt1ckg4dW84WkdCNzhOaFE&f=true&noheader=true&gid=1 New arrivals here

Key:
SC - still cooking (pre EDD)
SFW - still f*ing waiting (post EDD)
OWT - on way to theatre (CS)
IP - induction in progress
SWIL - somewhere in labour
LIT - lost in transition

Jelly - in absolutely no way do you have to justify your choice here. I have nothing to deal with on that scale. I have a healthy baby, a supportive DH, I'm recovering uber fast from labour, and I'm finding BF hard. A content, well fed baby and Mum feeling confident and in control is far more important.
Hugs x

Do it MrsH....what red will be taking your fancy tonight? I'm partial to a drop of Malbec or Shiraz

Hope things start to ramp up for you again this evening.

Mon hope all goes well with little Eliana and the shunt stays open.

Jelly hope it gets easier now you've decided to ff... You have to do what's right for you.

That's interesting falconsmistress. The midwives in the hospital were all a fluster over how much blood I'd lost (they even called in the head midwife), and when I read out 400ml to the NHS Direct lady she said that it was a lot. I have no idea what the average loss is, but I now know that mine is pretty bloody low considering your loss was 1100ml! I don't get how they measure it either...

I called the midwife to ask her what I should do because my boobs have gone completely soft (like pre-pregnancy) and, even after a 3 hour break, Ailla appears to be getting frustrated with feeding and is yanking on my nipple, I can't hear swallowing and I can't feel my milk flowing like I was able to previously. Plus she's constantly crying when she's off my boob (like 24/7 cluster feeding). If someone else holds her and puts the hair dryer on then she'll go off to sleep. Anyway, the midwife thinks it's more likely I've got an infection somewhere, so had me call the off duty doctor and she's booked me in to see a GP later tonight. My stitches have been a bit more painful and I slightly more swollen over the last 2 days, so perhaps it's that. Hopefully the GP will help, but the midwife and doctor both warned that I might need to top up with formula temporarily

Post partum hemorrhage is considered in excess of 500ml, I think Roxvox (I was just over 500, so was classed as PPH - it's on my notes) but also the speed of the bleed is important. Though I was borderline, the panic was because of the way I gushed.

Hope you get help and treatment and things resolve soon xx

roxvox how bad were your stitches? I was put on antibiotics just in case for a week after. hope you're feeling ok.
jelly I'm a first time mum, with lots of help and support but I still struggled with bf and have switched to formula. I still feel bad even though I think it was right for us.
I'm feeling a little down today. I really do love H, I just feel so tired and overwhelmed I feel a bit like I'm regretting it all. I feel truly awful saying that. I'm gonna see how I go tomorrow with feeling like this. I'm very aware I don't want to end up with pnd. its worse when I'm tired so hopefully its just hormones etc still.
sorry for the mini rant, just wanted to get it out!

Its maybe different at different trusts roxvox or as shire says maybe its speed, I was consultant care as I lost 1700mls last time and was very ill post birth so at MLU maybe 500mls is big? I by no way was belittling it Just relaying that it was classed as a problem over 1000mls at consultant lead care NHS fife. hopefully you would be ok, sorry if it come across wrong.

I hope your supply picks up for you in any case.

jelly seriously no need to explain happy mum happy baby, I know its used a lot but its true xxx

Roofio I hope you feel a little better tomorrow.

Are you planning on doing mother and baby groups up where you live?

Rox can u let me know what gp says. As I'm exactly the same. Boobs have gone totally soft. Lo fed for 1.5 hours earlier and was still hungry. Havnt fed for 3 hours now n boobs still soft. Using nipple sheilds and can't see the milk pooling.
Mw thinks I may have an infection because of painful stitches. Had a swob done yesterday. And started antibiotics today.
Maybe my antibiotics have effected my supply.
This feeding malarki is hard. I also have loads of support. And am just about bf. and I have given ff top ups.

Flyer its cheap Carmenère that was included in the M&S deal we're having tonight.

Before PG I was a real booze wine buff and Saturday evening would usually have started with a dry martini or manhattan or two followed by cracking open a good bottle to share. Since DH is happy drinking beer (real beer, not lager usually) I haven't seen the point in opening a good bottle if some of its going to get wasted as it goes off before we can finish it. I am looking forward to Christmas and having some really good stuff - if I'm BF by then I plan to do some pre-emotive expressing :)

Aww guys I wasn't looking for sympathy I was just kind of explaining why I had moved to formula. Baby needs to eat and that's all that matters saying that formula feeding not going very well either as he not waking for his feeds and then only taking 2oz when he does wake - I fear for tomorrow's weigh in

Oops. It might be pre-emotive expressing if I overdo the vino collapso at Christmas

Ah roofio for you and a hug. It is hard work, how old is he now? Make sure you have lots of support and get people to take the baby out for a walk or something so you can have a baby free rest. Also I found getting out to baby groups really helped and just taking to other mums who feel the same as you and understand is great. But do keep an eye on how you're feeling just incase of pnd.

rox and GT what day are you on? It's very very normal for boobs to go soft and to feel like you don't have milk or are empty, but I can say with almost certainty that this is not the case, it's just your breasts have regulated and learned their new role of producing and holding milk. Of course good to get pain checked out for infection too.

Anything over 500ml is PPH, anything under is considered normal. However, whether you are anaemic has a lot to do with how high your iron store was by the end of pregnancy anyway as if not taking any it may have been rather low.

Unfortunately I do not know what my total blood loss was as I lost lots in the bedroom, but during surgery I lost 600ml and was sent to recovery with a thermo box of blood - just in case. My iron levels were perfect before labour day but plummeted down to 3.2.

jelly you do not need to justify yourself to anyone! You have given JellyJ an amazing start with the colostrum. In the long run so long as he is loved, warm and has a full tummy that's all that matters.

badger how are you? Are you back home? Thinking of you.

Thinking of those SC, IP and SWIL on the back of the bus .

And jelly We are lucky we are able to make a choice about which feeding method is best for our babies. You have alot to consider. Make the choice that is best for all your family.

Jelly I know how you feel - I've had an awful few days myself and decided to stop bf yesterday. I've got an infection in my cs wound, and T was cluster feeding pretty much constantly, so I couldn't air the scar, I was totally exhausted on about 2 hrs sleep a night and my nipples were bleeding. I was a total mess

With dd1 I had an infection which had to be packed and dressed daily by a nurse, and took nearly 3 months to heal as they couldn't give me the best antibiotics due to bf. I'm desperate to avoid that this time as I was housebound and developed PND as a result. I just want to enjoy these early days and be healthy for my dds. Sorry for the essay - I think it helps to write stuff down and some of my RL friends are v judgy

[waves] to everyone, now I'm feeling a bit more myself I'll catch up properly with the thread. to all the new mums, and love to all still waiting - not long now.

MrsH dry martini very Carrie Bradshaw SATC....

I'm with you on the Christmas drinks....what's going to be your tipple? I can't wait for Mulled Wine and some nice cheese with a glass of Port yummy.

Textbook I hope you can enjoy your babies early days this time around.

hope everyone is enjoying a nice evening and sorry labour seems to be on and off for a few of you. Must be really frustrating... I'm SC here at 38+4 which is frustrating but at least no false alarms and I know where I am ie. nowhere near!! this stop and start scenario must be exhausting. Fx things will start moving for all of you.

hope buttons and soup are doing well and we will have some lovely baby news overnight!

flyer don't be so sure you won't go on your due date. Yoh don't know!

Sorry to hear so many of you are struggling with infections and breastfeeding. You are all doing so well and, if you decide to stop, you will know in your own heart that you've done your best to try. As tarlia said, even the first few days of colostrum make a massive difference and are super important. So ignore all ignorant and judgemental people - it's so easy for people to judge. I had a friend who had a natural first birth and was really smug about it and very rude and judgemental about women opting for epidural (to their faces). And then she found her second labour very painful and opted for epidural herself. hehe. So easy to judge...

imp welcome back! We, at the back of the bus, forgive you your near treason and shifting to make some room for you

pink sorry about your phone - not ideal timing!

MoN hope Eliana continues to do well and you have some sleep tonight. Thinking of you xx

tarlia forgot to respond this morning - no, no other mums with babies or small children unfortunately. This school is so difficult to get into these days, because of siblings policy, that most of the children in DS's class are already younger siblings... For 30 kids in his class, they had only 5 places for new children ie. non siblings!

mrsH and flyer - my fellow alcoholics dear MN friends... so many things I look forward to... ashamed to say... definitely lots of mulled wine, G&Ts, riesling, mersault, amarone... my head is spinning... plus our engagement champagne we got from the jewellery shop is still waiting, unopened... hope it's a good one... planning to open it when the baby is born.

I'm not an alcoholic

Clapham you got engagement champagne from the shop you bought your ring from! You are too posh for this old clapped out October bus

Lovely I bought a bottle of Tattinger the other day for Christmas will have drunk it by early November

Can anyone link to the stats sheets I've accidentally closed the tab I had open :-(

The pregnancy one not births x

ooooo.... I love Tattinger flyer... good choice! Hope you will be done with it by late October the latest

PS. all my team is flying to SF today. they called me from the Virgin lounge at 11am this morning to tell me they were on the four glass of champagne... disgraceful...

nat it's on top of this thread ("stat sheet"). They are all in the same doc but you have two different sheets for due dates and births. can you see? just change the tabs. I'm on phone so tricky to link x

Tis a disgrace, I bet they drank the upper class bar dry. Although we serve Lanson on board and not keen tbh.

What's the max you can drink of you are bf?

You like Hendricks gin Clapham? Omg I'm so excited about drinking again such a big old lush social drinker of course.

Stop talking about champagne, you're making me thirsty!!!

DH is finally going through the names book, queue lots of random ones being called out like I'm s'posed to go 'Yes, that's the perfect name, darling. How clever of you!' (I'm only bitter cos I've been going through it for the last week and only come up with about 6 okay options.
What is it about our precious babies that just no name seems good enough? Or is that just my hormones?