October 2013: Newborn snuggles and waddles to the finish line

[FeministInTraining]

Stats sheet here

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

Re jaundice..... V is still jaundiced at 6 weeks! Both were referred to jaundice clinic at 3 weeks (hospital appointment at 4 weeks) for bloods, wee and paediatrician appointment. All fine, just "breast fed jaundice". Tbh I think you'd know if there was a prob : dark wee, pale poo, not waking to feed, not gaining any weight....

Bowlful - telly has been on a LOT, only this week has it been marginally less.... It's only for a few weeks....

Flyer - hope my advice up thread re taking a "break" and going with A wasn't out of turn...

How long will I bf? I imagine 18 months or so, prob less than DD (2 years). It gets LOTS less time consuming and saves time in fact... I think there are lots of reasons why I managed to bf that long, none of them down to my will power or anything like that:

• something about my or my babies' physiology means (a) they've latched fine after a few days; and (b) I've never had cracked or bleeding nipples - bloody sore yes for a while, but manageable.
• my let down is fast and feeds after the initial weeks are v quick.
• I am the eldest of 4 (youngest sibling 14 years younger) and my mum bf all of us till we were 2 - so I've seen hundreds of breast feeds and seen how easy it is later at four months plus - the baby just latched themself.
• I had a baby v v young for my circle if friends (28) so had literally never seen a baby be fed by a bottle of formula before I had her... It terrified me just because, unlike most aspects of baby stuff, I had no idea what to do...
• now I have bf DD, a v big baby who grew spectacularly, I have huge confidence to ignore MWs etc as I know what they say just ain't right for everyone..
• I never expressed apart from, quite a few months in, the odd day of expressing to make up bottles for a night out for me . I expressed for 5 days for Valentina.... If that had continued and I hadn't bf before, I would have quit. I hated it - the pain, feeling like a cow and the effing time consuming-ness of it all. Unless there's a specific reason, like a night out, short term upping supply if baby cant or wont feed or logistics (like Hayle(?) and the school run), I just can't see the point. The best way to get bf going is feed feed feed.... I take my haf off to those of you doing it...

Oh and the anxiety thing? TOTALLY normal. It eases a bit

Mrs HN - how are you doing?

Not at all legally your advice calms my anxiety somewhat so thanks.

I can hardly keep up with the thread these days I'm so busy.

Legally how do you know if you have a fast let down?

Clapham, Smitten, Threeblondies and all those SFW so sorry I've not posted much and mentioned you I do wait in anticipation daily of an arrival and you are in my thoughts.

P.s what is a fast let down I don't really know.

Sanj hope there's been some movement on the ward.
Neen hope things get going soon.
Clapham bp was 130/90 which is a huge jump from my booking bp. Just back from dau. Ctg fine but bp staying borderline. Cervix hadn't changed from 2cm so mid wife did another sweep.....it was slightly different to that done by my gp last night! Lets say a lot more vigorous!! Bloods taken. Have to back for monitoring in morn if not in labour by then! Any deterioration they'll induce. If stable they'll cont monitoring til 40+5 (tues) and then induce if I haven't produced it by myself. I hope to god baby gets hint from extreme sweep earlier today!
Hope everyone is having an ok day.
All sfw the midwife told me to have a big glass of wine tonight. So there you go..... Almost doctors orders. I advise all go do the same. For now I'm just bouncing and walking until wine o'clock. X

Well it's my due date today... No baby. Boo! Feels like he was about to fall out when I went for a wee so much pressure and heavy feeling.

I have done walks, sex, curry, pineapple, raspberry leaf tea. But have been doing most of this any way. Come on baby.. And everyone else's who is still waiting!!

Flyer, fast let down is (I think!!?) that once the baby sucks on my nipple, my breasts respond v quickly to start pumping the milk out. You can sort of feel this, normally in the boob you're not feeding from...Then, when pumping, they really pump, so the milk spurts out fast... Sometimes too fast for tiny babies so the twins sort if choke and have to pull away, but DD soon got ok with it after a month or two. This means that it's quick and easy rewards for a sucking baby, so not too frustrating, and, cos it gushes out, not too much energy or time spent in getting to the mythical? hind milk.. Hence the short feeds.

Although they do get a bit cross when they choke... I just have to latch them straight back on once they've got their breath back.... This only lasted about two months with DD, then she was just big enough to handle the big gulps required!

I'm exactly the same legally, poor little love often ends up choking, and dh is always chuckling that you can hear her gulping from across the other side of the room!

it's a bit like a tingly feeling flyer

and until so many of you lot expressed I had always been told to avoid expressing until baby was approx 6 weeks to allow time for your supply to stabilise.

Thanks legally she does choke at the beginning a lot and I hear her literally gulping it down. Today I've managed 20 minute b feeding sessions. I'm taking her to a weigh in on Monday and hoping she's gained weight if she has then it will give me confidence in my breast feeding abilities enough to carry on.

Yes Caz a tingly feeling is what I get also

Slippy, I've been doing the same and also felt like baby was falling out, all to no avail. EDD was yesterday. However have just had (sorry way tmi) a gross bloody show. I imagine that was as a result of the violence inflicted on me by midwife! But fingers crossed it goes somewhere. Would much rather be going back to hospital to have my baby than for my monitoring tomorrow!
Come on babies, reveal yourselves! X

Flyer that sounds great and that you've got a quick flow like the others have described. Go you! X

Sounds promising ready I wish I had a midwife on call so I could find out my current dilation, and be greedy and have more sweeps.

My dog has been resting his head on my bump, maybe he knows... Or maybe he's lazy

Hello all. Still here. Pethidine lady was moved to delivery at about 3 o'clock. I am still apparently first in q, but another woman in the ward is in labour and from the sound of it will need to go to delivery ward before me. Hopefully things will get going this evening. I am getting very nervy now, and listening to this poor woman isn't helping. She is very upset.

phew - just caught up! To all those SFW - you have my sympathies - that last week goes SO SLOWLY and i found it really miserable, time slows down it seems, but hang on in there, once baby arrives it enters double time and everything goes so fast... to you. Looking forward to more announcements soon.

I am another one that also has a fast let down and my babies never feed for more than 10 mins on either side and often one side only and yet put weight on steadily, so agree that the time thing does not apply for everyone (sorry can't remember who was concerned - flyer ?)

Am dreading DH going back to work on Mon and having to cope with 3 on my own - he has been brilliant at sorting out the older 2 and entertaining them/doing the school run. At least its half-term so no need to do school run, but on other hand i can't drive after cs so no idea what i will do with them next week if stuck in for a week. Jelly you sound in a similar situation - any ideas?!

Sorry to everyone having worries with their babies - hope they all gain weight, start sleeping, pass hearing tests, stop being jaundiced, feed painlessly and anything else required to ease our anxieties xx

oh yes and sanji so hope it all works out with the timing for you - how rubbish you poor thing.

moonblues re the mastitis, the agonising pains I had in my breast also went the next day even before the anti b's had kicked in, but I have still had an on and off pain. The redness has now subsided on day 3 of anti b's, but that breast is still swollen and feels like it is still full after A has had a good feed from it, where as the other one gets empty as normal. So, just hoping it will all be sorted soon - hugs to you- the shivers and fever are horrendous, aren't they

Also, hugs to those SFW, hope things happen for you all soon and that there is space on the delivery wards for you xx

Sanji, poor woman I'd be so upset if I was stuck on a ward in labour. I'd be inconsolable, it's not what you want really is it?

Fingers crossed loads of babies are popping out right now and you get your room soon and make it off the bus.

They've just moved her to a side room, but not to the delivery unit. What is going on down there???

Just been told that they HAVE reopened the delivery unit, without touching the induction backlog. I've been really really patient and haven't made a fuss, but now I am really really fucked off.

Sorry about the me me me posts.

Did they say why they're not moving you? I'd still be tempted to tell them to do one and go elsewhere.

Nope, just that the delivery unit is still full. I'd go and ask again but I would burst into tears, I think. I'll send DP later.

sanji you are fully entitled to kick off, but be polite ask them to 'help you' and ask how they would feel in your situation. The nhs is great but you sometimes have to fight your corner to get the service you deserve so

Oh sanji you poor thing :( How OD are you now? It's horrible hearing a woman in labour when you know it's your turn soon - I had one for a room mate the night before my induction started.

legally thank you. I'm trying to go easy on myself and keep reminding myself that without the CS then neither of us would be here, but that scar is still sore and I stupidly read its hard to rid the overhang. :(

flyer def sounds like a fast let down. Does she look at you accusingly once she stops choking/screaming? My little guy does.

clapham that's awful. Haha I think between badger and myself we've drilled you all with what to be aware of. But doesn't bare thinking about if you were a teen or uneducated to consider research.

nat glad to hear you have a second dream baby.

Good luck ready

sanji I second bronze's advice- and then break down in tears. Especially as you've been away from your DC so long.

flyer it sounds like you've got good milk flow so don't underestimate how much your little one is getting in 10mins. I'm finding that Madam is almost shocked at how much milk she's getting today and she's supping for much shorter feeds than yesterday (before I got all Dolly P).

to those waiting so patiently at the back of the bus- move on forward now... Not long before you too can bend over with ease and do up your shoes
In fact- I think I'll have a glass in your honour- there's about a glass of Apremont left in the fridge just calling out to me....