October 2013: The Fourth Trimester - the bit no one warns you about!

[roxvox]

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

I feel like I've been run over by a bus this evening. I managed to have a couple of hours just me & T time watching catch-up telly, but I"m finding the daily routine of feeding/washing/sorting out the various members of the household quite exhausting. And my body hurts. My stomach, my butt, my hip, my nethers... I keep forgetting it's only been 9 days since I went through childbirth, but how long does this last?
Please give me hope those of you further ahead of me...

Oh to be able to lie back and recover at leisure with just a baby to feed and have some lovely OH to see to my needs...[dream....] I'm struggling to find energy for DS, which I can see upsets him at times. God knows how you guys with toddlers are coping.

pinkforboys I'm on day 13 and had a normal birth with no stitches and my groin area is still aching and every time I tense up to sit up or cough my whole tummy area still feels achey or uncomfortable. I hope it doesn't last forever too

Evening all. Congratulations Imp sorry you missed the big reveal, but he's here now :)

Georgie strangely C has been happier over my shoulder today - I've had two long cuddles with him like that so perhaps he just needed to straighten out a bit.

Somebody shoot me now please. JellyBaby has been crying on and off all day so am exhausted but I have stupidly promised DD I will make some Halloween craft things for her to finish tomorrow. Also got her Halloween costume to finish. So both big kids now in bed and I have to start crafting - I am off my head!!!

Does anyone have any ideas what I can make?

Jelly

craft idea?

Jelly, I did these paper chains with DS last year which I cut out the night before and he added glitter/stuck bits on...

www.kidspot.com.au/kids-activities-and-games/Halloween-craft+11/Make-Halloween-paper-chains+12351.htm

Cheers ladies I have made:

A string of witches like the paper chain men we made as kids

Halloween bunting on paper with letters drawn on saying happy Halloween. She can colour in then we will assemble and hang in window

A witch picture for her to colour in

And I have made a spiders web with wool and stuck it on window along with DS toy spider - this will no doubt cause him to tantrum tomorrow.

Have drawn face on pumpkin to carve tomorrow at some point.

Oh and finally I have burnt my thumb on the kettle and its bloody sore.

Night night and good luck to those in labour x

Well done jelly! I'm very impressed.

Super mum jelly!

Flyer that is ridiculous. So much difference in how we are treated.

Dh called post natal ward and explained that lo has not feeding great and we thought he had tongue tie. There happened to be a mw there who he was passed to. Explaining he had lost weight and was jaundice and we thought he had tongue tie.
As it was a Friday she had us in for Monday morning for an assessment. Cut it there and then.

I had an put of area hospital in a different area. Our area hospital is the one which did the home visits. Home visit mw said they don't do them in our area and we would have to go private!
2 hospitals, within 15min drive of each other. Yet SO different. Makes me so angry.

flyer hope you can get it fixed quickly. It shows your mummy instincts were correct and that you are doing your very best.

I know GT it's as if there is no sense of urgency. Dp's cousin is visiting us tomorrow from London she is a consultant paediatrician at great ormond street so going to ask her advice and think we will go private. Poor girl is going to get grilled. We also wonder if baby A has some kind of reflux problem too. This cousins visit couldn't have come at a better time.

Jelly you are supermum I don't kobo how you do it with 2dcs and a baby! I'd be drinking lots of

Nat no one even mentioned why she projectile vommed (it was loads) just didn't seem concerned. All over dp's Hugo Boss Jumper too

OK I think this is finally it. Have been contracting regularly for the last 2 hours. Some 10min apart and some 5min apart, some vicious and some mild. Some last well over a minute and some 30sec. I guess this is normal in early stages?

have been monitoring them with a mobile app. DP asked if the app can show them all as a chart as it would be interesting to see them as a chart... I'm going to kill this man later today right? I know at least you will understand if I do...

the last few have been 6min apart. when would you go to the hospital, considering 20min drive at this hour but 1 hour in peak traffic around 7.30-9...

I called the hospital and the midwife was lovely... she said they would trust me to come when I feel it's time as it's my second baby... so she told me to trust my body. how common sense and how lovely

Wool clapham
I'd be tempted to leave before rush hour. So u don't get caught in traffic.
I think my contractions were 4 min apart when I was fully dialled. As they were discussing putting me on a drip just before examining me!

Woohoo clapham! I am so excited for you. My contractions were erratic throughout, some almost 2 minutes long, some over in seconds and randomly spaced too. I called the hospital when I had had a couple that were 3-4 minutes apart and they told me to have something to eat and come in. Really I wish I'd left home sooner.

I would say to have something to eat, have a shower etc and then head in when you feel you need to, or just before the rush hour traffic (whichever comes sooner!)

Good luck clapham, I can't wait to hear your news

Good luck Clapham! And hope things are going well for Smitten and Sparkleigh.

Good luck Clapham!

Have managed to keep up with the thread but haven't managed to post. DP back to work, and we are coping okay. Doing the night feeds and changes all alone is fine too, but when DP does wake up because the baby is crying etc he is super-grouchy and aggressively cross, which is v v frustrating.

thanks all! You are right - leaving in a bit! 4.30min apart now!

Good luck claphammama!

Congratulations imp!

Just checking in quickly so apologies to anyone I've missed, I'm on the mobile app.

Baby boy arrived yesterday at lunchtime he's gorgeous had the water birth I wanted but bleed a lot afterwards so I'm in for a couple of days, which is good because the midwives are lovely and helping me with bf! Sad DH can't stay with us tho as I'm on the labour ward. Baby has a powerful set of lungs on him!

Congratulations sparkeleigh. Glad you had the birth you wanted. Shame about the blood loss. You'll be home before you know it!

Good luck Clapham!

Any update Smitten?

Have had two mega-poos from Eloise, really distressed her pushing them out and one was an all over the babygro job. And at 2 am. Nice!

Feeding going well, though the first 30 secs of each feed are excruciating! Any tips?

Congratulations sparkeleigh. Hope all is ok after the blood loss.

Woo Clapham!good luck!

Congratulations Sparkeleigh!

Good luck Clapham, I'm so pleased for you xx

GO CLAPHAM!!!

Whoop whoop!! Push clapham push!!

Big congrats sparkleigh xxxxx

Clapham...my pompoms are out cheering the arrivsl of your little one.

Mw came and J is still losing weight even with all the on demand feeding Round the clock. Yesterday was day 11!!!!
Therefore we decided to top up with ff and I hope it works!!! Had a goodcry holding my dog as dh held J. Dog tried to lick the tears and that cheered me up....
Onwards and upwards!!!
Have to top up with 2oz after every 3 hour feed.J seems full to the brim!!!

Good morning to all!!!