January 2014 Thread 17 - and the final babies will be here any day now!

[Frizz1986]

Thought i would start up the last thread before we move over to postnatal thread.

Sorry for me, me, me essay but only slept about 4 hours in last 3 nights and in a lot more pain than I expected so I'm really struggling

mrsv his sugars sound in the normal range to me. Alex level was 1.8 at birth and I had to give top ups but only until they were above 2.6 for three consecutive tests and then they stopped testing and let me breastfeed on demand.
I wasn't happy about the top ups and they got a consultant to talk things through with me. Maybe if you kick up a fuss you can see someone more senior.

I know how difficult it is to watch them try to feed a baby who is just not interested. For his first two feeds Alex breastfed, then had expressed colostrum, then a 30ml top up and I cried whilst they were feeding him the top up as it seemed so much and he was so reluctant.

Thank you tarka that's so reassuring. They were worried due to the huge drop and want it over 3. Ill see how it goes today but know ill just worry more when I get home. I'm anxious of asking for help as some are so good and others are literally terrible. Prodding him in the face saying he's not latched properly when I've spent 20 mins getting him on and I know that he is. One even said 'get your tits out' ggrr

Thanks for the drinks, felix :)
Yes, all fine thanks! It's just so bloody relentless sometimes, isn't it?

mrsv we had the same thing as Alice's dropped bellow the hospital limit of 2.6 on her first day. They tried bottles but she was so sleepy she wouldn't suck so we finger fed (weird tube against your little finger that they suck on). Luckily this worked as they were talking about nicu which worried dh. Only had to top up until we had two readings above 2.6.

Maybe ask your hospital to discuss their cut off point as I know the student mw said hospitals can range from 2 to 3.

I'm realy sore this morning, breasts are throbing after every feed and my cs scar is also hurting. Those who had a cs when were your stitches removed? Alice is a week old today and I had thought they'd said day 5.

Thank you fly ill ask and see what they say

My stitches are apparently dissolvable so shouldn't need removing. So far the scar is fine it's my whole tummy which is sore

Mrsv second advise above to ask to see someone senior to explain what they are doing. And keep feeding, feeding, feeding! They only need a bit of colostrum as it's rich. If he's doing lots of mec poos he must be getting some! It's a laxative as well.
You're doing great!! Some midwives are so blasé...they forget what a tough ordeal birth is and how emotional and new everything is.

Any one else having green poos?
I read something about too much fore milk. Any one got experience with it? Will ask hv but she's not back until tomorrow to redo hearing test.

pidgy - yes green poo can be too much foremilk so usually where baby is taking foremilk then being put to other breast and only getting foremilk there. iirc block feeding helps stop this. so for example, I feed Zachary one side at a time and if he comes off I put him back on same one if within the same hour (ish). If he's fed well for say 40 min on one tho and comes off then I may offer other breast then.

mrsv - when I had ds1 emergency cs hos blood sugar was unstable and he needed reg testing but the bitch mw continued testing even after all ok and I woke to find her feeding ds1 formula with a cup despite him being ebf. I was also hooked up to a huge machine to express and all this was before milk came in. I did not have a clue it took a few days to come in and felt awful and swear this contributed to PND. It ended up the mw was wrong and pead told her as much. I second speaking to someone senior. x

Thanks for all the birthday wishes, i had a great day!

Thanks bunt. Think I've been swapping sides too much during her evening feeding frenzy. They feel 'empty' by evening so wanted to make sure she gets something but will keep more on one side. Hopefully that will sort it!

DS1 teething, had to put him to bed for an early nap, dosed up with calpol. Feel like a terrible mum not being able to split myself between him and Cal evenly.

Cal slept well last night, though not in his crib . Swore I wouldn't co sleep this time around but it was just so much easier. Dp has been wonderful, he does the changing and settling Cal to sleep so I just do the feeds. Wish he'd learn how to keep the house tidy but he does brilliantly with the boys.

I feel like I'm coming down with a cold. Luckily Dp is back, though he does have to go in at 3 for an hour to teach guitar club. MW coming later to do Cals heel prick. And I have the asda delivery coming so tea and biscuit supplies will be replenished.

Oh and happy belated birthday frying! Sorry I forgot amidst the me me me ness of this post.

mrsv no experience with this but i would speak to someone more senior if you are unhappy or have questions. Thats what they are there for.

pidgy i have read about green poos and foremilk as well. I always feed Aurelia from one breast, but she never feeds for more than 20mins. Atm she has only fed for about 10 mins, its really concerning me. If i feed her expressed bm she prob only has about 2-3 mls max and often we are having to force it. She only feeds every 3 hrs as well.

Also am starting to worry about her development (god its way too early to be worrying about that) but all the books and info say that by 6 weeks your baby should start to look towards noises and should track things as you move them in front of their face. Well aurelia doesnt pay attention at all. Her eyes are often wandering all over the place checking out the room (i assume) Should she be interested in toys? God i am worried that i didnt interact with her enough in the early weeks and now she is behind! She was born at 37+4, will that delay some of her development?

Frizz Sylvie was born at 37+4 too and isn't interested in anything (she's 7 weeks on Sunday). She will look around the room at things but just states at everything blankly! It's funny when I'm talking and pulling faces at her and she just stares at me with no expression like 'what the hell are you doing?' Don't worry, she sounds completely normal!

Stares not states!!

frizz I always found those development milestones a bit ambitious. From memory they don't really get interested in toys til a lot older either. Dd is now 2 (well tomorrow) and seems to be more advanced than her peers (although that's just my opinion), but I also worried she was falling behind as a baby.

She also only ever fed off one side for 5-15mins every 3hrs. She was just an efficient feeder as she went from 25th-91st centile in her first 6months.

Thanks ladies. I think its my concerns that i want to be a great mum and all the ladies on my nct fb group are chatting about feeding and toys. I guess none of them had issues with weight gain at the start (all theirs seem to have got to birth weight within a week or have at least been way above birth weight at 2 weeks) Think i am stupidly comparing us to them (i know i shouldnt) and it makes me worry that i am not doing something right, or worse, that there is something wrong with the little one.

At least she is having a snooze but my boobs are going to explode so i want her to wake up and feed (lots) Why when you want to sleep they just want to feed but when you need them to feed they just sleep. Damn it!!

Another one with v fussy baby in evenings here...complete nightmare with hourly (I kid you not) awakenings from midnight last night. Having been spoilt with one feed between midnight and 8am for 2 weeks this has come as a bit of a shock. By 8pm with her brothers in bed and my energy rock bottom it really is almost killing me that she has her alert cluster feeding time from 8-midnight. Am going to try infacol and a first formula feed tonight to see if that helps.

I know there's a 3 week growth spurt but we are on night four tonight with insane lack of sleep and constant feeds. How long do growth spurts last????

Also she has a snotty nose which isn't helping. Argh. Get me through the next four weeks please!

Henry is bottle fed, but he cluster feeds from 5/6 - 10 every night. He's also really fussy then.

i swear he would have slept through, in his cot!!, last night if ds1 didn't keep waking, and coming into our room where dh let him sleep in our bed. Sigh. Got shot of one baby out the bed and then get another one instead.

when Henry woke he didn't want any milk, so from 10-8 last night. He just wanted cuddling.

he slept in his cot 10-12.30 and then in our bed until 3, cot 3-5.30. Not so fun

Just to add to the feeding/sleepless nights talk, we had to resort to giving Xander a formula top-up last. He had been screaming non stop for 24 hours and wouldn't take from the breast at all as he was so grumpy. Nothing we tried worked and we were desperate so I used 30ml of the formula carton and it made such a difference, he slept in his Moses basket and was much more settled.

I think the problem is my milk hasn't come in yet and the amount of colostrum he is getting iant enough as if the latch isn't great he gets really frustrated and won't take my breast at all.

I am still feeding from the breast but topping up with 30ml as and when required. Also hand expressing to keep the flow going. I hope that when my milk comes in we might be able to drop the formula, but at the moment my boobs are still soft with no signs of the milk other than a pulling in my uterus when Xander feeds. So far the top-up seems to be working with a much happier house. I'm sure the midwife will have something to say tomorrow but we were really struggling.

http://kellymom.com/parenting/nighttime/sleep/ sleep a link from kellymom as I see lots of us are having concerns re sleep and feeding. I just thought it might reassure you. They are any an all with little tummies and they also need to feel safe and secure and are used to being in the womb and naturally (like any you g mammal) want to be close to mum. its a survival j still ctx and a need as much as any other. anyway, I thought I'd post it.

Zachary wakes often some nights and sone nights sleeps for a stretch but he hasn't figured his pattern out but he's only 2 weeks and patterns will change as will his needs. I know nursing in demand and cosleeping isn't going to make a rod as I've done sane with all mine.

first full day without dh and si Dar we are surviving just got bedtimes to do.

sleep

Sorry for typos. hate this phone

MrsV they didn't check Alex's blood sugar (afaik) so no idea, but I am certain her stomach was not 5ml/marble sized at birth or at least it didn't stay that way for long, as from the start she took 30mls formula when I didn't have anything to feed her. Big, late babies simply can't need as much (little) food as small/early babies, it makes no logical sense, so I've ignored the advice.

toby sympathy. It is relentless. We get 1-2 hours every morning and about 2-3 most nights. Taking it in turns helps, as does the Hoover or singing at her v loudly. Survival is what I'm aiming for.

gosh meaning to say, I felt flat and sad and regretful (god, how awful) until about day 10. Cried loads. Now day eighteen and we are like different people. I've stopped feeling like I'm trapped in the house and the world is outside. Talk to us about it, that stage is crappy.

Did my first solo trip out today! Coffee with NCT friend, then went to lidl with Alex. She slept most of the time and I think the fresh air has helped as she's been less if a pain so far this evening.
Quite proud of our adventure. Next challenge: solo trip on train to BCG clinic. Eek!

Also, those with two/more, please don't beat yourselves up. I was talking to my mum the other night and she said again 'motherhood is the hardest job' and this time I realised how right she is. It's so tough, and dealing with two is doubly hard. Give yourselves a break.

Lots of wise words above. Thanks.

I'm sure in a few months I'll be longing for cuddles with her but I just feel like I can't put her down at the moment without lots of crying. Thank god my pil are here to help with DS.
Need to get him ready for bed now tho. And he has the shits now. Grrrr. Poor (big) baby but it's really not what I need!!
Hope Lara doesn't get it. Eek!!!