Easter is approaching, and the PESH are laying all over the place!

[maamalady]

Antenatal fred fun for BESH graduates

CRESH

Faith - pinky faithlet arrived 14th April 2013
Pinkr - suitably pinky one arrived 25th August 2013
Jethro - blue one arrived 23rd September 2013
Noks - pink one arrived 12th January 2014

PESH

Frankel - EDD 4th March ANY TIME NOW
Sinky - EDD 18th March
Merks - EDD 21st March
Driz - EDD 7th June
Draf - EDD 19th June
Kat - EDD 20th June
Winks - EDD 26th June
Dor - EDD 18th August
Ginger - 20th August
Euro - 28th August

PESH-in-hiding
Bugs - EDD approx 21st October

I think it's a hopeless case, bugs, not much gas in there I think! Baybee is pleased with dinner though, she's wandering around and playing with my intestines

Oh, and try not to go too overboard on the shopping - we have bought very little but due to the kindness of friends and family we have a HUGE amount of clothes, bedding etc as well as lots of extra bits (bath toys, mobile, high chair). You may well be equally lucky!

It was hugely scary and exciting to get a few brand new bits, though

I dream really vividly when I am pregnant (not all of them re nice, quite a few have been about my Mum!) but I also talk in my sleep loads.

I have had a really tough week. I am glad to get to Thursday as I have tomorrow off. Today is our wedding anniversary and The Mister is going to take me out for dinner tomorrow :)

I had really vivid dreams when pregnant and loads of sex dreams! Poor MSB hardly got any when I was diffed but I was cheating on him at least twice a week when I slept!

I recommend peppermint tea to settle bowels and ease wind ishoos. I drink it for my IBS.

Alwight. Bit better tonight. Managed to take minisinks into work to be cooed over and he behaved perfectly (slept).

Few more tears this evening. In laws are here (not staying with us thankfully) and worried about me. So are desperately trying to get me to switch to bottles. They think bfing is killing me. Fortunately my mum is an old hand at bfing, including my brother who was a nightmare, and is being encouraging.

Minisinks would be doing brilliantly tonight if I could just get him to settle...

Argh the bottle pushing! MSB did this. Meant well but undermines what you're hoping to achieve! We introduced a bottle of EBM at 3 weeks, no nipple confusion. I look back and think 3 weeks doesn't sound like much but I remember it felt like forever at the time!

A good day in the end bugs? I've always suspected that underneath our idiotic husbands/partners are actually alright (I dread the impression I must give of ghj on here - I'm always moaning!)

2 blocks of 3 hours sleep last night. Ok, 8pm to 11 and 4am to 7 may be not normal pre baby, but it's doable! Phew. Oh, and add in the 11.30 to 1 stretch and you'll think I'm taking the mick.

faife, ghj parents and extended family don't do breastfeeding. They just don't. Tbf to they are interested, asking me about milk coming in and establishing supply, but they just don't get why I don't make my life easier and get a bottle in. They're here just now and have taken minisinks off me for a rest, so are doing all the right things. Just gave to ignore the helpful advice..

Oh, and expressed milked to let ghj give a bottle is definitely the plan. Nct said 8 weeks before introducing a teat (haha) NHS said 4-6 but really whenever bfing established is fine. Very happy you succeeded at 3 weeks.

frank - ghj was stressing last night because we'd had 3 wet nappies, but none dirty. I described you and E - I think it helped! And we've already had 2 massive poos this morning.. The boy needs to chill!

Bugs - I saw this and thought of you! (not that I think you're a baby!

If you can't read it, it says "stand back - it's a poo-nami"!

I'm going to be controversial - trying to BF pushed me to the edge of PND. I really wanted to do it. I kept trying & trying. MiniJeff lost almost 10% of his birth weight & I turned into a crazy woman. If I was ever lucky enough to have another baybee I would still try again but FF does not make you a bad mother. It isn't the devils juice. Neither does it make your baby sleep longer! Switching to formula was a huge turning point for me mentally. I still feel guilty but I know it was the right decision.

I'm a bit out of the loop on the National front. Teaforthree is the probable favourite and if you want a (sort of) BESH themed contender, Monbeg Dude (10/1) is owned by Mike Tindall and Zara (who we've always thought could be a BESH) has helped school him over jumps to get his technique better.

Last night I did all the feeds lying down in bed, it's made a real difference to how tired I feel.

X-posts Jeff. Not controversial at all, you have to do what's right for you. No one should be made to feel bad about the choices they make. I'd like to be able to keep BF E for as long as possible, but if I can't or change my mind, so be it. As long as she's growing, happy and loved that's all that matters.

Absolutely Jeff. Please don't think I'm trying to suggest ff is the devils own. I will do it in a second if it suits me or minisinks best. In my case he's gained weight at first weigh in, I have masses of milk, my nips (touch wood) are holding up. It's just my inlaws are convinced that ff will result in a non teary mum 8days post natally, a baby with a routine at a week and sleeping through. Now, while ff is fine, it's not magic and I don't think it'll do any of those things!

My mum bf for a long while but is also very sensible and a retired nurse. We had a long chat last night and she's coming down tomorrow. She supports me bfing, but takes pains to point out that ff is fine.

So Jeff, I agree with you. Please don't feel guilty for giving mini jeff the best possible start - a happy mum.

Sinks & Frank it's nothing at all that you've said. I really admire people who keep at it. It's just that when I was trying to decide what to do for the best there was no-one that said 'it will be ok if you FF' or 'the world won't spin off its axis if you stop expressing'. So I just put it out there. The first 8-10 weeks of MiniJeff's life were hideous. I look at him now & feel so sad that I wasn't 'present' for them. Everyday was a battle. But then suddenly one day that horrid feeling had just gone. And I loved him. And I love him more every day.

Another thing that helped me... a routine.

I have had a horrible day. I have been a snivelling, hormonal mess and been upset for most of the day.

sigh

Dor I'm sorry you had a tough day. Be extra nice to yourself today, eat lots of cake.

Bugs, not long now, just remember there's all kinds of stretching and shifting going in inside you at the mo.

Jeff, our of interest how did you go about implementing a routine? At the moment I feel like I'm drifting along with no structure and before I know it the day's gone and I've barely left the sofa/put E down for more than 5 minutes. Any tips?