TTC 10+++ Months Grads Thread

[sweetgrouch]

Decided to start the new thread seeing as the old one is filling up.

Hi ladies
Sweet sorry about your dad's medical emergency. Hope it was nothing serious.
Buzz exciting mini already has 4 teeth. They grow quickly don't they.
Euro have been meaning to arrange a meet up with you but tummy bug has prevented me from doing much at all.
Thanks ladies I'm 40+1 today. No sign yet of mini sea. I have had a stomach bug for a week. Had thought it was a good sign but docs confirmed it was a bug. It is getting better but not completely gone. Had a sweep on Friday which was a shock. I can't believe they describe it as being like a smear. It's NOTHING like a smear. Have had encouraging signs of period pains for weeks now and head / neck have been engaged for weeks but still nothing. Had the show yesterday so I'm hopeful something will happen soon. Wish me luck.

sea - best of luck! I sympathize with the waiting, Mini took forever and was no hurry to get out. I hope things start progressing for you. It was Mr's dad who had a heart attack, he had open heart surgery and is now on the mend.

buzz - Almost 6 teeth!! Wow! Little cousin is a she, mini gets very excited when he sees her and wants to "play". Poor bb pulling things onto herself! Mini's finally getting better at not pulling things onto himself, we had a rotten two week stretch where he seemed to get a new bruise every day. He is now walking while holding furniture, I am not ready for him to be running properly. Has your friend had a boy or girl?

Sweet - sorry to hear about FIL. Sounds serious. Hope Mr Sweet is coping as well as can be.
How late were you? I forget - have serious pregnancy brain these days.

Buzz - I meant 6 teeth and not 4 of course. My mind has completely gone. I need thus baby out just to regain some brain cells.

sea - all the best. thinking of you. just popped in to see how you are getting on - my parents are here for the week - will try and catch up when they leave

Hi all,
The thread fell off my list and I've been battling ms, a terrible cold (really wiped me out!), toddler tantrums, little sleep and mr p resigning from his job and dealing with a possible no pay situation It's been hectic to say the least! But we had a small holiday and pre-cold I was actually starting to feel ok. I'm 15 weeks tomorrow and I've started to feel "fluttering" so I reckon baby bunny #2 will be another busy baby. Baby bunny #1 isn't really a baby any more, she's a fully fledged toddler with an attitude to match. My god she's strong willed!

sea good luck! Baby sea will be here so soon. Everything here is crossed for an easy sneeze birth after your arduous journey and difficult pregnancy.

free hope you're getting rest and lots of help with your parents around.

sweet sorry to hear you've had so much to deal with on top of going back to work. Hopefully things will settle for you soon. Mini sweet sounds so cute with his, no doubt terrifying, dare devil antics.

buzz teeth and climbing stairs are not so much fun. But it is amazing to watch how much they can do / work out. We're at a very tricky "I can do everything myself or I'll scream and throw myself at the floor" stage, which is trying. She's also starting to talk, she can say bubble, more, mummy, daddy and no. And a whole bunch of other sounds which obviously mean something to her but nothing to us! Cue total frustration with lots of pointing and shouting!

Right, we're off out for lunch. Hope you're all keeping well :)

Bunny - sorry to hear you are unwell. Must be tough to look after little one, coping with early pregnancy and DH job issues. Take care of yourself! Hope you are feeling better.

Free - Hope you are enjoying family time with parents and they are lending a hand.

Still nothing here. 41 weeks tomorrow. I had my 3rd sweep this morning. Induction booked for next Wed. It's getting v uncomfortable and I really want this baby to come out.

sea I have been thinking about :) ooooh mini sea is obviously all comfy in there, hopefully he will come out before Wed,

bunny she is getting better at the stairs but is easily distracted, we don't have our own so let her go wild when we are at the inlaws place. We are doind sing and sign so hoping she will pick it up and we won't have such frustration later on, yay to flutterings :)

free hope you are ok

sweet yes she had a little girl but bloody hell care in the UK really does differ from trust to trust, they tried inducing her but all it did was dry up her cervix and make it retract this went on for 5 days. How is mini sweet, BB is now into everything, my house looks like we have gone all minimalist, she is starting to cruise too

euro hope you are ok too

I'm loving all the tales of what our minis are getting up to. Who would have thought we would be here when we were back on the conception board not that long ago, trying for endless cycle after endless cycle. I can't wait for those still in infertility hell to join us.

sea I was wondering how you were getting on. I hope you don't have too much longer to wait.

free how are you finding the early weeks?

AFM, I feel like I am emerging from the newborn fog. We still have some bad nights, but we are all getting better at dealing with them. C is 11 and a half weeks old now. She had her first follow up appointment after being discharged from neonates last week. She passed all the tests and weighed in at 8lb10 - she now finally fills out her newborn clothes!

I've been offered a new job to go back to after mat leave (promotion, more money). I've kind of lost interest in my career over the past couple of years so this might reinvigorate it. Or maybe tell me that it is time to find something else to do... It'll be interesting to see what my current lot do - will they try to tempt me to stay?

sea good luck for wednesday - although maybe it will kick off before then. what induction methods have they discussed with you?

euro that sounds exciting about the new job - a fresh start after maternity leave could be really interesting.

bunny sorry you have been unwell - hope you feel better now.

my parents visit was ok - they didn't really do more to help than work they created - e.g cooking as they didnt like my freezer meals, but then that created a load of washing up which i then stupidly did, they were rather unaware of baby's needs coming before theirs until i said it very specifically - so i didnt get a lot more rest.

minifree was 6 weeks yesterday. on paper - she is a dream child. feeding at 8, 12, 4, 8 then sleeping through until 4am. this is largely due to being bottle fed. i pump but now it is only enough for one feed a day. looking back i wish i was more informed and more confident about breastfeeding. i am still trying to offer the breast before every bottle feed - she breastfeeds for about 30 mins . then sometimes has half the bottle and sometimes drinks the lot. i wish i'd informed Mr more so he didnt offer that I could go out for a bike ride 3 weeks for some alone time post partum (did you see Dr stitching me up or were you sleeping?) or respond to my expressions of unhappiness with suggestions of how i can be more efficient. so in terms of how i have found it so far - emotionally hard. it's been tough to realise this longed for child has not been a source of total joy but rather mixed feelings.

gosh, reading that back I am such an ungrateful wretch. I forgot to say - minifree is starting to smile actually at me, not just as a result of wind or feeding, I am delighted that even though she is primarily bottle fed, she doesn't refuse the breast, I am bloody happy she is healthy. And it's amazing I have the luxury of spending so much time with her for my maternity leave. Everything is actually, pretty much ok. She makes me laugh - even when she holds her vitiman D solution in her mouth then spits it out like a little fountain - never does that with milk. She's a smart cookie.

sea where is your babeeeeeeeeeeeeee roll on Wednesday, did I mention sports drinks like lucozade, I can't stand the stuff but it was nectar of the gods during labour, also snacks too and things to occupy you :)

free you are being honest :) it is bloody tough, all mums have 'those moments' typical of parents not to help, my inlaws seem to have 'forgotten' what it is like to have a newborn, when BB was a few weeks old they sat on my sofa and had a little domestic they never once got off their arses and made me a cuppa

euro little C is going great guns, a new career sounds interesting, I couldn't give a toss about work, so many changes going on, I almost don't want to go back.

Have just seen the news about the womb transplant, pretty amazing stuff :)

waves to everyone else

It will get better, free. I think every new parent has a "what have we done?" moment. It is such a monumental life change. And it is undoubtedly hard. I guess because C was early we have had an extended newborn period, but as I said in my last post, it is only in the last week or so (so maybe from her being 10 weeks old) that I am really enjoying her rather than just making sure both our basic needs are met each day! The early weeks were hard.

It doesn't sound like mr free gets it, which can't help.

free - It sounds like you are going through a bit of a rough spot. It will get better.

euro - the changes in work sound neat.

buzz - work is good, I just prefer being home with mini.

sea - hope you are alright

bunny - Hope you're feeling better

Hope all is well. I will do a proper catch up later.

Hi all,

Sea I hope you are ok. I think you were being induced on Wednesday. Thinking of you lots!

Free welcome to the world of motherhood: in all its guilt and glory. You don't need to apologise. I don't think you sound ungrateful, just coping with all the new adjustments. I still have bad days now, but it's just not as intense overall if that makes sense? I'm sorry mr f hasn't "got" it yet. I'm also sorry your parents weren't that useful. Grandchildren do weird things to grandparent minds. I won't even start about my pils. You will get into the swing of things; it will get better :)

waves to everyone else!

I've entered the nice bit of pregnancy now. A little more energy, nice skin, no nausea and my cold has gone. We heard petit bunny's heartbeat on Tuesday, which was reassuring and I've had some definite tiny wallops this week too. Feels like another feisty one! Asked where mummy's little baby is, mini bunny points to her belly button but I didn't and don't expect her to understand. On that front we're in the midst of teething and tantrum hell (a molar has come through and it looks like 2 canines have erupted too!). But it's all manageable now I'm feeling ok. Plus we're dosing her up on nurofen and taking it in turns to get up early with her in the morning. We're having mega strops over nappy changes, I had to change her at playgroup this week which resulted in screaming, thrashing, and both of us being covered in poo as well as the changing table. And yesterday she wee'd all over my clothes at the swimming pool. Definitely sporting s sort of eau de tramp at the moment!

Thanks all for your support. So lovely bunny to hear of your pregnancy going well.

Sea thinking of you.

My pil are here. Just one night. Which is good as I feel so possessive and protective of minifree. My mil offered I could go do the shopping and leave her to keep an eye on mini. And my mind just shouted no way. Not that my mil unreasonable but I just cant contemplate leaving minifree with anyone either than Mr for more than 15 minutes and always within earshot.

Just a short one ladies. Will try to catch up v soon.
Baby sea was born on the 7th but gave us quite a fright as he stopped breathing soon after birth and had hyperthermia. After a short stay at hospital - antibiotics and numerous blood tests on his poor tiny body we are back home. He is angry and screams in the night and angelic in the day. So in love but completely exhausted from feeds every 2 hours.
Hope to catch up v soon

Congrats sea ! I am so happy to hear you're at home. The first bit is exhausting. Big hugs and courage!

Sea! Wonderful news that baby sea is finally here. Many congratulations. I am so sorry to hear of the initial scariness and difficulties. That must have been terrifying. I cried so much when mini free had to have antibiotics.Is he all right now? Are you all right and getting a chance to recover post birth. Big hhugs and massive congrats and Well Done.

Congrats Sea! He's here! After all your trials and tribulations. I'm sorry it was a rough start but glad to hear you are home. The first few weeks are intense. It gets easier, I promise. Lots of love and congrats again :) xxx

sea yay to mini sea being here at last, sorry about the scare, that must have been terrifying for you

Just popping in to say CONGRATS to sea. I'm so excited for you! The first weeks months are bloody hard work, but incredibly rewarding and it gets lots easier. Hope you are enjoying newborn snuggles.

Waves to everyone else

Sea many, many congratulations. I am sorry you had such a scare. I hope you are both doing well now.

Nothing quite prepares you for the relentlessness of the newborn weeks. We had an extended newborn tiny tummy phase as centime was born so small and it is only now (at 13 weeks/7 weeks corrected) that she is starting to feed a little less frequently at night. We are both quite broken! So just take care of yourself - make sure you eat (enjoy those bfng calories if you are bfing), nap if you can and just enjoy your time together. x

bunny I'm glad you are in the better bit of pregnancy. And at least you won't have to suffer being huge in the summer heat. We 10+ers can't time our pregnancies but you seem to have got pretty lucky with timing.

free I have had to leave centime a few times for interviews (and once to get my hair done). It seems strangely liberating but I also feel like I have forgotten something the whole time. I'm much happier leaving her with mr euro than I was leaving her in hospital, so it is easy by comparison.

Thanks ladies for all your lovely words.

Little sea finally seems to have settled a bit - slept after every feed in the night last night but did scream all morning though - never mind it's already an improvement.

Bunny - so glad you are in the nicer bit of pregnancy. Can't believe you are already making number 2!

Free - it's natural to feel protective and not want to leave mini. I must admit that I was actually relieved when MIL came to help - never thought I would say that. Having said that I'm the only one that can calm little sea when he gets into one of his screaming fits. It's nice to hand over the 11pm feed to mr sea and mil though. Having that period to sleep until the next feed makes a big difference for me.

Euro - once I figure how to breast feed in public without showing all my breasts I will get in touch for a meet up. It was a scary start but I'm just so happy he is here now. Not that it's nice to hear you and mr euro felt broken but it did make me feel a little better. I have cried every day since coming home. The exhaustion and constant attention really is overwhelming. I had no clue it would be like this. How silly of me.

Okay I have to admit it ladies. I'm really not loving breastfeeding - probably because (as I have just discovered) that little sea has tongue tied but we can get that fixed until next week. The pain is intense and I have to bite my lip every time he latches. He also takes more than an hour to feed and is really impatient to get onto the boob. He fights me every time. I much prefer pumping but it doesn't seem to get as much milk out.
Euro - am I right in thinking you pump exclusivity and fed C with breast milk in a bottle?

I was force by midwife to give formula as a top up as he didn't regain his birth weight within 10 days. I would like to keep formula to a minimum. Does anyone know if it's possible to just pump and feed them enough without actually breastfeeding?!

sea you can pump and feed and some women have to, as you know, for one reason or another. You should do things the way you want but pumping and bottle feeding breast milk is super time consuming and wouldn't be an easy way to go long term IMO. It can be difficult to get a good amount of milk out with a pump, I never got more than a few ozs. I hope the tongue tie gets sorted and it gets more comfortable. I never really fell in love with BF , we muddled along until I stopped a few weeks ago (tiny Doll is nearly a year old). I should say too that the main aid to BF for 11 months in my case was formula! Mixed feeding really helped me in many ways and I feel I would have stopped BF earlier or been pretty pissed off a lot. Good luck.

sea yes, I pump and bottle feed as C couldn't manage to latch when she was teeny as she was too weak and she never really got it once she got stronger. I am keeping up with what she needs so far, but we will see how far we can get. It is hard in its own way. E.g. this afternoon, I needed to pump and as soon as I sat down and got myself set up she started yowling for milk, so I had to stop and feed her. That is not uncommon. The nights would be really hard if mr euro didn't do most of the night feeds while I pump. It would be much simpler to combine input and output, but we have got this far and I plan to carry on for a few more weeks if we can, and then start mix feeding through December, before I go back to work in January. If I can, I will keep up one night feed for a while after that, so she gets antibodies from me to help her through the winter cold season.

I think pumping success differs a lot from person to person. My mw was quite surprised that I got as much as I did as she had never managed to get much out and had worked with lots of women who had struggled. I can't say I enjoy it, but my boobs seem to cooperate! So it can work, but I will enjoy the day I don't smell of stale milk any more. Or have to wear unattractive underwear and breastpads.

BTW, my mw deals with tongue ties. I'm not sure if she covers all of London but if you want her details, PM me.