It's all balls, bicycles, and babies for the PESH!

[maamalady]

Antenatal fred 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
Frankel - large pink one arrived 10th March 2014
Merks - pink one landed safe and sound 21st March 2014
Sinky - Stubborn blue one arrived 26th March 2014
Driz - blue one arrived 12th June 2014
Kat - pink one arrived 21st June 2014

PESH

Draf - Expecting a late pink one EDD 19th June
Winks - EDD 26th June
Ginger - Miniginger due 13th August
Dor - A very special pink one expected 18th August
Euro - eager Centime expected to arrive a lot sooner than 28th August
Buggerlugs - Buglet due 20th October
Fankle - ESHlet expected 4th January
Cunty - Minichops expected 7th February

So the June cluster is halfway through laying, and then we're on to the July/August batch! Are we even going to have time for Wimbledon and Le Tour and the World Cup in all this excitement?!

I'd be inclined to refuse the antibiotics unless she gets another infection personally. Faithlet was low birthweight obviously but she would only go 3 hours max between feeds til she was over 3 weeks and often fed more frequently. It seems an odd policy to me. I'd challenge it if I were you.

Four hours sounds crazy! It is probably some routine for their convenience. Minikit never went four hours till he started eating solids. Little kitten rarely goes longer than three hours, and often doesn't make it that long. Why can't centime have half the amount but every two hours? Less likely to sick up then so hopefully would gain weight faster

Hospital should have an infant feeding coordinator person that you can speak to

Thanks all. I ended up having a good chat with the registrar after almost losing my shit when I turned up for her next feed and her cot was empty... They had taken her for a kidney scan. It was mentioned yesterday, but it wasn't supposed to happen yet and I was planning on being there for it. Anyway, we had a good chat. She has been moved back to 3 hourly feeds. They've changed their minds on the prophylaxis antibiotics, so I didn't need to fight with them on that. I've said that communication needs to be improved - I'm there for all the day time feeds, they have my mobile number. I'm really not difficult to reach. They wanted to take a urine sample by needle into her bladder (they said it's quite painful so they give paracetamol...) and I have refused. She has only had a UTI for fuxxche. Her kidney scan was normal. She has been messed around with enough. Her hands and feet are all black and blue from canulas and blood tests. She's had urine taken by catheter. She has weekly swabs up her bum (as do all the babies in there) for MRSA. She's had x rays and scans. There's been nothing wrong with her other than a bit of jaundice and being small, so I have said enough messing with her. I'm at the point where I think her being there is no longer in her best interests. She needs food and care and she can get that at home.

Well done euro, as others have said 4 hours is a hell of a longtime for a teeny newborn, E is 21 weeks old and I struggle to get her to go more than 3.5 hours during the day!

Trust your instincts, they're there for a reason.

19 weeks and rarely get 4 hours between feeds here...3 is more normal for us and was much more like every 2 hours in the beginning. Euro I'm sure it's really tough and you're being brave but it sounds as though you're doing so well. I hope you can get her home v v soon as you obv know exactly what you're doing and what she needs x

Sis the medics respond to your concerns euro?

Well done for standing up for Centime and being a fierce Mummy ESH Euro. Really hope you can take her home very soon.

Can the PESH and CRESH impart some advice re planning social stuff in the 3rd trimester? We are meant to be going to a wedding in Edinburgh in mid November, necessitating a full weekend away. In my head this all seemed fine a few weeks ago, especially as my Mum's birthday is in November so it can coincide with a birthday treat for her. It will also probably be the last we will see of MG's family until Fanklet is born (eeek)! I will be nearing 33 weeks.

Is it madness to be thinking I can go away for a weekend at 33 weeks or am I being a bit over cautious?

Also, my lovely friends are planning a girls weekend in Glasgow the weekend before...so this would mean going to Scotland 2 weekends in a row. Am I going to be feeling like doing that kinda shiz at 32 and 33 weeks respectively? Surely I'll be feeling all 'nesty' by then. But I'll want to see my girls and do these things before baby comes.

And then there is Christmas! We went on holiday last Christmas so abandoned our family duties. I think we'll get out of them for the most part this year, but my mum will come down for Christmas (she's on her own and a bit hard work but otherwise lovely)...hopefully she will go home after and not hang around until my EDD (4 Jan). God, what if I go way over and she's here for weeks?? That would be too much to cope with.

Oh jebus, I think I'm having a minor panic.

Fankle, I would have done both weekends (where are you now? What sort of drive are we talking? I'm as south as you get while still being in the north west and drove to Scotland a lot (GHJ being the ginger hairy jock as well as 3 consecutive letters on the keyboard...). R is now 4.5 months and I've not yet left him, er, at all! So make the most of pre baby meetups!

Think I would have thought twice by 38, maybe 37 weeks. And make sure you have an easy Xmas!

Thanks Hags.
Bugs I may have sicked a little bit in my mouth at the thought of taking maternity notes and hossie bag on those trips. Heebie jeebies!

Sinks I'm in Sheffield...so similar in that I'm about as far south in Yorkshire as you can get and the drive is a good 5 hours on a decent run.

One of my best fwends (who I love lots and in fact is the other family coming away on R's first holiday abroad in 6 weeks) is a proper instadiffer - wedding night, plus an awesome baby who only woke to giggle and placidly feed . She knows all my woes, so barely mentions it, but is sad she missed any newlywed, just the 2 of us time. And is terrified of having a second as she's certain she won't be so lucky again and will therefore have a child from hell.

Just shows that there's probably no "perfect" way of doing things. (Avoiding 4 yrs ttc, preeclampsia and an emergency section might have been good though...)

No bugs, your right, deffo take notes. Hossy bag? Less of a stress - but probably sensible (or be like me and stick a towel in the car (for waters dontcha know) and my head in the sand for anything else)

You're. You're. You're.

Sorry pedants ESH.

I would have done both weekends. Take notes but hospital bag not necessary at that stage. You might be more tired than usual and travelling might be less comfy than usual. I have never felt nesty. I outsourced nesting to professional cleaners. After 36 weeks i wouldn't have wanted to go too far from home and definitely not after 38 weeks.

I agree that travelling is probably do-able - I'd suggest shoes you can slip off in the car, neck pillow, drinks and be prepared to stop more than normal for your decreased bladder capacity! Yes to notes - not just for possible early birth but if you feel unwell or are worried at all it'll make it easier to be checked over.

I had a cleaner after Faithlet was born. (Lovely Dad paid for it for a year!). Stopped around Faithlet's birthday but MSB and I agreed to get her back (yipee!).

I tried to outsource my cleaning but the bloody cleaner didn't show up and I had to do it myself. Gutted. fankle at 33 weeks I did a big weekend travelling from Essex to NI and it was absolutely fine. At 37 weeks my SPD, heartburn and general exhaustion meant I wasn't fit to go to south London, so make the most of it while you can.

euro bloody well done. Poor wee centime, hope the more frequent feeding helps chub her up nice and fast. Have you got a weight they want to let her out?

I've been away for a week visiting family, going to a wedding and having the baby christened. My mum hosted after the christening, we counted 65 people, eeek! It was brilliant having all my family around and my flat seems very small and quiet. We are having a bad day anyway, poor baby has been wailing inconsolably for most of the morning and I've had bad diarrhoea since last night (sorry for the tmi). Plus the flat is a tip and there's tons of washing to do. The baby has just dozed off on my shoulder and i'm too scared of waking her and setting the crying off again to put her down.

Do you have a sling winks? You could pop her in to tidy? Having said that, it sounds like you need a lazy day having snuggles and relaxing. I give you permission!

I have a wrap, but I'm not very good at it yet and I think putting her in would wake her and annoy her. The snuggles are lovely now she's stopped screaming!

Dammit. I posted a long update earlier but it's not showing. Stoopid app.

Anyway, I agree with the majority, fankle. Take your notes. Maybe consider one weekend rather than both. I was still quite mobile at that point but definitely starting to feel the weight and puffy feet.

Clearly the squeaky wheel approach is the way forward. I was there for the drs' rounds this morning and the consultant says that if C keeps finishing her feeds without needing to be tube fed (which she has started to do today now she is being given a lesser amount 3 hourly....) and hits 1700g we can take her home! That could mean as early as Friday or Monday! I can't bloody wait. She clearly heard this as she whipped her feeding tube out (again) this afternoon. They are waiting to see if she continues to take bottle feeds before they put it back in, so I finally have my first picture of her without a tube and big lump of plaster on her little face. :)

The timing is a bit crap though as I think I have an infected boob or at least a blocked duct. My supply, which had been great, has dropped a lot, and I have a hard bit on one boob. One of the midwives took a quick look and doesn't think it needs antibiotics yet, but there is definitely something not right. I'm about to plonk myself in the bath and give it a good massage/express to see if the heat helps.

Get on it Euro but don't lose heart. I'm prone to blocked ducts and now can get rid within 12-24hrs. Express express express (after all, who cares at the moment if your supply shoots up!), massage in a hot shower, and while expressing. Massage while "dangling" is good as is the back of an electric toothbrush! I've had one really nasty one where half my boob was hot and red and I felt crap. Was a bank holiday so cracked on with a promise to GHJ to see out of hours if no better at 24hrs, but it sorted out with the above. Took about 3-4 days though.