The final *JULY 2014* The one where we ALL move to post-natal

[justhayley]

Hiya so this will probably be our last ante natal thread Really hope that our postnatal thread is as busy.
You ladies have been a great support, and it's been fab going through pregnancy with you all. I honestly don't know how I would have got through the last 6 weeks of 4am wakings without you.

I'm not due till 24th and have no signs baby is still coming early so will probably be the last one one here - don't forget me!

Anyway will love you and leave you - actually will now pop back onto our regular thread for a chat

Happy birthing

Got back to sleep about half 3 or 4 ish and she's slept again until half 6 so feel human this morning. Had a rubbish feed just now on the right side though, she was only on for a minute or two and I think the latch was poor. The flood of milk has temporarily made her sleepy again but she'll need more shortly. Changing the nappy she's just filled should do the job of waking her!

Nappy question for you all - DD is day 9 today and up til now we've been using water and cotton wool rather than wipes as she has quite dry skin. We have a few packs of sensitive wipes though, when did you/will you start using those instead? I know a lot of second time plus mums say to just use wipes from newborn?

Also what about sudocream/nappy products - don't bother unless she gets a sore bum??

Hope things are progressing for you Hayley

MrsA - been wondering the same about wipes, mainly because cotton wool is such a pain!

We've been using Sudocrem in tiny amounts already as he had a little bit of nappy rash. Felt a bit bad first time in a 'oh no I'm smearing chemicals into my precious newborn's skin' but got over it when I realised it was actually clearing the rash. :)

Its, I know I'm being really over cautious too - but they're just so little like this!

mrsa still on water and cotton wool pads here tbh haven't found it much more of a pain than using wet wipes so will carry on for now but have used a wet wipe when we were out last week and I can't say it was better.

Snow - massive congratulations!
And how lovely to read your birth story and the fact you are feeling very happy about how it went and that recovering from birth will be much quicker.
Well done you!

MrsA - I use wipes from day 1, I can not faff about with cotton balls.
But what I also try and do is have squares of fleece fabric and make it wet and use this instead of wipes.
Then wash them in machine - I don't even dry them sometimes, but use them again straightaway.
I have loads.

Just buy on 1 or 2m of fleece fabric off EBay, any pattern you like, cut it up into say 8-10" squares and off you go.
You can use them to wipe hands and face too when weaning or just messy - really any time.

Hath

Good morning ladies and babies.

Getting a bit sick of waking up and DH saying 'still pregnant then!!' Grr, I want my squishy! On the plus side I'm sleeping well so saving my energy for the big day, whenever that arrives!

Trying to keep busy, had a luxury manicure and pedicure yesterday, off for walk and to see a friends baby today and then PIL visiting tomorrow to keep me occupied!

Morning a

Morning al

Morning all well theo decided that from 4am'8am was open bar! Absolutely shattered, got a few hours 12-2 but that's about it. Lots of feeding, short naps. Now fast asleep on me...After a tough day yesterday this was not the plan! Have decided to set walking goals for each day as motivation to gain some independence and achieve something!

mrsa we use extra sensitive pampers ones- although theo has got nappy rash so putting on cream and using cotton wool again...
We have a different cream to sudacrem as recommended by midwife- metanium it is less thick anyway.

Right need to be positive today and find a way to be in 2 places at once!

Thanks for the wipes advice - Zing the fleece squares sound like a great idea.

We have some extra sensitive so will give them a go but Auntie I haven't found the cotton wool pads that much hassle either so if wipes aren't much better then may use the wipes for out of house nappies only (or until the exploding poos start!).

Ickle that sounds tough. Can you get some naps during the day today? I find I don't do it, particularly if I've had a reasonable night, but then I really struggle if the following night is a sleepless one.

Sounds like a very positive birth MoreSnow and well deserved after your first.

Yep mrsa sleeping will be non negotiable today (after nurse and health visitor appointments!) Would also really like a glass of wine this eve ,,, how bad would this be? Don't feel I have enough milk to pump and dump...also need to build up courage to pump!

Congratulations to those of you who have given birth, sorry not to say names, I'm struggling with my own dc's names these days I'm so tired. I'm impressed with those of you who have made it to church. Morning service here starts at 11am. Sometimes I make it and others not. Thankfully we live next door which means DH can take the older dc's and leave me to shuffle in late with DS5.

Yesterday DS4 had to have a lumbar puncture under GA. DH wasn't allowed the time off work so FIL took us. By some miracle it went ok. I thought I'd have 2 babies screaming at the same time but luckily DS5 was asleep during the bits when DS4 needed my attention and DS4 was really good too. He was first on the list which helped as he went down to theatre before he had the chance to get hungry. Feel quite proud of myself for coping with it all.

Wow Ellie you are doing amazingly - even without the lumbar puncture, I couldn't imagine juggling a newborn and one other child, never mind having five to look after.

Ickle I've had a small glass of wine on a couple of evenings now. I've timed it for straight after a feed. My understanding is that very little passes into breast milk and I'm drinking it slowly with food so think that's ok? Will wait for some wiser than me to confirm though!

Nope no one correct mrsa please that is what I want to hear

ellie also a little bit in awe- good to put things in perspective sometimes. ..hope dc4&5 doing ok

MrsA the breastfeeding counsellors at our NCT class said a glass or two of wine was fine, but to leave 30-90 mins before the next feed. This is advice that I certainly intend to take!

I would have copied the reassuring text from this leaflet but it's copy-protected for reasons known only to the BFN.

www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/pdfs/BfN_how_safe_is_leaflet_2009.pdf

Aww thankyou mrsa and ickle. I don't do anything special, just sit on my bum and feed babies while the older dc's cause chaos .

until exploding poos start we've already had a few of these!

DS slept from about 9:30 til 2 last night but then was up for 2 hours then awake again at 6 til 9... thought they were supposed to sleep loads?!

Wow- I pop out for a few hours and so much to catch up on!

moresnow great to read your HB story-so glad it went well!

Ellie you are indeed superwoman :)

ickle hope all well with appointments today and hoping little man gives you just a little time off duty for a nap. Has DH had to go to work?

its I never mastered lying down feeding with DS- have done a couple with DD. Am pretty sure that providing Mum not drunk or taken anything to make her medically drowsy that the chances of a mum rolling onto baby are v v v slim-your body/brain still remembers the 9m they were inside you and we didn't squish them then!

Hayley and kiwi hope things are progressing

Oh-the wipes thing- I always get the large flat cotton wool pads and actually find these easier with newborn poo than wipes as their little bottoms are so small! I can't remember when we swapped to wipes with DS though. I've bought some 'water wipes' to use with DD when we're out though.

DS is with the childminder today so DH, DD and I have popped to Westfield shopping centre for lunch and a wander- though DH currently in Apple store whilst DD fast asleep in pushchair and I'm almost asleep sat comfortably on a lounge chair in the main square. Attempting to get DD into a routine for feeds at moment- managed roughly 9pm, 12am, 3am, 6am, 9am and 12noon so far though have had to wake her for most of those feeds! A routine will save my sanity though-the unpredictability of total on demand feeding messes with my organised side :)

Think DH may have got lost in the Apple store oh well, I'll just sit here as too tired to go looking!

Wow, ellie. Good on you!

Things are still the same here. Irregular contractions that build up to good ones and then stop again. But had a big scare this morning and still feeling rubbish.

I get migraines, though I've not had one since about the first trimester. Felt one starting today so took paracetamol, but it progressed very quickly. And it was different from my normal migraines and really freaked me out. Even had a droopy right side of the face (kind of like people get when they have strokes), and when I was speaking with NHS 24 I couldn't get the words out. Felt very confused and out of it. NHS 24 spoke with Triage for me, which was really great, so I'm to rest up, drink lots of cold drinks, and if my headache doesn't change much in the next couple of hours I have to call Triage myself and they'll decide whether they need to do an assessment. They've had a few similar calls from women and think that we Edinburghers are having trouble coping with the warm weather because we're so unused to it! It's only about 22C here, but that's hot enough for Scottish people. I think it might be the warm nights that do the most damage.

So I'm feeling like crap, my head's pounding, I'm still in stop-start labour and I just want it all to be over. Thankfully, DH came home from work to look after me so I can relax and leave the childcare to him. A friend took DD out for a picnic with her family, so that's been really helpful.

How am I supposed to eat, drink, sleep, shower and everything else in about 6 hours a day? Because that's about the sum of the amount of time ds let's me put him down without screaming

Oh and the white noise app I downloaded doesn't help!

Oh Kiwi that sounds so scary. I stopped getting migraines a few years ago but they're bad enough on their own without being heavily pregnant and in early labour...plus the other symptoms. I'm glad you're being looked after. Can we take codeine at this stage? That was the only painkiller that really worked for me with a migraine (I was prescribed sumatriptan though).

auntie can you take a bouncer chair in the bathroom with you so you can shower? Maybe the noise of the shower will work where white noise doesn't? Are you using any kind of wrap or sling so you can free your hands up during the day?

kiwi that sounds awful :( Hope you're feeling better by now.

Just noticed something really cool for the first time (don't remember it with DD1): I could see baby practicing breathing! Never noticed it before so of course I googled it and there are videos of other people's bumps doing the same rhythmic movement. I guess I don't usually lie still and quiet enough to notice.

Ooh nancy no I don't have a sling but was meant to borrow one from a friend so thanks for that suggestion!

kiwi check with triage but you should be ok to take codeine