October 14. thread 11?! Will be see any babies in this thread?

[mrsb87]

Plonk your bums down ladies!

I'm aiming to breastfeed again. Although the first week or so were difficult (ds had a tongue tie) we got the hang of it ok. I did introduce and expressed bottle at about 3 weeks so DH could get involved / I got a break / knew He would take a bottle so I could go out!

Me23 funny what you say about being determined to BF after your DS's stay in the NICU. My sister EBF both of hers but after her DD was so early she determined to EBF until she weaned herself. She felt guilty or that she'd somehow failed to keep her safe to term and extended EBF was how she made herself feel better. I think its quite a common response?

I love BF and really hope to do extended BF this time. As this is my last I'll be happy to do it until they're two. It can be demanding initially being the only source of sustenance but after six months when they can take solids and water its much easier. We'll try to offer nutramigen too if this one will take it as it would be great having another option so I can have a night out. If it doesn't work its not the end of the world though and meh s/he will only be wee for a short time and the pub / theatre will still be there next year. I appreciate that's not everyone's experience though. We managed to mix feed with expressed milk until 12 weeks (DH would do a bedtime bottle giving me a 3 hour head start sleepwise!) - the only success we had bottle feeding was using NUK bottles with old skool latex teats as they are warmer and feel more like a real nipple than the silicon ones. He rejected the bottle utterly at 12 weeks when his reflux was at its worst.

DS had a tongue tie, my sisters two both did as well so I expect this one will. Not all hospitals are willing to snip them - I must check actually if our hospital will as BF with an unsnipped tongue is ouch . If they won't snip it I'm getting it done privately.

Tongue ties, double crowns, cleft chins and sacral dimples are all linked to the midline genetic defect which causes CMPI and other food intolerances - J had all of the above. It runs in both families. I guess as I'm an old bird having babies genetic defects are to be expected but seeing his sacral dimple terrified me the first time I changed his nappy. The MWs hadn't warned me - and there was this open hole at the base of his spine - I was and thought I was still tripping on the birth drugs. It healed fine in 4 days thank god.

FrauEnglischLehrerin many thanks for the CD recommendations. I am definitely going to give it a go ladies.

I had huge problems bf with my dd, not helped with her not being brought to the boob until 5 hours post labour. I was off my skull with various drugs so wasn't very pushy. Unfortunately midwives didn't really help with the latch and made me feel like an awful mum when I gave in to formula 24 hrs later as my daughter was starving. At least now I am much better informed and want to have a go at bf again even if a c section makes it a bit tricky. Still crossing fingers for that placenta to move.......
Anyone else being beaten up by their baby whilst lying down? I must be squishing him and he is stretching into my ribs and bladder for space - major ow!

Me I would like to BF exclusively this time. I fed DD for 13 weeks, introducing bottle around 10. It really upset me to give up but opposite to Yellow my DD's silent reflux made it really difficult with for me to feed her. She comfort fed & was clamped to me constantly, I was feeding her for hours on end & she would fall asleep on my breast & then if I put her down she would scream blue murder. I only remember one 'good' feed over a 13 week period where I could feel that she was taking a good drink & ended up all floppy and sleepy after.
I had tongue tie checked & went to a BF support group but nothing helped.
I really hope we do better this time.
I have read The Food of Love & have been on KellyMom website already so I'm mentally prepared. Any advice from you guys much appreciated.

My MW really helped me by reminding me baby's stomachs are the size of a marble at birth and are born with excess fat to get them thru the learning to feed days, and colostrum is so calorie dense they only need a tiny amount. How horrible to be made to feel you were starving your baby that seems to be such a common killer of BF.

I know its driven by a desire to free beds but support for BF can disappear from the NHS in a busy hospital after birth which is when its most needed - I must reread my copy of Food of Love to gird my loins! You are so vulnerable after birth, emotions are so up and down its nearly impossible to hold your nerve when you are being made to feel that your baby is starving and that you should have cracked it by now - especially if there isn't anyone experienced around to patiently demonstrate a good latch again and again until you manage. I wasn't able to feed J until day 5 as he didn't have the suckle reflex being so early and jaundiced. We syringed FF and expressed BM into him and I pumped to bring my milk in and maintain my supply and on day 5 he latched on like a pro and we never looked back. If we don't manage it on day one I'm going to pump again as it really helped to keep my options open. It's worth bearing in mind that you may have much more success BF in the comfort of home so don't despair if it doesn't happen in hospital - try pumping if you do want to retry BF. One bottle or even days of FF doesn't mean you can't BF if you pump.

I forgot, as she comfort fed constantly I could have supplied the local creamery! I often had to hand express to allow my breast to be soft enough to clamp on to...

CJ god yes the comfort feeds! I watched hours of Greys Anatomy in the wee small hours whilst he had 2 hour feeds. Thankfully once dairy free and on omeprazole they disappeared and night feeds became a manageable 20 minutes. I was lucky (I think because he spent his first days alone in an incubator under the UV lights for jaundice) that he would sleep at night happily in his bednest. He never napped in it though! Only on me, the sling, the pushchair or in the car seat. My pal had a similar experience to you - her DD would only sleep on her. IT IS SO HARD! You think before kids 'oh I'd never do that, I'd plonk them in the cot and they'd get used to it. I'm not making a rod for my own back etc' but how that view changes once they arrive and the only place they are calm, quiet and sleep is on you!!!! You deserve a bomb proof sleeper this time

ah yes the constant feeding myn never needed a dummy as they had me :)
I also love BF and will go on as long as the baby wants to yes its hard work but for me worth it.

Another one here who spent many hours bf on sofa with baby who didn't like sleep and when eventually napped would only do so for a short time on me. I spent so many hours bf I got through the entire series of ER!

Also agree with yellow use of formula in the beginning is necessary sometimes (Ds had a nasogastric tube and had formula as was dangerously hypoglycaemic) and it doesn't mean the end of bf. I still came to nicu and put Ds to the breast then pumped.

OK, fybogel and 3 nectarines shifted my poo issue. Perspective on inlaws immediately regained. Wildly swinging emotions at the moment, it's a nightmare.

I breasted my first for about two weeks really struggled with it and felt really bad when introduced a bottle of formula, I mixed fed for about 10 weeks then ended up on formula. With the others I gave them a couple of breast feeds after delivery then put them on formula I think the problem I have is for me I find ff feeding so much easier and have had very settled babies once they have fed on formula so when my nipples were bleeding and I was sleep deprived and they were permanently attached to me and I was in a lot of pain I knew that there was a different way of doing things.
Not saying that ff is better omg it's not, the best thing is breast feeding and I really admire anyone that can do it,for me it's hard and the upset it caused me was just not worth it in the end.

Oh and re reading what I just wrote ff doesn't guarantee a more settled baby it just seemed that way with mine, I'll probably end up with one that screams all night this time

Breasted?? That should have been breast fed :)

I'm planning on giving breast feeding a go, I won't buy in any formula in advance just in case I'm tempted to cheat, but I don't want to do it for a long time. Maybe 3 - 4 months or so. This is because I want my body back, so entirely selfish. If I can't breastfeed for some reason, I won't be too gutted.

Pregnant utterly agree - its what works for you both and I hope BF works for us again this time but there's no guarantee and I would move to FF if it felt right. There is no evidence that FF babies sleep better in the long term but it definitely feels like they do initially (as formula is harder to digest so tends to knock them out a bit but light sleeping - as you get with BF is apparently a deliberate natural defence against sleep apnoea and SIDS so its swings and roundabouts) and god it was hard on my last thread when some babies were going down to sleep at 6pm for the night leaving Mums able to go out when they were just days old- when J would still be cluster feeding til 10 cuddled up on the sofa with me. Generally we found BF babies had fewer problems with pooing, wind and painful constipation but were initially less settled. Long term there didn't seem to be a pattern between sleep and feeding for us. But again that's a small sample size and a generalisation. Once J stopped cluster feeding I did miss our evening sofa cuddles.

I'm planning to breastfeed again, but I really hope it's easier this time. DD wasn't able to latch on properly until she was over 6 months so until then I was bf with nipple shields plus expressing and feeding from a bottle at every feed. We also started giving her a bit of formula at 5 months as I got sick of worrying about her weight. Once she got the hang of it, it was great and we carried on with bf until she was 2. I really want to do it again with this one, but there's no way I can spend so much time on feeding with a preschooler around, so fingers crossed he takes to it better than dd did, otherwise I'll have to use formula earlier this time.

Hefner that's my worry - what mischief will j get up to whilst I'm glued to the couch, feeding!

So i have just googled "baby hiccups in the womb" as i have felt her hiccuping a couple of times a day off & on for a few days ... She even had them when the midwife was listining to her heart rate last week!!

So basically a few articles said frequent hiccups could be cord compression or seizures in the womb .., i am totally freaked out now ... Just want this baby here, cant handle the stress of not knowing if she is ok or not??

STIGZ Dr Google has had me dead & buried several times over! I've had MS which was low thyroid, several terminal illnesses which have been plain old stress & exhaustion!
Don't do that to yourself, it will all be OK & worrying will not improve things. Phone midwife or EOU if you are really very concerned.
This too shall pass & hugs.

stigz Everything I've read days hiccups in the womb are totally normal - the baby's abdomen is practicing in readiness for breathing and, much like ours, it occasionally loses its rhythm. Absolutely nothing to worry about and a good sign your little one is developing the skills they need once born.

Yellow, what you said about sacral dimple / double crown / tongue tie / CMPI being related is really interesting. I've got the dimple and double crown, tongue tie, and had ferocious reflux and CMPI as a baby. The CMPI (or late onset lactose intolerance, the dietician isn't sure) has reared its head again for the last 9 years though it's been better since I fell pregnant. I never knew there was a connection between it all. I'm going to go find out more about it (and whether there's any implication for the baby) but I'm really grateful for your post

Hello, new MNer here, 33+5 due 7th Oct with first. Full of cold, dodgy tummy & acid reflux so can't even lie down let alone sleep - meh. Ballsing sleep pattern up well in advance, but have six days of work left to get through so not ideal. Fed up!

Stigz, I've had the baby hiccups panic too, thanks Google. Most of the things I read seemed to say it was normal, and there are some which said it's actually a good sign as shows they're functioning properly. Or something. A lot of people seemed to think a hiccuping baby meant colic when they're born, but then I doubt the forum of babycentre is entirely scientific.

I asked my doctor last appointment, as mine gets them literally about 4 times a day, every day. She said it was fine, and although mine has the cord wrapped around her neck, they're not connected. She just drinks a lot. The fact she's had her mouth open on every single scan since 20 weeks attests to that.

Going back to the lists, things I'll miss...the weirdly comforting pain of being kicked under the ribs, the fact I have been a lazy cow for the past 8 months on the 'partial bed rest' excuse, the fact I can have two Big Macs in a week and blame 'the cravings' instead of just being a greedy beast, being able to sleep when I want, shower at leisure, etc.

Things I'm looking forward to: the lack of needing the bathroom in a 45 second cycle, the lack of constant dribbling while I sleep, the demolition of a whole bottle of wine in one sitting (responsible parenting), the inhaling of a variety of cheese, meats, coffee, chocolate etc., eventually having the choice of more than three outfits to wear, maybe, having energy again. But I'm not sure about the last one!

and hi SlideIn, hope you get some sleep soon!

Had a scan on Saturday, baby is measuring almost 2 weeks aheas so he's put that im now 'due' 22nd October. He's the same sonographer that predicted DS would be early too. Apparently going on measurements baby weighs 3lb 15oz!

He thinks I'll deliver around 35/36 weeks again as there just isn't much room for baby to grow, which is what my consultant thinks too so guessing this baby could come anywhere from beginning of October

has anyone had sickness return in the last trimester?

Im planning on breastfeeding the first few days, had such a rough experience with DS and it spoilt the first few months with him. So this time im putting no pressure on myself and will BF a day at a time.

Goats I'm doing the same, planning to breastfeed and not buying in formula incase I'm tempted to give up too soon! DH thinks this is silly and said he is going to buy formula and bottles etc and just hide them from me, I think he just wants to avoid being send to supermarket at silly o'clock!
Welcome SlideIn :)
Think I'm getting carpal tunnel syndrome now arghhh, numb and tingly fingers in bed for the last couple of weeks which I didn't think much of, but after battling with a screwdriver and flatpack furniture yesterday and my last driving lesson being hampered by weak control of handbrake and reverse button on the gear stick it's now making sense. My sister had it and had to have ops on both hands, hopefully I won't have it as bad. Feel a bit like the driving gods are conspiring against me, with that and the sore hips and stiff back I doubt I'll get enough learning hours in to do my test now!