Summer holidays are over, the PESH are bringing their bumps and baybees back to school

[TheOriginalWinkly]

Pack your giant pants in your satchel and maternity pads in your pencil case, it's the antenatal thread 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
draf - pink calf on 1st July 2014
winks - a pink one dragged out kicking and screaming on 4th July 2014
euro - a pink one in a hurry to see the world, born on 17th July 2014
dor - a pink one born at speed on 28th July 2014
ginge - completing the ESH Summer of Pink on 23rd August 2014

PESH
Buggerlugs - Buglet due 20th October
Fankle - ESHlet expected 4th January
Cunty - Minichops expected 7th February

rasp that is wonderful news! I hope there is more soon.

bugs glad feeding was better today. It changes so much from one day to the next in the early weeks. I had a bit of oversupply at times but it did settle down fairly quick. They can probably advise a few strategies to alleviate it when you see the bf person tomorrow. At one point first time round I just used one boob for four hours before swapping. Then one boob per feed the next day then back to normal. You have to be careful with block feeding though, it can reduce your supply so you'd need to be sure oversupply was the problem. As P gets bigger she will cope better with a fast let down. In the meantime I'd try to avoid getting engorged, perhaps smaller feeds more often in the day? I love dummies. I don't get the snobbery that some people have about them.

We had a nice day out with all three kids too. E refused point blank to settle in the pram but at least she slept most of the afternoon in the sling. Got some Xmas presents already which is ridiculously organised

The best time to drink is actually while breastfeeding! It takes time for the alcohol to get into your system so if you drink while feeding most of it should be out of your system by the time the next feed comes around

Evening all
I've been a bit quiet lately but lurking. Sorry don't have anything to add re BF ishoos or fear/ anxiety over birth. I'm trying not to think about it too much but to keep an open mind and not get too specific about what I want / don't want. Ultimately I just want my baby to come out safely.

Cunty glad you're enjoying the kicks, and sorry about the colds you and MissH have. I got a prescription for ranitidine on Friday for my awful heartburn and started taking it yesterday. OMG what a difference!! I know it should be used with precaution but I recall some of the CRESH took it so reckon if the doctor prescribed it, it's totally fine.

I am 28 weeks today and seeing the mw on Wednesday for my anti d jab. I'm getting a flu jab next weekend too. Lots of jags

Also decided that I want to get the uppababy vista. Did a long comparison today in John Lewis. Will have a look online to see if I can find it cheaper somewhere else. Now I need to think about car seats...oh and painting baby's room!!

I'm so bloody excited and happier then I've been in years!

Because it is bedtime. That's how they roll sometimes!

If boob to sleep fails, she might calm down in the sling, or being swaddled and rocked while you shhhhh loudly near her ear. Some like the sound of the hoover/hairdryer/tumble drier. Desperate measure is to take her for a_little drive but its not ideal at night time.
Drinking and bf is OK. You aren't pregnant any more and very very little would pass into your milk. If you drink one drink (2 units) whilst feeding or just before, your blood alcohol will be back to zero by the next feed. I happily have three drinks spaced over an evening. What is a big fat no is alcohol and bedsharing.

fankle I took ranitidine daily for the whole third trimester. Amazing stuff. Made a huge difference.

What were you thinking about car seats? I may have done a good bit of research in that area........ However I still have not painted the nursery and yet I have two baybees now! Oh dear. They sleep in the dark I suppose.

Bugs, this link might help you to understand and deal with the fussy evenings.

Kits it's a godsend! I was reaching desperation and sick of gaviscon and rennies.

Thinking the maxicosi cabrio something or other as it fits on the Uppababy and has good reviews on MN. What car seats did you ladies go for out of interest? Seem to recall a lengthy chat about this on here in back June when i was only 10 or 11 weeks pregnant and not really allowing myself to think about practical things like that. Will have to try to find that old Fred somehow...

Bugs hope you got P to settle and got some kip. I've been awake since 5:15 burping and farting At least they're not burny burps anymore . Fanklet is very active in the night which is lovely but less amusing when you are trying to get back to sleep! I sense it is going to be a long day.

Fankle we have the vista and the cabriofix. Love it

We've got the Vista but have the BeSafe car seat. We went for it over the MaxiCosi as the shop assistant said he thought it was a slightly better seat, plus it has an independent sun shade on it - ie it stands up by itself and doesn't need to be hooked onto the carry handle.

Oh cross words are common when you are both knackered. Its hard to keep your cool sometimes especially when you have different ideas. I really think getting out of bed multiple times in the cold and going to the nursery for an hour at least twice a night is unrealistic. It is so hard to get back to sleep afterwards. There's no point having a cosleeper if you do that! In a few weeks it will be easier.I used to have to put a lamp on to latch E on, I can do it with a_very dim night light now and sometimes with no extra light. Most nights she can now go 8 hours without a nappy change which really helps minimise disturbance in the night. Really GP will have to try to roll over and go back to sleep so long as P is not crying. Obviously if she is having a crying spell it is only fair that one of you goes into another room to settle her. Sleeping apart has really helped us temporarily, its not generally for the whole night so we do get some cuddle time.

It comes and goes with the growth spurts. The engorgement is usually at its worst in the early weeks and tapers off over three months. I have next to none now unless I miss a night feed and then I might leak. At the stage you are at you do need to beware of the milk supply though. The more formula you use, the more this is an issue. As a general rule it is important to feed during the early hours of the morning at least once. Even now I try to only miss that feed once a week. Don't worry if boobs don't feel full. There is always milk there, she might just have to work harder for it and feed more frequently today. It is a river not a lake, your breasts are never empty.

rasp its lovely to hear from you, can't believe how quickly the process is happening. Exciting stuff getting a room ready, though difficult as you don't know who the room is for. Please do keep us updated :)

fankle we have the Vista and the MaxiCosi Pebble. I can't remember why we picked that car seat tbh. Winstanleys Pramworld are doing a package with the Vista and the Cabriofix for 672.99 here which is about 80 quid cheaper than buying them separately at John Lewis. I used them this week to buy the infant snugseat for the Vista (MiniWink has outgrown the carrycot already) and they delivered really quickly. Ranitidine is great shit. Heartburn would have burned a hole in my gullet without it.

bugs its great that buglet is taking a bottle (MiniWink just won't!) but as kat says, at this early stage I would be careful of protecting your supply, and apparently the exhausting night feeds are essential.

You reap the rewards later on. When you want to leave the house you bung a couple of nappies and wipes in a bag and off you go. If you are running late you don't need to worry about running out of milk. You don't need to find somewhere to heat it up and you know it is sterile. Until you have a toddler that is, then your bag will be ever full of manky half eaten snacks and cups of juice.
When you want to substitute with a bottle feed, a late evening feed is ideal. Or if she gets in the habit of a 5am start that one can be substituted sometimes provided she has fed in the night already. At least you know she will drink from a bottle now. Sometimes just knowing you have the option makes it less daunting.

I would never cope getting out of bed to do feeds. That's why we got the co-sleeper.

If you aren't getting engorged the your boobs are clearly producing enough without producing excess.

I've had some good news from the fertility clinic, turns out we won't need to go private after all! The ovulation induction treatment is still available on the NHS even if you already have children

Bugs, obviously I'm not best placed to offer BF advice but my friend who is still BFing her 4 month old gives a bottle at 10pm, that way if she wants to go to bed early her partner can do the bottle and she can get her head down for a few hours before the next feed.

Oh that is good news! When do you think you will start trying again?

I think we'll stick with the original plan, start trying in the new year and if it doesn't happen within 6 months go to the Dr to get the referral forms filled in. The nurse at the clinic said once they've got the paperwork, blood results and semen analysis (even though we know HWHNN's swimmers are fine) it can be a matter of weeks before we start.

That's amazing news frank :) I still can't believe you're planning another already! My foof and bum are still sore from birthing MiniWink...