June 2015 - thread 6 - baby kicks and bumps appearing

[AnythingNotEverything]

New thread ... Hopefully no more sadness for the June Bugs.

orville I found with my dd she preferred advent bottles to any others, she was breastfed for a few months with expressed milk given to her at night in a bottle then went to bottle fed only as I struggled to keep up with how hungry she was.. I had the advent electric steriliser too and always found it good but I am going back 6 yrs things have prob been improved a lot since then! I'm sure the mums with much younger kids can prob advise a bit better

Morning all

I breastfed but also had bottles for expressing the odd feed and I also used formula now and again when DS was 8 months plus and expressing was too much hassle (I found that once he hit 5 months my supply was so in tune with him I couldn't express a drop!).

We used the tommy tippee closer to nature bottles and electric sterilizer. Got it in an offer at mothercare with loads of bottles, teats and a bottle warmer. It takes a bit of kitchen surface space but dead quick/easy to use.

Orville it depends on what you'll use it for.

If you're intending to bf, but give the odd bottle or sterilise the odd dummy, I'd use a cold water system - literally a lidded Tupperware tub and some tablets. Very cheap and cheerful.

If you're going to ff from day one, you might as well get a counter top or microwave steriliser. The branded ones are made for their own bottles, but they're pretty universal I think, so if you switch bottles you don't need to change your steriliser too.

I hoped to bf and thankfully managed to, but we'd bought the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature set too. We got it for about £40 in the Asda Post baby event sale. Worth shopping around as it has everything you need really.

We had to sterilise DD pill crusher and oral syringe, so when we travelled we took Milton tablets and it was fine.

Bf equipment, like pumps etc don't actually need to be sterilised. They're fine in hot soapy water apparently. I tended to sterilise them every few days anyway.

(Sorry - that was much longer than I expected!)

orville I cold water sterilised last time but am planning to get myself an electric steriliser having used one in hospital when DD was ill and finding it so easy.

I'd hold off stocking up on bottles (and nappies) until babies here. I found with both these things what you want isn't necessarily what works for your baby. I had a couple of 2nd hand tommee tippee and avent bottles with DD friends had given me, I liked the look of the tommee tippee range, DD couldn't get on with them at all and we ended up buying more avent once she was here and was being fully bottle fed with expressed milk (hadn't planned on that one!)

Interesting chats re. Sterilisers... I'm now 14+3 and still nervous to buy anything major! Not sure when I plan to start, and I suppose January is as good a time as any to pick up some bargains, it just still feels a little soon for me... I know dh would be keen to start!!

Anyway I have an unrelated issue and wonder if any of you have any experience of this? I got my eyebrows waxed yesterday, I explained to the girl that I was pregnant and she said aside from feeling a little more sensitive than normal it shouldn't make any difference. Anyway, I've woken up with a spotty, bumpy, red rash around both eyebrows! They feel really sore and tender too. I'm not sure whether this is 'normal' that my skin has reacted differently now that I'm pregnant or whether I should be concerned? I'm also not sure what I can put on there to soothe it? Any advice?

orville I preferred the ones you bob in the microwave. I bf my three but expressed sometimes and for dummies etc as well. I have tried a few types including the table top ones and it's what I like, the microwave ones

Emz - since I became pregnant my skin has gone nuts when previously waxing didn't bother it (save if I was stupid enough to do it myself with strips on my eyebrows/upper lip or other more "sensitive" places). Aloe Vera gel is great if you have any to hand or something fragrance free...if not, ice cube wrapped in a flannel/kitchen towel will help reduce the redness and bumps.

It does make me wonder how I will deal with the more "sensitive" areas nearer the birth. I'm all for natural but I don't want to be too natural/bushy ()

I was going to suggest aloe Vera gel too, it's super gentle and really good to have for sunburn and other things. I bet you are just more sensitive due to the extra hormones!

I had laser treatment years ago so don't need to worry too much about the lady garden other than a quick shave/trim. But there will come a time when the bump gets in the way of self tidying!!!

If you def want to bf, I'd wait until baby is here before buying bottles and steriliser. I used them with dd but DS was such a good feeder that I couldn't really express anything so rarely used bottles until past the 6 month stage. There's always offers on different brands.

Thank you trying and Jackie! Well there is the 'downstairs' issue too, but I've chosen to not worry about that just yet, while I can still 'sort myself out!' This has certainly put me off going for a pre-labour wax though! My mum actually has an aloe Vera plant on her windowsill I will pop in and pinch a bit later!! The gel was brilliant when I burnt my head on my straighteners recently! Oh my poor face...

So I'm pretty sure I'm getting a cold sore. The NHS site says to contact your
GP if you get one in pregnancy but I feel a bit daft ringing the surgery for it! I've had them before, the main worry seems to be if it's the first time from reading around, does anyone know any more?

purple ouch!!
emz - don't know about waxing but getting my eyebrows threaded definitely hurt more this time so think I am more sensitive. Hope it calms down soon!
slack sorry to hear about bleeding and glad baby ok. Must be hard not picking up dd. Hope you are feeling better soon!

Family left today so just me, dh and dd now. Feels lovely even though it was really nice to have them!

Orville - i was determined that i would b/f ds... I bought no formula feeding things... He was tongue tied so would not b/f.... Initially i bought an sma ready to use bottle kit that was literally tiny bottles with teats that were 1 use.
When asda baby sale came on (which happened to be the same week) i bought tommee tippee microwave steriliser, tommee tippee bottles, sma milk, breast pump...
With dd i didnt buy anythin in again (ob had the steriliser and pump)... She b/fed, i bought 1 2 pack of bottles to go with the pump and that was it.
Ask around your friends to see if you can borrow a steriliser/pump and maybe look at the other options and write down your fav things just incase u need to send dh out after baby arrives (tesco and asda always hav offers on the bottles)

We bought a microwave steriliser which came with two free bottles and a dummy. DD refused to engage with either so it didn't get much use. The breast pump just went into the dishwasher.

I'm getting occasional swishes of movement now but by no means every day, can't wait until it's more regular

I'm actually heartbroken for one of the May thread ladies, she gave birth to her son on the 28/12 absolutely gutted for her... Makes us all realise how lucky we are, even though we all have felt like shit at times or still do we still have our precious little bundles safe inside us, sorry for that downer there but that news has really affected me, I guess I thought we were all passed the danger zone whatever that may be

That is awful news. So sad to have something so precious taken away from you.

that's such sad news. as you said, a reminder that we are never truly out of the woods until that baby is safely in your arms.

So sad One of my cousins lost a baby at 20 weeks last year, and another had a weird syndrome diagnosed at the anomaly scan which meant the baby was basically calcifying inside her and wouldn't live. My dad's business partner lost a baby at 41 weeks. Awful It means I am only too aware of the risks right until the end

I think, from the point of view of our own sanity, we just have to remember that these instances are still rare.

I've a family member who had to have her baby terminated at 20weeks as it wouldn't survive post birth due to a severe untreatable heart defect. My very good friend's baby was stillborn. I was and still am devastated. One has gone on to have more children and the other never wants to be pregnant again.

I try and take each day of pregnancy as it comes and try very hard to not get carried away or take anything for granted. Once you have your baby in your arms a whole new world of worry takes the place of the antenatal stresses.

So sad, and such sad stories above too.

I didn't relax until DD was in my arms (and even then you can't really relax as you're constantly worrying about them!). Although most miscarriages happen before 12 weeks, lots can go wrong afterwards too and the whole point of the 20 week scan is to look for anomalies (which is why I was upset when I thought my husband wouldn't be able to come with me).

It really is sad news and really brings it home that you're never home and dry. Just take and enjoy every day of pregnancy and the time after.

Thanks for all your info ladies. Think you've helped me decide I'll just get a simple steriliser I can chuck anything into and just buy/borrow 2 or 3 bottles from different brands and see if baby takes to any. As I say, not the be all and end all as hoping to BF but would be nice if hubby got a go too rather than just rotten nappies.

Had my extra scan today . Now measuring 14+1 so back into June with an EDD of 28/06. Baby was being a little bugger and refused to lie still so took the poor sonographer ages to get the nuchal measurement but everything looks good and we got some hilarious pics of baby asleep on it's face and staring straight at us which is a little unnerving and will probably give me nightmares! Will try to upload in a moment.

May I introduce. DEMON CHILD!