December - yet another final thread!

[Loulou000]

The last one was getting too long again. There's just no stopping us!

Magnolia, I know a bit how you feel! I've got just over two weeks to go and part of me would love for it to be tomorrow. But, like you, soo much still to do.

Have to admit, we got ds fairly comfortable with the dvd player a while back as well It's been really nice for quiet time, since he doesn't nap anymore.

Ok,ok. He's being using the dvd player for about 6 months, but I've finally decided to come clean

Magnolia,I'm sending my MIL over (virtually) to do your ironing for you.

I woke up this morning, wanting Bean NOW.Had a batch of BH(i think) and decided I want my ceiling NOW and then Bean.
DH "advised" me to pack a bag as I was bent over in bewildered discomfort during a BH, with a "lively" three year old running around refusing to get dressed and DH was running out to work!

So we're all out of the closet on this one

I meant to start packing bag yesterday. Another thing that didn't get done.

I did get some Christmas shopping finished up. Gotta love the internet.

Morning all. Help, do I need to get sterilising equipment and bottles if I hope to breastfeed? My mum keeps telling me I have to get them anyway. All I have, baby-feeding wise, is breast pads. I knew I couldn't really have finished shopping.

Okay, here's what happened to me. Since I only had 6 weeks off with ds, I had already bought a pump before he was born, just so I wouldn't have to worry about it. 2 weeks into bfing, at about 2:00 am when I was crying and upset about the pain, frequency, generally a hormonal wreck, dh convinced me to pump and give ds a bottle to "give myself a break for 24 hours". Well, at the time it sounded good and I was very vulnerable to suggestions like that at the moment. Fast forward a month or so, ds has serious nipple confusion and ultimately I wound up exclusively expressing for 10 months!!!!

I will be breastfeeding but wont but sterilising stuff, The breastpump can be boiled for a few minutes

IMO. Yep it's good to have sterilsing equipment even if it's just to sterilise breast pump(sorry another potential for shopping list!) Beware of midwives (who due to hospital not noticing newbie was losing too much weight on discharge) felt that topping him up with formula was necessary and "luckily" we had some bottles in house encoraged us to do so.

I was also encouraged to pump to increase my milk supply(getting the impression it was MY fault that DS shrunk post birth!) so needed the steriliser for that.

Just my opinion though. I'm sure you can get away with not having any bottle stuff!

good point magnolia. Boiling water!

LouLou, my advice is you never know how things are going to be in spite of your best intentions, so maybe get a few bottles/sterliser/breast pump (recommend the electric one not the effing hand pump).

My DC's are staggeringly "gifted" electronically I came downstairs the other day to find them both "exercising" to my Rosemary Conley Fat Burner DVD. At least someone has been using it

I'm having BH & period cramps. I just can't see how I am going to last another 3 weeks but will keep my legs crossed until I've at least packed my hospital bag! BTW, Eli, I am now starting to wonder if the baby has turned or at least to breech. I've been told though that UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES can I have a vb (despite doula telling me otherwise) so a c-section it is.

Just had the H/V round (has anyone else had this?). She was AMAZINGLY helpful!! Already put me down for baby massage classes which is apparently meant to help avoid PND. Anyone else heard of this??

DD has just finished her 2nd tantrum of the day so better go and make up.

Actually the M/w round her seem to be split into two groups.

the ones who applauded a pg someone at Breastfeeding cafe for starting to pump BEFORE giving birth(shooting all us newbie mums with problems a "see if you'd bothered" look) Prebirth pumping isn't normal is it?

Or the group my M/W was in, not really convinced she was actually into B/f at all.

Loulou- just to add to the mix, I exclusively breasfed DS1 for 9 months BUT (i) did express on occassion which allows DH to partake in feeding and gives youa break- therefore you will either need to boil the teats/bottles etc or sterilse (I did both depending on my mood!) (ii) on a firneds advice I bought in a couple of the little pre-mixed cartons of formula just in case there was an issue with breastfeeding in the middle of the night with your newborn and you have no formula- this has happened to a few of my friends (iii) I got lazy with the expressing and in the end DS1 would not take a bottle at all, which became a big problem.

Sorry "normal" is a bit of a aggressive way of putting it! Didn't mean ot sound so ..whatever.

What I meant was, is that something that others have heard about?

Yes, advice to 1st time mumstobe - I do hope you are aware that babies lose weight post-birth. Up to 10% I think. (I didn't have a clue). My DS was quite happy with the odd suck until my milk came in after 4 days. DD was different however - hanging off my boobs for the 1st 24 hours until the m/w's took her off for a walk! She is one of the few babies I've heard of that left hospital heavier than her birth weight!!

Have not heard of it and don't intend to try it out! We've got enough on our plate as it is, eh?

My post was in response to spina, btw.

I did 9 months too and ds never took to any nipples other than mine from a certain age.(even at nursery from 6 mths, we had a unique set up involving Avent beaker teats with the valve reversed.) I did express quite a bit and ended up using most recent milk in weaning him to solids.

Oh goodness we're on b/f already! must get Bean out first!

Good point castles! Yep DS was at 11% loss with still no mummy milk in and paed just signed him out at two days and it was four days after birth that m/w went "OH BUGGER. HAVE YOU GOT ANY FORMULA?" to two sleep deprived adults.We thought we were doing really well, but he was a lazy feeder and had to be "put to breast" regularly rather than asking for it. He lost 20% in total and I had major stress about his weight until I weaned him,worked out how much the kid could/can put away food wise without growing much.

Thanks all - better go shopping again.

Hi Loulou, yes get the steriliser. I was full of intention to BF DD, but milk never came in for 2 weeks (apologies if I am repeating myself to some of you)

At 4 days old I admitted defeat and at 4am sent DH to Tesco for formula while I put the steriliser together and sterilised bottles (luckily we had bought one).

He came back with loads of different tins and cartons - like the bit in Babyboom and 3 Men and a Baby (can laugh about it now), but by then she was too tired to suck - practically starved and after phoning labour ward at about 5pm was asked to bring her straight in!

DD was readmitted and put in to SCBU for 4 days. From where she was fed formula through a tube down her nose and into her stomach - even MW's could'nt understand why I had no milk as hospital electric pump aka milking machine got no results either!

In hindsight I think the fact no one had told me not to wear underwired bra's during PG was probably a factor. So this time desptie the saggy look have been wearing comfy old ones just to make sure. Have been leaking colostrum for a couple of months now.

However there is still a tin of farleys standing by just in case, as I leaked with DD too!

Wow

Finally caught up

waves hello

Does anyone else have a current pet peeve

Mine is MW's that listen to everything you say and then right there own version on your notes.

I have been referred to our Day Unit twice by my MW cause she was concerned over something, Day Unit MW's each time choose to believe I was making it up and wrote "self referal" it really pisses me off when they decide you are just making stuff up. GAH

Or they say things like "patient prefers to not wait for blood test results"

Which I always think sounds awful, and I feel like writing underneath, "patient was kept waiting for 4 hours and hasnt eaten, unless MW is planning to supply food, patient does not have a choice " or words to that effect.

Rant, rant, rant

That is a cautionary tale VM and a good reason for being prepared. I do worry that milk will not appear. The whole breastfeeding thing seems so mysterious at the moment. I am not leaking anything yet - hope this is not a bad sign.

And poor WB. Nearly every time I go to the hospital I come out needing a really good rant. Hope you have found some food now.

LOL WB, but in a compassionate way! My tale...

On Monday, I spoke to M/W about tenderness in lower bump,she ignored me, as I mentioned. Then she asked me three times if I had any swelling. I said "no not really a bit in my wrists and ankles in the evening,but none in my fingers.Not that I'd know as I took my rings off months ago so as not to have them cut off if I did swell!"

Notes read "swelling in fingers".

I have never seen a woman more bored with a patient. Sorry I've not developed pre eclampsia for the sake of keeping her busy!!!!

I'm not leaking anything yet either Loulou, it does bother me but we'll just have to wait and see. After reading all the posts will def get an electric pump. Also, my belly button hasn't popped yet?? I'm 34 weeks plus.

WB my sympathies with you, i was in hospital for a week (long story) and had to be constantly hooked up to the monitor and one night I was on a drip, plus had a catheter in me they hooked me up to the monitor for an hour so I politely asked how long they were going to keep me on it and got such a telling off from the m/w saying it was only for my benefit, then I read my notes and they say "patient insists on being taken off monitor"!!

I didn't leak either. Ignore the "implied" lack of milk on my part. I was making loads and DS1 just isn't a big kid,despite appetite!

I was wearing breast pads for weeks before he was born just in case! Havn't bother yet this time. Bound to get caught out soon as I dispense some advice to someone at work. Other big concern at mo is my waters going on the Park and Ride bus!!!