July 2015 (thread 10) - the one where the bumps are huge, feet become unreachable and nesting seriously kicks in.

[Fattycow]

Welcome, welcome, to the 10th thread for babies expected in July 2015.
We are all counting the days and might even see the arrival of the first babies on this thread!

Here is the stats list, please keep your own entry up to date:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1p3idkH2TaQYAy22I_N73k1_-G6Ezq67lAdhQvDjQkU0/edit?pli=1#gid=0

I will be ff again. I'm not comfortable breastfeeding myself, yet was quite happy for friends to whip their boobs out and feed baby! (I know it's a bit more discrete) I don't know why, I think it's mainly how uncomfortable I would feel around my dad etc, considering he made my mum stop BF my little bro st 3 months because he wasn't happy with it.
I would rather be comfortable and give a bottle than to breastfeed, feel awkward and baby pick up on that IYSWIM

fattymc, yes I know what you mean I was uncomfortable to start with around my dad and grandad. They weren't opposed to me whipping my boobs out (well, they never said anything directly to me) but I could feel the awkwardness descend when I snapped the clip on my bra! I ploughed on though and they just accepted it was my choice in the end.

I was the same fatty. I knew if there was formula in the house I would give it when I was feeling overwhelmed/exhausted and then would regret it. Like you say, that half an hour to buy formula could just give you the breathing space to calm down and access some support. Not anti formula at all and I mix fed from 5 months but in the early days it was better for my mental state to not have any formula/bottles in the house.

The only person I was awkward feeding around was FIL and to be honest it gave me a good excuse to disappear upstairs and get cuddles and a rest with the baby while the IL's were around

Haha MrsF love your round-up - could you do one everyday for us?!

I'm going with the no formula in the house plan as well... There's a 24 hour supermarket round the corner so it makes sense for me.

Am usually quite chilled out but the idea of BF in front of my Dad / OH's Dad does make me feel a bit squirmy - love the idea of using it as an excuse to grab some sneaky cuddles in another room though

There's a backlash against brelfies (breastfeeding selfies) in the news this morning coz Mums who FF say it makes them feel bad. Not sure I'll be posing for pics when BF anyway - but maybe I'll feel differently when the times comes.

If bf works for me, I'm pretty sure I won't be doing any selfies! I'm also planning on not having any formula in, although we have a shop directly across the road open till 11pm that sells it, so it wouldn't be a major expedition unless it was after that time... However, for me, the main reason to try and avoid 'giving in' is financial!! Love the idea of basically free food for babby!

I think I might also be a bit embarrassed to bf in front of F and FIL not sure why as FIL in particular has seen MIL bf 4 children but hopefully once I've got bf established I will feel more confident.

In other news, I think LO might have dropped a bit at 34 weeks. Seeing the MW later so guess I will find out if it's true or if I've just imagined it.

With dd I was young and unorganised, not helped by a week admitted to hospital and her being delivered by csection at 36+6. I tried to feed after delivery but she feel asleep on me then my bp raised again causing panic so they gave dad a bottle for dd and that's how things stayed.
With ds I was a bit older and more experienced and he was bloody greedy so he took to the boob straight away. I can't remember if I had any formula in but thinking about it I can't of coz when I was rushed in to hospital when he was 4 weeks my cousin had to beg hospital for milk until morning.
I think I may get a few cartons of ready made just incase but I do really want to bf at least for a few months. 1 for financial reasons and 2 I think it made the bond between myself and ds. We're so close even after 11days apart at 4 weeks old.

Another one not for brelfies here. Not that proud of my boobs that I want them all over the web!

Yes, badidea, the financial side to breastfeeding is a huge draw. As is the ease of it all - all that faff with sterilising and measuring is just too much for my brain. Im much more of a whip your boobs out and you're done kinda girl

Financial reasons are a big part of it here too BadIdea, once we started giving partly formula at 5 months it cost a fortune! Plus I'm fundamentally lazy and absolutely hated washing/sterilising/making up bottles.

I'm feeling sooo poorly - have felt really ill all week. First with the itching, now vomiting and have painful blocked sinuses, a sore throat, headache. Not sure whether it is hormone related or not. I haven't got test results back for liver disease yet - hospital has massive backlog from BH weekend. I am really struggling to sleep, sit, basically do anything!

I'm planning to breastfeed but open to FF if I can't establish it within the first week. Babies stomachs are teeny at the beginning so you don't need to produce much milk. I am expecting it to be difficult but am scared.

Is anyone going to try (or tried in the past) combination feeding?

luckystar Oh no, poor you! Whatever the result of your test, it will be good to get it so you know what is going to happen. Hope you get the results soon. Does your GP know that you've got these extra symptoms? Maybe they would be able to hurry the test along.

I've had the painful blocked sinuses a couple of times this pregnancy after colds (never before in my life). The only thing that helped was using vibration on my nose and forehead to block out the pain. I know it sounds a bit crazy, but it's a well-established medical fact that vibration overloads the nerves because they can only carry one sort of signal at a time. The nerves are so busy with the vibration they can't do the pain at the same time. It's used for drug-free pain relief for all sorts of things (see Dr Google). You can get medical products for it, but I just used, um, a vibrator I already had lying around... Hope this might help!

I was planning on FF as I have had breast implants and uplift (after the carnage of breastfeeding my last two for 10 months and losing lots of weight!)

I was convinced that the uplift would mean I wouldn't have any milk, but for the first time in pregnancy I have milk already so have changed my mind.

I still have all of the bottlefeeding stuff ready just in case, and have bought the pre-made formula which I have packed in my hospital bag just in case (I am having my C-section under a GA so anything could happen)

I am not likely to use the formula milk unless I have to, I have been through the struggle of breastfeeding before and I know I won't give baby the formula milk (and even if you do, it really is no big deal, one feed won't hurt)

I have no idea what will happen yet and Daddy can be on standby just in case

Although I am going to breastfeed this time, it will not be for the duration I have previously. I would like to have baby switched over to bottle by 3 months because I will be back at work, and do not have the facilities here to express like I did with my last two.

I also take beta blockers which I cannot take when pregnant and breastfeeding, it means at the moment I take another medication which is harder to control and I don't like the side effects.

Stinkylink I moved on to mixed feeding later on with my last two, very possible this time.

Small

Absolutely true, it's all neurological, and vibrations do help, that's why they are often used in Physio treatments.

I think baby brain has kicked in.

DP's jumper started off life as an adults XL, it will now fit a small child

Stinky I did the same to DH's new cashmere jumper a couple of weeks ago .
It might fit the new baby

Oh, I hope I won't shrink any of DH's clothes! They are about the only shirts and jumpers that still fit me and I'm not going to spend a million on maternity shirts for these last few weeks!

fatty I finally broke and bought a couple of maternity t-shirts on ASOS that were pretty cheap, they are all designed for breastfeeding as well so I feel like I'll get some use out of them afterwards! I had been just wearing my biggest jumpers but even they were starting to creep up my bump...

I have maternity tops that were given to me by my friend. she was a size 20, I was a 14-16. the size 20 tops do not cover my bump anymore!

LO is now "at brim" rather than "free" so i guess things are progressing? Also apparently "not huge". Takes after her father perhaps as I was quite big.

Sounds like she's on the way down the small!

I wouldn't take too much notice of how big they think baby is, they rarely get it right.

34 week appt today (I'm 34+2) and baby's head is engaged! I know it can pop in and out with a second baby but at least it's heading in the right direction.
Iron level is 9 which at least explains why I've been feeling so rough.

I'm gonna bf and simply perserver to get through any probs (and not care about any male family members once I've learnt not to flash my entire boob) so hopefully won't need any stocks of formula. But at just 70p each may buy 1 or 2 ready made cartoons on a weekly shop one time just as a back up for any bf dramas at 4am etc.

I'm 33 weeks today, baby has been head down since 29 weeks, but was initially at brim then free in my last appointment (opposite to you small!). Is free and at brim the same thing or different? I read up after mine changed and thought they may were same thing? Could be completely wrong though.

I wonder if he's moved down further / starting to engage now as yesterday and today I've been getting a shooting pain in my right butt cheek loads more than normal. Had for a while and only on random occasions so not a bother. Assume it's sciatica / baby hitting the nerve? But last two days wow!!!! Lots of times and real does catch my breath / hurts enough to stop my movement. However bump doesn't seem to have dropped at all... confused.