March 2016 Babies!! New Year, New Thread - #8

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Thread 8!!! Eight!! Blimey we don't half prattle on

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I know! Only took us a month to fill that one in!

Place marking .

Thanks for starting the new thread Paper.

Hi everyone.
Sorry not been around for a while. 29 weeks today woohoo. 8 weeks until term!
Yesterday I went through all the baby clothes I have for little one so far. We don't have a lot in newborn but have a lot in 0-3 and a few bits in 3-6 months. I have put to the side for my hospital bag for baby the following:
5 newborn vests
5 newborn sleep suits
One hat. One set of mits.
One newborn cardigan
3 muslin squares
One blanket

FTM and a bit clueless. Should I pack 0-3 in case she is massive as well? I am measuring 50th centile on bump measurements at 25 and 28 week appointments and my bump is not massive and I am tiny my self so I reckon she will be average size. Also am I missing anything else?

Sleep has gone to pot the last two nights again. All be it not terrible. I am falling asleep around 10pm for an hour or two and then up until 1-2am and then broken sleep until around 9am. However back to work monday and 6:30am starts to dreading the lack of sleep. I am not someone who functions well on little sleep. Also regarding my legs. They have been bad recently but they are only bad when I really stress about them. for example at family dinner yesterday I did not notice them and whilst sitting on sofa talking to my OH and colouring in my book I didn't either. I know it is stress but I can't tell my self just to relax about them and then in the middle of the night I get all panicky and have to get out of bed. By the time I am back in bed I think my body is tired that it just gives in and falls asleep. I know the way to break this is not to stress but it is hard work.

Regrading my doctors app. She has sent me for a blood test to see if I am deficient in any vitamins etc to see if that is causing my restless legs. She was also great in getting the mental health team to see me as quickly as possible and we discussed anti depressants but I really don't want to medicate my self unless 100 per cent necessary. It is the lack of sleep making my anxiety/depression worse at the moment and I know if I can get rid of my fear of sleeping and sleeping better I'll get so much better so not sure meds are the way to go. I have a follow up app with her this Thursday to discuss how I am further.

Last Sunday at 28+1 I went along for my 4d scan. Baby was head down but the cord was infront of her face. Also she had her feet infront of her face which she also did at the 20 week scan! cheeky. we could only get a view of her feet. I have a re-scan today but as she has been in the position twice I am scared we won't get to see her and don't want to keep going back for re-scans if their not for a medical nature. Any chance she will be in a different place this time? I have a high anterior placenta as well. I have been getting movements to the left side of my bump and low down still. not really anything high up.

Hope everyone is ok. Beaut I see what you mean about the gritty placenta. I hope you are doing ok and are feeling better about the potential c-section. I also hope missi and Zach are ok. Thanks for asking after me. I will have to follow this thread more closely from now on as your all so lovely.

Good to 'see' you Scared. Glad your doc has been helpful. I think, if they offer you some medication, taking it will help you get on track (might help you get your sleep sorted).

They won't prescribe you anything harmful, and there's no shame in it. I know plenty of people who've taken ADs for a short while to give themselves an opportunity to get back 'together'.

Could you take your colouring book to bed with you and do a little bit when you wake up (with a tiny lamp!)? (I finished a page in mine yesterday, pretty pleased with myself!)

I am now carefully folding all these clothes to put them away in an organised fashion! I've got backache, but I've started so I need to finish!

It's safe to say I think we have enough newborn-3 months stuff!

Marking my place on the new thread.

I've been enjoying colouring in over the Christmas break as well! My DH is off work too and has been spending hours on his Xbox, normally I'd get a bit annoyed as we only have the one TV (although can watch on my iPad) but I haven't minded as I've just been sitting colouring in, it's so relaxing!

We decided we needed to get out today as we were getting a bit cabin fever so we braved town but that was a mistake - it's ridiculously busy, had to park miles away and it's tipping it down with rain holing up for some lunch!

Scared - you do seem a bit more positive :) let us know how your scan goes. And don't worry about multiple scans causing any harm - by Wednesday I'll have had eleven!!

I do feel a bit better about things thank you. Starting to think I won't need a c-section. The midwife I met yesterday said they can induce even at 34 weeks and in fact the paeds seem to prefer this as the shock of delivery is good for baby's lungs etc as opposed to a "cold caesarean" (in her words!).

She also wrote down my fears about the hospital, and has put the letter at the front of my notes, as she's determined I'll get better care this time! So that was really nice.

Advice from anyone please? I really want to ask the consultant how long she is planning on me being pregnant for, especially as 1) DH is supposed to be working away and 2) if I get to 37 weeks+ then surely I xan have a home birth? The midwife even said to me if women are left to that stage then the doctors generally aren't that worried about things. But how can I word it?!

Me - hope your lunch cheers you up! Cabin fever is definitely describing my life right now. I've been in and out of the hospital all holiday and not really done anything with the DC. Fed up!

place marking - will catch up with posts later!

Just on the way home from ikea! We spent a fortune as both DD and the baby need chests of drawers. It's exciting to be buying him stuff!

Re the breastfeeding, I'm still going I NEVER thought I'd feed this long and know it's not for everyone, but I'd like DD (who's just turned 2) to self wean. She only really has 1 feed at bedtime. indom did your little one just stop wanting it eventually?

Am hoping that the feeding will be straightforward this time, but guess it depends on the baby, tongue tie etc. Finding good local support was key to me last time.

beaut that's good that you might not need a section! If they'll induce you, surely a home birth if things start naturally would be ok?!

scared pleased the gp is being supportive.
Hope you get a better view at your next scan!

We've got a pricy private scan booked next week. I want them to thoroughly check out the placenta as have friends who've had issues and with dd they picked up a potential issue, which they don't scan for at our local hospital.

Sounds like your appointment went really well scared, and you're sounding a lot more positive.

From my own admittedly limited experience, even big babies will be too small for 0-3 so you should be ok with new born. But if you want to cover all bases it won't hurt to pack one vest and babygro in that size just in case. I had way too much in my bag last time for that reason, so I think this time I'll pack a small bag with more baby clothes, nappies and breast pads to leave in the car in case I need them, I definitely won't pack a whole box of breast pads in my bag this time! Not planning on taking a big dressing gown either as it was so warm on the ward, will stick with a cosy hoody.

Beautiful I'd word it just like that, you need to know what they're planning for you (as far as is reasonable). Six weeks or so is a long time for your dp to be 'on call' if he has to be working away.

Oh Crispy I'm so jealous of your IKEA trip! I've been dying to go for ages now. Do you live close to one? We're over an hour away from any :(

Well I tried to raise this home birth issue before, but the consultant was so shocked and adamant it wouldn't happen. I think she expects me to be admitted well before then... but this is what I want to know on Wednesday really.

I do know that if the cord flow goes into reverse the baby will be delivered that day, which is scary!

Thanks Suz. And I agree with you that 0-3 clothes are pretty big... they seem so much bigger than newborn! Although in some shops like Tesco and Next you can get "up to 1 month" which is like an in between...

Crispy, I think I just stopped offering and started distracting instead (I.e. Going straight down for breakfast instead of snuggling in bed a bit longer). I think given the opportunity he'd have continued, but I was ready to stop! I don't think he asked again, and it certainly didn't cause any distress.

Suz I was planning on leaving the dressing gown out as well - maternity wards are so unbelievably hot! (And my dressing gown is massive)

Sounds like a tricky situation, Beaut. It sounded before like they expect to induce you sooner rather than later, and that your baby will be small with potential difficulties. As you've had tiny babies before even at 40 weeks, I suppose they're expecting 'small with difficulties' whatever gestation this one arrives. Not ideal, really. And I suppose the worst bit is their plan is probably to monitor and deliver at any time. Which is a nightmare for your DHs work. Definitely ask them for clarification though. Tough situation.

Shopping today for baby with DS, he was such a well behaved boy and really seemed happy to help choose baby things. Some great prices on nursing vests (I do the two top tango to bf ) at mothercare in the sale. Ordered the Maxi-cosi Pebble Plus and the 2-way isofix base after checking the fit. Pricey but the base is also good for the ERF Pearl toddler seat and I'm sure we can sell on the baby seat when done. DS is only just turned round facing forward at 3y7m, but his ERF seat will be out of date by the time baby would need it. Probably the only thing I dislike about the age gap!

Sounds like everyone's into hospital bag and preparation mode, me too. For those asking about size, 99% will be fine with newborn (usually they are labeled as up to 7.5 or 8 lb) or 0-1 sizes (up to 9.5-10.5). DS was 9 lb (4 kg) and stayed in 0-1 from birth to 4 weeks. I'm only packing 0-1 despite fully expecting a 9-10 lb baby if I go to term. Only 10% of UK babies are over 9 lb.

Out of date, TheMShip? I didn't think that was a real thing. I read a thread a while back that debunked the idea of seats going out of date. (Though most can have their polystyrene replaced if you think it's necessary).

We'll certainly be using DS's old seats.

Well after last night I'm actually looking forward to dealing with newborn vomit again! Ended up spending the better part of an hour washing sick out of dd's hair with a flannle, she's a tall 3 year old with very long hair. Would have been so much easier to stick her under the shower but I couldn't physically do it myself and dh didn't want to force her to do something she didn't want to do when she was so upset. She seems more like herself today, still a poorly girl but is actually smiling and refusing medicen so must be on the mend.

I was really lucky with dd, she was made to bf. Never had any problems with her latch so appart from getting used to the new sensation it was pain free. But in the early days I gave myself terriable shoulder pain from feeding in odd positions, mostly due to c section scar. Midwife worked really hard to sort me out with that! I did get thrush when she was about 3 months old which drove me crazzy and mastitis when she was around a year and experimenting with her new teeth. Fed her until just after she turned 2 when we managed to drop her bedtime feed. Hoping to have sucess with feeding again.

Really agree that having a supportive patner is invaluable when getting feeding established. Dh was fantastic at fetching drinks and snacks whenever I was feeding without prompting and became a pro at getting pillows aranged in the middle of the night and adding support midfeed when I was getting used to evening cluster feeds. He was rubish at helping out with night wakings, mostly because dd was the first baby he ever encountered and once nappy change and burp and a quick jiggle failed he'd pass her back for boob and go straight back to sleep. But is much more confident this time around and plans to do more in that department. And knows he'll need to sort dd out if she wakes and can do so most of the time now. Has a plan to let dd get some one to one time with me from quiet early on by taking the pram out between feeds, which he was a last resort with dd rather than a plan of action.

scared I'd throw in a 0-3 vest and sleepsuit just incase. Although dd, 8lbs 7 1/2 at birth, got loads of wear out of newborn in the end it literally just fit when she was first born. I'd have an extra bag or two packed for the baby incase you stay in so oh can grab it easily if you need more or bigger clothes for baby.

I really need to start sorting through baby clothes. Dd loves helping to buy things for bump so have a few bits in bigger sizes she's helped to pick. But need to get a move on sorting through her old stuff. We're going to let her choose a going home outfit for bump closer to the time.

Hi all

Just got back from the hospital. Had a growth scan and check on blood flow etc. It was lovely.

Baby weighs around 4lbs!

dobby sorry your girly is sick hope she feels better soon.

Hi gem that's fab news, and they were so good with you! How far along are you?

Also could I be a bit nosey/ask you a favour? Did they write anything in your notes about what the PI (pulsatility index) was during your Doppler scan? Would be good to see a "normal" result for comparison!

Indom You are correct, they don't actually expire/go out of date (see the Good Egg Safety campaign post on the subject), but the plastic does degrade with time. DS's ERF seat (passed on from a friend) would be well over the manufacturer recommended 5 years by the time baby got into it, and pushing 10 by the time she'd be done. We sold DS's baby seat after he'd had a year in it so needed a new one of those anyway, and decided to just go for the new iSize system with Isofix base. 7

at your DS's contribution!

We're going to keep going with our old ERF seat. It'll be pushing those guidelines, but I'm sure it's fine.

Oh bugger!!

I just typed a really long post and it all deleted!! fat fingers grrrr.

Anyway I said something like:

Scared - definitely agree with the colouring book suggestion.

Beautiful - they must have some idea when they want you to have Bubba? Just say DH needs to know so he can make arrangements.

Hospital bag prep is underway. Got me my big pants out!!

Paper I actually lose the plot a little when that happens!!

I think the vague plan is something like this:

Keep monitoring me.
If things get worse, like water goes down to abnormal levels, or Dopplers get even more raised, weigh up pros and cons of leaving baby in or having prem baby.
If things get dire, deliver baby.
If things stay the same, deliver baby around 36-37 weeks (this is the one I want a clearer answer to!)

Hey Beaut sorry I didn't get to look... If I manage to see it again at some point I'll let you know xx

Mship I took advantage of the Mothercare sale today too and got some nursing tops, breast pads, nipple cream, baby hats, scratch mits, a baby cardi and some flip flops. All in the sale and ready for hospital bag. Also pleased to hear you and others are also getting the pulling sensation!

Going back to the feeding comments, I personally really struggled to BF DS. My milk never came in (same happened to my mum) and I reluctantly switched to formula when DS was clearly starving. Although I was very upset at the time, it was definitely the right decision for us. After a very long labour and difficult recovery it meant DP could help with feeds and we slept in shifts. It made me a far happier mum! DS always took room temperature formula so we never had to bother with warming it when out and about, just mixed as required.

So, this time I have bought formula feeding equipment in advance. I have 6 Tommee Tippee bottles with slow flow teats, the perfect prep machine (treat to myself this time round), steriliser and a few boxes of Aptimil. I will attempt to BF for first few days as before but will see how things go from there. I'm not going to get hung up about it. I still need to get the little pots to carry formula in (very handy!), a few of the little sized bottles and the medium/fast flow teats but they can wait till needed.

The only thing I would say is that we used powder formula straight away. Some of my friends used the ready made stuff but couldn't get their babies to take powder later on. The ready made is thinner/smoother and obviously more expensive. We used it every now and again but DS found the powder more filling. He needed much more of the ready made.

As other posters have said, if you don't know yet it's probably best to wait to buy bottles etc until you need them. It is quite a lot of equipment you might never need.

Thanks gem. Did they not write it in your handheld notes? I've got all my scan reports in there.

All the Christmas stuff is coming down tomorrow... really want to set up the Mamaroo in the living room but the girls will just mess about with it!

Thicko alert...

My DSIS struggled to BF her DD so bought a perfect prep machine. DH bought one at a stupidly cheap price just in case.

I hope I can BF but if I can't how do I know what bottles and teats to buy?