October 2016 #5 Third trimester here we come

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New thread if it works

I feel nervous about it for a few reasons and I think the main one is that if I find it too hard I'll just give up then regret it. However I've been doing a lot of thinking about this and I think I just need to adjust my mind set.
What we learned yesterday was that the babies tummy is the size of a marble so you only need a tiny amount to fill it up so don't stress too much and also as long as it is filling nappies it is doing OK.
If I go in thinking I can't do it then it will be a self fulfilling prophecy so I need to stay positive however if I do use formula then that is absolutely fine as well

Hi I was on the early threads under a different name but managed to lose you all. I'm 33+1 weeks but because of a previous late loss and GDM I am having my section at 37-8 weeks so not that long to go! In complete denial, so decided to get with it today while working from home (still got a couple of weeks at work to go) so I now have a washing line of baby toys drying-which are bringing back memories from when DC1 was little. Hope everyone else is more organised than me!

I breastfed with my DD and managed about 8 weeks - no problem with milk supply it was literally squirting out before I even got DD to the breast ! but what I found was not knowing how much she was taking and never being able to eliminate hunger from the list of things that could be wrong when she was crying stressed me out. (Also it was a really hot summer so constantly felt hot and sweaty and I am large of nork 36E while not pregnant so manhandling those bad boys without offending anyone was tricky! Think the postman witnessed my lack of control when I answered the door a couple of times! ) I switched to FF after seeing one of the mums at the mum and baby group doing it and felt so relieved that I was "allowed" to do it too, bonkers I know, but somewhere along the lines (may well have been NCT) it had been so drummed into us that Breast is Best I really felt so bad even considering it before hand! I was so happy to have switched and my DD was so much more settled too! Everyone should just do what they feel happy with honestly there is so much to stress you out in the first few weeks that worrying about what other people think (my flaw) really should be bottom of the list!!
This time round I think I am going to try to do both right from day one, I really want to BF to give her all the goodness and for the bonding (that gaze into your eyes while she is on the breast is the BEST feeling) but selfishly I want the flexibility of the bottle too. I'll def be using formula, can't bear the faff of the milking machines, made me feel like Daisy!
Do any experienced mums have any thoughts about whether I should do both from Day 1 or to wait a few days?

I also find it really sad that people worry so much about feeding. BFing is hard work, and I struggled at first, exclusively expressing for 6 weeks before DS got the hang of it. I moved on to FF when I went back to work when DS was 7 months old. Personally, I would suggest that trying to BF initially can't hurt, and then if it isn't working for you move on to FF. I don't think it's worth stressing over - provided the baby is fed does it really matter how?! I hate that this is used to judge mothers and make them feel bad for their choices.

There really is so much judging regardless of what you choose and it's awful, shouldn't be like that. People should be happy that babies are being fed rather than getting up in arms about how it's done.

I must admit I've never liked the idea of breastfeeding, even well before I was pregnant but when I did get pregnant I thought I'd give it a shot. Finding out about the twins though just completely changed my mind and probably for a lot of selfish reasons but it's just something I've (almost) decided on. My OH is neither up nor down about it, he said he'll support me whatever I decide so there's no pressure from him. Will just see how things go, might do it for a few days or weeks, might not do it at all.

Went out today to meet friends from work, was lovely getting out for a few hours in the park. Just home and put on my baggiest clothes and propped my huge feet up. 30 weeks on the dot tomorrow, can't believe it!!!

Agree with Schnitzel there's no harm in giving BF a go, I have some friends who found it really easy and if you're one of those people you save yourself a lot over money and hassle faffing around with bottles and sterilising. Even if you only manage a few days/weeks you've done great as baby gets all that good colostrum etc.

32 weeks today so if this one is early like dd1 only 5 weeks to go! I seriously need to get things sorted. I was so much better prepared last time!!

Positivity - yes! The point about the baby's tummy being the size of a marble blew my mind at NCT! We were all gobsmacked and it suddenly really put into context why babies need to feed every few hours. I'm sure we'd been told it before, but being handed round a marble made it very real.

April - getting home and putting baggy clothes on - HEAVEN! I'm all about comfort these days so my work outfits aren't too bad, but there's nothing like putting my PJs on when I get home.

Obsessed - your comment about being 'large of nork' made me giggle!
I bet it kept your postman entertained!

notenough - I'm so sorry about your previous loss What is GDM?

Thanks lisa, GDM is just gestational diabetes, was quite scared when it was diagnosed but it's actually not been that bad and has kind of forced me to sort my diet out. It's just a faff remembering to take tablets, do the blood tests and to not eat chocolate!
As for BF, I managed 6 weeks last time, expressing and feeding. I found it hard but kept it up while I could, but have to admit it was a relief to stop. Am going to BF in hospital and see how we get on, no decisions either way - and I have a perfect prep and a breast pump to cover all options!

Sorry to hear that, notenough. Though good that it's quite manageable once you get used to it.

I had the GTT and never got the results from it. Everyone said if you don't hear straightaway it means you won't have GD, and then when I saw the midwife a few weeks later she didn't have the results either. She said she'd look into it and phone me asap if there was something to worry about, otherwise I shouldn't worry. Didn't hear anything, so guess I'm fine (which is good, but still, the admin and organisation really isn't great....)

I had to ring the hospital for my results Lisa, but I'd definitely think if you haven't heard from them you're probably fine!

Notenough I've got a breast pump and a perfect prep machine too - covering all bases!

Figgy if you were topping up with formula early on that would have affected your supply and no amount of pumping or supplements would work against that. If you don't feed then you are telling your body to make less milk. Also I'm a 36A too! Really hope it goes better for you this time.

To whoever it was that asked how I found feeding, I had a few issues with attachment and pain in the first 10 days but my midwife visited and observed a feed and it was all fine after that. DD never had a bottle as I couldn't express much and she hated formula so she just went straight to cow's milk in a beaker after a year. She has never had flu, ear or chest infections and never had antibiotics.

Hobnob that's good that you're planning on asking for help in hospital. Ask as often as you need to and don't feel like you're asking silly questions. Hopefully you have some breastfeeding support groups in your
area where you can get help and advice too.

What a day yesterday was!

Overzealous community midwife (a different but equally pants if not worse than mine!) couldn't find the right cuff to take my BP - did it on a little machine (like the one you buy from a chemist) and the cuff didn't fit and queer surprise it was sky high. So they find a cuff to do a manual check - still didn't fit properly (I have fat arms!) and it's slightly lower - they umm and arr at the dip stick key for my urine test and say 'hhhmmm it's trace or plus 1 I can't decide - let's say plus 1 to be sure (it's been plus 1/trace borderline for the past 4 weeks at the community midwife but 0 at the hospital on their machine). So she says you have to go to triage - I say why, can't you find the right cuff to measure my BP correctly.
'Okay, I will look again for the right cuff' but then starts guilt tripping me about issues with my baby if I don't go to triage.
Cue 10 min search of the building and they find the right cuff, do my BP and it's the lowest reading of the 3 (which is good seeing as I have now spent 30 mins in a stuffy room getting aggravated and stressed).
She says I am gonna hate her but she still recommends triage to be safe! Oh and I'll check baby on the Doppler so I can record I checked all bases - baby is fine!
I trek to hospital, wait an hour to be seen my BP is fine, baby is monitored for 30 mins also fine, consultant checks urine - no protein - she says it isn't pre eclampsia (I know!) says community midwife should have found right cuff to start with and was annoyed I got sent in, then they say they need to do my BP in 30 mins time - an hour later I get called back in from waiting room and they have decided to do a screening blood test to be safe - cue my BP going up as I hate needles - then midwife tries twice and can't get any blood out so I have to wait for consultant (at this point I almost just think sod it shall I just go home) half an hour later consultant comes and takes blood very painfully out of the side of my arm near my elbow and can't get enough so is scratching and squeezing.

Results - I can wait til my consultant appointment next week - so clearly they're not worried it's life threatening!

Sorry to rant, it's small in the grand scheme of things but what a stressful, hot waste of a day!

As I hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was now 430pm (I saw the midwife at 1140) I had a McDonald's on the way home!!

Chatter - what an absolutely nightmare. It sounds like a complete mess from start to finish. You poor thing, it must have been really stressful (and quite painful trying to work that hard to take the blood).

Fingers crossed it's just a one-off, and the community midwife isn't putting everyone through that kind of ordeal!

OMG chatter what a horrible day - why would they stress a pregnant woman out so much!?

for the difficult blood tests - I hate needles too and them having trouble and trying a few times sound like my idea of a nightmare - poor you!!

Thanks Ladies

it was my most pants day so far I think and I had a crap sleep stressing about it! Thank god it's over - I wish I had just refused to go in but when they start saying 'it's your body but if anything happened to your baby would you forgive yourself for not going in'

As I have to have my BP checked weekly by the community midwives I am dreading next week! I will just refuse to have my BP done til they find the correct cuff to start with and their stupid wee dip sticks are worse than a dulux colour chart so can be taken with a pinch of salt!

Hi guys, I have dropped off a bit as the Facebook group is generally easier to keep up with but wanted to post after reading the messages about breastfeeding. So many people worrying about it that I thought it might be nice to share a positive story. I am only a 30A bra size when not pregnant and they went up to about 34C when my milk came in so not big by any standard but I successfully breastfed my little boy until 2 years. We never had any pain and it was easy right from the start. I pumped and gave expressed milk when I returned to work at 6 months. I fed out and about everywhere we went and never had a negative comment. So although it's obviously not the case for everyone it is possible to have a lovely breastfeeding experience without the horror stories you hear! I think the most important thing to remember is that it is normal for newborns to feed all the time! It doesn't mean you don't have enough milk so just keep boobing if that's what you want to do :)

Sounds like a really shit day chatter bet your glad it's over. Silly about the cuff you would think they'd have the bigger one out more!

When I was measured the other day I've now only grown 1Cm in three weeks so have to be measured again next week and then possibly be sent for a scan if growth seems to have slowed

One extreme to the other

Chatter how rubbish! Definitely refuse to have it done unless they are using the right equipment next week. So annoying.

Aargh fresh - hopefully it's nothing. Bump measurements can change so much depending how baby is lying, how much you've eaten. Hopefully next weeks measurement is back on track. My scan is still roughly on the middle line but bump measurements still over the top of the line.

Poor Chatter sounds horrendous! You'd think they'd let you have chance to eat something as surely that would affect everything else?

We're now on our 3rd community midwife (I'm wondering is it me?) and she's lovely, like the first. She seems quite happy with me but as I have a fibroid it looks like i can't use the midwife centre and have to go to the labour ward :( It's starting to stress me out as I didn't like the labour ward when I visited it but the midwife centre I felt relaxed and liked the idea my OH could stay with me. He's hoping that my mental health issues can take priority and get me in there as at the consultant (well doctor) appt she only looked into my fibroid when I asked about it and she didn't seem bothered. Ack!

Had two horrendously busy days at work and I'm overheating there (came home with a heat rash on my legs yesterday, so painful) and so glad Im using my AL to drop my days down. Day off today! :D Hardly slept last night so feel like a zombie today.

Hope everyone's got the cooler weather we have!

Cooler weather here

Midwife did say she can tell baby is not small by feeling bump but needs to make sure growth is consistent

First measurement was over the 95th , second under the 90th

Baby has been very active today! God knows what he's doing in there! Been having a lot of strong bh again too, maybe he doesn't like those.

How are all of your appetites these days? I find I'm really not that hungry and forget to eat sometimes .... and then I worry this is why I've only grown a cm

Chatter what a complete nightmare! I'd have been so annoyed at wasting a day like that, they should have the correct equipment available

Obsessed I obviously have no experience as this is my first but I also think I will be doing mixed feeding. The advice I've had is to spend a week or so getting bf established and then introduce the bottle. Introducing the bottle straight away can stop the baby learning the correct latch for the breast. My friend bf for the first few weeks then switched to mixed feeding until 6 months which had always been the point she intended to get to, so it can work really well and I'm feeling confident to give it a go. My only concern is that my mum couldn't bf either me or my brother so I'm hoping I have more luck. On the other hand being formula fed from day one did me no harm

Ok so this next bit might be tmi so apologies in advance but I have a white lump at the end of one nipple which I'm pretty sure is a blocked milk duct. If I press my boob it gets bigger as if it's filling up, however I haven't had any leaks at all of milk yet so I'm not sure why it would be. Anyone ever had one or know how to sort it out?

That's nice to hear Fish88 :-)

What is the FB page?

Where did you get that advice Kariana?