Due in March - Thread #5

[charlybs]

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I am struggling with sleep so much. No matter how I sleep my hips and back hurt and I keep waking up on my back realising I have to turn on my left side for the baby. It's really starting to stress me out I haven't slept well for weeks now. DH gets grumpy if I take up 'too much' of the bed too - he's 6ft 3 and we have one of those small doubles haha. So less than ideal.

charlybs
I'm waking up in the night and finding myself on my back as well! It actually hurts to lie on my back now so maybe that helps to wake me up.
Do you have a pregnancy pillow? It does help me to get comfortable when sleeping on my side. You could also just use a regular pillow and put it between your legs. It helps to keep your hips aligned.
I never stay in that position for long though!
Do you have room for a bigger bed??

Charly I definitely think you need to invest in a bigger bed! Don't panic too much about your sleep position, not at this stage anyway. On your back you will get uncomfortable before it becomes a problem. I spoke to my midwife last time about the left right thing and she just told me to get sleep however I can get it! I often sleep on my left anyway but sometimes I have to go onto my right if I feel a bit stiff or OH is taking up too much of the bed

Charly I definitely think you need to invest in a bigger bed! Don't panic too much about your sleep position, not at this stage anyway. On your back you will get uncomfortable before it becomes a problem. I spoke to my midwife last time about the left right thing and she just told me to get sleep however I can get it! I often sleep on my left anyway but sometimes I have to go onto my right if I feel a bit stiff or OH is taking up too much of the bed

mother didn't know there was a srep parenting thread? Can you send me the link, on my phone so navigating the site is awkward

I can fall asleep no problem staying asleep is another matter, think I wake every hour to hour and a half. Then gets to about 6 when I let the dog out when I go back to bed I can stay asleep but then I need to get up for work lol.

😊so it's not only me then, I wake up every three hours😤 Then fall asleep and wake up again. I share a bed with my little ones so not ideal either. Always have a little foot or bottom in my face couldn't sleep any other way but does drive me nuts. Are you all intending on breastfeeding?

thanks for for the advice guys. sleeping on my back hurts already I think... my back is generally in a bit of a mess.

would love to get a bigger bed but we're in forces accommodation and get what we're given! also I'm not sure we'd have the room. I suppose on the grand scale of things we can make do.

sorry name I missed your post - I have a big long pregnancy pillow which doesn't fit in the bed so have been using a normal pillow. it does help a little!

Hopefully I will be breastfeeding. Been reading a lot but obviously everybody is different so we shall see when beany arrives

I would like to try to breastfeed but don't want to put myself under too much pressure if it doesn't work out - I've heard of women enduring lots of pain and difficulty and feeling guilty if they have to resort to formula. I'm hoping to strike a balance and give it a good shot but accept defeat if necessary!

I'm also a bit concerned about exclusively breastfeeding as I'd like DH to be able to feed the baby. I guess the idea is to express as well so that he can, but it depends if I can express and if the baby will take bottle as well as boob.

From what I can tell the whole breastfeeding debate seems a bit of a minefield!! I hope I don't become too evangelical either way

I've been buying since the 20 week scan, mainly to spread the cost but also because it is exciting. Got my pram and have been decorating the nursery. I know which furniture I'll order soon too.

I'm also a bit confused about breast/bottle feeding - ideally I'd like to breast feed and express for the odd night of full sleep so OH/my mum can do a night duty! But then what bottles/bottle equipment do I need!?

miss that's what I'm thinking, been googling bottles etc...

Hi ladies , I can help with the feeding questions haha . I breast fed DD but was rushed into hospital after a week and she was left with DP . We had bought a tin of milk in case of emergencies and she happily took the bottle and came back to the breast . If you do want to either express or bottle and breast you will need bottles , steriliser and for expressing I would definitely recommend an electric pump . I would buy one tin of milk like I did just in case. The hand ones are slow and often useless . You could get a pre owned one and sterilise it as you may not use it long .
Having said all this I am not breast feeding this one and despite having people's opinions forced already I stand by that because that is what I want and to be honest people will judge you no matter what you do .

I want to breastfeed - will give it a jolly good go. Fingers crossed I will be able to express some too as that night's sleep sounds lovely haha. I think we got some free self sterilising bottles at the baby show I will have to check them out.

I combination fed DD, through necessity more than choice and at times I managed without formula/bottles. To be honest, it never got me extra sleep as especially in the early days I was so tuned in to DD that I woke whenever she stirred! OH has an amazing bond with DD but that's not from feeding her, it's from spending time with her. He did baths and Baby massage etc.

I love breastfeeding, it isn't always easy at first and the key is support and knowledge. It does get loads easier. I would recommend joining 'can I breastfeed in it uk' and the off topic group on Facebook. Also having a look at the Kelly mom website. At the end of the day, breastfeeding is a mutual relationship, if it doesn't work for one of you, it isn't working. The decision on how you feed your baby should be yours, not anyone else's. I encounter women who haven't breastfed because their mum told them that 'only poor people breastfeed' and also those who don't breastfeed because their partners don't want to share the boobs.

As for bottle feeding, if you intend to bf, at least initially then all you need is a couple of bottles and some ready made formula. You can sterilise in boiling water or Tupperware in the microwave and if you choose to formula feed long term then you can look into more equipment. Don't spend money you don't have to.

Sorry for long post x

I agree with happy don't buy too much at first and yes I never slept through DD either haha

I found a set of 4 self sterilising bottles for £25 I don't know if that's good or bad so still looking

I've been struggling with what to do about bottles too. Want to give breastfeeding a serious go, and also not spend money we don't need too. I had thought maybe two bottles and a can of formula just to have in the cupboard in case and then go from there? Also anyone have any advice re particular breast pumps? I'd like to express a bit to allow DP (or anyone else that offers!) to feed baby a bit but all the pumps look so expensive and not sure what exactly is needed.

Medela breast pumps are amazing ! ( only electric ) I was given one ( sterilised it ) my friend bought a per owned one and swore by it too

Pre *

I breastfed ds and I'm planning to breastfeed again. For me I found support from dh and the breastfeeding network was key to this. So much so that I'm now a peer helper with the Bfn.

If I can offer any support to anyone I'd be more than happy to help. I'd recommend finding out about support available locally, if there are any groups then visiting before baby arrives is slightly less daunting and something I wish I'd done first time round.

Agree with all the feeding advice, especially not getting too much in the way of bottles etc if you are planning on bf. No need to spend loads, but a decent pump is important if you want to express. I loved my medela swing pump.

According to my research last time, the ideal time to introduce a bottle (if you are bf) is between 3-6 weeks. This gives you time to establish a supply and for baby to get used to feeding and not get confused between nipple and bottle, but in this window they are also more likely to adapt to using both. We started DS on expressed milk at 3 weeks without problems. But at around 12 weeks he started refusing the bottle and never went back, so there are no guarantees!

I want to bf the twins, but also want them to take bottles of expressed milk or formula if necessary so that I can share the load with dh and my parents who will be helping us. Not sure how it will work out, but I'm happy to play it by ear, as I know now that there are no rules

Kellymom website is great for bf info.

Seen the Mam bottles are very good for combining breast and bottle. Thinking of buying those for when I'm out and about. Will express hopefully. Want to fully breastfeed this time