April 2017 #5 - second trimester! Less feeling crap, more feeling kicks

[Celen]

For all those lovelies expecting babies around April 2017

Good news lochi!!!

What is everyone planning in terms of feeding? I would like to breastfeed but in case it doesn't work out I have bought 4x dr brown bottles. My cousin recommended these over all other bottles as she said she tried others first which gave her baby colic. So would I just take some formula to Hosp too then? Anything else I will need? If bottle feeding, is everyone planning to sterilise? I didn't think people bothered now but apparently they do.

I breastfed last time so hopefully should be fine. For the first 8-9 months you do need to sterilise and after that I just used the dishwasher (because he was crawling and licking the floor..). We had a basic microwaveable one. I expressed/mixed fed at the start because DS was tiny and for that I used the bog standard Tommee Tippee bottles.

Great news luchi

I will take some ready made formula to hospital - the ones that come with sterile teats. Although with DD the hospital provided formula. I tried to breastfeed but DD had jaundice so we had to give formula to get her sugars up so we could take her home. Then my milk supply never really kicked in. Will look into getting more support this time.

First baby but hoping to breastfeed but aware it might not go as planned so have some bottles for formula/expressed if possible. Also going to take the ready made bottles into hospital just in case. Have a microwave steriliser as no room in the kitchen for an electric one!
Got a range of bottles but like the look of the mam ones, have the manual pump and steriliser to go with them

Great news Luchi
I bottle fed DD, we quickly switched to Dr Browns and I would not use anything else. Using them again with the microwave steriliser.

A word of warning. I breastfed for a year but never managed to express a DROP with a pump. I have funny shaped breasts and nipples. I could hand express- ie literally squeeze milk out of my nipples than I could with a pump. A lot of people confuse how much they can express with what their supply is like- don't worry.
Another useful tip I learned from someone that helped me through the early days. Let the baby stay on the breast and suckle for comfort. That's because you need to think of it like this. The first part of the feed is the baby ordering from the menu, then once the feed is going well that's the main meal and the last bit of suckling (which can go on for a bit) is the baby ordering its next meal.
I set myself small goals with breastfeeding. Get to 6 weeks. Get to 8 weeks. At 8 weeks I said ok let's do it for 4 months. And then it got easier and easier. At 4 months he could feed lying down AND each feed would take 10 mins. So no more than 70-80 mins a day. But if you had said that to me on day 17 when I was a hormonal mess I wouldn't have believed it.

Hope things stay all calm there Luchi and you get some nice time at home.

I BF DD and intend to again. DD wouldn't take a bottle, so I have a couple of different ones knocking about in the loft should we need them. NICU/PNW at our hospital will provide formula if needed to top-up, but I'm hoping to harvest enough colostrum that it won't be necessary.

I rarely sterilised - no bottle or dummy used, and I stuck the breast pump in the dishwasher. The milk was frozen and cooked with, then given in a cup when DD finally realised it was still the good stuff, even though I wasn't there!

Mumsnet guide to babies is pretty funny...

I'm planning to breastfeed, someone has given me some bottles though.

Hoping to express too as I have epilepsy which means I really need my sleep, so fingers crossed DH can do some night feeds. I'm not averse to bottle feeding if it means I can sleep as it'll be healthier all round.

Thanks ladies, since I am
Hoping to breastfeed is it enough to have just bottles and formula? I can buy steriliser asap if breastfeeding doesn't work out? Would just be buying the microwave steriliser.

Should I buy a breast pump? Or again see how i get on initially

See how you get on. I bought a breast pump and gave it away. Also most stuff can be bought at short notice anyway. When DS went to the CM we just used the ready made Aptamil instead of the powdered stuff. It's expensive but for 1-2 feeds a day it was perfectly fine. And so much less faff.

I tried to breastfeed DD but she never really latched, and got very distressed when put to the boob. I was offered really no support at all in hospital and they were very quick to give formula. They provided initial formula and one use bottles then asked you to get your own formula. (In the middle of the night following a traumatic birth it really wasn't helpful and had the NHS given more realistic info about breastfeeding we would have been more prepared but naively thought it would all be fine!) I think a lot of hospitals do provide one use sterile bottles for while you are there so worth checking that. I used Avent closer to nature bottles with DD and plan on using them again if breastfeeding isn't a success and I'll bring the small bottles of ready made formula (Aptamil) for hospital stay. I have an Avent microwave steam steriliser and do think sterilising is necessary for at least first 6 months.

Oh and re. Breast pumps. I had an Avent electric pump and used it frequently first 2 weeks to express for DD before switching completely to formula. I would not recommend this pump as the pump would keep popping out the electric base so was very fiddly and stressful to use but this may not be everyone's experience! If I had to choose again I'd get the medela one but have also heard that renting hospital grade one is the way to go. I never had much success with pumping personally, similarly to Luchi so would say to bear in mind that it is not always straight forward.

I did ok with the hospital pump but when I tried at home with the Medela swing I got nothing out. Suspect I have weird shaped boobs too!

Changing the subject from boobs (Not that I'm not interested

What would you do??....
Hubby turns 40 two days before DC1 is due! Obviously we have to mark the occasion in some way but given the circumstance - how?! and when?!
MIL keeps suggesting a party (no matter how often I try to explain that we would have all the planning and expense only to potentially not be able to make it ourselves!!)
SIL today then explains that she would be on honeymoon until a few days before and that her DD will be on holiday. I'm sure all this was taking into consideration by his parents 40 years ago!! She then suggests putting it off until summer (?!) but my thinking is that its not his birthday then.

Would I be bonkers to gamble something on the day of his birthday given that I will be 39+5?! It would probably be a meal somewhere local with friends and family. I don't want him to feel already pushed out by a baby that hasn't even arrived yet!
Any ideas?

mrsBac I would plan it 2 weeks earlier or even better, plan a small meal on his b'day then go away for a weekend together later on in the year and if you can have DC looked after so it is just the two of you.
I'm sure your DH will be fine as it is a bit risky to plan something big so close to your due date.

Great advice on all the breastfeeding etc... I have no idea!! I'm planning on breastfeeding but I've bought a Tommee Tippee bottle set with steriliser (we don't have a microwave ) I was looking at breast pumps but guess I'll just see how I get on breast feeding. Do they even help you out with it in the hospital?? I'm so worried it won't work for me or I won't know how!

I really struggled. There were people in the hospital but I only saw them once and one lady came out to the house. Like anything else they are overstretched I guess. I will try la leche or a peer counsellor this time I think.

I'm the same Jpeg, I keep imaging that I will be BF but obviously know it's not always that straightforward in reality. I'm wondering whether or not I need to buy anything before baby arrives on feeding front?! I was thinking of getting a breast pump but will wait to see how I get on with BF first. Should I be buying bottle though as well as a back up for hospital?!

Think I might have just shaved my legs for the last time in the shower, it really hurt my back

mrsbac I think i would also suggest doing something like the family & friends meal a few weeks earlier and then either plan a party or weekend away or something later in the summer? I'm sure your DH wouldn't mind?

Depends on the hospital but mine offered loads of help with feeding. I was a bit out of it so I got DH to film what they were showing me on his phone so that I could watch back and apply it later. We had a lovely collection of videos of midwives manhandling my boobs!

Haha Luchi that sounds like a really good idea though, think I'll have to remember that!

So when I was being discharged with DS there were all these pretty young things congratulating us and saying bye to DH. And I was like: who are these people? DH was 😮😮😮 and said, erm they were holding your boobs 48 hours ago showing you how to feed. Do you seriously not recognise them?! 😳😳

Luchi that is a genius idea to film the breastfeeding how-to!

Marmite I was thinking of a breast pump too - I wonder if I can hire one from the hospital? Otherwise the Medela one is supposed to be the most efficient - bit pricey though!

Luchi that's hilarious but understandable!

I'll see how I go and buy one afterwards if BF going well. As well as Medela have also heard good things about the Haakaa pump on another thread I'm on.

Marmite I have been looking into the Hakka pump too, read some good things about it!
Luchi love the video idea!! that will probably be me, I go to another place when in pain/tired!

As mentioned earlier, we're expecting our first in April. What's the view on Moses baskets - are they an essential purchase? Some friends seem to manage fine without?