Come hither upduffed viroids here we will hold your hand through scans, rejoice at your hairy shins and of course share your lust over Ian McShane. It's JS Grads 48!

[Lalalalalaa]

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the 48th grads thread... celebrating the success of Just Shagging in getting us viroids upduffed!

For those that don't know, a 'viroid' is from the original JSing thread 1, where someone was trying to type ladies (in reference to all the JSing ladies), but their phone decided to call us all viroids instead!

The name stuck and we've been the JSing viroids ever since.

The 47th grads thread is here

The thread we have graduated from is here in its 61st outing. WARNING: they're all a bit kerazy not to mention randy!

There is also a Just Mumming thread <a class="break-all" href="//onwww.mumsnet.com/Talk/postnatal_clubs/2588689-we-re-still-teething-trying-to-wean-and-our-babies-just-won-t-go-to-sleep-when-we-re-trying-to-js-for-another-one-it-s-just-mumming-no-11" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here for once your babies come along, or to keep up with the graduated graduates!

There is also a private facebook group (so it doesn't give the game away in your news feed!)... if you want to join to see photos of new babies etc, just ask in-thread!

Here is the stats list, please update your own spot with any updates.

Must admit london I am finding it tough, sometimes up to 3 hours a time until he settles again, when that's 12-3am then again from 4:30-6am it's exhausting. I've read if you can make it to 6 weeks it gets easier, I've got 3.5 to go. I'm going to a breast feeding support group tomorrow hoping to get some help. I did manage to feed last night and get him settled in just over an hour which I hope is a sign of things to come and not a one off

Chin up, tits out (quite literally!) Canters and Black! It will get better - for us it was a bit earlier, about 4 weeks, that he started to settle more in the evenings and sleep better. It's still not perfect - his latch has gone funny in the last few days and he keeps pulling off to look around and then whinging at me - but there's far far fewer of the heart-sinking moments when you've just got him down and closed your eyes only to hear that plaintive little cry again! Do use whatever local support you have, and of course the viroids here and on FB. And if you can get your DH/mum/anyone to keep an eye on the baby (awake or asleep) while you nap in the day, seize every opportunity!

"Chin up, tits out" 😂

I'm quite shocked at just how tough breastfeeding has been, and we haven't even had any major issues. Before I had R I wasn't that bothered about it and figured I'd switch to formula at the first sign of any difficulty but I have done a complete 180 and really want him to be breastfed. He literally did not stop feeding all of yesterday, was so tough. I just want to be able to leave the house! Sock I am so glad it got better for you at 4 weeks, that seems in touching distance! Can so relate to the heartsink of putting them down and then the crying starts...!

I'm a bit similar canters I was so relaxed about feeding before birth, said I'd try breast feeding but if it didn't work, no worries - I was FF and don't think it did me any harm. But now I feel I'm letting him down if I don't crack this. Ive had about 1.5hrs sleep since midnight, I'm exhausted today. Wish I could get the relaxed me back.

Wow, you ladies are doing great given how much work it all is. My attitude at the moment is the same as yours was before baby. I want to breastfeed but don't want to beat myself up if it doesn't work out. I'm actually planning to pump from early on so DH can help with some of the feeding. I have friends who've done this without any real nipple confusion issues and highly recommend it so I think for me its worth the risk!

God, its all becoming a bit too real now!

Must be some weird hormonal thing black, I also feel like I'm letting him down if I don't bf. I even have a starter pack of ready made formula in, I expect life would be much easier if I gave him the odd one but I just can't at the moment.

London, I started expressing on day 5 as my nipples were bleeding and I couldn't bear to latch him on again. R doesn't care how his milk is provided and will happily switch between breast and bottle. I feel oddly guilty over expressing too but I think I really need to crack on and get going again as it is so nice when dh can feed him.

I would really like to do a mixture of breast and bottle feeding so that DH (and others) can feed him too and I can have a break if I want (to go out or just sleep!)

Is it generally better to express (if you're breastfeeding as well) rather than formula feed?

London Glad to hear your friends haven't had issues with it.

Black and Canters Sorry you're finding BF difficult, hope it gets better! If not please try not to feel guilty about bottle feeding x

Name obviously I have no experience but of my friends who mix fed some expressed breast milk, some used formula and some did both. Most started from the first week and were able to crack on with it.

I'm planning to express in part because it will keep my milk levels higher which is important the first few weeks as it establishes your supply. If I need formula though, I'll definitely use it.

Name expressed milk is probably cheaper - you have "start-up" costs of pump, bottles, storage bags, but then the actual production is free - and has the health benefits of giving breast milk (immunity etc) but probably more faffy and time consuming than formula. Right at the start, when they're feeding a lot, it can be hard to actually find enough time between feeds to sterilise everything and pump before the baby wants another go! Advice is generally to not express for the first 6 weeks if possible, so that your supply establishes itself at the right level for your baby (London your baby is better at getting milk out than a pump is, so don't pump just for that reason). BUT expressed milk top-ups are usually the first thing they recommend if a baby isn't gaining weight adequately, and lots of people I know expressed earlier than 6 weeks for a variety of reasons, so I suspect that might be wishful thinking advice!

I've restarted expressing this week as I have a dentist appt next week and would like to start being able to leave him with DH a bit more - good for both of them! - so we'll see how it goes with taking a bottle again...

Sock I am going to mix feed and so rather than skipping a breast feed altogether, I've been advised its better to pump to keep supply higher early on. I agree, that the best thing for supply would be just pure boob!

My choice to mix feed is mostly driven by a desire for my husband to be able to help out. I think if I was the only one who could feed her, I'd feel lik a caged animal psychologically. Formula would be easier but I'm going to try to pump both to keep supply higher and to pass on the breast milk benefits if I can.

Plus my DH really wants to be involved. He will be off for the first 15 weeks with me as he has a very generous full pay SPL policy so it makes sense he gets stuck in with feeding etc

I'm expressing so dh can do a feed- I've been going to bed at 8 and dh does the last one of the evening before I pick up again in the early hours. It is tough trying to find time to pump but I'm not sure I could manage if my sleep was even more effected. It is amazing how sleep affects your mood and how well you cope, yesterday after a good night I was fine and upbeat, today after limited sleep I'm very emotional and questioning how I can continue with this again.

london your so lucky your dh has 15 weeks off with you, I'm getting a bit lonely as have no family close by to help out and I'm not very good at asking for help from friends.

Black that sounds tough. Have you made any mommy friends in the area? Did you do NCT?

We really do get how insanely lucky we are. We both get full pay as well for our leave which is insane. I'm having a hard to imagining how I'd do it without him but most of all I am just so happy we'll get to go through this life changing experience together. He is going to be such a good dad. This morning as we were walking to the station and he told me he has started having dreams about the baby!

I did nct london and am meeting up with a few of the group tomorrow. As LO was 4 weeks early and I had the earliest due date I'm the only one with a baby at the moment. DH has one more week of work then 4 weeks off so looking forward to that

Sorry you're feeling lonely Black - I had similar issues once the initial excitement had died down. Good that your DH will be with you from next week though - was he not able to take his paternity leave at first? And very jealous of London's DH!

Off to our first baby sensory class today, followed by lunch at the in-laws. And we had our results from Socklet's hip scan, which was all ok

sock he took a week and is tagging his second week onto his school Christmas holidays so he has four weeks off. I've signed up for a mother and baby yoga course in new year and also found buggy fit group which I can go to in new year too. There are also plenty of other mother/baby activities near me that I've found out about. I can go to cinema on a Thursday morning and take LO with me so may do that every now and again, DH doesn't like cinema so I don't go very often.

I did baby cinema a couple of weeks ago - we went to see A Street Cat Named Bob, and I really enjoyed both the film and the baby-friendly cinema setup!

There are a few baby friendly showings at my local Picture House Cinema. Its 3 minutes down the road walking so I imagine I'll be taking advantage of that too as I love watching movies. I just hope they show some new / grown up films as well. I haven't checked because up until now it was totally irrelevant for me!

London There is an Arts Picturehouse where I live, and my friends have gone to the baby-friendly screenings - they definitely show adult films because it's more for the adults than the babies!

I think one of my friends went to see the latest Bridget Jones film so they definitely show new films as well.

That's good to know Name

I can't believe I'm in my 30th week. I came early as well so I am assuming I have 8 weeks left to get everything done and I'm a little overwhelmed given we have the holidays and lots of plans and out of town visitors for all of December! Next week one of my best friends is coming over from the US and the following week my Mom is over for Christmas. This week I've got plans Tuesday, Friday and Sunday with friends, pilates on Tuesday as well which I'll do before going out, yoga on Thursday, a baby pediatric course on Saturday and I want to finish my Christmas shopping this weekend (mostly done) and start wrapping presents (not done at all). At least the tree is up.

Here is my remaining shopping / To Do List.

o Write birthing plan
o Pack maternity bag-- I've ordered most of the stuff this weekend
o Finish laundering baby stuff
o Hang London map in nursery
o Do baby pediatric course
o Create baby first aid kit
o NCT course
o Buy baby carrier- waiting for Boxing Day sales
o Buy Sleepyhead and cover- waiting for Boxing Day sales
o Baby sleeping bag- Waiting for Boxing Day sales
o Collect baby bath insert from friend
o Finish reading Bumpology (100 pages to go)
o Finish clearing out storage space for baby stuff like car seat, travel cot, etc
o Learn, you know, how to keep a baby alive :)

London learn to keep baby alive I felt similar before R arrived but am surprised how instinctive it all is. Good call on the sleepyhead btw, we bought one a week after he was born, I love it!

I need to look into baby cinema, itd just hard getting out at the moment with all the cluster feeding. R has settled into a pattern of feeding from 4pm-10pm ish, I am so hoping it settles soon! On the plus side the nights are much better and he goes straight back to sleep after a change and a feed.

Have my MIL staying this week and she has brought lots of culinary delights- will put back on my hg weight loss in no time!!

I didn't realise you had HG Caters, how much weight did you loose?

I only had morning sickness until 16 weeks but I am still below my pre-pregnancy weight at 30 weeks.

I'm really not sure what to expect!

london I've still got a list like that and LO is 3 weeks old today

I tried sorting some of his clothes earlier but then he wanted feeding so it's only half done!