July 2017 #6 - labour here we come

[nat2311]

I think this is how you make one?

Lots of love and congratulations to everyone who has had their babies. It's amazing reading everyone's stories and her at knowing you're not alone in this.

I woke up at 3am Wednesday morning with period pains but was convinced it was wind so didn't say or do anything. Contractions started to come every 5 minutes by 2 in the afternoon but started timing then properly at 3. Managed to labour at home until 2:30am Thursday morning and went to hospital to find out only 3cm dilated but they let me stay on the triage room as they didn't think it would be long till I was 4cm.

2 and half hours later I asked for some pain relief and they examined me and I was 4cm so was admitted and allowed in the pool with gas and air for pain relief. Contractions ramped up and at about 10am I was pushing after an hour she examined me and I was still only 5-6cm.

By this point i was physically exhausted so had diamorphone to get a bit of rest and stayed out of the pool. Within 2 hours the contractions had ramped up and I was pushing. 20 minutes of pushing and Baby Max arrived at 13:04 weighing 7lbs 7oz...a hell of a lot smaller than we were expecting.

I suffered a 2nd degree tear. Husband and mum were present for the birth and helped me loads as there was a few moments where I genuinely believed I couldn't carry on.

I'm bottle feeding and struggling quite a bit to get him to eat. He just wants to sleep. So hospital are staying in touch with me to monitor how he's doing.

It's all totally worth it I am well and truly besotted with him but it's an emotional rollercoaster that I don't think I was mentally prepared for.

Congratulations @MrsMingo he's gorgeous ❤️❤️❤️ glad to hear the hospital are being helpful xxxx

And just take each hour st a time. It's a huge emotional change, physical change and life change. The biggest. And nobody is expected to just "get it".

Congratulations MrsMingo. What a beautiful baby boy. Try not to worry. My DS was the same, he just wanted to cuddle and sleep. I thought I was mucking it all up but I wasn't. Sorry your labour was a long drawn out process and hope you're recovering well.

Thanks ladies for your kind comments. My mood is much improved today even though I have yet again spent the morning full of tightenings and baby pushing/pressing. I managed my driving lesson and did well practising my manoeuvres and DH and I have sorted through a load of things we no longer need so from Monday onwards we can just get on with the packing slowly. DS is having a great time on hols with MIL and SIL and we're off out this afternoon to hang with friends for a bit. Hopefully now I can relax better and things will start.

Congratulations @MrsMingo Baby Max is such a cutie pie 💙 and YES x 1000000 to this: "it's an emotional rollercoaster that I don't think I was mentally prepared for."

Exactly how I'm feeling at the moment.

Bless you @crisscrosscranky - I'm extremely attached to my DH so even one night apart would leave me emotional; of course you'll be feeling apprehensive and upset about your DH returning to work and being away for 4 nights at a time. It's not easy at all. And you're right, it's not easy on them either - my poor DH is beside himself that he can't be here to help me out with these disastrous nights. I feel bad even telling him how I haven't slept and how long Baby Z wouldn't settle for, because there's nothing he can do about it from afar and it just makes him feel more worried and guilty about not being around at this time.

Since nights are currently a complete write-off and Baby Z is demanding feeding every 1-2 hours, I've been considering the idea of pumping a bit so that 1 or 2 feeds could be handled by someone else (my mum for now, DH when he's back, MIL when we're back in Dubai...) just to give me some respite. I'm so drained without sleep and this is the only coping solution I can think of right now. I know it can be a bit of a touchy subject and people have strong opinions about it, but for me, as long as my baby is getting my milk I don't think it's a problem if he gets it out of a bottle once or twice in 24 hours. And I think it's more important for him to have a rested and alert mama rather than the zombie I currently am. Does anyone have any experience of doing this? Any advice? My midwife told me to try and hold off until he's at least 1 month old, but with the current circumstances of DH being away for 25 days I think I might only be able to stretch to 2 weeks...

I think the only issues you may have @ButterflyFree is that you still need to pump at the same time baby feeds to replace the feed you're missing. Also you'll need to look up paced feeding as bottle feeding and breastfeeding have different flows.

Also you may find you can't pump enough at this point as babies are much more efficient at getting the milk out. Also be very careful not to pump too much as your breasts will manufacture more and you could end up with mastitis or an oversupply which can cause coughing and spluttering from baby.

It's a question of what works for you though ultimately. Just make sure you read up and also decide how you'd feel if he starts preferring the bottle etc. Not to scaremongering but I've seen so many people end up not being able to bf for as long as they wanted because of these things.

However I'm planning to start introducing a little bit of expressed milk from next week. Not to get a break at the moment but just so I hopefully can get this one to have a bottle on occasion.

Also bit of a generalisation but ime boys tend to be better at switching than girls. No idea why lol

@butterflyfree expressing is a good idea if you can manage to. With ds i used to express first thing in a mornjng when production is at its best and then id go to bed and sleep at 8 jsh as dh would give the bottle. Then id do night feeds as normal. A bottle night feed isnt ideal unless youre going to wake up and pump at the same time as night time is when production is at its best so by not giving your boobs the signal to make milk it can affect production so early on.
I didnt find any nipple confusion issues at all with ds and some think its a bit of a myth. You might just find that he wont take a bottle if youre there (hence an evenjng feed while you have an early night is good because youll be upstairs out of the way before he wakes hungry.
Maybe find the la leche league on facebook. They usually have one for each area and will have all the info you need.
If supply does dip its possible to get it back with power pumping which i did a couple of times with ds.

@mrsmingo lovely pic..love the name too!! Hope things are recovering nicely with the tear. Im not finding my 2nd degree too bad too be honest. Havent really noticed it and im 5 days pp.

Linda Power pumping you say? Off to Google that one. There is lots for me to learn.

Thank you so much @glitterglitters and @mynameisntLinda for some great advice. Seems like you had a good system going on there - if I could get something similar to work for us I think it would help a lot. I'll consult with my local LLL group and try to figure out a plan.

butterfly the NCT breastfeeding helpline might be another place to get some well-informed info.

@notyetthere yes power pumping..its away to mimic baby cluster feeding to boost supply. I used it to boost supply so i coukd get a stash going in my freezer before i returned to work. Another mum in iut group solely expressed for a few months until her baby could latch and feed and it kept her supply up. I think this is the image i used.
Im thinking of donating milk this time to a charity so once weve got feeding sussed ill prob power pump so i can donate.
Just have to be careful not to over supply or you'll end up with mega boobs lol

@butterflyfree i even had a couple of ready made aptimil formula in the cupboard as emergencies (it was a god send when we had a power cut and all my bm in the freezer was at risk of going to waste! Drove to a friends at 6am to put my milk in her freezer and then dh used the formula for a feed).

Thank you @Spindelina

@mynameisntLinda Yes we have a few of the ready made Aptamil bottles here just in case - the midwives told us to get some on the way home from being discharged from the hospital as it's good to have as backup.

My left boob has suddenly ballooned this evening and I'm not sure why because I've been strictly alternating between each side for each feed, and he's always happy to latch on either one. I know the advice is to feed more regularly on the smaller side to even them out but I'm worried about the left one getting engorged if I just leave it.

And also - sorry if TMI - my lochia had turned to a light pink discharge by Day 4 but the past 2 days I've suddenly been bleeding bright red and passing clots at every feed. I know it's normal for the uterus to contract during feeding but I thought once lochia had gone to the pinky stage it shouldn't return to red again...?

butterfly just in case, check your boob in the mirror for red bits - I missed the start of mastitis because the original blockage was underneath.

Linda thank you for the advice. I will definitely try power pumping when about to go back to work at 6 months. I have in the last 2wks been pumping 2 to 3oz a day and freezing it. I am going to a wedding on 12th Aug and mum will come and stay with us to look after baby for the day. I think I have enough for mum to feed baby for the day. We also have the premise formula just in case.

Mrs Mingo congratulations! Baby Max is gorgeous.

In other more positive news, the paralysed side of my face is starting to gain movement. My smile is now even but my laugh is still wonky. I still can't blink properly but things are looking up.

That's fantastic news @Notyetthere !!!!

Hello all, birth story of Luna: Tuesday I had the start of contractions and by the night I was sure labour was starting. Was awake mostly and got up at 5am. DH up at 6am and called MLU. They said wait longer so I had a bath. I had a midwife app for 10:40 and we thought we would try and go but by 10:30 contractions were every 3-4 mins. Off to MLU and I was 3cm. Said I didn't want to leave and was left in pool room. Contractions very overwhelming but managed on no pain relief til 8cm. Original idea to be serene and breathe a lot but shouted FUUUUUCK a lot instead. About to get in pool and waters went. Started on the gas and air and the help was immense! There was meconium in the waters and baby's heart rate dipped so we rushed off downstairs (with membranes still hanging ). Off the chair and onto bed. Suddenly lots of doctors and nurses and a cannula going into my hand. They put the monitor on her head. Not pushing was the hardest thing but then they said go for it and she was out in 9 minutes! 2nd degree tear and a graze.
Afterwards we thought ok didn't go to plan but never mind... Luna checked by Paed doc and no breathing difficulties.

On the checks we had high temperatures and they informed me I lost a reasonable amount of blood due to such rapid labour. They started us both on antibiotics intravenously. A few hours went by and I needed a wee. Tried to get up and went into some weird trip state - everything was so loud in my right ear, could hear baby's finger nails scratching across the room. Initial thought dehydration so I had some fluid on the IV. Tried again and almost fainted. Then stuff got a bit scary as my chest felt heavy and a lot of doctors started turning up. Lots of bloods sent away and we stayed the night on the delivery suite.
Initially iron was low but not dangerously and one doc started talking about blood clots which scared me a lot. Midwife was NOT happy haha, said doc was sent away and a nice man came instead who explained things properly.
Bloods returned and no clot risk, but iron very low at 74 hence not being able to stand up. On discussion doc told me my body would take 6 weeks to replace the iron naturally so we decided on blood transfusion. Felt emotional about it as it sounds so serious. It was incredibly painful and the first unit didn't work. I cried like an actual baby and had to be soothed. Lol. Put my big girl pants on and had the second bag of blood. Levels up a bit to 96 and I could finally stand! So off we went to the ward for 2 nights to recover.
Luna finished her antibiotics, there was mention of jaundice but tests came back clear. They put me on iron tablets and we were discharged yesterday afternoon.
Yesterday I felt very upset but the midwives were nothing but reassuring. Feeding going ok, but painful. Midwife coming today so will ask for latch help.

Wow that was long!!!

Yay @Notyetthere ! Bet it's lovely to have some movement back x

Notyet, fantastic news about the paralysis. Hope it continues to get better!

Algebraic it was long, but a lot happened!! You've done amazingly.

Stupid things you do when you are too tired: I was piddling around with my phone overnight. Struggling not to fall asleep. Realised my phone (iPhone) was doing the wobbly icon thing where you can move the apps around or delete them. They're now all in the wrong place. I've deleted one and all the others have shuffled up, but I can't for the life of me work out what's missing. At some point I'm going to need whatever it is, I'm sure!

And I've decided that the thing that needs to give over the summer holidays is my decision not to cosleep. I did it with DD from 4mo sleep regression until we night-weaned at 15mo, and it wasn't great for my back / hips so I had wanted to avoid doing it again. But DD wouldn't sleep unless she was latched, so I ended up in the same position for hours. DS won't sleep in the Moses basket, but will sleep next to me but not latched. That makes it workable, I think - at least until DD goes back to school. Still putting him in the Moses basket a few times each night, and DH is doing the same for naps (while I shower / nap / whatever). Maybe he'll get the hang of it somewhen!

@ButterflyFree mine went lighter yesterday but now seems to be very red again. I will ask midwife today and let you know

Butterfly I think you are alright. I remember mine almost stopping completely but then a clot or two came out all themselves.

Butterfly forgot to ask, did you eventually have your placenta made into tablets? I thought about it and remembered reading somewhere that it helps with PND.

Algebraic thank you for the sharing your birth story. Wow what a rollercoaster. Glad you are both recovering well.

Just realised my story sounds very daunting so I apologise if its made anyone nervous but I just want to add that at all times I felt so looked after by the hospital and I didn't feel any fear about what was happening. Bless the NHS!

@ButterflyFree it's normal midwife says as you start moving around it can dislodge the red. As long as no clots bigger than 50p

Wow @Algebraic what a story! Thanks for sharing - you're a hero and Baby Luna is lucky to have you as her mama.

@Notyetthere That's fantastic news about your paralysis easing off. Hopefully you'll be all smiles and not a lopsided one in perfect time for the wedding. I can't imagine I would've coped with Bells Palsy anywhere near as well as you have - you're so strong.

Thanks for the reassurance about the lochia. Midwife came unexpectedly this morning - was scheduled for a visit tomorrow - and she wasn't the same one I've been seeing regularly. I raised my lochia concern with her and she said it was 'not normal' and if it continues until Tuesday I should be checked... she also gave completely contradictory advice about my one-bigger-boob issue and told me to feed exclusively from the big one as I'm 'at risk of mastitis'. Surely that will just stimulate supply even more to that one, and even less to the smaller one?!

Plus she said Baby Z is still jaundiced (although the midwife who came on Thursday said it had cleared up nicely - I don't see any yellow tone to his skin or eye whites anymore) and should have a blood test as it should be gone by now (Day 10). He's now passed his birth weight and is 2.9kg and rising, so that was pretty much the only thing she was positive about. Her visit this morning (when we were all finally getting some sleep!) really ruined my mood for the day.

Oh and yes @Notyetthere I did get my placenta encapsulated and have been taking 4 capsules a day since it arrived on Tuesday morning. I think it's too early to tell if it's working or not but I'll keep you updated. It is indeed supposed to help prevent developing PND, as well as boost milk supply, energy levels, make lochia clear up faster, help the uterus shrink back to size more quickly...

My energy levels have been pretty good considering the lack of sleep I've had, and that's all the more impressive what with me being hypothyroid. I've also lost 8kg of the 16kg I gained in pregnancy weight already - not bad for 10 days postpartum - and my uterus has completely shrunk back to its normal size. But again, I don't know if this can be attributed to the placenta pills or if my body would've recovered like this regardless.

@Algebraic what a story! Glad you're both home and doing well now!

@Notyetthere I'm glad to hear the paralysis is wearing off!

@ButterflyFree my lochia also increased and clots got considerably bigger and got told to go and get checked. I had an exam and the doctors were happy it was the remainder being cleared out and it should ease day by day but that was 2 days ago and they are still going!

I had my cesarean 10 days ago and now my stomach and feet are so itchy it's driving me mad not sure if it's stretch mark related on stomach but I don't have any on my feet 😳

Still struggling to stop crying! Can't keep up with my hormones and tiredness!