November 2017 #5. You wait ages for a baby, then 3 come along at once. Ante/post-natal chat ...

[Zampa]

No specific post-natal category so I've added it to the normal ante-natal category ...

Congratulations motherhippy!
I agree with zampa, just keep feeding him and putting him to the boob - get comfy on the sofa with a book/box set and get someone to bring you food and drink. Just keep an eye on the number of wet nappies and that his weight is ok.

YY, wet nappies are a better indication of how much your baby is getting than how much you can pump. Some people find their babies grow fine but they can never express much. If the feeding continues to be difficult try googling to find your nearest IBCLC - they're better trained than MWs or HVs to investigate things like tongue tie. Fx it's just "teething problems" not literally at this age & it'll all settle down soon!

@Motherhippy16 oh congratulations, glad to hear he's arrived and you're both home. I don't have any breastfeeding advice because I couldn't do it, but I hope it gets easier for you soon

It's been a big day here, J had his first few hours in nursery in his induction. It felt so odd leaving him, but he was a really good boy!

We are also trying him in his own room tonight! I have a horrific cough at the moment and I feel as though I am waking him up all the time. We put our daughter in her own room from 3 weeks because I have insomnia and it was turning into a vicious cycle of me waking her up and then her waking me up. She slept brilliantly once in her own room so we will see what happens tonight.

Congratulations @motherhippy and welcome to the world lovely Ellis! I love that name :)
BF is so, so hard. When the latch was painful for me I found trying different positions so helpful because it means their mouth attaches to the breast in a different spot so they aren’t repeatedly irritating the same sore patch, holding her like a rugby ball was a suddenly painless way for me to feed her, maybe try that one? Google different positions and try them out, there are loads! X

Congratulations @Motherhippy16. Hope you're recovering well after Ellis' eventful arrival. Hope the breastfeeding & latching is improving.

Anyone got any tricks for getting their lo to feed for longer on the breast? I don't think mine is getting enough hind milk, hence the frequent overnight wake ups.

Just a little update. So last night we put J in his own room (we have a camera on him) and he woke up at 1.30am having been asleep since 8.30pm in his Moses basket with us initially and then in his room since 10pm when we went to bed. He then had a feed and went straight back to sleep and I fed him again at 6am!

He is back in his own room again tonight and I am in bed listening to him snoring away! We will see how tonight goes as last night could have been a fluke

That is some good sleeping @durezidal! F has been doing a few long stretches of sleep (6.5 hours one night this week) but has been waking from a long sleep about 4am. He's then back asleep by 5am but for the last few days has been waking again after 20-30 mins. DD is then up for the day and I have to get up to express before DH goes to work. So I don't get back to sleep and it means my days are starting at 4am really. Christmas holidays start here today tho so I might get to go back to bed in the mornings.

Congratulations @Motherhippy16 he is gorgeous. Are you drinking loads of water, like 12 pints a day🍈? I don't have any other advice really but know you need to drink loads to support milk production. Good luck xx

@DuRezidal that's some serious sleeping - well done! Xx

@DuRezidal is he in his room still in Moses basket?

@Zampa I have similar problem she always falls asleep :( of course not actual sleep she will wake up if I put her in chair or moses basket!!

Hi all. Ellis is a week and a day now and is wonderfully gorgeous. Am producing a bit more milk and he is getting a good enough feed off me to be settled but still topping him up with a bottle. He won't go down in his crib at all and we have been using the flat pram to put him in when he is really sleeping. Very tired today so any tips on staying longer on the breast would be gratefully received! My midwife said to blow short sharp on his face / my breast to wake him up or there is a pressure point in thier wrists x

Really pleased with him, same again last night to to the point where I fed him at 9.30pm then he had a feed at 2am and I woke him up at 6.15am as I needed to go to work and he had to come with me this morning!

@lydiangel83 we have a Chicco Next2 thingy which was in our room so he is in his sleepyhead in that at the moment but looking at moving him into his cot in the sleepyhead in the next few days I think.

The last few days have been absolutely hectic for me with work as we are heading to my DH's parents holiday home for a few days before Christmas. I've been working 7am until 6.30pm so am absolutely exhausted! This morning he had to come with me, but my competition horses are all pram proof already as I always had my daughter with me when she was a baby!

@Zampa do you think you need to increase milk supply maybe? Have a read up on switch feeding. I was advised to do this (5mins on left and then 5 on the right and keep changing) for 3 days to get better results.

@Motherhippy16 congratulations- he’s gorgeous. Have you considered using nipple shields to help latch. That what we’re primarily having to use. Each day we try without to give Freddie a chance to practise without.

Ladies I do have a question about night feeds. Freddie is 5 weeks now and has always slept a bit too well at night. He would sleep from 10pm- 6am if I let him, but we’ve been setting alarms to feed him every 3 hrs during the night.

What are your night time feeds, do you have a routine you stick to or do you just let your baby wake when they want and if so how long do they normally go overnight before getting hungry.

Thanks @izzibee29. I'll look into it and report back!

I only feed when DD acts hungry izzi. We go to bed really late so I'll feed her about 1-2am-ish & she'll sleep through until 9-10. At 4w she's gained a pound over birth weight & is following the growth curve nicely so we must be doing something right. There's no way I could motivate myself to wake up enough to feed her every 3 hours if she wasn't demanding food!

We took her to our local IBCLC today who confirmed the posterior tie that everyone else insisted wasn't there. She cut it but I don't know how much difference it's made yet - it still hurts a bit to feed but she warned that could be the case for the first few days because I'm quite bruised & it'll take a while to heal. Fx it'll be an improvement once I'm healed up & she's figured out how to work her new tongue!

Hey everyone, long time lurker on this thread as have a beautiful little 6 week old chap at home now :) I just wondered if any of you have discussed contraception with your GP at the 6 week check? I had mine today and he asked what I wanted to do - I was keen to go back on the pill but wasn’t sure if I could as I am EBF my boy. He said that I couldn’t go back on the pill that I used to use as it would get into my milk but that I didn’t need to bother with anything as BF is a contraceptive... has anyone else had this advice? I’m absolutely not ready to do this again anytime soon (as much as I love the wee guy!!) and just don’t think I could trust the fact that I’m BF to avoid it!! Please reassure me or tell me I’m right to be cautious!!!

@izzibee29 my HV recommended feeding on demand. I was driving myself demented doing 3 hour feeds in the beginning. I think Bea appreciated not being rudely awakened every 3 hours!

Hey @AGnu, out of interest are you bottle or breastfeeding? We’re breastfeeding and sometimes adding on a top up as Freddie only has just got over his birth weight at 5 weeks.

@Snoozysleepthief Breastfeeding isn't a reliable contraceptive. Your GP is obviously trying to drum up business for the local midwives!

You can use condoms or the mini pill, neither of which affect your milk supply.

I'm planning on taking the mini pill but will get the contraceptive implant once I start weaning DD2.

@Zampa glad I questioned it! Looks like I’ll be heading back to the GP to ask for the minipill! I should have spoken to him about it at the time but having to be at the surgery for 9:30am this morning meant I was just glad to be there fully dressed with baby and all associated stuff - think I left my brain in bed!!