August 2018 #5

[peterpanwendy]

As we enter month 5 of our pregnancies we need a 5th thread!

Good luck to everyone having their 20 week scan this/next week :)

Gosh @Gizzymum that sounds like such a tough time. There's so much pressure. My SIL is expecting this month, her second. She didn't breastfeed first time for medical reasons. They've offered to help her try. I think she's so scared of the judgement if she fails that's she's too scared to try.

I know 100% i don't want to BF i don't even want to try and now reading these posts i am panicking a bit that the hospital won't let me go home before i do it 😢

No, a book isn't going to prevent problems. What a book can do is help you know what to expect so that you don't worry about normal things unnecessarily. I don't think anyone should keep going when it's painful or upsetting. There's always a point where you weigh up if something is working for you. Sorry about your experience Gizzymum.

Nikki they def won't make you try, it's your body, you get to say no. Some hospitals request you bring your own formula if that's your choice though.

@NikkiL123 sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out. No one pressured me to keep going with BF - it was just that all the help I got was to keep me BF, rather than what was actually best for us both.
When I was in hospital after the birth, I heard one Mum being asked if she was BF, she said "no, I want to FF" and the midwife simply asked if there was anything they could do to help. She didn't question the Mum about her decision at all and just wanted to know if she could help. Really don't panic. The midwives are generally a lovely lot.

I still disagree about books etc telling you what's normal. Everything says "if it hurts you're doing it wrong". It's uncomfortable at first (think a few weeks) but it's easily bearable (I don't have a single friend who wasn't surprised at this fact when starting BF and we'd all been to NCT/NHS antenatal classes and done lots of reading up.)

Thanks @Gizzymum i had visions of being shouted at and not being allowed home without showing i can BF! Xx

@Gizzymum what a tough time. No one should go through that.

@NikkiL123 as with all things pregnancy related, your body, your baby, your choice, your risk etc. You get to say yes or no to what you want.

I am planning to breastfeed for about 6 months, am hoping all goes well and I can.

Don't worry @NikkiL123. If you say you're not going to, they're not going to force you.

@milney25 its such a sad state of affairs that women like your SiL feel like that because of the pressure put upon them.

I think that as long as baby is happy and you're happy doing it then go for it. What annoys me is the pressure that you get from the midwives and all the literature on it, and even MN. If its making you miserable or the baby is suffering because of issues with it then my advice is to look at your other options.. including formula.

I agree with @Gizzymum too - an "easy way out" is not a bad thing when it gets too tough. And if anyone tries to make you feel guilty for it or pushes you to persevere, you come and tell me and I'll sort them out ;) xx

Anyway.... I weighed myself this morning. I've put 18lbs on... less than I thought to be honest, but still got third trimester to get through!!

Just to clarify, my post about breastfeeding was to share info for anyone who wants to read up about it. And hopefully to help anyone who is anxious about trying. I definitely subscribe to the 'what works best for you' school of thought. Fed is best, formula is a flipping brilliant invention and how to feed your baby is a personal decision.

Weirdly, although I have an alarmingly massive bump this time round, I've put on less weight so far than with no.1. Not going to stress about it, the whole thing is temporary and I will lose most of it when no.2 comes out (unless I really overdo the cake habit.)

I've just been browsing the June antenatal thread to see if there's any birth stories on there already... some of those ladies have had their babies in May!!

This means that some of us could be having a baby next month!

Oh yes, we will have some arrivals next month I’m sure 👶🏻☺️

Forgot to say.. @Nikkil123
Your pram is gorgeous! I love the leather handles.

Ahhhh how crazy is that, first baby and a boy for me so prob wont be early for me!

Is anyone in / near Stevenage and having theirs at the Lister?

Thank you @Emmasmum2013, i put it together myself so no arguments last night, didnt dare attempt the car seat though, thats going to take a special kind of patience that i just dont have at the moment 😂x

I'm bringing back the spreadsheet!!!

Feel free to fill in your details

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Fb2stS5LQoqYqNIS8-JCmiowOzEl_8Q61d0rPZOMyO8/edit#gid=0

Ladies, how do I go about joining your FB group? :)

@Emmasmum2013 how do i add myself to the spread sheet? Says i have to have an app?

@couchgriffon i tried to get on it and a lady said she sent me a link but i never got it so if you find out let me know

Ah apparently you need to get the Google Sheets app to be able to edit the spreadsheet on mobile now. I'm sure you never used to.

Oh well nevermind..

I think for FB you have to pm @clementineclouds with the email address you use for FB and she'll send you an invite, as its a private group.

Is it very active on there? Am I missing out?

Yes of @E2017 who can also add you.

Yes it’s pretty active worth joining ☺️

@NikkiL123 my first was a boy and was 9 days early so you just never know 😄

@Gizzymum ohhhhh i really hope so!!!

@NikkiL123 I'll be gutted if this one isn't at least that early though 🤣

It feels really strange that nearly all of us are in our third trimesters and for some of us this part of the journey will be ending next month...! How did that happen?! Where has the time gone?

When I was in my first trimester I used to love looking on the March/April/May threads and seeing people posting about their third trimesters and babies... now it's nearly our turn!

@peterpanwendy i am soooo excited! 10 weeks till due date for me! I can't wait for contractions and the whole hospital experience (i know that sounds weird but after wanting a baby for 8+ years and watching OBEM i am so excited to finally experience it myself and then of course meet this little monkey and dress him in different outfits and take him out in his pram!! I am under no illusion the tears poop sick and lack of sleep are all part and parcel but even changing a nappy is new to me! Xx

Ah @NikkiL123 I love your positivity! That's how I feel. Yes it's going to be difficult but it's going to be SO worth it 😍 I can't wait to be a mum

@FoxtrotSkarloey that doesn't sound fun☹️ hopefully it was just a spike in readings and will return to normal soon, do you have to go to the hospital or anything?

@peterpanwendy no more staring into other people's prams cooing over their babies, it's our turn now 😃👍🏼 xx