September 2020 7 - babies are arriving!

[sianyflewog]

Just making this ready xx

Hi @MooseWL your so right, I still can't quite believe that this little one was in my tummy!! So surreal thinking about it.

Good luck to all you ladies still waiting to meet your little ones 💜

How did anyone breastfeeding find 5 day weigh in?
The midwife came today Jacob has lost 8.8% and they only like them to lose 8 % 🙄
She said they'll reweigh again on Monday and if he hasn't put on they might look at a plan getting me to express. It's annoyed me as he's feeding at least 3 hourly in the day and hourly/2 hourly at night and I'm feeding whenever he wants it so I don't see how expressing would help as can't see him taking any more.
He was 8lb 5 at birth so not like he's tiny anyway. I just think they're being dramatic he's absolutely fine.

@MooseWL we lost 5% at day 3 check so didn't weigh at Day 5. My little one eats literally all the time. We have over 15 feeds a day lasting at least 10 mins...most of these come at night 🙄 Last night it was pretty much 4 hours on/off with little breaks in between. So tired today!!

I wouldn't let it worry you at the moment, sounds like you're doing a fab job feeding!

We lost 7 percent after 3 days or so but then regained birthweight by a week after plus a couple of ounces - cue relaxed confidence I definitely did not have with my first. But then health visitor came 2 weeks later and she had only gained 2 oz and she said she should have gained 6oz in that time so has suggested expressing around feeds and topping up - it’s really knocked me and now I can’t relax and am constantly worrying about when next feed is and not letting her sleep too long .

@MooseWL Wren was gaining but only 60g a week The first few weeks at home and they said that wasn’t enough. Swapping to expressing and bottle feeding he gained 230g a week - they explained it as BF being physically taxing for them whereas bottlefeeding is easy so they burn more calories BF and it can cancel out what they’re eating. They panicked more about Wren because of him being so prem I think and we’ve ended up expressing with high calorie formula top ups but they did try to be supportive of me wanting to stick to BF initially. He was also feeding for 10mins, napping for 10mins and then feeding again for hours at a time so clearly struggling which it doesn’t sound like you are.

@mostlyambridgeandcoffee I feel the same I'm not worried about his weight but now that's been said I'm feeling pressure every time I feed to constantly watch him and make sure he's swallowing and not just using me as a dummy. I've defo felt my milk is more the last day or so (i can squirt it at him haha) so hopefully by tomorrow his weight will have gone up.
@sara7455 that does make sense about BF i can defo see how it can be a bit of a workout for them too!

@MooseWL yeah definitely. Hope it works out for you and little one starts gaining again especially now your milk is properly in! Wren was only 5lb when they were stressing about him not a good weight like Jacob

I'm exhausted! We all trialled sleeping in same room and going to bed at 915 last night cause we were so wrecked. Well she stirred from the word go. I ended up starting up with her until 4. She would take maybe 20ml formula, fall asleep for like 20 mins then wake again crying so need lifted. My dp took her from 4 cause I couldn't do anymore, the night before was same!! Help!!

@ShiningStarz Oh, that sounds just like us!! I feel like I'm failing. She is a night baby and feeds on and off between 10pm and 4pm. I'm breastfeeding so all down to me. We were doing shifts but need to switch her to a crib, not fall asleep on us between feeds. Now she spends all morning asleep, no feeds. I'm convinced I'm doing something wrong etc. Sleep deprivation and hormones do not help. Sending you lots of hugs

@willowT exactly the same here. I think it's normal tbh. My midwife said you produce more nutritious milk at night so thats one of the reasons for BF babies. (thanks evolution) I got 2 one hour sleep stints between feeds with him in the next to me last night which is the best so far! Using a pillow case for a sheet in the crib helped him sleep in there and also I put the mattress behind me when feeding so when I lay him back in the crib it's warm. I found watching videos keeps me awake for the feeds though I'm struggling with comfort as sitting is still sore.
Are you napping in the day when your babies sleep? I've been really bad at it as we've had visitors every day so far when I could have been napping, we've banned anyone visiting today to try nap more. I think I'm just going to accept I need to change my sleeping pattern to match his until it settles.
We got this super mamas🦸‍♀️
@shiningstarz how old is your LO now?

I think it's really normal for babies to be up in the night! It's so tough and hard but they often feed a lot then. It's why you have more milk at night apparently!

The best way is to take shifts but also nap in the day when you can. My little one doesn't settle till 2 and is then up at 5 and 6.30 ish so I do those and then DH takes him from 7. I express and then sleep for three hours!

Promise it's not like this forever. This is why we get maternity leave so we can literally just look after babies, don't worry about going out or doing housework (bar the necessary) just get on the couch and rest!

@MooseWL she'll be 1 month on Thursday.
I need to get her to stay awake to take more milk in the night. When she wakes she makes lots of noise and kicks her arms and legs about! She also seems but backed up as she'll have no pop for maybe 48hrs then a big tummy and then 48hrs of poi's and cries when she's straining before I hear that it's hit her nappy! Will ask HV about it. You guys are getting less sleep than me with the EBF! Don't know how you do it, hats off to ya's xx

Thank you ladies @ShiningStarz @ChipsAreLife @MooseWL that's really reassuring! It's so hard knowing what is normal but glad it's not just me. I really understand now when they say maternity can be lonely, esp as first timers as it's so difficult to know who to ask etc.

I'm having an afternoon nap...just get woken up if she needs feeding! DH is amazing and supportive so I'm lucky there. Had a shower and feel better now...so glad I treated myself to some posh shower gel!

Also, what temperature are you keeping the house at? I'm worried my little one is either too hot or too cold! We're keeping it at 20 but not sure if that's too cold for the day although I regularly check and she is always fine. Starting a list of things to ask the health visitor later this week!!

@ShiningStarz Wren won’t go down when he’s backed up either. He usually goes once a day but if he misses a day he’s quite grizzly and seems to be extra uncomfortable lying flat on his back. Formula can make them more constipated than BM apparently. Have you tried baby massage to get things going? They also say movement helps and part of the issue is babies can’t move around enough to get their system going so I try to take Wren for a drive or walk around the room bouncing him to try to at least get the gas moving!

@WillowT ours is at about 21 but he refuses to sleep with blankets most of the time so I feel happier with it a tiny bit warmer. It’s 18 in our room overnight and my husband and I are freezing but little one seems totally fine. With you on the posh shower gel, SIL got me some after he was born and it’s just such a treat for those few minutes in the shower!

@willowT honestly this group has been a saviour throughout!
Our house is about 17/18 downstairs (it's quite open and he seems fine we just put socks under sleepsuit to keep his feet warm. Our room is about 20 at night which is way too hot for me, i like it cooler but again seems okay.
The guidelines are 16-20 degrees as long as you dress them appropriately!

Thanks @Sara7455 and @MooseWL Our Room is a little over 20 but very rarely falls below but we have adjusted accordingly.

And totally agree @MooseWL, this group and you ladies have been so helpful...hood to know we are not on our own :)

We are home from the hospital now. Audrey is doing well although bizzarely having to wake her for feeds at the mo as she just isnt fussed at all! I suspect it will change soon! She’s being FF as I had a hard time in the hospital struggling with the BF and I decided for me and my MH I need to be relaxed and calm and not stressing. I am glad she got the colostrum. Hats off to all of you BFing mamas! You are all amazing for going with it!

@OrDis, BF has been a real struggle for me this time around for a myriad of reasons and it was getting me quite down, so I hear you - formula is now playing a big part in my LO’s diet and it’s working for us.

@WillowT @Sara7455 - fancy shower gel, necessary indulgence in these sleepy times. I could live in my shower 😅

Our house is about 18-20 downstairs and our room ranges from 19-20 at night, 21 during the day, babs is in a 1tog grobag and sleepsuit at night x

@Sara7455 we introduced aptamil powder a week ago and make it using the milk machine. I don't like the look of it, very foamy.
So from this evening we are only giving her ready Made aptamil and expressed BM. Got 130ml this morning from both sides (15 min each). I'm expressing now as I write so 🤞there's enough for another full feed.

@WillowT our house is set to 20. Has gone up to 21-22 with blast of the heating / when fire is lit. Little one is in best and babygrow all day/night. Use light cellular blanket.

@OrDis that's great your home what FF Is everyone using? Wondering if alternative formula better? Are all powders foamy??

Thanks everyone for your comments. @ShiningStarz that's exactly like us 👍

*update - I expressed both sides (15 min one side and 10 mins the other), got 25ml 🙁
Stopped 5 min early on left side as nothing more was coming out!! Anyone else expressing few times a day?? What volumes you getting?

@ShiningStarz we’re using ready to drink formula and trying to have at least one BM feed between bottles so not too many in a row. I’ve heard the powder can be tougher on their tummies- do you find it better with the ready to drink?
We had our formula prescribed by the consultant because he wasn’t gaining enough weight but he’s on Cow and Gate’s nutriprem2 which is their preemie one. It’s noticeably chalkier than BM and foams a bit when it’s first shaken up but I read somewhere if you leave it to stand a minute before feeding then some of the air should settle out so LO doesn’t get so gassy!

@Sara7455 thanks for that.
We just switched back to ready made to drink aptamil. Will give her 2 BF a day but she'll be having 6 FF a day. Hopefully things improve over next few days. Are you giving BM by bottle
Too? We are. Should really make time to try and express to get nipple pointy and get her on her boob. So frustrating.

@ShiningStarz yes we’re giving BM by bottle as well. BF just hasn’t worked out for us. I tried again this evening as he’s a bit bigger but he’s used to the bottle now and just gets frustrated trying. I also just found there was no time to do anything else with trying to BF then bottle feeding and then expressing!

@Sara7455 yeah I can't stand the crying when she's failing to latch, I feel so bad that it's the fault of my stupid boob. Still haven't given a dodo! DP never wants her to have a dodo! Not sure how realistic that is!! This parenting is stressful stuff!! Although very rewarding too 💙💕💜