Due August 2021 - The Final Countdown continues...

[Daffodil21]

Continuing the previous thread!

I'll let @PurplePansy05 post the updated list

Sorry feel like I’ve fell off the face of the earth since Monday 😂 come on and end up so far back I can’t catch up 🙈 hope everyone is doing well and those still waiting don’t have long left!

@Daffodil21 I was also surprised since leaving hospital how little blood there’s been. I lost quite a bit during it too and I’ve noticed I end up with a load of bright red blood if I’ve pulled it or overdone it a bit. Everything had been going much better than expected and I was a lot less sore but I think I just did too much walking from room to room yesterday and ended up in tears in the bathroom last night just feeling pathetic at how I couldn’t do anything 🤦🏼‍♀️ Was bleeding heavily again and as I stood up it went all over the floor, which I then had to pathetically attempt to clean 🙄 I’ve taken it easier today! My milk has come in overnight and that’s just adding to my discomfort! Don’t want to wish his life away but I can’t wait til next week when il hopefully feel more normal

@PurplePansy05 yeah I was a little confused🙈 I've only ever used the pillow under my elbow/ arm as extra support. Hands free BF sounds like a whole other concept!

Those who have had/having planned sections - did you take (or are you planning to) a stretchy wrap to facilitate kangaroo care? And if so did you use it?

@HopefulB I didn't take it to hospital, DS was just cuddled up to my naked chest in bed. Still haven't used it at home either but will do so once DH goes back to work. Do you mean the wrap type thing like the stretchy Ergobaby ones for example (that's what I bought second hand)? xx

@PurplePansy05 Good point about not being able to get to the zipped bag, I will have a rethink and see what other options I have even if it ends up being a couple of smaller bags. Thank you!

Yes, @PurplePansy05 that’s the type of thing - I have an Izmi one, which was half price in Aldi! It looks like some places are pushing ‘kangawraps’ which don’t appear to be any different. I’d also assumed- like you said that I would get most benefit from a front opening nightshirt so little one can just lay on my chest…. But as I’ve got the wrap could take it if it may be useful?

@Millymay13, I’ve packed a few things in small canvas bags (the type you often get given for free) inside the large 65L bag. That way I figured I will be able to find things easily & plan to have everything I need to hand in a small bag on the bed when OH leaves.

Ladies I'm raging! My midwife was here yesterday and agreed that my iron levels were probably still low after birth so took blood to check. I can barely walk downstairs without feeling faint and had an episode of basically fainting on Tuesday when was sat downstairs. She said they may offer a blood transfusion to get my level raised quickly (I should have had that after birth in the first place!) but she would call with my results and discuss it.

It got to 4pm today and I'd not heard from her. She texted my results at 5pm which is when she and her office closes and turns off all the phones. My results are only at 79. They were 75 after birth so hardly gone up at all. I'm still walking around like I've lost a litre of blood.

So of course I want to get this fixed ASAP and get a blood transfusion arranged for first thing tomorrow. It will make such a huge difference to my daily life just now. But of course the office is shut and no one is answering the phone. I called triage at the hospital I was discharged from and they can't do anything until the midwife refers me.

So I'm stuck another night and possibly day or full weekend feeling like this because the midwife just texted me the results at end of day rather than calling and arranging further steps. I'm sick of feeling like I do and now I have a reason for it.

Oh @Ready2020 that's so annoying, and sorry to hear you're still feeling rough. That just really isn't on when it impacts you in that way is it? If you don't hear tomorrow are you able to call the labour ward and see if they can help? I've heard the midwives in ours telling people to call after discharge if they're worried about something. Or otherwise maybe the GP or 111?

I think I'm finally getting there with breastfeeding! The amazing midwifery care assistant spotted that my nipples were quite flat and breasts quite soft so DS would probably be struggling to get enough to his soft palate to trigger the suck reflex, so suggested using a breast pump to bring them out - it was complete genius, and afterwards he was immediately able to do it! I've decided to stay in hospital one more night just to be sure it's not a fluke and so I have support if I need, but I'm so thrilled. Though I've been getting what I'm sure are after pains (all my contractions were in my back so I can't compare), and they're very unpleasant, hoping they go soon!

@Daffodil21 @sarah13xx I've also mostly bled less than I thought! When I first stood up from bed I had a HUGE outpouring of blood - like a massacre - and then bled all over the shower and towels (luckily I had forgotten to pack any so bled on hospital ones 😂), but since then it's been really quite light which is a happy surprise, I guess my first outpouring took care of the worst of it!

@Ready2020 that’s rubbish you’re feeling like that still 😞 I had a big blood loss and my blood pressure dropped the next morning and I’ve never felt so awful. I was frantically trying to get peoples attention to say I didn’t feel good as everyone else was getting their stuff organised to go home. Ended up being sick all over myself sat up in bed trying to get up to go to the toilet but couldn’t stand up for feeling so faint 🤦🏼‍♀️ Hope you get something sorted soon! You can’t feel like that for days on end

Can I ask a probably silly question about the hakka, nipple shields and similar?

Did you sterilise them before taking to hospital? If so, how did you then store them?

You don't need a wrap to do kangaroo care/skin to skin in hospital. You can't really wander around the hospital a huge amount anyway so you would just do it in a chair or bed sitting still and therefore no wrap needed :)

@HopefulB I second what Bertie said above O really don't think you'd use it much in hospital. Plus if you're having a CS I think you'd struggle to wrap/unwrap yourself straight after, just not very practical. Definitely take button up nighties instead.

@biscuitcat Glad you're doing so well lovely. Hope you're allowed to go home soon 💙

@Ready2020 I agree with biscuitcat, I'd be ringing the labour ward tonight explaining you're fainting/feeling faint with such low levels and unable to care after your LO without a prompt transfusion. They may arrange it for you sooner, worth asking - you're not losing anything. I hope they help you asap xx

@biscuitcat that’s what I was expecting to happen and my heart was in my mouth going to stand up waiting for it 🙈 I didn’t at that point though but did later all through my pads and nightie and covered the pad on the sheet. It was only as bad as that for that night though. Out of my ward not one person went for a shower before leaving which I was quite surprised at. I really wanted to yet when I sat all my stuff out to go my blood pressure dropped and I ended up being sick and they told me to stay in bed so I was just glad to be allowed to go home in the end and forgot the shower 😂 did manage one yesterday though and it was a total non-event. I’m avoiding looking at the wound though.. no clue how I’m going to face removing the dressing on Monday 😂

Quick message before a nap. I called the triage abd arranged a transfusion for 4pm tomorrow. Can't bloody wait. Thanks all x

Great news @Ready2020

Really insubstantial moan: horrendous heartburn up to my throat, keeping me awake 😠 sipping water but that just means I’ll need to wee even more frequently than usual (which is already very frequently). Grumble grumble.

Gaviscon is amazing, works immediately. Get some tomorrow if you don't have any already!

@RandomCatGenerator strawberry milkshake is the only thing that works for me, loveheart sweets are meant to be good also something in the ingredients

Feeling very nauseous/dizzy tonight and seems like baby has dropped further down a lot of pressure and sharp pains down there

@RandomCatGenerator I didn't take my Haakaa to the hospital. Pumps are not suitable for expressing colostrum and it will be few days before your milk in so most likely you wouldn't use them. Can't answer re nipple shields because I've never used them, might the hospital facilitate sterilising? xx

@Ava50x I took a little wheelie cabin suitcase with most mine and babies things in, then like a smaller bag with nappies/wipes/snacks. I also took a breastfeeding pillow as I knew I wanted to try and last time I really struggled using flat hospital pillows! I also spent most of my hospital stay just in bed with just knickers and my boobs out 🤣🤣

@HopefulB didn’t use a wrap thing in hospital, I think it would be quite painful actually straight after a section. On the note of BF pillows I got mine off FB for a fiver, removable cover so washable. I didn’t know if I would need one so didn’t want to spend loads. It works realitively well and DH likes it too when he’s got baby.

@Ready2020 oh my goodness you poor thing! You would have thought being a healthcare professional she has a duty of care to give you the card you need ASAP, not at the end of the day and maybe the next! How frustrating. Glad you have managed to book a transfusion tomorrow though. Hope all goes well with that!

@biscuitcat fab news with your BF, a massive well done! It’s great that your able to stop in hospital another night as well to get all the support you need with it. A lot of people just want out of hospital as soon as and don’t ask for the help so well done to you.

@sarah13xx glad to hear your doing okay, it does get easier once your milk is in. Not saying by much, but a little easier at least 😂 do you have to remove the dressing yourself? A community midwife did mine on a home visit. Surely someone will come and have a look at it? Also my dressing was only on for three days, how come yours is a week?

@PurplePansy05 I have the Aldi version of the Hakka it was reduced to £2.99! The only thing I struggle with is how do you use it on the other breast when feeding? I feel like it’s in the way as DS body is against mine if that makes sense! He just knocks it off!

Sending positive vibes to all the pregnant ladies still!

I had a really rough day today. All the lack of sleep really caught up and I practically cried all day. DS1 was meant to go to nursery today and DH decided to tell them at the door that he’s got a chesty cough! He hasn’t really, just some phylum on his chest which he obviously has to cough to bring up. We even rang 111 about it a few nights ago as he was having trouble sleeping and the doctor said it sounds viral. So of course nursery refused him entry unless he has a negative test or isolates for 10 days. Well that set me off as I really needed today to catch up on rest. 😩 and as you can see I am still awake now.

Also, there’s an app I’ve found called huckleberry. It helps you track feeds/nappies/sleeps etc which is useful. It even has a timer you can start for when start feeding and tells you which side you last fed on. I’m finding it useful at the moment!

@Ready2020 why an unpleasant start for you! Glad you've got your app today but sorry it's taken so long. Hope you feel better soon ❤️

@RandomCatGenerator not an insubstantial moan at all! Heartburn can be horrendous! I do not miss it at all and thankfully haven't had it since DS was born. Hang on in there!

@Magik01 glad I wasn't the only one 😂 thank goodness for curtains! I'm not normally one to wander around without any clothes on but honestly it was almost a chore to put the gown on to go to the bathroom!

Had a massive break through with bf yesterday! My milk came in!!!!! I even managed to pump a teeny tiny bit so hopefully more progress today. Still using the shields so he latches properly but never mind. If we have to use shields for the next 6 months then so be it.

I also just slept from 1130 until 5am, and solidly without waking up from 130 until 5 🎉 the advantage of using formula and boob...!

Not enjoying the sore and hard boobs though 😂

Just a word of warning about the tracking apps, they can make you a bit crazy/obsessed with feeding intervals which can cause anxiety and it can be good to remember that your boobs don't come with a clock on them so it can be more helpful to ignore feed timings (which don't tell you anything useful anyway) and go by observing your baby and your body to tell you whether you need to feed or not. Time spent feeding doesn't equal a uniform number of ml, they could drink 30ml in 5 minutes or spend 30+ minutes drinking 5ml, both are normal, both are OK, the same baby/boob combo can do both scenarios in one day.

If you like the data or have been asked to track then absolutely go ahead, but just to say that in general if you're prone to feeling anxious about things because they don't seem to fit a pattern or looking for potential issues then sometimes they can do more harm than good because BF doesn't work in terms of patterns.

A Huckleberry-specific tip though - up until the version released in June, they had a free feature which would predict the next nap time for you (only works for babies over 8 weeks old). In June, they added this feature to their premium subscription package :( Luckily, I got a heads up about this on a thread I posted on a couple of weeks ago so I didn't update the app on my old phone (which was some version I used with DS2). If you have a version previous to June, you can still use that feature for free! But then of course I upgraded my phone and the app that downloaded on the new phone was the most up to date version 😖 So DH told me if you search for an earlier version number + apk you can often simply download an earlier version of the app (on Android). You just need any version before 1st June 2021. And then once you have this DON'T enable any updates! I wouldn't have minded, but it's about €60 for the year subscription. I probably would have paid half that, I actually think it's so good it's worth it. But €60 is too steep just for that one feature - apparently their other "tailored sleep package" is a bit crap.

@Daffodil21 oh gosh! So jealous! DD had a busy night feeding - I’m convinced at one point she’s drained me of all milk as my boobs were just squishy pillows ha

@Magik01 thanks for sharing the app!
Gutted about OH fudging up your child free day.. will OH be covid testing him so that he can go?

@Ready2020 pleased you have an appointment today - hopefully you’ll feel like a new woman!

@WinterBabyof89 somehow I'm just as sleepy as I was beforehand 😂 definitely not complaining though and planning a quick power nap when DH wakes up!

Elliot slept soo well in the hospital and was totally fine being put down in the hospital crib. But since we've been home he just doesn't settle in his crib so we've just been having him sleep on one of us 🙈 anyone have any tips on this? Planning to just go with it really as he's used to just being inside me, but equally I don't want him to never be able to sleep on his own..!