Due August 2021 - Welcome to the World!

[PurplePansy05]

Welcome to the chattiest birth club on MN! Newcomers always welcome 💐

14 gorgeous new babies have joined us already, welcome to the world 💖💙🥳

@Smurf123 - Welcome to the world, baby Sophia 💖
@wimbler - Welcome to the world, baby boy 💙
@Jessicapebbles - Welcome to the world, baby Ebony💖
@Inmypjsagain - Welcome to the world, baby boy💙
@PurplePansy05 - Welcome to the world, baby Leo Alexander 💙
@WinterBabyof89 - Welcome to the world, baby Rosie 💖
@Winecoffeeteamum - Welcome to the world, baby Emily 💖
@Ready2020 - Welcome to the world, baby Rowan 💖
@Magik01 - Welcome to the world, baby Isaac 💙
@Hoares3 - Welcome to the world, baby Ellis 💙
@Daffodil21 - Welcome to the world, baby Elliot James 💙
@sarah13xx - Welcome to the world, baby Freddie 💙
@Biscuitcat - Welcome to the world, baby Rowan 💙
@Whatshouldbemyusername - Welcome to the world, baby Arya-Nyah 💖

Counting down until we welcome 20+ new arrivals:

@MrsB2019x - Induction w/c 9 August, Girl 💖
@Dia12 - EDD 8 August, Girl 💖
@Aaaaa1519 - EDD 13 August, Girl 💖
@Angelesque - C-section 16 August, surprise 💛
@lucyrp - EDD 16 August, surprise 💛
@livingwithbees - EDD 16 August, surprise 💛
@BertieBotts - EDD 16 August, Boy 💙
@WolfMother - EDD 17 August, Boy 💙
@Caz1226 - EDD 17 August, Boy 💙
@Millymay13 - C-section 17 August, surprise 💛
@RandomCatGenerator - C-section 19 August, surprise 💛
@Smallbean27 - EDD 19 August, surprise 💛
@Sheisfee - EDD 19 August, Girl 💖
@Alittlexmasmagic - EDD 22 August, surprise 💛
@LottSE20 - EDD 22 August, surprise 💛 @notinthestarsigns - EDD 23 August (but likely to be brought forward induction/C-section), surprise 💛
@Fran919 - EDD 25 August, surprise💛
@Ava50x - EDD 25 August, Boy 💙
@ame88 - EDD 28 August, Girl 💖
@HopefulB - EDD 29 August, surprise 💛

It's officially THE month! Watch this space! xx

@Magik01 was meant to tag you above and obvs meant your scar not scat sorry xx

@Millymay13 Sophia fed all night day 2 it's been alot better since then most nights
Like @Ready2020 we started using a dummy early on for when she wants comfort from sucking and she's been feeding for a long time already. It's also been handy to hold her off for day 10 mins to allow me to put my 3 year old to bed or go to the bathroom etc

Morning ladies! Been wide awake since 4.30am for some reason! 38+5 here snd feel like I'm learning a lot about what's to come from you ladies!
I think I still have a while to go...had a midwife appointment yesterday and was advised my trust no longer recommend sweeps and wouldn't look to induce till 41+5! It just seems like soooo long away!
Last day at work tomorrow so I guess I will spend the following days eagerly trying to get this baby moving!

@PurplePansy05 @Magik01 @Ready2020 and @Smurf123, thank you for your words of reassurance. You’re right that my milk isn’t in yet and I know Ethan is both stimulating it and getting used to life on the outside, but it just feels so desperate and the night so long without any sleep. I’ve just had about 1.5hours sleep with him in his bedside cot which is such a relief! Lots of naps today when he sleeps I think, especially as my c section scar is sore this morning too.
Thank you again, and sending love to all those sleep deprived Mummies out there!

@ame88 yes those random early wake ups in late pregnancy are so weird (and annoying when all you want to do is get some rest before the big day!).
Definitely spend your remaining days encouraging things to get going but also resting as much as you can. It’s hard work growing a whole new human! I cannot believe this little wriggler in my arms was inside my bump just a few days ago now, how did I make someone so perfect?!

@Aaaaa1519 some of the mums in my NCT recommended either hot or cold compresses and breast massage to relieve engorgement pain, but I don't know about drying up. I think cabbage leaves may be good for that though?

@Ready2020 isn't Ewan amazing!! I agree that 20 mins isn't quite long enough though. I put white noise on my phone in the pram the other day when we were out without Ewan and that also worked.

I'm wondering if we might want to introduce a dummy - DS sometimes feeds so slowly and I really don't think is taking milk, so that might be a relief.

What dummies do you use ladies?I bought the Tommee Tippee orthodontic-approved ones when I was pregnant but removed the packaging and now can't work out if they're suitable for newborns 🤦🏼‍♀️ I actually don't think dummies are evil. I was brought up with one for far too long because I loved it and the only thing I'm conscious of is not to give it for too long in one go and in general in a sense not to offer it to an older child. I ended up needing braces and we know it was due to sucking on it a lot till I was 4 😳 I think it might also lead to reducing feeding when needed because the baby is quiet BUT only if used excessively. I might be flamed for this but personally I don't see anything wrong with using it for short periods of time for soothing and isn't there a new body of research showing it may be beneficial in preventing SIDS too? So surely it's a good move?

Throw your recommendations at me please, I might be joining the dummy club soon! xx

@PurplePansy05 the mam 0-2 month dummies are amazing. They also do a 0-6 but I always found they were way too big for DS mouth for the first few months. The 0-2 ones are nice and small just the right size. I always said I would never use dummies but I had a curry one night when BF and DS screamed the house down for hours which led to a 12am tesco trip to purchase said dummies. He only ever had them when sleeping or in his cot/pram. Never allowed out of "sleep" places as such. Xx

@lucyrp Oh blimey 😆 OK, curry is definitely off the menu then before I give him a dummy!! 🤣 Thanks for this! xx

Oh keeping your boobs is really going to put me off breastfeeding. I got measured as a 32K yday! And they had no bras in stock in that size, I was an F pre pregnancy and suffered with back ache then. Coupled with the tiredness, it just seems a lot!

Thanks for the comments re tummy size.

And witching hour (misleading! Witching evening our case) he was screaming and rejecting boob and bottle so couldn’t soothe with that. Think he was a touch windy too.

@BertieBotts a heater?!! That seems mad, they made me layer up baby with a hat while we were in the hottest ward in the universe. I stripped off because the poor the thing was boiling- just do what you need to do! Any sign of a wee yet?

@Magik01 in the first few days my bladder sort of hurt, like when I peed I could feel it getting smaller and that was a bit sore and when I needed the loo it hurt when it was full, but it hurt against the c section area. Do you mean something like that?

@PurplePansy05 I could have written the post about wriggling, honestly he wriggles so much and we had our first roll onto the tummy 2 days ago- not a conscious roll of course, but he was rocking around so much on his playmat that he went over. He also moves and lifts head from side to side and likes to sleep on his side too. Health visitor said more tummy time to build strength but it’s made me really paranoid incase he rolls in the night- I’m looking into get a camera that alerts you for a roll! We don’t do tummy time on a mat yet, it’s all on me or my husband, he seems to love it. We’ll eventually do it on the mat but think he needs a bit more strength first otherwise he’ll need support on the mat.

@biscuitcat your SIL sounds so difficult, is she usually okay or has this baby made her go nuts?!

Oh wow the page refreshed and I missed loads of posts. We have mam dummies but not used yet, I was tempted during yday’s screamathon though. I was a dummy baby too- my mum said it gave her peace when I drove her mad, I think good for her! No braces for me either. Think my husband less approving- he was ebf and no dummies so he’d like the same route for baby, whereas I was formula fed with a dummy from the start 😂

We are using a dummy, I caved in night one lol! I think is an avent 0-6 months. As long as it said from 0 months it's good from newborn.

He gets very sucky but then seems to make his tummy sore feeding too much so I use it then and that seems to help.

Midwife took him away to change him at 2am and said she saw wee! Yay! He will probably still need an operation later to correct his penis shape but as long as he's weeing ok we can leave it for now.

I can't tell whether he's very hungry, very sucky, just being a newborn, not getting enough milk to my eyes he looks a little bit yellow this morning but they've said they'll keep an eye on this. I'm trying to find out when we can go home. We have to have the 3-10 day check up so I've managed to book that with his normal paediatrician and that might allow us to be discharged as long as everything else is ok.

@Millymay13 aww I love this 💕 I can't wait for her to be here!

Congratulations @BertieBotts! Sorry to hear you had another marathon labour but glad baby Alexander is hear, safe and sound. Hope you get to go home soon.

Can't remember who asked about drying up milk, but the tip for cabbage leaves is a great one. My NCT teacher told us about this, if you're engorged, cabbage leaves can bring huge relief but don't leave for longer than 20 mins in your bra as it can dry up your milk. So definitely worth trying- strange as it is!

@BertieBotts I can't believe I managed to miss congratulating you! Welcome baby Alexander 🥰 and glad to hear he's had a wee too

@Inmypjsagain she's always difficult, but I think the baby has set her off because before this it was always easier to just let her get her own way to avoid fireworks whereas she's now being told no and not responding very well!

I bought the tommee tippee ones originally but dd wasn't so sure on using them the test seemed too big so we now have the Philips soothie ones which you can get on Amazon. They come in a 0-3 months size and are the ones the hospital use too. I don't see any issue with using them short term as long as dd has plenty of non dummy time too so mainly we will just use it in the evening
@PurplePansy05 yes I've heard that research too i think it is about giving them the dummy as they fall asleep for nap / night time sleep that reduces the risk so I'm all for that too

@biscuitcat Your SIL is plain bonkers. Honestly her behaviour is so ridiculous that surely you gotta laugh now, I don't think I could even be angry anymore 🤣🤣🤣 xx

I’ve missed loads so a quick congrats to those with baby..
@WolfMother326 congratulations on your baby arriving!

@Millymay13 congratulations on baby! I found night number 2 to be exhausting. The pain kicks in, relentless feeding, it’s a bloody big adjustment. Keep going lovely.

@BertieBotts congratulations on DS arriving safely. Wonderful news about the wee. Also how crazy that they bundle them up so much when it’s goes against all advice for SIDS. Weird how different countries have different practices.

DD is thriving it would seem. By day 13 she’d put back on her weight loss and 7lbs extra. Day 16 now and she was a bit unsettled last night. My OH feels like a spare part because I’m BF and is super keen to feed her a bottle so I need to look into buying her a pump. I’ve resisted until now as everything says I should be waiting until BF is established at 4-6 weeks but I feel we’ve got a good grip of it. She’s tried a dummy when I know it’s purely comfort sucking but she prefers to suck on my little finger or boob for now. There are so many pumps out there it’s quite daunting!

@PurplePansy05 I hadn’t even thought of tummy time yet!

@Aaaaa1519 when I FF previously I strapped my boobs down in a sports bra. It’s uncomfortable for a little while but soon passes.

Also @BertieBotts I am surprised to read they wrap up your son in so many layers, it certainly wasn't the continental thing when I was growing up 🤣 My mum was always told babies should be dressed light and that they'd harden up more when exposed to cool weather and become more resilient to colds and chest infections. How true this was, I don't know, but I was brought up this way and survived! My mum was astonished when I showed her photos of DS wearing a hat in hospital 🤣 But on the other hand, my nan who wasn't British was all for wrapping up warm and constantly argued with my mum 🤣 Maybe they are a tad old-fashioned?! xx

@PurplePansy05 totally agree about dummies! My advice is to try out a couple of different brands and see which one he'll take. Different babies prefer different shape teats etc. If he doesn't go for one, try another. Mine have gone for the Tommee Tippee, Mam and Mam again, but DS3 refused to take it at around 9 weeks and never took it again.

I think the trick with dummies is to offer it to them when they are feeling sucky, but not hungry, but once they spit it out, don't push it back. When they do that, they've had their fill of sucking and when you push it back, you are basically reinforcing the idea that they have to be sucking all the time, or have to be sucking to fall asleep. Which is where the bad habits can start...

Congratulations @BertieBotts! And glad LO has wee’d.

Another night of rubbish sleep for me &
I’ve managed to pull a muscle in my side, presumably on one of the multiple times I got up/turned over to try and get comfortable.
So much for sleeping/resting ready for babies arrival!

@Inmypjsagain that was exactly my reaction when NCT BF lady said boobs won’t go down until you stop feeding. My 1st thought was how is that compatible with running & getting my fitness back?! Ultimately I decided I’d give everything time to settle down and 6-8weeks in (assuming I am BF & plan to continue) before I start trying to exercise I’m going to spend some time and money finding good new bras.

@biscuitcat I think at this point best to just roll your eyes. Thank goodness shes not staying with you, can you imagine?!

@BertieBotts yay for the wee!!! That’s great, hope you get to go home soon!

@WinterBabyof89 that’s an amazing weight gain, glad all going so well.

I’m just catching up on love island, I’ve been falling asleep when baby goes down at about half 8 and have missed the last week’s worth 😂 so I’ve got a baby on a boob, coffee in one hand and trash telly. I haven’t washed my hair in 2 days though and I’m wondering if I’ll ever remove the hair from my legs again?! Has anyone gone out for an appointment without baby yet? I’d love to get a wax and eye brow threading just to feel less meh but that’ll be 1.5 hours out…should be fine, right?!!

@Ava50x that’s helpful re dummies! Thanks- might give them a go this evening for the inevitable scream fest.

@HopefulB this is my thought too. I’m so desperate to exercise and I feel like such a lump. We go out on daily walks and I’m so slow so I think running I’ll be back to square 1. Your timing sounds sensible, I’m just impatient because I spent the whole of pregnancy feeling so slovenly and I’m feeling the same now. I know I won’t feel like me for a while but I can’t wait! Bit grumpy I’ll need to buy more sports bras, I’m too stingy…!

@PurplePansy05 @Inmypjsagain exactly - it's a laugh or cry situation I think! Just need to grit my teeth through seeing her on Saturday... I think Rowan might need a couple of very long feeds that day!!

@WinterBabyof89 that's great news about her weight gain! My original plan was also to try and wait until BF was fully established before pumping and introducing a bottle but because he wasn't latching we ended up doing it early on and it's honestly been amazing - DH loves the time with baby and I love having a bit more sleep at night 😂 it's sometimes a bit of a faff pumping if Rowan has had a really long feed as the last thing I want is something else attached to my boobs but it's not so bad sitting in front of trashy TV doing it!

@Inmypjsagain last night was the first time in AGES that I finally watched love island on the night it aired!! Though it was the babies episode and DS was being a right pickle during it so I did spend much of it crying as much as him and the babies on the show 😬

@Inmypjsagain, I’ve booked a covid jab for 1week post section, OH will drive me there and I assumed it will be quick, so he and baby can stay in car, although TBH the GP said if I go in with baby so little I’d likely get priority!

Also booked haircut for 2 weeks post covid vaccination… Plan is that we will drive there, OH will take baby around park in the buggy whilst I get cut, then drive me home!

After that I have hygienist at 8weeks…

I switched to an electric razor for legs as it needs zero accuracy to avoid cuts (also OH agreed he would do it if I got desperate - he cycles so has been known to do his own legs!), so will keep using this until I can go back to a wet shave. The Bikini line is best not mentioned!