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

@Caz1226 I've had a trickle of clear fluid an hour or so ago and been having tiny amounts since or what feels like it. Have put a pad on but can't tell if its anything or not 🤷🏼‍♀️😅x

@lucyrp I’ll keep everything crossed for you xx

Is anyone else suffering post partem sweats? They just come on randomly for me during the day but I read they mostly come at night. I guess it's all hormones but they aren't pleasant. I guess your body is going through a lot after birth, trying to get back to normal. I think the uterus moves back down by week 6 ish.

I've been worried about Rowan today as she's just slept the day away. She woke up for food and change and then promptly went back to sleep. She's had 2 bottle feed though of about 50 to 60ml each (plus a few boob feeds all since about 6am) so I wonder if she's just full up. OH gave her a bottle feed this afternoon rather than wake me from my nap. I was kinda annoyed as that was meant to be for him during the night. So I had to express more (got another 130ml though!) I get that he didn't want to wake me but still.

We're going to try something different tonight in that I'll sleep with next to me cot and see if I can do side on feeding and slide her back into her cot when she's in the coma and then zip up the side. She's not great at sleeping in the cot so OH usually does a short shift first thing at night then I have her in the bed co sleeping for rest of night until early morning when OH takes over again. But we really want to sleep in the same bed as I had the bed to myself during pregnancy. I think it'll be better for our relationship. Plus I really want her to be better in her cot. Any tips for settling her in there?

How long would you leave it before ringing the midwife to check if it is your waters ? First trickle was about half 4 and unsure when to ring. It's only the tiniest bit every time

@Ready2020 I had the sweats at least 3 times during night feeds. It must be hormonal.

Re sleeping arrangements, at the moment DH and I are sleeping separately, me in our bedroom and he's in the guest bedroom. We take shifts overnight and DS is difficult to settle these days so sleeping in different rooms is the only way to ensure the other partner actually sleeps. It's tough going though and I see it as a temporary solution.

DS doesn't like his next to me and only sleeps there if DH (not me, as he hopes for a feed) puts him in there when he's milk-drunk, literally. He much prefers his carrycot which is suitable for overnight sleeping luckily. I didn't think we'd be making such great use out of it xx

@PurplePansy05 are all carrycots ok for night sleeping? We have a maxicosi and and she sleeps well in it during the day but not sure how I'd use it at night as there is no stand.

@Ready2020 my Rowan is similar by the sounds - much prefers cosleeping or sleeping on a person to the cot! Last night we put our Ewan the Dream Sheep in with him and it made a huge difference (I'm sure any white noise machine would do the same thing), he settled in the cosleeper for a good couple of hours, though we did also cosleep in the bed for part of the night so I'm not claiming miracles! We'll try again tonight and I'm hoping it will be effective - he's currently asleep in his carrycot with Ewan playing and is far more settled than he usually would be so I think it is helping.

@lucyrp I'd say it would be worth a ring - I got told lots of times to ring if my waters went so I'd have thought they'd want to know if you have a suspicion? Fingers crossed for you!!

@Ready2020 I have Uppababy and a matching stand also from Uppababy. Is there a Maxi Cosi stand? Not all carrycots are suitable for overnight sleeping as it depends on the mattress and ait flow, you'd need to check the instructions of yours first. xx

Not all carrycots are safe for overnight sleeping. If you have the manual for it (or can download it) it will say in there if it is or have a warning against unsupervised sleep. Night time sleep counts as unsupervised as you're not awake.

I have always had DH/OH in the bed with me when co-sleeping, to me it's the entire point of the next to me type cots - it means you can have the baby on your side and they don't fall out but partner behind you. Then occasionally with both DC I have rolled over and had the baby in between us for short stretches, normally because when they are really teeny tiny I can't feed off the "top" boob when lying down, only the bottom one. I tried to stay awake and roll them back but I didn't always manage this. I found by about 2 months old they were happier to be scooted away into to space of the co-sleeper but not when brand new. I think they find your heartbeat and breathing reassuring.

lucy if you want to check then you can go in any time, but if it is your waters it's no problem to keep labouring at home until things get more intense which hopefully they will at some point. You should not leave it longer than 24 hours due to a risk of infection. So if contractions don't start then you would want to go in at some point tomorrow before the afternoon. Maternity pads are good for soaking up waters as they will just go straight through a normal pad or pantyliner. This didn't occur to me last time so I just kept sitting on towels everywhere :o I recommend a towel to sit on in the car.

@Ready2020 yes to the night sweats I'm still getting them most nights.
Sophia mostly just eats and sleeps tbh we are starting to get a few more awake times during the day .. her favourite time for being awake seems to be at about 11pm mind you!
She sleeps in her Moses basket and sometimes settles in no problem other times settles quicker if if tuck her arms in under a Muslim almost swaddled style, or if I just put my hand in on her tummy while she settles.

Rang the MW and basically she just said to keep an eye on it and if I get any contractions to ring back during the night and then go into the unit etc. If no contractions go in as usual for my MW appointment tomorrow at 11.30 where she'll check if it definitely was my waters and then if it is and nothing has happened by 4pm tomorrow I have to go into hospital to be induced like I did with DS1 😅

Aah at least you have a plan!

Good luck @lucyrp! Thanks for the Bellababy recommendation too, I just bought it having read quite a lot about pumps, will post a review! xx

@biscuitcat oh I've just bought a Euan. I saw it when I was pregnant and thought about getting it then but wanted to wait and you've reminded me. OH isn't that fussed about things like that but I want to give it a try.

Good luck @lucyrp fingers crossed for a quick start.

@BertieBotts I've tried to do the that kind of stomach feeding but never really managed to get her in the right position without someone placing her on me. But that would fix the solution of feeding from the other boob if OH is in the bed.

I'm talking about side lying feeding where you and baby are lying on your sides facing each other. In this position, feeding is easiest from the boob closer to the bed with a newborn. Or at least it was for me - I have tiny boobs, not sure if size matters here.

You can feed from the other boob by kind shuffling a little way away and then rolling closer to the baby so the boob is dangling over the top of them. But it's much easier to do once they are a bit bigger and more adept at latching. Very tricky to do in the early days when they are so tiny and you are still figuring out latch.

Feeding lying on your back with baby on top of you is really hard to do - much easier if you're slightly propped up. Which makes it hard to do while co-sleeping - you may as well just sit up and feed (which I did a lot with DS2!)

This is really rubbish but a quick diagram I just drew :o

Purple is the mum, blue is the baby and pink is mum's pillow.

First column is normal side lying BF position, second column is 2x options for the "top boob".

You can see in the leaning over position you kind of need to stay awake so you don't smother them!

@BertieBotts that's a great drawing 😂 I think I had tired brain as I side fed a lot at night but it's easy when OH is not in the bed. I just don't think we'd have space for us all. We've only a double bed though, not a king size like I wanted!

Just popping on to say Baby A made her very dramatic entrance at 8.13pm weighing 6lb 15oz, both doing well and I’m completely in love x

Aww congratulations @Aaaaa1519 hope you are both doing well!!

@Aaaaa1519 congratulations!

@Ready2020 the night sweats are very real here, and not just at night. I feel like I constantly smell atm even though I’m showering daily!

@Aaaaa1519 congratulations! Hope your doing okay

@lucyrp good luck, hopefully things kick start on there own for you, but at least you have a plan now and know where you stand.

Re hormones, crying is most certainly normal but don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need too. I had a full day of crying the other day like I said but I think sleep has a big part to play as well. Had an awful night with Isaac last night where he didn’t settle at all, and because he’s not settling he’s awake for longer so it’s a cycle of feeding > being put in for > not settling > feeding again. He eventually slept at 7:10am!! And it’s looking similar tonight as well. 😭

@Magik01 keep going, it'll pass and be another day soon. I'm on feed 4 of the night. Waiting for her to fall asleep and spit my boob out so I can have a doze. Though I'm randomly feeling hungry! It'll have to wait.

I keep getting pins and needles in my feet when I feed like this. It's very odd. I think I just spend too long at an angle.

@Ready2020 I’m waiting for him to fall asleep on me so I can try and transfer him to the cot again. So far every attempt has failed as he wakes and starts grunting. Not sure whether he’s having tummy pain. Seems an endless circle at the moment.

I’ve just had a snack, I keep belvita bars by the bed as I always get hungry. Next time I really need to buy the bone crumbly ones though as I have crumbs in my bed now 😂😭

@Magik01 I've given up with trying ti put her back in the cot. Always wakes her. She seems particularly awake tonight. She isn't coming off the boob in her usual stupor so wakes to my every movement. Plus I have to pee.....