August 2021 Babies - Final evictions and the fourth trimester

[BertieBotts]

Time for a new thread! :)

29 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 💙
@MrsB2019x - Welcome to the world, baby Ella💖
@Biscuitcat - Welcome to the world, baby Rowan 💙
@Whatshouldbemyusername - Welcome to the world, baby Arya-Nyah 💖
@notinthestarsigns - Welcome to the world, baby Erin 💖
@Aaaaa1519 - Welcome to the world, baby Anum 💖
@Angelesque - Welcome to the world, baby Isaac 💙
@Millymay13 - Welcome to the world, baby Ethan Benjamin 💙
@WolfMother326 - Welcome to the world, baby Alasdair William 💙
@BertieBotts - Welcome to the world, baby Alexander 💙
@RandomCatGenerator - Welcome to the world, baby Solomon 💙
@lucyrp - Welcome to the world, baby Evelyn Rose 💖
@HopefulB - Welcome to the world, baby Chloé 💖
@Mmr224 - Welcome to the world, baby Alasdair 💙
@Smallbean27 - Welcome to the world, baby boy 💙
@Fran919 - Welcome to the world, baby girl 💖
@Caz1226 - Welcome to the world, baby Dougie 💙
@Ava50x - Welcome to the world, baby boy 💙
@dirtyfries - Welcome to the world, baby Frankie! 💖

Counting down until till they welcome their munchkins:

@Dia12 - EDD 8 August, Girl 💖
@livingwithbees - EDD 16 August, surprise 💛
@Sheisfee - EDD 19 August, Girl 💖
@Alittlexmasmagic - EDD 22 August, surprise 💛
@LottSE20 - EDD 22 August, surprise 💛
@ame88 - EDD 28 August, Girl 💖

Is it weird to prefer the night shift? OH thinks he's doing me a favour by taking nights at the weekend but all that happens is I get knackered by having to be in the lounge until 1am and I get sore full boobs from not feeding overnight. I miss my early night and don't seem to mind the broken sleep.

I'm also thinking about ditching pumping and maybe just using the hakkaa. My supply seems crazy just now with full boobs most of the time. Or use formula if OH needs to feed her. Its not that I don't get any milk but finding the time and space to do it.

I’m joining you on the fed up with visitors front. We very rarely have visitors and it’s just exhausting. It’s lovely to see everyone but getting both of us ready, dealing with our over excited/attention seeking dog as well as holding conversation and soothing DS when he needs it is too much. I’ve not get had a toddler visitor but have one next week and I’m concerned how it’ll go. I feel worried about someone else’s busy child in my non-toddler proofed house! I’ve warned the Mum and suggested we can always go to a local play park if we need to so feel like I’ve done what I can.
I’m also feeling a bit down because tonight I’ve had to take painkillers for the first time in weeks due to my CS scar/bump hurting. I’m 4.5 weeks post ELCS and thought I was doing well recovery wise as I’m up to doing a 30-40 min walk daily and doing gentle housestuff all day but apparently I need to do less. I’m just fed up really, I don’t mind a bit of aching but tonight it feels like the wound is fresher. I guess I’ve pushed it a few days in a row so my body is telling me to slow down..

After cluster feeding from 4-8.30 we've managed to sleep through until 3am! She woke for a nappy change and feed and has gone back down with no tears
Longest sleep I've had for over 4 weeks. Now I'm wide awake on a high

@Millymay13 mine definitely feels like that sometimes. It’s definitely not infected looking or anything but I think it depends what I wear whether somethings been rubbing on it 🤦🏼‍♀️ I thought by almost 6 weeks it would be completely healed now. I’ve suggested meeting people out places too, means I can limit how long the visit is and don’t have the pressure of tidying the house before they come 🙈 Every time DH’s dad comes we have to kid on we’re going somewhere straight after or have someone else coming or he’ll stay for hours

@sarah13xx thank you, it’s just hard to know how healed (or not) we should be feeling at each stage. Now you mention clothing yesterday I was wearing some maternity leggings which have a seam under the bump so maybe that aggravated it without me realising.
I like the idea of suggesting we’re on our way out or have something to do to limit the visits, I might try that!

DH took the middle of the night feed, and I'm doing the 6amish feed (which hasn't happened yet), the idea being that he hasn't got to get up at 6am for once and I get a bit more of a solid sleep for once - it worked!! I've just woken up after 7 hours of glorious uninterrupted sleep - I didn't wake once, not even for the loo! This genuinely hasn't happened in about a year!!!!

Hope everyone's had a good night!

Sorry to hear all of the CS wound problems. I had no idea there could still be issues after this amount of time

I had to lie to some people too "oh, it's his bath time at X", they STILL overstayed (it's the same lot with the out of control toddler, and the mum is the one always giving me unsolicited advice about motherhood which is frankly crap now I'm going through it myself). They're planning another DC too, god help us if they ever want to visit with two xx

@Millymay13 Sorry it's taking a while, lovely. Mine has started healing now and it feels better, I don't want to jinx it, but after 3.5 weeks of antibiotics I feel maybe we're getting somewhere. Still have 3 days left on them and need to wait for the swab results in any event. It is difficult to take things easy for 6 weeks. I think I'm that person that both, overdone it (which was so easily done, I felt great) and also as you say, some clothes don't help. BF positions don't always help when you have an overhang either. Baby sleeping on me and me not daring to move him doesn't help. Ideally, the wound should be cleaned with running water, tap dried with clean cloth, aired as much as possible. Of course with the added pressure of holding/bf baby that's not easy, all my fat rolls roll even more! I would say, perservere, otherwise it will get worse and take even longer - from my own experience. You're nearly there xx

I was told (in passing actually, no one ever told me this otherwise) to not use shower gel or anything on that area in the shower, and just let the shower water run over the wound and then as you say, pay dry with a clean cloth. Sometimes I'm tempted to just use the towel that isn't fresh day, but I have resisted. It so easy to cut corners when you feel ok though! I hope it clears up soon for both of you x

No one ever actually told me I shouldn't drive either!!

@Millymay13 yeah it could be that! I was wearing the big cotton high waisted pants when I came out of hospital but since going back to wearing leggings etc I thought I can’t wear these underneath so got other high waisted underwear but it’s like a stretchy material so I think that’s probably what’s annoyed mine. It’s not awful but just thought by now I wouldn’t feel it at all 🤷🏼‍♀️ I’ve been driving this week but not really planning to do anything else extra in the next few weeks. Going to wait til 12 weeks to do proper exercise I think

@Daffodil21 no one said a word to me either. It’s like it’s just assumed that you know not to drive 🤔 No one said don’t exercise, don’t hoover, don’t lift heavy things etc. No one mentioned any of it. It was like once the baby was out, someone felt my belly once then they just asked about him and didn’t ever refer to the fact I’d had a section again 😂

@Daffodil21 @sarah13xx same here in terms of c section aftercare - never told anything! Mine has luckily mostly been healing OK (apart from after I got overconfident and overdid it a bit!), but that's no thanks to guidance from the hospital 🙄

@PurplePansy05 we had sex last night for the first time since DS arrived - I so know what you mean about it being like losing your virginity again! It actually hurt, which I really wasn't expecting as I never even got to the pushing stage. Hoping that it'll get more comfortable over the next few weeks...

@dirtyfries I'm so jealous! DS had a really long cluster feed the other day and I was so hoping it might lead to a good night but if anything he was less settled than usual 😫 felt like a very raw deal!

@biscuitcat Pleased to reassure you it does get better xx

@PurplePansy05 fingers crossed the antibiotics have done the trick this time.
It’s been the same here, after the CS my tummy was checked once and that’s it. I’m not entirely sure what I should/shouldn’t do and it’s so difficult knowing how much I should limit myself when I feel good.
Thankfully this morning my scar is feeling better than yesterday, but I am aching like I did a work out yesterday so definitely going to try to do less for a few days. I must have overdone it, plus potentially irritated the scar with my clothes.
Thank you everyone with sharing your CS experiences, it’s good to know we’re not alone in our recovery xx

@Millymay13 I'll be booking a women's physiotherapist tomorrow, hopefully my appointment will be soon. I'll share the tips regarding post CS recovery on here for all of you girls who are interested to read xx

@PurplePansy05 That would be great, thank you xx

Thank you all for sharing your post CS experiences. I'm wearing trousers that aren't over the bump leggings today for the first time since surgery (and months before that!). They're still maternity ones but I've put a sanitary towel on the inside of my knickers over the scar, I might not have bothered if I hadn't read your experiences, so thank you. They really don't tell us much do they!

Am I the only one who wishes we had more visitors ?😂 maybe it was to do with the fact we didn't have a car so couldn't go out anywhere so was kind of craving the social interaction but our visits pretty much finished after week 2! My work have also told me they have w collection pot on go etc and waiting for everyone to sign the card etc and they are very short staffed so I understand but it is slightly annoying when everyone else who's had a baby (4 girls to be precise) in the last 2 years had their presents straight away! Maybe its to do with my organisation skills!😂

@PurplePansy05 I’d be interested to read those. 5 weeks on, my scar has started to hurt again, almost as much as it did in week 1/2. No idea why :(

Another weekend spent rushing back to be in for visitors coming, gulped our lunch down, fed the baby, only for them to be half an hour late 🙄 one more weekend to go (hopefully) 🙈

For those who are FF, when did you start to offer more? She sometimes drains the 4 oz we give her yet others maybe only 2? Just turned 4 weeks.

I don’t envy the visitors, out of interest are you allowing them to visit and hold LO’s? I’m absolutely petrified of Covid / RSV so only allowed parents to hold and that’s with handing washing and mask wearing and completing a LFT beforehand. I’m probably too over cautious to be fair but everyone I know seems to have it or know somebody who has!

@lucyrp I think I'm similar to you with visitors! In the first week I found it a bit overwhelming as I was still in the worst bit of c section recovery but I'm really enjoying seeing people now. I think what helped was people have been really helpful with bringing stuff for their visits (and for my dad, who I felt would need a prompt, I've instructed him what to bring!)

@Fran919 we've been really relaxed about people visiting and holding. I much prefer people not to wear masks around him as my feeling was that him seeing faces is so important (even more so now that I think DH or I gave it to him last week, so he should have his own antibodies as well as the ones from my vaccine during pregnancy)

@PurplePansy05 good to know! 😘

@Fran919 the only people who have help dd is my mum and brothers. Brothers do a lateral Flow before they come up as they are in schools. Mum and I are together most days now anyway.
We have had visitors to see her but only outdoors and all have done a lateral Flow (I haven't asked they jus did to be safe!) and Al have said they won't hold her yet just in case.