Fed-Up February Fatties Facing the Final Furlong

[Gill79]

Hi everyone

There's still some space in the old thread - Waddling Zombies and Dancing Babies so no need to start posting yet. Just thought I would get it set up before I go home tonight ready for all you insommiacs!

Thanks everyone, it means alot to come on here and winge and moan!!!!!!

Ginger - Jacob was yellow but is ok now, although when you put him next to Rebecca he does still look more yellow than her, but you wouldn't notice it otherwise. Are the whites of Toby's eyes still yellow? The HV said that as long as the eyes were white then it was pretty much gone.

Have managed to feed both babies, get them in bed and am now off to bath DS1.

Am scared at being so organised. I am the world's least organised person. Surely it can't last .

Oh, I also find I need a scarf ready in the bedroom to put round my neck at night, gets a bit chilly at 4am...

Hi all!

Congratulations Gill - sorry you had such a rough time but Malcolm is gorgeous!! I think I'm in the minority but I was past caring about poohing when pushing DS2 (it happened only a few pushes before he was born). I was more embarrassed by the volume of liquid that followed him out - they had to change the bed, change my clothes and mop the floor - DS1 was such a clean birth in comparison!! All worth it though in the end .

Sarah - if it's hospital policy to see certain people to go through risks etc should they not do it a bit earlier? A few days before your due date is ridiculous (the whole appointment seems a bit daft to me). I was invited to ante-natal classes and the labour class was 5 days after my due date - NHS at its best!!

Bit tired today after DS2 being up during the night because he heard wind in his room . Anyway took ages to get back to sleep afterwards but they are both in bed now and DH is working a night shift so I'm going to have a little bit of tv then early night.

Hope everyone is doing ok - can't believe it's nearly February - the babies will surely start coming thick and fast now!!

Just realised how bad that sounds me complaining about being tired with those of you who have already hatched being up with little babies in the night. I'm sure in a few weeks I'll remember what it's really like to be sleep deprived and tired!!!

Gillm - Malcolm really is gorgeous. Theo also has dark hair and the classic newborn nose... a winning combination!!
I really knew what you meant when you were describing your section. The theatre I was in looked like something out of a sci-fi film. Even had 2 clocks next to each other for reasons I never quite sussed! I also miss my mechanical bed and that feeling of dh going home and me having to manage by myself is one that will stay with me for a while. Just take it easy - everyone says it but you really, really must. The cough that my GP wouldn't give me anything for has now turned into a full blown chest infection - NOT funny at the moment! If you need to laugh/cough etc, press a cushion against your wound to provide some counter pressure which will help (a bit). I have also found that I seem to hurt more if I have a full bladder so going to the toilet is good!! Finally, don't even think about stoppping on the painkillers for at least 10 days. The MW described someone who had stopped early to me - not funny!
Anyway, handy post section tips aside congratulations!!!

Am not having a good day here due to a shocking lack of sleep. I really do have a nocturnal baby and it's a bit of a bummer to be honest.

Will catch up properly tomorrow, just wanted to say hi to Gill and hope the rest of you are ok.

Evening laydeeeeezz... Gill, he's gorgeous!!! just making me impatient again!
Just wanted to say that with dd i bottle fed and made up a days worth at a time to keep in the fridge, my h/v said it was fine as long as you steralised properly and cooled them quickly after making up feed (run sink full of cold water and stand bottles in for a few mins until cold) it saved a lot of hassle in the middle of the night and she never got an upset tummy at all. Just a suggestion! Would agree with the being organised thing though, i've even bought a 12 watt bulb for night time nappy changes as it is supposed to be easier to settle baby back to sleep if they haven't had a bright light shining on them... don't know if it's true but it sounds good, doesn't it?
Anyway, went and did the once a month massive Asda shop today, and deliberatly carried some heavy bags in the hope that something might kick off ..... but so far only back ache!!
I'm another advocate of epidurals... my dd was back to back and my blood pressure went sky high in labour, if it hadn't been for the epidural i'd have had to have a c/s, as it was i had a forceps delivery, not ideal but could have been worse! Midwives were very good at telling me when to push too, and the relief when the epi started working was unbelievable..... i wanted to snog the anaesthetist (and she really wasn't my type!)!!!
Anyway, hi to everyone, and i also take the vow..... lovely ladies on Jan thread are popping back to keep us company, but only about 3 of us left and it's kinda quiet!!! Glad i've still got you lot to moan at, and promise to keep checking in on you all!! lolo x

Thanks egg, will check with HV when she comes on friday, toby's eyes are still a little yellow so probably best i check all ok.

Apologies for terrible spelling before but i was a bit rushed! pregnancy brain just turns into baby brain guys - don't expect it to get any better!!

Thanks egg, will check with HV when she comes on friday, toby's eyes are still a little yellow so probably best i check all ok.

Apologies for terrible spelling before but i was a bit rushed! pregnancy brain just turns into baby brain guys - don't expect it to get any better!!

See... can't even press a button without cocking it up!!

Thanks for the section tips beansprout. you mentioned difficulty getting discharged - us too - they kept losing different parts of my notes and we didn't get let out till about 7pm. And that was after i had fulfilled my side of the bargain - they wouldn't let me go home until i did a poo

Well it's been a hard day. After the energy this morning in writing my story bylunchime could barely stand, was reaaly weak and feeling generally awful. midwife visited and was quite helpful re breas feeding but also thinks i might have infection from the op - she's coming back tmrw to see. Went to sleep for a couple of hours in the afternoon and when i woke up my boobies had arrived..... felt like someone had poured concrete over me while i was asleep and once dp had helped me out of bed i looked down at my chest and burst into tears. Someone else's silicon breasts had been grafted onto me while i slept - up about three cup sizes in one nap. they're completely unbelievable but the good news is that i've been able to start feeding malcolm again (at least on one side and expressing onthe side he's already chewed away) it's still really hard but we're definitely getting there.

Sorry another huge post. tink we're sleeping in shifts tonight since malcolm's having a night where he doesn't want to sleep not being cuddled..... so one handed typing sory for not many capitals! will try and cach up on everones news now.

Morning ladies,

I have just spent half an hour of my life typing and the cat jumped up and walked over the keyboard and all my waffle has gone, probably for the best, it was an essay!

Anyway the long and the short of it is that I've been out of bed for nearly an hour (since 5) because I couldn't be arsed to go back to bed after getting up for the zillienth time. I'm happy, awake and well and have no complaints!

Zany - sorry you're struggling and feeling crap atm. If you're worried talk to your MW. Hope things improve for you soon.

Mana -

Gill - Great to hear for you. Congratulations. Love the pictures. Nothing like a newborn to put a smile on your face! Thanks for coming and telling us your story. Sorry to hear your birth was a bit of a nightmare but v.glad to hear the end result was good. Boob, bottle..... You're feeding your child that's the main thing. You have to do what suits you. Don't let it get to you. I hope your recovery is swift. You winge about not being allowed home until you'd emptied your bowels but it was a good move on their part. My friend discharged herself after a few days only to have to be rushed in to hospital in an ambulace a day later with a compacted stool! They had to operate to remove it - yuck! Hope you've not got an infection.

Sarah - still sending you labouring vibes! ALWAYS sit leaning slightly forward not upright or leaning back and the baby's back should swing back round to the front! It's shit that they made you worry by not having all the information to hand. At least you've been able to find out what it's all about and you can rest assured that they're covering all the bases rather than leaving everything to chance!

mutha - sorry about last week but as you said at least the news turned out to be good! Remember it has to be fresh raw pineapple, nothing else has the magic ingredient!

ty - PACK YOUR BAG!!!!

Sherida - sorry you had a scary hospital visit too! Congratulations on your clothing bundles. Exciting isn't it!

Egg - I love organisation! you are my new hero!

JO - no worries! I hope you feel better soon.

Ginger - this is from WIkipedia "Neonatal jaundice is usually harmless: this condition is often seen in infants around the second day after birth, lasting until day 8 in normal births, or to around day 14 in premature births." HTH.

Bean - Sorry you've got a chest infection. hope your doc has given you something for it now. It's shit but in your docs defence, if it wasn't an infection before there is sod all that the doc could have given you before that would have made any difference. Hope it clears up soon.

lolo - Don't carry heavy things PLEASE. Walk, run, jump, anything, but not the carrying, So not a good thing!

Hi PK
HAve also been wide awake since 5..its the time DP's 3 alarms start to go off, he is really bad at waking up in the morning so has all these beeping/radio things to wake him. I try to stuff ear plugs in but am awake at the first beep, so its all a bit pointless really!! Have always been an early riser from working with racehorses, and I guess I will be up a lot in the night soon so no point in fighting it!!

Any plans for the day? I agree with your midwife, to keep as active as possible without overdoing things, although there is a fine line, and I usually end up sitting on my ball with a sore back.

Have woken up with period type pains again this morning. So weird as have been on the pill since I was 17 just to stop the horrible pains I used to get as a teenager (got pregnant the month I came off the pill which was a bit of a shock!!) Its bringing back all manner of strange memories of lying in bed with a hot water bottle moaning and groaning with the cramps. I guess its just my body telling me that something is going to happen...!!

Good Morning all!

I've been anxiously counting down the days (5 more days to go!). Been a bit nervous anytime I have a twinge, because I was told that it could happen any day now, and I've been having more of that brownish/bloody mucus (dad reassured me that it goes hand-in-hand with be effaced).

DS has been a bit difficult...most probably due to boredom, as I seem to be exhausted and need to rest frequently. I feel so guilty about not taking him to the park everyday and playing more with him. Feel even worse because the nanny/housekeeper is pretty clueless about how to handle a rambunctious 4 year old (she is a much better housekeeper than a nanny!). I have spoken to her and stressed DS's need to play outside vigorously for at least 1 hour a day, but she seems to be ignoring me. DS has been telling me that he can't wait for the baby to come out so I can run around with him again...made me feel pretty bad.

Gill: your birth story sounds pretty rough. Well done for getting through it with a beautiful son. Agree with PK...take care of yourself, and don't beat yourself up about the feeding issues. Do whatever is necessary to keep your sanity and health...that is the best thing for the baby.

Ginger: One thing to help with the jaundice is exposure to sunlight (UV therapy is how they treat neonatal jaundice in the hospital). DS had it, and I used to have him "play" (i.e., nap) near a sun exposed window for an hour a day to help clear it up. Just taking a walk outside for an hour a day should also help.

Sarah: hospital protocol is not very patient friendly. It sounds like someone was going through your file to make sure all the boxes were ticked, and they suddenly realized you hadn't gotten certain pieces of information yet. How irritating.

Everyone else, hope you get through this waiting period smoothly.

rozzy - I was much more tired when I was pregnant than now. As soon as the little blighters were out I felt a world of difference. Having said that only managed 3.5hrs last night, mainly due to DD having the world's biggest poo and needing stripping and hosing down, which meant everything got delayed including sleep. Then she woke up again 3 hours later saying it was time to eat again (despite having her biggest feed ever and draining the bottle the time before), but has passed out after 30ml (she had 125ml the time before).

Gill, when you bottle fed malcolm, how much was he having. Just really curious as never bottle fed little ones before, not til three months last time and although mine are more or less following the guidelines on the packet I reckon they should be having a bit less as they were early and are small. DS2 is really getting fat.

morningglory - I think I spend more quality time with DS1 now that the babies are here than I did before as I just had no energy to play before, whereas as soon as me and DS1 are alone, and babies are sleeping, we actually do things more together now rather than just slump in front of tv. It's only playdoh or catch or chasing games, or reading or jigsaws etc but I feel a lot closer to him now than I did a month ago when I used to resent him waking up .

Oh and to the girls who were awake in the night, I check posts on here in the night when I am burping babies but can't reply, but I sent out a hello to you in my mind! Wish I could actually post hello in the night but phone wont let me actually log in...

Righto, time to undress DD and get her awake again to drink some more or she will be hungry again in an hour.

morning all - very excited this morning as no baby! Had managed to convince myself last night that history would repeat itself and waters would break at 4am this morning and I didn't really have a plan of what to do with ds! Am 37+5 today which is day I had ds. Feel like I've broken through some mythical jinx i had created!
Didn't sleep well, so back off to bed now. PK and mymissus - hope your early morning energy still going strong!
Today is usually ds' day at home but dh has arranged for him to go into nursery as I'm not coping well with him on my own - Egg, v pleased to hear you say you feel better and more able to play now babies are out. He'll be v excited when his nanna and grandad arrive tomorrow.
sorry to hear about infections - hope the ABs kick in soon.
thanks for post-cs tips, i'm becoming more and more nervous about the op as the days tick away...5 days to go! But I'm definitely up for as many painkillers as possible having been stuck with paracetamol for past 3 months I'm ready for something stronger!!!
nigh, night

Congrats Gill, he is so gorgeous! You must be so proud

I'm starting to wonder if things are going to happen soon as I woke up with actual contractions this morning. They went on for over an hour lasting about a minute and getting more painful. At this point DP and I started discussing what we were going to do as he was meant to be at work, predictably he started getting very stressed! And then the contractions stopped - just like that! I've had one braxton since so I'm convinced they're over for now. I've sent DP to work as his stress was rubbing off on me and I wouldn't be suprised if thats why my contractions promptly stopped. IF they start again the MIL is at the end of the phone and can easily drop me off at hospital so I'm not concerned at all. DD seems to know something is going on as she's been throwing tantrums all morning.

Hi everyone.

Feel constantly weary and so i can't really respond to you all individually.

Gill - Just take one day at a time. Do you have anyone who can come in for a few hours every day to give you and DP a hand? It'll make a big difference if you have someone to help you out and just to keep you company in the house.

I just want to sleep and eat!

Hey, it's my due date today...

Fingers crossed Lucy - hope something happens soon. I'm sure DP will be on high alert until it does!
Mymissus - hope the cramps are the start of something for you too...!

Mana - glad you are through your "barrier", hope these last few days are comfortable. Very wise for ds to go to nursery when you need him to. I remind myself that ds is better off there than stuck at home with grumpy, no-fun mummy.

Egg - I feel exactly the same about ds1 and the time we have together. I was so concerned that he would feel like a lumberng giant who posed a threat to teeny-tiny baby but it's just not like that at all. I'm in love with him all over again!

Gill - fingers crossed you don't have an infection. I also had a deal with the devil - had to wee in a jug or they were going to recatheterise me. No pressure then. My bladder got performance anxiety but we managed with 20 mins to go (they actually set a deadline!!)

Morningglory - I also had the lack of park guilt but in the scheme of things, this is a small period in their lives and hey, it's January so we are not all missing too much!!

Had a better night - managed a total of 4 hours sleep so feeling a bit better. Swaddling helped. Worked really well for ds1 too, so would highly recommend!!

Ds1 NEEDS Mr Happy read to him so have to go. Happy Wednesday to everyone else too!

well i'm still here. haven't posted much but been keeping up to date with everyones news.

Had show on sun night, was my due date on mon, had sweep & stretch yesterday, more show a few period pains then..........................................nothing.

This is my third child fgs, why is he hanging on???!!! he should have practically wallked out by now.

Keep bursting in to tears, dh is off work on annual leave now so have him looking after me, but parents been here for a month and i just want my baby and i want my house back!!

Moan over. off for a walk now. friend bought her bottle of castor oil round, she has 6 wk old and it worked for her. May consider it
Thanks for listening!!

hello, havent had time to read all the posts, but egg, saw your question to gill re volumn of liquid feed.

not having done any of this before, this is me passing on info... but it came from my SIL's maternity nurse so it should be valid info! she said to me to multiple the baby's weight pounds/ounces) by two and a half and that gives you the daily amount in fluid ounces. (of course, she then went on to say to divide that by six and have one at the 10am feed, the next at the 2pm feed, next at the.... etc etc ). think that was what it was... will email SIL to check

Hi all,
I've been keeping up with everyone's news these past few days but haven't had the chance to post.
Gill: Little baby Malcolm is absolutely gorgeous! Your birth story (as a fellow first-timer) did give me a bit of the heebie-jeebies, I have to say, but undoubtedly the end result is worth everything three billion times over. A huge congrats from me and take things easy over the next few days as much as you can.
Early febbers: seems as some of you are more or less ready to pop! Keep us posted - must be so frustrating to get all of these stops and starts or just to see your due date fly by with no action!

I finally finished packing my hospital bag last night and I have the distinct feeling I have massively overpacked, particularly for the impending arrival. Just how many sleepsuits/bodysuits should I pack? How many nappies? It almost looks as if I'm off on a two week jaunt at the moment and dp is looking daunted at carrying what is now 3 bags to the hospital when the big day arrives.

I finish work tomorrow!! And it's time, I can tell you. Last week I was feeling just fine and thinking hey, I could just keep going. Now (37 wks tomorrow), my body is just telling me to stop. I'm getting achey pains under my bump and it's just uncomfortable to walk around too much (moan, moan!). I'm looking forward to a life of leisure (lots of posting on here!) on ml - well that is unless little one catches me unawares!

Have a great day everyone.
xxx

Hi all!

Egg - I'm glad you're feeling more energetic now - you would really need to be! Reading about you laying 8 nappies out at nightime made me shudder - the thought of changing one nappy during the night doesn't appeal at the moment never mind 8!! I bottle fed DS1 and he was very chubby - it's really funny when I look back at photos now as I didn't really realise at the time. The fat all fell off once he was on the move though.

Gill - I meant to say last night that if you were fully dilated and pushing for some time you have to remember that you are actually recovering from most of the discomfort of a natural delivery as well as cs. So make sure you take it easy!

It sounds like things are starting for a few of you now - good luck. This lo has now dropped - the head is fixed although the midwife could still feel 4/5ths. Apparently the more babies you have the later they engage and it could even happen during labour so doesn't mean I'll be late. She said the babies spine was on my right side but I keep feeling a foot out that side so not convinced. I'm going back to the midwife when I'm 40 +2 (if I've not popped) and they said they could do a sweep at that point if I wanted.

Had my hair cut today so looking a bit more presentable. Also bought some new razors so will try to sort myself out in the bath tonight. A little tip for you all - Do not try to wax your bikini line when you can't actually see it - tried it this morning and ouch ouch ouch ouch!!!!

I am gone for one day and it takes me so long to catch up. Congrats jill, oh he is gorgeous that beautiful hair.
I dont have much good news- during my hospital visit at queen char yesterday i was told that my placenta praevia was so bad that i should check in on thursday tommorow for ten days at least then have a c-section was in such shock as they said if i stayed at home i would bleed out and i was told to stay within the hospital walls, how am i going to survive all this -so i am checking in on monday at my own risk until i give birth, will miss all your chatter i should have my blackeberry for the occassional update, Beansprout thanks for the info about the c-section am very worried. so will pop in again mid feb.

Hi all, and congrats to Gill, Malcolm is gorgeous! Sorry it was not quite how you wanted it to go but the main thing is you have a lovely little boy.

Had a scan yesterday and baby is still breech (now 37+3) so more and more looking like a cs even for all my bum in the air action! Oh well, will keep trying! Important thing is that everything is fine and baby is already 3.3kgs!
I have decided though to stop work a tiny bit earlier than planned given it will prob be done a week early, so today is my first day at home which is great (although have spent most of the day so far calling work contacts to tell them that!) Looking forward to doing nothing work related tomorrow.
Anyone got any top tips for a cs hospital bag? I had packed my bag assuming I'd be out within 24 hrs... Thanks