Due March 2008 - for our early arrivals and the loooooong 3rd trimesters

[merryberry]

Hello all.

Good morning! I hope it's a lovely morning where everyone else is- we just popped out for a walk along the river in the SUNSHINE!

it's a bit nippy here but i believe the sun may be attempting to come out.
Have been to B&Q for paint this morning, didn't have the colour i was going to pick so have gone for pot luck on a similar looking one, who knows what it'll end up looking like on the walls!
Off to lunch now, hope the boys have made a start on the decorating well before i get back...slight prob being my DH buggering off into town for a couple of hours!

hello ladies- stay pregnant for as long as possible- i'm knackered!!!!

the girls are home and making their presence known we have discovered that they want to be together in one crib with millie sucking Carys's head (does look super-cute!!)

you will be pleased to know that i haven't let the side down they are dressed from head to toe in pink (including pink nappies )

We had a reception commitee when i arrived home with them- all of the neighbours were hanging around their gardens on the way up the lane so that they could come and wish us well! the dt's 1&2 seem quite taken with their new sisters, dd1 was not at all impressed but sort of sniffed and wandered off!

Right off to finish the washing and sterilise breast pump!

Preggersagain, can we have pics of the trail blazers please! I'm feeling excited for you, and a little tired - best I go have a nap for you too!

LOL @ Millie sucking Carys's head

wow preggers, it all sounds so exciting. although I'm definitely going to take your advice to stay pregnant as long as possible.

thanks derah, merryberry and everybody else for the bfing stories and tips. They're very useful. I'm really starting to give it some serious thought. I must say the idea of getting to read lots of books while feeding appeals. I guess I'd always thought of it as something you DID iykwim. Like if you were breastfeeding that was the thing you were doing and probably not much else except maybe listening to the radio or music. Which is stupid given that I've sat many times at dinner/chatting with aunts who were breastfeeding, so clearly it's a non-exclusive activity.

I'm definitely going to bear in mind to have activities to hand and drinks (does breastfeeding make your thirsty, or is it just that it takes so long you are thirsty by the time you're halfway through?).

Also, what's the deal with expressing from the start? I was planning to start early to just get into the habit and also my Mum was saying how sometimes Dads can be a bit left out with bfing so I was thinking if I was expressing DH could do some of the feeds, which my Mum thought was a great idea as she never really had that option with us.

But both a midwife and my doctor have said you can't express from the start. This seems weird as a good friend of mine had a baby with cleft lip & palate and so she had to express right from the start, so obviously it's possible and it didn't seem to harm her milk flow or anything.

pic on profile- sadly it was a day that dh had dressed them so no pink in sight- but i shall add more as i get them!

Skidoodle - I've been told that if you start expressing too early, it can interfere with you producing the correct amount of milk at the correct times. So at the start, while your poor boobs are trying to figure out what the heck is going on, it's best to confuse them as little as possible. Later on, once you and your boobs know more or less what you're doing, you can start expressing. Of course if you have babies who can't feed from the breast for whatever reason, you have to express instead.

I found that I couldn't express to start with - nothing came out! Not sure if it was the pump or my supply or what. It was only once I got settled into feeding, and tried again when I knew I was really full of milk that I managed to get expressing sucessfully.

Oooh, and just to add to the fun and panic, I remembered something else last night that they don't really warn you about beforehand - the after-pains as your uterus shrinks again. I don't remember if it was the next day or more after DD was born, but I was curled up on the bed in agony, sure that I was going though labour all over again!! I'd had a few pains before that (and, unfortunately, mostly while feeding DD - feeding causes shrinkage contractions) but that one day was terrible! I nearly had my mum call the mw, I literally couldn't move!

Hmmmmmm, anyone would think I want to put you ladies off bf-ing, which really isn't true cos it's lovely! Just best to know what's in store, I think.

Perhaps I should shut up before I put you all off having babies completely!!

Preggers - the girls are gorgeous!! How lovely that they're home and so attached to each other (literally!) already!

The twins are beautiful!

Skidoodle, the average/rule of thumb for fully establishing breastfeeding and the feedback cycle that regulates how much you produce is six weeks. I had to express when ds1 was in NICU, that was to encourage my supply to establish at all, I would cup feed him what little I produced. He got by on a drip first and then I naso-gastric fed him for a couple of days. Whether it was the unpleasant memories of expressing in the pump room surrounded by sick babies or whatever, I never after that could usefully express, despite bf'ing very easily. I tried 3 pumps! I switched to formula at 8 months just before I went back to work. DP never minded, he had enough to do helping with other aspects of baby care (he is the expert at nail cutting for example!), house help and propping me up.

And yes, breastfeeding itself makes you thirsty, it gets worse as baby gets bigger and needs more fluid of course! I think I'll have bottles of water strapped to my thighs like Lara Croft's guns, in the summer.

Not that my actual thighs will be like hers, in this or likely any future summer...

awww the twins are adorable

I really want to see a picture of Millie sucking Carys's head though.

derah, merryberry, thanks for all the breastfeeding info, much appreciated and it makes a lot of sense. I've started reading a couple of threads about it and some if it is a bit when you read what people are going through. But forewarned is forearmed and all that.

Did either of you (or anyone else) use a breastfeeding counsellor? I asked the midwife at the hospital about this and she said that all the midwives there are trained in helping you get breastfeeding established and they make sure you're doing OK before you leave hospital, but now I'm wondering whether extra help might be useful a few weeks in. I mean what if it doesn't come naturally in the first 48 hours and the baby won't latch on properly once I get home?

At least I have my mother to help me, but I'm considering whether a professional would be useful.

AWW the twins are so beautiful!

Congrats on getting them home preggers. Are they both in your room? I do always wonder about the logistics of fitting two cots/moses baskets in a master bedroom.

ah, skidoodle, beware the midwife who claims bf expertise. i had some truly shite advice from MW, sorry to be so frank.

frequently they've done a day's course and can check the latch. sort of, if there's a glaring problem. IF there are problems for you (or me next time), we need a la leche league person, or someone else with more experience/training maybe in a local bf cafe/drop in group. You can only really tell if the latter are any good from word of mouth though. best thing to do is relax, expect the baby to have the right instincts and go for it. Have contact details for la leche and local groups in your armoury, ready if needed. Otherwise, don't sweat it. And MN is a great starting point for canvassing opinions.

Hi all
congratulations preggers on your lovely girls.

skidoodle you can usually go to a local breastfeeding group before baby arrives. This helps you to get to know people before you have to get your boobs out infront of them!! Gives you more confidence.
LOL about the expressing as I have been testing my breast pump and have found that I can already express I still have 10 weeks to go.
On the mat leave front I am intending to finish the friday of half term around the 21st Feb.
I have thoroughly enjoyed being pregnant and have had few complaints, birthing is the hard part for me.Like 3MB I had a big dd 9lb 12oz so expecting similar.

I swaddled dd after weeks of struggling to settle her and it was like a miracle cure! She went into a grobag at about 10 wks old and has only just stopped being in one since going into her big bed.

I managed to get an inexpensive rocker/glider from a chain furniture store. (can't remember which )£140ish That worked well for me and was narrower than the wooden specific nursing chairs.

oh lord tori i am so jealous of you this am! i am FULL of 3rd trimester woe - my morning spent with ds1 at new school, perched on tiny toddler chairs had given me a nasty large deep hip ache by yesterday. I did my yoga class anyway, which sort of helped and sort of didn't. I spent most of last night propped up in bed unable to keep still and unable to move easily. does anyone know what i mean? i was taking paracetemol every 5 hours, and as it hurt too much to eat since lunchtime, i think my stomach rebelled and i've also been very sick this am.

so really, really feeling sorry for myself now. dp has taken ds to see his parents for the day, and i'm slowly mobilising round the house, praying i'm ok tomorrow. dp is a contractor at the moment so if he doesn't work, we don't get the cash. back off to bed, whinge over, at least the pain is easing enough to lay down now.

feeling also very sorry for my out-laws who are in their 70s and live very quietly. their beloved boxer dog died on wednesday. she was a lovely animal, and all i could do was send a woeful note with dp to commiserate. they a really nice folk, and now i doubt i'll see them till after ds2 comes.

Oh merryberry - poor you. If it's any consolation, after all my banging on about how much I love being pregnant this week, it came back to bite me last night with the worst night's sleep of my pregnancy: horrible, horrible dreams plus a baby that finally decided to test the space up by my ribs at 5am. At one point it was so bad that it was literally breathtaking, as I think he had somehow managed to squash all the air from my lungs with one kick. I rolled onto the other side, and after about 2 mins of settling he did the same - he did this for the next 3 hours while I drifted in and out of consciousness and had those horrid half awake/half asleep nightmares, and rolled from side to side. My pelvis eventually seized up from all the activity so it got increasingly uncomfortable, and because I'd forgotten to wear a bra to bed last night, I had to hoik my mahoosive boobs each time I changed sides so they wouldn't get left behind... Grrr

Having said that I tried really hard this morning to get myself into a positive frame of mind by reminding myself that at least it means the baby is alive and well... Plus I have a nice day planned - decorating the nursery (DH did the painting yesterday and now I can do the finishing touches and get organising everything) and lunch at a fancy restaurant with friends. I will be a zombie by about 6.30 though I think!

HQ xx

Hello all...back from my holiday and (please don't throw things at me) am tanned, relaxed and still not experiencing any grotty pregnancy symptoms. Loving this pregnancy lark and realising that I don't have to do ANYTHING for next 10 weeks. Sigh.
Lauren..I'm in Surrey (just) near Sutton and Reigate.
Congrats on the three new arrivals...how fabulous!!

Hello

Hope everyone's having a good weekend and not suffering too much from pregnancy woes. Hope the early babies are also keeping well and their Mums are managing to get a little sleep!

I had the normal labour antenatal class this morning which included a tour round the CMU. It all seems very nice and new, although we couldn't see the pool room as it was in use. I'm really hoping to have a water birth so as there is only one I really hope I'm lucky and it's free when my time comes!

It's a horrible day up here so I'm planning to do the housework, start to pack hospital bag, go to gym and then relax in front on the tv this evening watching Sense & Sensibility That's if I can drag myself off of the internet!!

I had a bad night too I know exactly what you mean about being restless and not able to move very well MB. I just can't seem to figure out what helps and what doesn't.

We went on a tour of the birthing centre this morning and I'm going to have appointments there from now on. Did anyone see the little blurb in the London Lite about London's new "birthing hotel"? That's the one! It DOES have flat screen tvs in the rooms and double beds, but more like a clinic than a hotel! V. nice though and I really hope I get to go there when it comes down to it.

Oooh turtle, I'm in Epsom!

All you other Surrey Mums aren't too far away either. Maybe when the babies are here we can do a more local meet up

aaah, i can walk again. phew. i am getting scared of going to bed tho', it sure aches.

going to fantasy shop for a new kitchen i think.

the birth centres all sound nice. i saw the one on the river on the news. good midwife ratios! uch is nothing like as spacious and fresh, but oh i also hope i get ot use a pool at some stage.

i keep meeting mums (marchmum and 3! others at my yoga class) who along with me are all booked in to the birth centre on the 1st or 2nd of March. I know we'll all actually pop at different times, but oh my, it makes me realise what a scare resource these places are.

Exactly merryberry. I was cross that they're billing MY local one as a "birthing hotel"... can just see all sorts of people wanting to go there now- probably all with 9th March due dates!(using my oh-so-rational pregnancy brain!)

Evening ladies! Have been trying not to add my feelings on whether or not I'm enjoying this pg, but I can take no more! Pregnancy jusr DOES NOT suit me at all! I have been ill pretty much solidly for the past 3 months, mostly colds but a bit of sickness thrown in there too. I have near-constant headaches, constant heartburn, blocked sinuses, a baby squiching my lungs and I'm permanently shattered! I keep "waiting" til I feel better but I don't think thats going to happen til I give birth!

I just wanted to add my experiences of breast feeding too. Maybe I was just lucky with dd and ds, or maybe it came simply just because I never worried about it or thought I would have problems. But neither or them struggled with latching on. Also, I mixed fed both of them from only a few days old and we never had problems switching from breast to bottle, or upset between breast and formula. For anyone who is worried, my advice would just be to try not to think about it at all. Just let it be. I know there are some people who do honestly struggle for various reasons, but surely with breast feeding being such a natural thing then the majority of women should be just fine?

Feeling rather envious of those of you who get to go to birthing centres . I don't think there is anything like that near me, plus going for a vba2c they probably wouldn't touch me with a barge pole anyway

LOL @ tori expressing already. I've had leaky boobs since about 20 weeks (just at night) so perhaps I could give that a try. Show up at the hospital with a little bottle of colostrum I'd "prepared earlier"

ouch merryberry that sounds sore, as does your discomfort last night HQ. I know exactly what you mean by "unable to keep still and unable to move easily" it really makes DH laugh when I'm humping about on the sofa/bed sighing.

welcome back turtle, good to have you back, even if you are all tanned and happy .

hi everyone else

right time to go back to the darts. go on the wizard!

hi feedmenow, that sounds like good advice not too worry too much about bfing. Like you say, it's a natural process so no need to overcomplicate things. I'll just continue to assume it will work out fine but do a bit of research on local LLL and talk to my aunt [who I just remembered is STILL a member even though her youngest is 14. she's not still bfing him ;) ]

sorry you're tired of being pregnant - what a pain to be sick so much. I guess when you have little kids you come into contact with a lot of germs.

What is with the headaches? I wake up with them sometimes. Are they from being dehydrated?

e14 There's a birthing centre at my hospital but I don't think they have plasma TVs or anything .

Lauren- Hurrah! A local mum! Are you doing NCT classes? Can't remember when you give up work, but if you ever fancy a pregnancy yoga class or aqua aerobics class I'm getting back into both this week. Yoga is wed eves or Monday mornings in Sutton, other is either daytime in Cheam or Thursday eves in Carshalton. Am also available for advanced cake eating meetups!!