Due June 08: less of the hens hatching, more of the cows milking?

[bitofadramaqueen]

Lets hope it's not too long before everyone is hatched and milking season is in full swing!

Rolf - I totally missed your birth story - what happened?

Libralady, sorry again I must have missed the initial post, but why are you having to give bottles? The MW says he should be on 4oz, but maybe he doesn't need that much? Also, a baby is much better at getting milk out of your breasts than a pump, so don't think you don't have milk just because you can't express.

I can't get any milk out late in the evening if I try to express, but the babies always manage a good feed at 10pm.

There is a lovely lady called Mars (find her on the multiples board) who is great with BF advice - maybe she could help you? Put a post on the Multiples board asking for her and she is sure to come to your rescue.

Hedgehog - I gave my two bottles at two weeks old (just one bottle a day though). They took them fine and it never interfered with their Bfing. I think one a day should not interfere with sucking reflex - make sure you use newborn teats though as they are slow flow and make the baby work just s hard as at the breast. Faster flow teats may make the baby prefer the bottle.

For all those going through hell at night - it gets better! Mine are now going to sleep at 11pm and only waking once for a feed before 7am. That started at seven weeks old exactly (last week).

I put it down to the osteopath Theo saw last week (been a totally different baby since then, he was so unsettled before but now he just eats, sleeps or sits there looking around), their age and the Gina Ford routine we are doing.

I would def recommend an osteopath. For £30 a session (Theo needed two sessions) it has been worth every penny.

www.fpo.org.uk/

Hello everyone - congrats to UDC and poppy too!

We've had a couple of rough nights with Fraser, he's got gas (we think) that's making him very uncomfortable. I've upped his dose of infacol and we're burping him like crazy but he's still suffering and waking up inconsolable in the night. i hope he outgrows it soon! Any other tricks people have found for encouraging farts and burps? We are doing the tummy massage but it doesn't seem to help.

Neenz - here's my birth story www.mumsnet.com/Talk/1370/549926

Did you go to the osteopath in Manchester or is there one closer to home?

G43 - lovely picture of Harvey

good luck for sweeps/appointments today

Rolf, I went to the Manchester clinic, but I have a friend who saw one in Aintree for her colicky baby. I think she had some success, although he is a couple of weeks younger than Theo and has still had some unsettled nighs.

Is it just me or has this thread got a loit quieter since we all started having our babies?

Wow Rolf that is amazing!!! Well done you. I wonder if your story has reached Formby? I bet it has! Congrats

Sophie, I have just ordered a nature's nest, it arrives tomorrow so am hoping that all the good things people say about them are true. Mainly I am hoping it will help Jamie with the touch of reflux he seems to have. He tends to get milk coming back up after a feed and ends up gulping to stop puking, taking in loads of air, and then puking anyway!

I got mine from Kiddicare. I'll let you know how we get on with it!

Neenz

Basically I have inverted nipples and Luke cannot latch on. Even with nipple shields which were recommended by the MW haven't helped. Luke is a very hungry baby and along with his two bottom teeth and a slight tongue tie he was getting so frustrated at not getting anything directly from me, which is why after lengthy discussions with the MW and HV, and my desire for him to receive breastmilk, I had no choice other than to bottle feed him with EBM.

Have spoken with the MW and HV today and I'm off to the health food shop tomorrow to try fenugreek which will hopefully stimulate my milk supply. I'm only able to express about 2oz at a time and he's on 3-4oz feeds which is why he is having top ups of FF.

quick skim of the board - one handing mumsnetting a new skill .. hedgehog sympathise with the 11 - 1 thing. Edie seems to come to life then too .... last night was even longer as despite attempt to get a big last feed at 11 to help her sleep through she didnt and ending up feeding her at 2 and 4...of course now she is being a little poppet .

Very early days yet (esp as only really got going on b/f properly yesterday) but will keep neenz advice re oestopath in mind as have heard that elsewhere.

Am so glad to be home - and dh been fab.. glad decided to take it easy and no visitors as its certainly been a shock treatment dealing with her.

awaiting mw visit then grandma's first visit (full marks to dh for managing this one. I know she is so excited and is going to be a great grandma but couldnt really cope with anyone as still at 6s/7s with routine/sleep depravation).

Last one is a weird one -has anyone got any tips for helping drop off to sleep when you can..am finding even when I try to sleep when edie is asleep that I'm too wired...advice appreciated as know I need to take what I can

Poppy - I had a sweep on Friday, which didn't result in as much as a twinge all weekend! My cervix had started to shorten but still closed. Booked in for an induction on Saturday night - mw said that I'll go in, have the gel, get monitored and can expect to be sent home to see if labour kicks off. If not, back in again the following day for more gel. Really hoping things kick off before then though... Dont have another sweep planned (I guess they must just do one here), but went out for a walk last night and will try and do that a bit more this week (maybe if I spent a bit less time lying on the sofa eating cake the LO would be a bit less comfy ).

whinegums completely understand why you're p'd off at being told what will happen. It was actually the sensible mw I saw on Friday and she was very much 'we would recommend being induced, if you're happy with that we'll get it booked in etc' and she went on to talk through the process. My induction date is actually 14 days after what I think is my real EDD (I think they are out by a day because they did't take into account its a leap year) so I'm quite happy to be induced then. You can refuse to be induced though (as I'm sure you know) so stick to your guns!

G43 - gorgeous pic!

Aberdeen - sorry to hear that you've had a couple of rough nights, I hope it gets better soon.

Neenz I was thinking the thread was quieter over the weekend but it has been very busy this morning. It's not the same without deb's daily early morning posts though!

Hello all. Poppy, good luck with grandma's visit - hope it doesn't tire you out too much Libra, good luck on upping the milk supply, hope it works out for you.

BDQ - I'm going to make an effort to go out more too - less sofa lying, more walking and ball bouncing!

I get so annoyed at some of the mws who treat you as if you left your brain at home, and like the whole thing should be a process to suit their protocols. I can imagine lots of people go along without questioning it, and wouldn't even know they can ask for monitoring and expectant management. I'm all for expert advice, but only accompanied by informed choice!

Rant over.... It makes such a difference to get a sensible mw or doc doesn't it?

Hi Libra - have left you a message on the postnatal thread too - sorry if I was insensitive with my comments before, I am sure you know all that already .

Definitely agree with sticking to your guns re induction, or with anything to do with the birth. I was told to have an epidural and continuous monitoring but I didn't want that and gave birth fine without it. Listen to the obs/MWs but do your own research too and have confidence to use it.

Libra - we're having the same heartache re: waking Iestyn to see if he sleeps/leaving him to sleep. Plus he doesn't settle. However, last night it (only!!) took over 2 hours to settle him, and he then slept for 5 hours! Hooray!
TBH I keep having to remind myself that he is only two weeks old. It's common for professionals to struggle with issues of high expectations (for ourselves and our babies) and to feel that minor things (baby not sleeping through the night at 2 weeks old) as big failures, apparently. I've approached the breastfeeding in much the same way as my PhD, but it don't work like that!

On the topic of pregnancy - the joys of postpartum - my greatest pleasure in life is looking down and seeing my feet. They're bony, and so are my ankles! They are such a source of joy for me. Oh, yeah, and I have a baby, but frankly he poos too much to be lovely.

Going to change him now. Saw a headline about a mother who had 'left her baby in her own filth'. Last month, I would have been shocked. Now, I can see how that can happen... he poos before, during and after changes and smells like an old tramp! Poor little thing. (Please don't call social services - I'm tongue in cheek here!)

Neenz - thanks for posting about the twins - it really helps getting things into perspective (again, that 2 weeks old reminder to self!). And I'm totally amazed by you - twins!

Poppy, Hedgehog - yes, I'm in the 11-1am club too!

at Essie's bony ankles.

Essie - I never bother to change my two even if I know they have pooed cos they poo all the time, I'd be changing them every half an hour! Also, the cloth nappies don't smell bad. I am shocked by the smell of disposables on the odd occasion I do use them.

God, yes, Neenz - with twins you'd need a nappy changing table attached to your waist at all times, I imagine!
We're trying to be a bit clean here (slummyness is easier to achieve...) but he gets to stew at night, because changing him wakes him too much. When it comes to sleep versus slummy, sleep wins... He is a little red around the bottom, but we've started using bottom butter on him (despite him only being 2 weeks - neither me nor DH have skin sensitivity), but we'll keep an eye.

I've got my washables ready to go, but currently Iestyn is a bit small for them! (Mind you - Neenz - Esther was tiny, though?) My deal with myself was disposables until I run out of the free gift/offer ones, and then washables. I reckon I can manage another week! But interesting that you reckon the disposables smell. Chemicals... On a similar note - although possibly TMI - I've switched to nighttime towels now, Always night ones, and I think I smell worse than I did with the standard mattress pads, which don't have chemicals or plastic etc.

Afternoon all, I'm having the most unproductive day. I've done nothing at all. Realised that I have now been sucked into daytime tv. That explains why I've done so little on my list of things to do while on maternity leave. Oh, I lie, I rang and extended my tens machine rental on account of overdue status. How about the rest of the overdue crew?

Hi dramaqueen! My achievement for the day was going to shop down the road - just wanted to get out after watching tv all morning, and needed distraction from eating all the goodies I made yesterday (flapjacks and rice crispie squares!).

Have just been out in the garden reading which was a nice change of scene after the sofa! I really have to motivate myself even to bounce on the ball these days. The baby now feels so low it surely must come out soon!

The mw has offered to do another sweep tomorrow but I don't know if I'll go ahead. She's not very friendly, and after the sweeps I had before, I'd prefer to have someone kind and gentle doing it!

I'm still here. My nice midwife came out this morning. Blood pressure is back to normal which is a relief. She did another sweep and this time said that my cervix was soft and 1 and a half cm dilated (on friday it was 1cm, at that rate it will be a while!), she doesn't think it will be long now (lets hope she is right).
I had a bit of a chat with her about induction and they do it at 12 days over because of the risk of placental degredation so she has booked me in for friday, she thinks they will just need to break my waters. Really hoping I go into labour before friday!

glad its not just me allnew. I have washed some dishes since my last post, but its hard to reach the sink properly...

Weather pretty grey here - if it stays dry might go out for another walk after tea and see if anything shifts!

rolf - re thea's poss constipation - if you rub her tummy clockwise in the shape of a rainbow, or walk your fingers gently across her tummy in the same shape, pressing lightly, this apparently helps the gut to work - when you rub her back do it counter clockwise, as this is effectively the same direction on the other side.

I also found Storm did big farts/ poos when I held her sideways facing away from me, with her head resting on my forearm and rubbed her back.
Hope that helps :-)

Congrats to the new mums and good lcuk to those still waiting.

poppy I think the feeling wired is to do with hormones - I had this and a couple of others had it too - seems to go away after a few days - putting lavender oil in my aromatherapy burner helped a bit.

ktpie my induction is booked in for Friday as well. When they first gave me the date a week ago it seemed so far away I thought I was bound to go into labour before then. Now I'm starting to wonder.........

Just a very quick post to say WE ARE HOME we got released this afternoon, madam is snoring in her little bouncer.

Josey - great news.