Due May 05 part 5

[logic]

I think it's time for a new thread! The old one was getting huge...

I get distressed if my house isn't tidy. I am by no means Kim or Aggie but I can't just leave things (or wipe them with my foot ).

I used Avent bottles, sterilizer and breast pump. Most supermarkets seem to sell the different sized teats...

Why is it that when I am very tired and have the chance to sleep (like now), I can't switch my brain off and I end up on here?

Sounds like I should go for Avent then!
Logic, I know exactly what you mean about not being able to switch off, its really frustrating, have you tried a boring TV programme or book, sometimes works for me!

I am soo tired to. The boss has just given us all a Twix so fingers crossed the sugar rush can keep me fixed until 5.30!!

I used Avent too, and SMA milk. No idea why, brand recognition I guess! But we were very lucky - a friend asked how we managed to get ds to take a bottle, and I looked confused and said "we put milk in it!" He really was that easy. Probably had all my "good baby" points for this lifetime!

Hi all,
It's so nice to see al this chatting on the May thread. I usually venture over to the June thread becaus I'm bored at work these days and they chat lots. Keeps me entertained. But, great to see so many post here, which is relly my appropriate thread sinc eI'm due 29 May.

I agree with the comments here regarding breast feeding. Breast is of course very nutritious for baby. But, if it makes you miserable or for some other reason really isn't practical, then I think it's okay to go for formula. The one thing I would advise is that when and if you do go for formula, just do it and don't look back. Don't let anyone look down on you for it. And don't beat yourself up over it. Just do it and move on.

Absolutely Uwila, my opinion is that at the end of the day if mum is happy, baby is happy, and that has to be a bonus!

Totally agree, Uwila. I was in tears giving ds his first bottle because I felt that I had failed. It wasn't much later that I thought 'what an idiot to get upset over that' He was fed and happy and I was rested and a better mother for it.

Ds was a very easy baby, a pleasure to bf from the first time, he showed ME what to do, and we bf exclusively for 9mths until i got pg again(followed by m/c) and was simply too tired. I never found it a burden to have a small baby relying on my presence once every 4 hours, it was natural for me to want to bf. I'm not an "earth mother" at all, probably the opposite but it just suited me to not have all that sterilising and worry over hygiene that comes with bottles. And the best bit - bf'ing a half asleep but hungry baby beside me in bed then back in to his crib BEFORE the wailing started and my feet got cold[

Well I definatly intend to breastfeed, fingers crossed that it works out ok. Its just reassuring to know that there is an alternative if called for at times.

Definatly think its going to be alot easier to breastfeed during the night rather than have to wait for bottles to warm. I can barely function in the dark hours as it is

Making up bottles does take a long time. You have to wait while they sterilize, boil some water and wait for it to cool which takes ages then mix the milk in. We used to cheat. We would make up 6 bottles of boiling water, stick them straight into the fridge and then add milk powder just before the feed and warm it up.

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Can someone please tell me how soon after having the baby can you start expressing?

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good morning myermay, how's the decorating going?

Totally agree with the room temperature formula theory. I'm joining that train this time too. We heated it last time, and that was probably a mistake. As for making up bottles, you can always get the ready made kind. In fact if you are extra lazy (like me) you can use the single serving kind and put it next to your bed for the night feed so all you have to do is open and pour.

I'm not sure about the expressing question. I tired to express early on (in the first week) and I never has much of a suppply at all. The midwife said this was from expressing and not feeding directly on the breast (which I was also doing), so I don't really buy her theory. But, then I suppose she could be right. I think I may try to avaoid expressing in the first couple of weeks and see if it goes better this time. But, I do think that some peoples bodies just don't produce enough and they end up switching to formula. I have had a couple of midwives tell me there is no such situation, and that everyone is capable of breastfeeding, but I personally don't really believe that.

Oh well, my plan is to give it a try and see how it goes. If it doesn't work, than SMA Gold here I come.

Sorry, Brighteyes, I don't know. I didn't do much expressing. In fact, the most I used the breast pump was when I was weaning ds totally onto formula and had to relieve the pressure! I used SMA gold too.

Hate to admit this but i was totally unable to express. Hated the idea and it just didnt work for me, so on the very few occasions that i had to resort to formula i used the small carton too. I would have started buying some already but as you all know i am still in denial -

Em, can i just ask what the we are all doing on mn at this hour on a sunday morning????

Oh, forgot to add something about which formula to use. I think someone asked about this, but I have forgotten who. I had a friend tell me that you shouldn;t swap around and always use the same kind. I did swap around and it bother DD any (although I did once have a dog that reacted poorly if I changed her food). Anyway, I think a good factor to consider is which brand is most readily available where you do your shopping. I found SMA Gold was always on the shelf, but Farleys was often out.

Oh, while I could swap around the formulas here, I was met by fierce protest if I ever dared to give her American or Czek formula. No idea why. We had quite a struggle in the states when she was 3 months old. And, in Prague, she was 12 months old and so she just drank loads of cows milk (appears Czech cows milk is okay). So we got a sudden crash course in the introduction to cows milk.

I MUST learn to type! Should have said I did swap around and it DIDN'T bother DD.

Weel, I'm on here because DH spent all yesterday on his computer whilst he left me to look after DD. So I'm oaying him back!

Im here because ds is with exp, and it's mn or housework, but i have promised myself an hour in bed later

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Will you be putting baby into his/her own room straight away? As far as the b/f thing with a toddler goes, I have no idea how it is going to work, but presume it will take as much time as washing/sterilising/heating bottles (and be cheaper) I am thinking about only b/f'ing for 6wks this time, but thats probably stupid because that's when things start to fall into place and get easier, so i'll just have to wait and see i guess.

On the expressing querie......you really shouldn't express before 4 weeks and its the same rule for when to introduce a bottle. Reason being it takes 4 weeks for your supply to settle down into your baby's routine, if you interfere with this by expressing/bottle thats when problems may arise with, low supply or erratic supply, and mastitus may also occur. So try and remember to leave well alone, and let nature do its thing for 4 weeks.