Wagon baby no1 is coming before Xmas- we've got the tree and decs up ready to welcome him to the --wagon-- world

[glaskhamhasoneintheoven]

Here we go ladies.... you think it will last long enough for wagon baby no1's arrival???

Scan list:
Nat - presentation/growth/waters/doppler/god knows what else scan, 16th Dec.
Ses - 21 week scan - 29th Dec
2bgandasnowglobe- 20 wk scan 5th January
GYo- 4D Scan- 10th January (30.5wks)
Diege - 19 week scan - 27th Jan.

Weeks list:
Kayz - 39 weeks only 2 days to go!! Boy.
Nat - 36 weeks, 4 weeks left. Boy.
tink - 35 weeks only 5 weeks to go. Girl. shock
Gin - 34 weeks 6 left! Girl.
Sorky - 31 weeks, Girl.
Lardybump - 28 weeks, 12 to go (I hope) surprise.
Playing 27 weeks, 13 weeks left. Boy.
GYo - 26 weeks, 14 weeks left. Surprise.
Cosmo 24 weeks, 16 weeks left. Girl.
Gruff, 22 weeks, 18 weeks left. Girl.
Glaskham - 22 weeks, 18 left to go. Girl.
Ses - 17 weeks, 23 left to go
2BG- 17 weeks, 23 to go
Diege - 12 weeks, 28 left to go

Girls = 6
Boys= 3
Suprise on the day = 2
Unknowns = 3

MW apps list:
Diege - @ 12 weeks - Thursday 11th Dec - cons appt. to discuss cervical monitoring.
Nat - @ 37 weeks - Tuesday 16th Dec - cons appt. Breech? Ceph? Breech? Ceph? Breech for now...
Sorky - @ 32weeks - 19th December.
Kayz - 39wks - Thurs 11th Dec.
Tink- @ 36 weeks - 18th of dec - 1 weeks 2 go grin lets pray she has turned the right way grin
GYo @ 28 weeks- 23rd Dec- bloods and Rh jab
Playing @ 29 weeks - 24th Dec - bloods/check up
Glaskham- @ 25wks - Mon 5th Jan
2BG- @25 weeks - 3rd Feb
Ses - @ 27 wks - Tues 10th Feb
Cosmo - @ 28 wks - early Jan - Rh jab

sorry tink have no clue on transverse... mine were well behaved and did as i told them to do!!

Oh look, now I can't go, Tink!!!!

Just if your waters break there is a chance the cord could come down the birth canal first, and that the baby would then be putting pressure on the cord and stopping it working, it is called a cord prolapse, and is a very serious situation. If your waters break, ring 999 straight away, the MW shoul dhave made this clear to you.

Also any part of the baby could engage (or descend) first, depending on what part is coming first it can be serious, or not so. The main thing is that you know if your waters break, you get medical help urgently.

Baby can change position at any point up until they are being born, look at this one, tranverse, then breech, then head down, then transverse again, then head down again.... they can and do move about especially when it's not a first pregnancy. The best position is obviously head down, then following that is bum first, generally speaking if it is footling breech (feet first) or transverse a CS is the best option, but it is by no means set in stone, as again the baby can move round to the correct position during labour, in fact most do IIRC.

You have to remember that this whole pregnancy and giving birth thing is a very natural cycle, and especially when you've already had one natural labour, your body is in with a really good chance of doing the same again.

Right, I really am gone, again, g'night everyone xxx

Kay, see the MW is full of it, she's told you swop breasts after 15 minutes, of course he won't get the full hind milk.... grrrr, they annoy me! Good on you for sticking with it, though I think a million years might be pushing it a little tiny bit!

God, I really am going, DH will be home before they've even started eating at this rate xxx

kay- glad your not giving up- you sounded really gutted about the formula being given to me, and if you know you want to keep breastfeeding then go for it!! Do whatever it takes to get her off your back about his weight gain, and if your comfortable to give top-ups of formula to do this then do it... do try and give him as little bottle feeds as possible though to keep his BF latch strong and secure!! I'm sure one bottle feed a day would be enough to put on the extra weight she'll be looking for...

right i AM off now too... going to get an orange and then sort the kids out with a bath and bed before my soaps start!!

Just put a picture of Dylan on my profile.

Awww Kay he is just gorgeous!

It is sickening watching DH give him a bottle

Just a quickie..
I'm being sent for a Consultant appt on Monday because according to my notes I'm a bit behind with dates.
At 25 weeks I measured 23 cm, fair enough within the range.
At 28 weeks I measured 25 cm, so a little further behind, but early days, we won't get concerned yet.
Today at 32.5 weeks, measured 28 weeks, so now it's something to act on.

Does anyone know what will go on, be done on Monday, what to expect?

I haven't googled...that way madness (and paranoia) lies.

Sorry I'll try to catch up tomorrow.

Morning

Awww Kay, he is beautiful Doesn't he look like his brother?!

Sorky, the first thing they did after I was measuring small was a scan, I guess it would depend what that finds - if anything - as to what happens from there. Well done for not googling, it is a scary world out there!

You know the drill, it could be as simple as where the baby is led, or just that you are carrying smaller this time - it happens, with no reason behind it, just one of those things.

You've said yourself recently that you've been feeling really well, I tend to think that a lot of the time there are any problems, the mother doesn't feel well, it's as if they just know, and like I said to Tink, you've had practice at being pregnant, your body knows what to do, how to keep a baby healthy. The chances are everything is fine, and she is just being a little monkey. I know it is really difficult but try not to worry if you can help it at all, the stress won't do either of you any good.

Morning guys, sorry, big Kay posting....

Kay, if you don't like it, don't do it. Stick him on the boob every time he's awake for as long as he'll stay on - don't break him off. The twoddle she's told you about staying on too long is using his energy and stopping him gaining is exactly that - twoddle!

Plus, he's only just a week old, babies are expected to lose weight before they gain. There is nothing wrong with your milk, I'm sure that's probably rubbish too. Your MW sounds crap - thank god your real one is back on Monday. Hopefully she will be better. In the meantime this is the la leche league contact page, and as you probably know, I've sent you their phone number as a business card to your mobile phone so you don't even have to look it up. The number I've sent is for general enquiries and they will be able to talk you through what you are doing and give you real, professional up to date advice.

As I said last night, its really difficult to know if you want to be given the tools to fight and do the breastfeeding, which can be hardwork when you're already a bit run down...or say, you know what, i did good, i fed him exclusively for the first week or so of his life and got as much goodness as I can give.

I just know how determined you were to BF DS2 so don't want you to look back with regret - there's nothing wrong with FF, you know that, I know that, we all do - so this isn't some kind of campaign to say otherwise, I just want you to have the support that you are entitled to.

HTH x

Oh blimey, he's gorgeous! Sooo munchable.

I want a cuddle

Wish I was closer to you

Sorky, hope everything works out OK, I'll be thinking of you over Christmas!

Kay, I've just read through your BF/FF thread and am quite relieved to see all the advice from here and from our conversation reiterated by them - the most important message that keeps being said time and again, is to contact someone professional, will you please just give the LLL a call today for me and let me know what they say?

Morning,

I have had a awful night. I've been up all night. He has just seemed hungry all night. Been mainly having breastmilk but did have about 1oz of formula. I am really annoyed with DH as he just sleeps through it all. And guess which idiot is downstairs with both boys and who is in bed!!!!

I have decided to do what the MW says. BF and then top up with formula. He still seems to latch on ok, I just need to train him to keep his arms still as he still pushes the breast away. She did say that within a couple of weeks we should be able to withdraw the formula altogether unless we don't want to, so as long as he still latches on quite well I'm going to do that.

DS1 is a little bit funny of DS2 having a bottle. He thinks they are all his and crying for a bottle when DS2 has one. Which ok in the morning and at bedtime but I don't know about during the day.

DS1 has just made me an apple and milk combo. He wanted an apple so I cut one up for him and he has mixed it with his milk and wants me to eat it. Move over Jamie Oliver!!

LaTour, thanks for everything. You have been a wonderful friend to me!!!

Sorky, hope everything is ok. Believe me measurements mean nothing. I measured spot on all the way through and look how big DS2 was. Also I measured big for DS1 for most of my pregnancy and he was 7lb 2oz.

Morning all!

Am sat in bed posting via my phone. Just typed out a mega post and lost it so trying again but may post in parts to make sure I don't overload my phone!

Kay - sorry you didn't have such a good night. DS2 is absolutely gooorgeeoouus! I showed the piccie to DH and told him that he was our first baby from the group (he wouldn't understand wagon!) I think it helped make everything seem even more real to him! As for feeding, as someone with no experience, it seems that the advice on here is pretty good and I still stick by what I said the other day. I do know that pretty much everyone I know that has BF has found it has challenges and you are doing really well. I was very when I read about your MW. If you choose to FF as it's right for you, that's absolutely fine but I can't believe a MW can pressurise someone to go out there and then for FF!!

Kay, have you learnt how to feed led down? You don't sleep as such but at least you are getting rest which is better than nothing. I think I said in the week, if he has dropped feeds in the day he will make up for it in the night, as a rule of thumb he should be feeding at least every 3 hours in the day, that will give him the best chance of going longer at night, but as with everything, it doesn't always go to plan.

I am sure you will do what's best for all of you re. the top ups, just don't feel badly about it. And FGS get upstairs and get your DH up, even if you think you won't sleep, don't let him get away with it!

Really hope between all of us you find the solutions, it is so difficult but keep looking at the good sides, you have two beautiful boys, you are capable of BF, you know that, you've done it, you're doing it, life will calm down in the next couple of weeks, and DS1 will soon get to the point where he can't remember it just being him, and that is when he will settle down. T'is the good thing about the smaller age gaps, they can't remember what it was like before for long.

You are doing so well, rest when you can, feed at every opportunity, just do anything you can to get through the next couple of weeks and things will seem much brighter (oh and remind me of all of this in a couple of weeks when I am going through it!)

Sorky - well done on not googling! From my limited knowledge, I'm sure these measurements only give a very vague guide and hopefully Monday will show she's just being a pickle.

LaTour - glad you're now stitch free! I think you said you're going away for Christmas? so have a fab time!

NJ - this time next week you'll have DS3!!

Morning Ses

Yep, with any luck, he should be here by this time next week, with lots and lots of luck, we may even be waiting to be discharged which would be wonderful! Fingers and toes and everything but my legs crossed we are waiting to be discharged, he won't need all the tiny supplies, and heat lamps and feeding tubes and all the rest of it, I am staying positive, we'll be sat moaning about the doc taking too long to come round. Positive, positive, positive!

Dress shopping and meet up in Farnham sounds good just not sure if I've got time in time for do on 10th Jan! I only have Christmas Day and Boxing Day off work and am then on call Sat 27th and back to work and am working Sat 3rd too!
Maybe we'll just have to organise a meet up anyway!

This morning I'm off to the farmers market with mum again. Hope to get all the veg for Christmas Day. I'm sure if I store it in the garage it'll be fine.

Then must:
Clean bathroom
Sweep kitchen and dining room floors
Washing
Ironing - there's a huge pile
Dusting & hoovering
Start wrapping presents!

DH has placed 3 wrapped presents under the tree for me He's getting worried that there's nothing there for him yet!

We'll get a wagon positive thinking/vibe going for you NJ!

Right, should get up as picking mum up at 9.30! Am getting really fed up now with the remains of this flu - have my electric vaporizer on as still thick phlegm in head and on chest. I want to be able to detatch myself from my box of tissues!

Ses, you take it easy! You need your rest.

Erm... what's ironing? Never heard of it....

Though the rest of it is my list for today, plus, DS1 has a party this afternoon (1-5pm - bliss!! The girls mum must be mad, 40+ kids in a hall, for a disco/entertainer/buffet type thing, crazy loony tune if you ask me!) we still need to nip to Preston to get the rest of the clothes, (oh yes Glask, I forgot to answer you, I did mean Preston, Lancs! T'is only half an hour away, if that!) I am finally going to get round to clearing out the play room, I have no choice, if it's not done today, it won't be done and then we will be in a right mess come xmas day! And I don't think doing it on boxing day will be an option!

Also, DH is working this morning, on call this afternoon, I've only wrapped about 7 pressies, about 50 to go.... he's on call tomorrow as well, I am too tired to do it at night so am going to lock myself in our room tomorrow and do them tomorrow.

No rest for the wicked hey?!

He is up now. I rang his mobile!![lazy smiley]

We do feed lying down sometimes, but he will hardly ever latch on like that. But when he does its great.
One of the biggest problems is that he pushes my breast away with his hand, 9 times out of 10 he doesn't even get my breast anywhere near his mouth. So its been a bit of a 2 man job, DH holds his arm still and then I get him to go on. MW said I need to train him to keep it still but not sure how. Do I get treats and a whistle and train him how you'd train a dog to sit???

LOL Kay, he'll get there, without a whistle and treats! Babies need to learn how to BF just as much as we need to. (I know I am harping back to it again but..) that is what annoys me about the whole 'it's simple and natural' thing, it bloody well isn't, and it gives people a very wrong idea of it.

Have you tried swaddling him while he feeds?

Oh and FWIW, when he is 'pushing' you away, it is more likely that he is trying to grab you to get his latch, but obviously he won't have the motor skills to actually do that yet.

And I hope DH is suitable ashamed! I'd be demanding tea and toast, even if I didn't want tea and toast!

Yeah, he hates it. Its the only time he really cries badly is when his arms are swaddled.

I think if all MWs said the same thing it would really help, but when 4 MWs tell you 4 different things it just gets a bit confusing.

The problem is is that either one of the 4 could be right, it all depends on the people they are telling, everyone does it differently. There are no hard set rules, it is about finding what is right for you, and what is right for you won't be right for the next person.

It is all trial and error until you hit the jackpot, it will happen, it just takes time. And in fact it might not even just 'click' into place, it could just be that you wake up one day and realise that it is working.

Simple and natural, my arse!! (Anyone else looking forward to the Royle Family xmas special? LOL)