Due May '09, a Spangle-tastic start, who will be next....anyone, anyone........?

[Grumpyoldcaaaaaaaa]

Starting new thread ladies, in honour of Spangle.

The problem with underwired nursing bras is that they can damage your milk ducts and then you end up with a blocked duct or mastitis. That's why they're always wireless. If you get a good one they've got decent support and lift too I found. I had the elle McPherson ones before.

jael - I'm not expressing at all either, and not BF DD any more. I've only just started leaking, and even then it's only a drop or two; and tbh I'm pretty unlikely to do any expressing as well, mostly because I'm lazy and (maybe falsely? who knows) assuming that it'll be ok when LO arrives. When I was pregnant with DD, I didn't leak at all until my milk came in after she was born. I think with the expressing pre-birth sometimes it's recommended that women do it for a reason (for example GD), others do it as Frazz says to get the supply going, but a lot of women don't and don't have any problems BF later on - there's no 'you should be doing it'.

Fi - glad your dad isn't hurt, and agree ambulance definitely the best option in the circumstances.

blotted - hope you get plenty of rest tonight and feel better soon - and get an answer as to what's going on.

I love Martha, that would be on my list for a girl if DD's name didn't begin with an M - I don't really want my children to have names beginning with the same initial. Strange, I know. Harriet is very pretty too. Liking Felix a lot, but slightly less keen on Rufus.

Pula - happy anniversary! Enjoy your take away.

Cote - after all you've said on here, I wonder too if you'd feel happier with a C-section? You'd be a lot more in control of the situation, although of course there is the downside of the recovery time. Will you get enough support?

belgian you just made me giggle about getting milk out of women who think they don't have any. When I had DD1 I was trying to hand express - nothing. The midwife said let me have a go, and immediately a huge jet of milk shot across the room. DH almost fainted in shock I think! I'd forgotten all about that.....

and that was only a couple of days after DH witnessed my waters breaking as DD1's head appeared - there was an enormous pop and a tidal wave (so he says, I can't remember) which shot out of me and hit the wall at the bottom of the delivery bed (very small room obviously) and soaked the midwife. Apparently he was quite alarmed. (again don't ask me, I was more alarmed by DD1's head emerging from my fou-fou!) Poor old DH, traumatised by seeing bodily fluids shooting out of me from various orifices (or should that be orifi??!) Hee hee.

I had the Anita underwired nursing bra (from Figleaves, and other places do it), and I loved it! I know the risks of the underwires, but waswilling to take the chance that I know what I'm doing with fitting myself for bras. The Anita wires seem to be shaped/angled differently to standard underwired bras. I had mastitis 3 times when I was feeding DD, but all three occurrences were before I got the Anita bra so can't have done too badly! The support and shape isn't as good as a non-nursing bra, but is infinitely better than nearly all other nursing bras.

flippineck jael I'm not expressing either. I bf twice with no trouble and no advance expressing, so can't see the point 3rd time around. I'm also too lazy . Laziness is actually the reason that I bf, can't be bothered to get up in the night to prepare a bottle. A few of us on here who are doing it regularly either have GD or I think, frazzled, is doing it because she had some trouble getting started last time and wants to see if it really is going to give baby more from the start this time around.

frazzled that jet of milk you're talking about makes me think of myself and my 'overactive let down'. I'm one of those women whose milk just sprays out and the dcs both used to splutter or get sprayed in the face at the start of a feed. Very embarrasing in public

frazzled I've learnt the hard way to always wear plastic aprons near labouring women whose waters are still intact. I've been covered in it before too and in other things as well, but I think it'll make people a bit faint so I wont go into it

Oh and just noticed pula happy anniversary and hope you're take away will be delicious.

I didn't express last time as such although I did try nip stim once I was in my due week to try and kick thngs off and I did leak a bit during that. It freaked me out. I had no problem with BF luckily so won't bother to express this time. I leaked enough in the 6 months after having DD to not want to start before I need to. I had to wear a bra, breast pads with flannels as reinforcement and a towel wrapped around me in bed and I still woke up soaking!!

Absolutely, I'm only doing it as a little experiment (for myself) as belgian says. This is no3 for me too and nobody has ever mentioned expressing prior to delivery to me before. Probably won't make any difference but I'm willing to give it a go.
belgian very jealous actually of your wild let down. At least you know you've got masses of milk. I always wonder if there's anything in there (never needed a breast pad in my life - well, only to put lansinoh on and stick in my bra, not for soaking up leakage of milk!) Maybe I should get some of that tea to encourage milk supply - I forget which it is?

belgian - laziness is definitely a big driver for me BF! BLW also works for me, can't be a*rsed with steaming and pureeing...

On the subject of leaking and expressing, despite breastfeeding for over 2 years and having norks the size of Wales, I've never noticed any leaking and only really used breastpads for the first few weeks. I binned them when I realised I wasn't actually leaking! I do remember leaking a lot at night during the first few weeks, while feeding off one side the other one would leak, but apart from that, no soggy patches on my tops. I think my norks must be rather effective storage vessels and DS an effective milk guzzler!

Flippi I also had the Anita nursing underwire and found it very comfy, I still wear it although I stopped feeding DD in Nov I had continued wear my nuring bras throughout this pregnancy as they are the right size and comfy.

This reminds me, must get a couple of decent feeding bras. Found one from last time around and it's so tatty I think I'll just bin it. [rolls eyes at yet more expense]
Oh goodee, an excuse to go and drool at the HotMilk stuff again (although HotMilk - who on earth thought of that, vile name - sounds like a dubious porn site!)

Evening all,

Eaten my chinese takeaway and now DH is revising and i am watching telly with my laptop.

I had a funny MW visit today. I felt a bit off today anyway (tired and weepy). Then MW found a trace of glucose in my urine but said she wasn't worried as it wasnt my first wee of the day and i'd eaten my breakfast. Then my bump had grown from 26cm at 28 weeks to 34 cm at 33 weeks so i started to worry about GD (silly i know). Then LO had a really fast HR and wasn't particularly active to me, and so she had to keep listening to see if it was going to calm down- think it dipped under 160 briefly... Then she said she might not see me again til after LO was here, which made me a bit anxious again!

Actually I had an overactive let down, but never leaked between feeds, so I never needed any breastpads either. Only time I ever leaked was at night, usually when the dcs went longer between feeds than usual. I always had visions of my own weight squeezing out the milk in my sleep. I used to sleep with folded muslin squares stuffed in a nursing bra and a bath towel underneath me to save the matress.

I am very of those with non-leaking norks. Mine have started to leak already and this will last until I stop BF. It's horrible and I hate it, especially when I have super-large norks anyway, I could do without it. I also have massive let down like Belgian which is quite shocking to see at first I often ended up squirting milk up the nose and into the eyes of DD2 (didn't manage to BF DD1) to start with

I am really looking fwd to using the Anita bras this time as I am really hoping it provides more support than the cr*p nursing bras I used last time which gave a lovely mono-boob look !

Oh look - I'm complaining and moaning again. Sorry. Mental note - must cheer up

pula maybe she said that because she's going on her hols now 34cm at 33 weeks doesn't sound too much and a trace of glucose is neither here nor there. If it was a couple of plusses that would be a different matter. Try not to worry yourself.

Right, nearly time for Heroes. So I'm going to make my way to the sofa now. That'll take me 5 minutes and some pain, not due any co-codamol yet though, only last took it at 5pm. Big sigh, bring on the birth...

tummum - you are absolutely completely and utterly entitled to complain about the mono-boob. Definitely not a good look.

oh the dreaded mono-boob look. Gross. Actually I'm wearing a sports bra today and am a bit mono-boob ish. Definately need to do some shopping....

come to think of it I must get my eyebrows waxed this week. I have a mono-brow to match my mono boob. Oh so attractive. (might get a bikini wax too if brave enough)

Thanks for the reminder Frazzled - gonna book my eyebrow wax for this week now that I am on ML but def. not brave enough for any other waxing in inaccessible areas as I am too cowardly...

Thanks Belgian- you are always the voice of reason and sense! I think my MW said there was no point seeing me at 36 weeks as i see the consultant then and then she wasn't sure she'd see me after that, as it would depend on when i go in for my cs.

As for leaky boobs and overactive letdown- these are the main reasons i don't really enjoy bf. If i don't have a breastpad/shell i leak a few oz of milk whilst LO feeds off the other boob, so when i have been out and about without supplies, I've had to stuff a muslin in my bra to avoid embarassment. My letdown was also very painful for the first few months too. Poor DD used to really struggle and pull off whilst milk shot out (so quite often i'd express and bottle feed to help her) but DS was good at gulping it all down (thankfully). I think i have been leaking as i get tingly nipples now and again, and i also get (TMI alert) crusty yellow stuff in my nipples . I haven't felt the need to encourage milk supply yet, but may do when i get to 37 weeks. I also took fenugreek capsules now and again with DS when I found i wasn't expressing as much as i needed for his bottles for nursery etc but if anyone is tempted to take this to boost supply, make sure you build up gradually- it really does work and i built up quite a freezer stock!

pula can you take the fenugreek caps while still pg do you know to build up colostrum supply pre-delivery?
[am i getting obsessed by this?]

about all the expressing malarkey! I've only managed to get a drop the size of a pin head out, and that was after a mega squeeze.

Spent all day behind the desk at work. Really, really uncomfy. Bloody heating is still on at work, and am beginning to get a bit breathless and pant-y. (nothing to do with the gusset pants thing - YUCK!) My consultant is giving me a never-ending list of jobs to do, as I know he wants me to get tons in before I go, but am beginning to feel swamped and stressed. Was a bit teary when I got in, and felt extremely heffalump like. Dp now wants me to start mat leave a week earlier than planned - which manager says I can do. This would mean Friday next week!! Shall I, shall I?!! He just wants me to sit on the sofa with my feet up trying to knit and watch all my tosh on Sky plus (mostly the Thorn Birds!) Omg, what could be more blissful.....