Officially blooming part 2

[blue76]

Thought I'd start a new thread as there were only 3 posts left!

i know what you mean about the tape thing blue. can be just so perky after bfing ds! don't think i need any tweaking for this one ...

Apparently nipple stimulation can help produce the hormone needed for labour. Some ladies on the other threads have even used their breast pumps to bring on contractions!

Ok so I am getting paranoid that I wont be able to breastfeed. I have really small boobs and they have not grown at all. Plus I I have really tiny nipples and can't see how a baby is going to be able to latch on to anything. I am worrying about everything at the mo. So emotional - ahhhhhhhh.

Nitnat it doesn'tmatter how big your boobs are. Your body will produce enough milk for baby as long as you allow it to suckle when he/she needs to. They will produce milk in response to the baby trying to feed and it is difficult to start with because you only have colustrum for the first 2/3 days and baby is really hungry so hey can cry alot (in my experience). It takes a little while for the supply/demand to settle down but its worth the perseverance. Once your milk comes in on day 3 your boobs will be huge believe me!

LOL! christmas baubles = nipple tassels!! Only a man would think of it!

Thanks for the advice LJ, was worried about boob size as well.
Nipples on the other hand, well, I think I'm going to need some sort of pad when I go into maternity bras as they dont seem to come in padded varieties and I'm going to get a lot of looks!!

Glad the sickness has gone Audrey, you've had a pretty rough time up til now - fingers crossed it stays away and you get some energy back as well! x x

Never go from 8am til 1pm without food... not good! I have to eat every 1-1.5 hours, but left the house and brain behind this morning and didn't take provisions...have learnt from my mistake!

Thanks LJ- I am so paranoid. Just want everything to go smoothly. 11 weeks to go tomorrow 3 weeks of work left- yipee.

yep, you'll be fine with bf. breast size and shape doesn't matter at all. however i recommend to everyone to write down the numbers of the breastfeedng helplines so you can pester them with any issues/ questions in the early days. they really are such a great tool.

thanks Audrey - hope mine goes away too!

What Audreyraines really means is that bf can actually be hard work (esp. at the beginning) and a lot of women give up because they don't have the right support so having those numbers on hand will help you when you feel at the end of your tether. Of course, some women take to it like a duck to water and never have any problems at all.

28+4 and in a few hours it'll be 28+5. Almost 29 weeks. I hope baby hangs on for another week at least. Still, have my bag packed just in case.

Hi,

I miss a few days and there's so much to catch up on, ladylush - so sorry to hear about your scare, I hope you are still doing well and everyone is still looking after you.

28 weeks yesterday, so under 11 weeks to go now (determined that I won't go overdue, lol!!) Have had no leaky breasts, is that normal? Pantyliners are a must though and the hot weather and extra LG growth isn't helping to the general yucky feeling!!

Had a bit of nausea recently, just put it down to the heat and always being so bloody tired, have been quite snappy with DH this weekend, which is the first time really so he should consider himself lucky

Back is hurting so much, across the shoulders, it really gets me down as I can't get comfortable. Oh and have been referred for physio for the hip pain caused by the car crash.

Still in general things are going ok so should count my blessings, hope all are well xx

Maybe we should have a bf thread in a few weeks [when we finally meet our babies]

nitnat I was a 34A/small B cup when pg with DD1. I gradually grew and when she was born I was a 36DD. I bf her for 15 months. As soon as I stopped, I became pg again. Bf DD2 for 17 months. When I stopped my boobs shrank to a 34AA. To cut a long story short, they were in such a state I ended up opting for breast augmentation.

daffodilli you could always pad your maternity bras out with breast pads! Though I can assure you that if you're planning on bf then you won't need padding!

ladylush I'm glad to hear your LO is still hanging on in there. It must be worrying. Have you started to grow again yet?
I agree with you re bf support. I had my mum pushing me when it got me down, but after a couple of weeks all was good. I'm really lazy and can't imagine having to sterilise and prepare bottles, not to mention getting up in the middle of the night!
One absolutely huge tip I can offer is one which most of you have probably heard of. When I gave birth to DD1, I was very tired and didn't try bf her for a couple of hrs. Getting her latched on was very difficult. The ward sisters were a fantastic help.
When pg with DD2, I read that you should put them to the breast within half an hr of delivery. WELL - I put her on as soon as she appeared and she latched on straight away. No probs at all.

Long post and I really hope I don't sound like a know-it-all - just thought I'd share my experiences... especially as they were fairly positive ones!

Just for another bf experience and to help with the expect anything thinking.. My milk never came in with DS. On the plus side I never had any pain or problems with engorgement or leaking but it did mean I had to resort to formula. I didn't have any support.

I ended up pumping to get my supply going but was a bit scared to do it to start with as I wasn't sure if things were just delayed and I was going to cause a bigger problem. DS wasn't interesting in bf by that time (I think about a week or so). He got to the stage he was having expressed milk for all feeds. So I was happier with that, though exhausted from pumping. DH got to help with feeding which was great and sped up their bonding.

I stuck with trying DS at the breast but as it didn't start instantly he wasn't interested, had a bit of comfort at the end of feeds. Then one day he stuck with it a little longer, his suck was stronger and we were away. Ended up bf until about 10 mths.

Blue- so did u gradually grow through the preg or after the baby was born?

Nitnat - I grew a little bit when I was pg, but mainly after baby was born. Then the more she fed, the bigger I got.

Hi all
I am off to the Antenatal appointment this morning. I am not sleeping because my bump is so massive it hurts to lie down. 29 weeks this week so if they are hatched at 38 weeks that makes 9 weeks to go! It can't come quicker- it is a real effort now even to get up the stairs .
Don't worry about the small boobs both my sister-in-law (ex) and mother-in-law (ex) used to take the mickey out of my fried eggs but I was the only one of us who managed to breastfeed my children, even if it was only for 3 months as I found it hard to juggle with work.
I will consider the total reworking of my body after twins have ravaged it though .

should have read breast fed their children not mine....oh you know what I mean.

That's really amazing Ticklist - you must have been really determined, well done to you.

I had a lot of trouble breastfeeding for the first few months. My experience seems kind of extreme, most people probably sort it within a week or two. But thanks to excellent support from breastfeeding groups, an NCT bf counsellor and a lactation consultant, we got there, and we finished around 20 months.

i'll look up all the BFing helpline numbers and post them here when i've got a moment, then you can just write them down. Also ask around if there are any BFing support groups near you. They are generally excellent social groups for making friends even if you find you don't really need any help with BFing per se.

I agree that I'm too lazy to sterilise bottles, it was one of the main incentives for me not to give up in the early days!

My cup size has been all over the place. Was 34D, and got measured the other day and am now 34F. That was the size bra i was wearing when BFing before, so I hate to think what my boobs are going to enlarge to this time!

I've got 10 weeks and 2 days to go to official due date, but am hoping for earlier (as ds was 2 weeks early). [fingers crossed]

Hello!

Ladylush, I really hope that the baby can hang on inside for as long as possible. Fingers crossed for you!

WRT breastfeeding, I wanted to echo what the others have said. Also for the first few weeks have a muslin or something to hand as when the baby feeds off one side the other boob squirts milk across the room. Its all glamour being a mum! Do make full use of helplines and clinics as pps have said, I didn't until ds was 3 weeks, by then our problems were well set in and didn't go for another 8/9 weeks.

I hope everyone is managing to enjoy the weather. Ds and I are a bit fed up with it, me being fat and uncomfortable, and him because he is a very warm child anyway, so sweats so much in the heat. I dread going to the park (his favourite haunt) its like torture running after him in the sun! Might have to book a last minute 'summer' holiday to Iceland or something.

29 weeks today. I want this baby to hang on as long as poss as I have a course to finish and a driving test to take in early September. Cutting it a bit fine I know but ds was 9 days late so I expect the same again!

Hi all

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you Ladylush, here's hoping that your baby hangs on as long as possible.

Has anyone been watching the Glastonbury coverage? I was watching last night and the baby was kicking along... she particularly seems to like The Prodigy

We've had a move round at work and I'm now in an office without air con... I thought it would be hell but I'm sitting right next to an open door and we have a fan in the corner, there's a breeze blowing through and it's lovely and cool.

I breastfed dd without too many problems. I have very big boobs with south pointing nipples so was advised to prop them up with a flannel so dd could latch - that worked a treat. Makes discreet breastfeeding interesting though

Ladylush - that sounds awful, you poor thing.

How's everyone coping with the heat? I've had to leave work today and work from home as the office was so hot.
Anyone any tips?

Yes im suffering with it too.
And it doesnt help I'm soo bloody tired & irritable! I work in an office with no air con and even though the windows are open theres no air movement to its hot and sticky.

the heat is really difficult. i was sitting with my feet in ice water last night as i was so hot. another prob is that i drink a lot of iced water, but then need to go to the bathroom every 2 minutes.
when i was pregnant with ds, i used to carry around frozen bottles of water everywhere and sip them as they melted. am just trying to lie low and close the curtains and lie down in the middle of the day, and stay in the shade with ds in the morning and late afternoon.

SCORCHIO!!! !

Cold showers and ice water...bliss!

I am melting.

we need litres and litres of icecream NOW!