A few questions - no-one else to ask please help

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whyme2 · 25/03/2010 09:32

1, I didn't see any milk until day two after the birth for all of mine (have 4)

2, don't know sorry.

3, there will be blood, but each time is different, personally I found a shower better than a bath. i hated having to sit in a hard bath on very tender neither regions.

4, braxton hicks can be anything from general aches to muscle tightenings with no pain to feeling like proper contractions.

5,I've had experience of the dribbling kind - it did feel a bit like a wee except you have absolutely no control over it. Have also had the gush everywhere breakage.

hth and good luck.

Loopymumsy · 25/03/2010 09:35

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notnowbernard · 25/03/2010 09:36

Hi

I didn't get leaking breasts before birth. A few drops if I squeezed. The colostrum and milk supply is stimulated by the baby sucking

Not sure about Q2 as I bf

Yes, there is a lot of blood (but it always looks like loads in water, doesn't it? If you feel up to it (i.e not too tired/dizzy/unsteady) a shower might make you feel more 'refreshed' and clean, as it were. Have your partner in the bathroom with you to support if necessary (is what I did). Don't be alarmed by the amount of blood initially, it is normal (was for me both times, anyway)

Don't know about waters breaking as I don't know when mine went - was in the pool from about 5cm onwards both times so could have happened and I wouldn't have known. HTH

Good luck

tapeworm · 25/03/2010 09:39

1, My breasts didn't leak when I was pg. Milk came in about day 3-4.

2, don't know either.

3, I don't remember filling the bath with blood but maybe I have blanked it out. I prefered baths to showers as I was so tired I didn't want to stand up and the water from the shower hurt my boobs.

4, my braxton hicks were tightenings across my bump and proper contractions started in my lower back

5,I've had gushing and waters broken by mw during labour. I don't know about the dribbling kind

notnowbernard · 25/03/2010 09:39

Oh, Braxton HIcks - for me, mildly uncomfortable tightening of the whole bump (esp low down) that last for about a minute. Totally manageable

A contraction is painful, you need to breathe through it and focus etc. A strong one, you have to stop what you're doing until it passes, IYGWIM.

xkaylax · 25/03/2010 09:47

1/ My breasts aren't leaking as such yet (v small amount appears in hot bath) when will this happen? mine didn't hardly while i was pg and when i had my ds bf was fine i hardly leaked after i had my ds to be honest but a guess all ppl are different just make sure you have plenty of breast pads
.2/ If I choose not to or have problems breast feeding when will my milk 'dry up'. its usually about 3 days or a week i think
3/ About bathing after giving birth - a friend has scared me by saying 'next time I will shower as it took 3 baths for it not to look like it was water not blood' logically I know that there will be blood and gore just trying to prepare myself and see if this again is 'normal'. i bled loads and i had a bath after i dont remember it being like this
4/ What do Braxton Hicks feel like? and how do I tell the difference? i dont remember having braxton hicks when i thought i did i was in labour i do remember having a strange tightening sensation across the top of my stomach the last couple of weeks pg
5/ MW has confused me by saying sometimes when waters break it just feels like you need a wee and this could continue throughout the day. How do I tell the difference Im constantly running to the loo! Did you all know when your waters broke? i cant answer this because i had my waters broke after being in labour for ages
i just would try not to worry about all this it all feels like a blur going through it anyway and everything happens naturally e.g bf so try not to worry x

xkaylax · 25/03/2010 09:47

1/ My breasts aren't leaking as such yet (v small amount appears in hot bath) when will this happen? mine didn't hardly while i was pg and when i had my ds bf was fine i hardly leaked after i had my ds to be honest but a guess all ppl are different just make sure you have plenty of breast pads
.2/ If I choose not to or have problems breast feeding when will my milk 'dry up'. its usually about 3 days or a week i think
3/ About bathing after giving birth - a friend has scared me by saying 'next time I will shower as it took 3 baths for it not to look like it was water not blood' logically I know that there will be blood and gore just trying to prepare myself and see if this again is 'normal'. i bled loads and i had a bath after i dont remember it being like this
4/ What do Braxton Hicks feel like? and how do I tell the difference? i dont remember having braxton hicks when i thought i did i was in labour i do remember having a strange tightening sensation across the top of my stomach the last couple of weeks pg
5/ MW has confused me by saying sometimes when waters break it just feels like you need a wee and this could continue throughout the day. How do I tell the difference Im constantly running to the loo! Did you all know when your waters broke? i cant answer this because i had my waters broke after being in labour for ages
i just would try not to worry about all this it all feels like a blur going through it anyway and everything happens naturally e.g bf so try not to worry x

ToccataAndFudge · 25/03/2010 09:53

My breasts only leaked when I had DS3, actually no they didn 't leak, they leaked for England - only after he was born and feeding established though

DS1 I breastfed for 14 months, and my milk dried up about 2 weeks later. DS2 wasn't breastfed (well I tried for about 5 days, but my milk had come in but just wouldn't "let down! and I quit.........my milk dried up about 6 months later! .DS3 I breastfed for about 4/5 months and they took about 1 month to dry up

No it wasn't very pretty. But just sitting in the nice warm water was a relief and helped soothe the sore aching bits. I did have a quick shower as well after DS3 just to get "clean", but tbh you'll probably be knackered and a bath you can just sit there and go "OMG" without worrying about staying upright

ermm wrong person to ask, I didn't think I was in labour with DS3 until I was examined and told I was 3cm (and it was quck after that)

I had Niagara Falls with DS1, dribbles with DS2 (but I could tell it was waters - they didn't smell, and it was every time I moved), DS3 I was sat on a birthing ball about 1 hour before he was born and said "my waters have gone"......... MW and doula both looked and said "no can't see anything"

No - my waters really have gone - I'm sure of it.

A little while later I wanted to get onto the bed and I was right - once the dint in the ball where I was sat on it bounced back up as I stood up I flooded the floor

nubbins · 25/03/2010 09:58

not daft questions at all!

I have never leaked much milk before the birth.

I breastfed/expressed for 7 weeks with my first and the milk dried up pretty quick when I had finished, a couple of weeks I think. I stopped BF my second 14 months ago and didn't dry up totally until I was about 5 months pregnant. I think it varies dramatically.

had flannel washes both time after labour and a bath the next day. There was not loads of blood and gore. In fact I would say no gore at all.

my braxton hicks were sometimes strong enough to stop me talking/walking/thinking. The real thing is when the contractions get stronger and don't go away after a while.

my waters dribbled for 2 days, it was like losing control of my bladder. It didn't feel like I needed a wee, just that i was constantly doing one! my first waters had to be broken while i was in labout and that felt like having a jug of warm water poured on my bed.

Original poster

Bondwife · 25/03/2010 10:09

Thank you so much everyone for your promp and honest replies I feel much better about everything now x

OP posts:

missedith01 · 25/03/2010 10:15

I'm a day overdue and my boobs haven't done anything untoward yet ... I suspect it varies from person to person!

Braxton-Hicks are very variable. I had a few early on and they felt like very strong tightening of the whole abdominal area - enough to wake me up and get me out of bed. I'm getting little ones now which feel not unlike a strong movement from the baby. You can tell them from labour because they aren't regular and don't build and I believe if you get up and move around they ease pretty quick, whereas a genuine contraction will last as long as it lasts.

My experience of waters breaking was a gush followed by a lot of dribbles. The only way I could tell the diff was that, if you're having a wee it's usually possible to stop the flow, whereas if you're losing amniotic fluid there's nothing you can do about it, it just comes! This doesn't help to distinguish it from stress incontinence though, sorry! I think amniotic fluid is supposed to have a particular smell, isn't it, so the midwives can tell what is what?

LoveBeingAMummy · 25/03/2010 10:19

1/ I had a tiny amount before hand if i squeezed, but that scared me so i stopped

2/ Everyne is slightly different i think but the best thing i think is not to squeeze to check!

3/ I was only offered a shower, I was more worried about not falling over as was knacked. My advice is just like alton towers, don't look down, I asked my mw after a checkup how things were down there and she tld me to look

4/ tbh you really will know the difference. BH feel a bit like when you have an orgasm, your tummy will go hard and tight. Labour ones start like people describe period pains and come in waves and then get stronger and stronger.

5/ Mine went pop, i was in the bath and heard it, after i had got out and got dry the rest came out and it was a gush. Your waters might not even go befre you get to hospital, and they are meant to have a smel about them.

hth

Rycie · 25/03/2010 10:21

Hi Bondwife,

One thing I want to add is that although terrifying, remember that the birth will be over (in all likelihood) in one day. It always helped me to keep that in mind, because we tend to focus so heavily on it - yet it will begin and end even before you know it so try not to make it too much of a "mental mountain" to climb. It is damn sore, but you're expecting that, plus don't forget you get breaks inbetween contractions where you don't feel any pain at all.

I didnt' have braxton hicks at all, no milk leaking and my waters broke in the middle of the night. I woke up to find myself wet, and stupidly I thought I'd somehow wet my pants - I know someone else who had the exact same thing. Good luck!

SPBInDisguise · 25/03/2010 10:23

There are lots of positive childbirth threads as well if you are interested
Good luck!

Original poster

Bondwife · 25/03/2010 17:45

Thanks again everyone - feel much more relaxed after everyones replies. It was also nice to know that I wasn't being daft and that no-one thought I was being silly. I have found some poss child birth threads and they have been quite helpful.

Thanks again

OP posts:

Lobelia · 25/03/2010 19:15

Hiya Bondwife!

I just had my little boy in late november, and am just turned 37 and was a first timer. Like you, I was very worried, not knowing exactly how things were meant to play out, and the experience seemed to vary so much from person to person!

I was shocked at how once things get moving, your instinct just kind of kicks in and you go from there. I had back to back labour as well. Just go with it, and don't be afraid to speak up and tell people what you need. I don't think there ended up being one single thing on my birth plan that I followed, including the hospital where I delivered, but everything worked out fine. From about 36 weeks onward, the anticipation makes everything seem so dire, but once the ball is rolling, it happens more quickly than you can imagine. Even if you have a long labour, more than likely it's not going to last more than one tiny day out of your life. Your little baby in your arms afterward makes all the worries that you have less significant and instinct tends to take over.

I didn't leak at all until after my DS was born, though I had some kind of crustiness (for lack of a better word) around my nipples at times from about 8 months onward.

My braxton hicks contractions sometimes got a little painful, but nothing like the real thing. I could feel my lower tummy area tightening whereas my active labour contractions started in my back and tightened around to the front.

When my water broke, it was a lot! I had been leaking some fluid that was sweet smelling that day, and went in to have it checked, and at 10pm that night it went. I was standing up and it gushed down my legs, just like in a film! My serious contractions started coming on about 20 mins after that, though I had been having less painful pre-labour contraction on an off before.

Keep in mind that if you have back to back labour that your contractions might not necessarily be as regular as the midwives think they should be. Let them know that the baby is sunny side up and don't let them turn you away to wait at home if you are not comfortable with that. I wish I had know that before I delivered. 'tis the reason I ended up delivering at a different hospital.

I took baths after the birth as they seemed the most soothing. Often putting sea salt in the bath as well as lavender oil. It was wonderfully relaxing! x

Allegrogirl · 25/03/2010 19:37

1/ My breasts aren't leaking as such yet (v small amount appears in hot bath) when will this happen? I know it is probably different for everyone but should it be before or after birth this happens.

I had no leaking at all prior to birth. BF for 8 months.

2/ If I choose not to or have problems breast feeding when will my milk 'dry up'.

A few weeks. Mainly leaked in the shower.

3/ About bathing after giving birth - a friend has scared me by saying 'next time I will shower as it took 3 baths for it not to look like it was water not blood' logically I know that there will be blood and gore just trying to prepare myself and see if this again is 'normal'.

Had showers at first and a couple weeks later baths with tea tree or lavender oil. There was a fair amount of blood when I showered but not that bad.

4/ What do Braxton Hicks feel like? and how do I tell the difference?

I don't know if I ever had any. Not that I was aware.

5/ MW has confused me by saying sometimes when waters break it just feels like you need a wee and this could continue throughout the day. How do I tell the difference Im constantly running to the loo! Did you all know when your waters broke?

I leaked slowly for 4 days then had to be induced as I don't go in labour. It started at night so I recommend sleeping on a thick towel just in case. I knew it was waters instead of wee as it smells different. I had no control over it and just wore maternity pads the whole time. I did not feel like needing a wee.