AUGUST 2010 - welcome to post-natal :o)

[CherryPie3]

I know I'm not around a great deal lately but we don't yet have a PN thread - so here we are.

Love to all xxx

:)

Big hugs for you Vix. Second whoever said speak to your midwife about your experience, talking about it will probably help a lot and validate the way you are feeling. When I was discharged from the midwife's care last week, she asked if I wanted to speak to anyone about the birth experience i.e counselling - mine went a bit tits up as well (nowhere near as bad as yours), but in my case I had really lovely staff which I think made the difference - everything was done calmly and explained to me and DH before they did anything (ambulance from home, syno drip, epidural, forceps - so not the hypnobirth/homebirth we had planned!)

Felicity and I went to our first baby and mums group yesterday - at 5 weeks she was a bit small to join in with the singing and playing with toys, so I mainly sat there gurning like an idiot hoping someone would take pity on me and start a conversation - which fortunately they did. It felt really good to talk to other mums and just be out of the house for a change of scenery. Have even signed up for a baby first aid course in November.

Bloody hell vix...horrific as so much of that could have been avoided. The enema, administering an epidural before the syntocinon went in (I was the complete opposite, I wanted to start the drip without pain relief & they were really strong for an epidural & I'm sooo glad I took their advice) & that downright nasty doctor. See how you feel in a few weeks but a chat with the midwife may be a good idea (or make things worse if they go on the defensive to try & cover their arses?).

Things improving here in Weehectorland since I've been following your stupendously wise words so thank you all so much. I took the antibiotics for mastitis (which is shifting), been following neenz 's 'if it cries, feed it' approach & trying not to get hung up about times of & between feeds & let go of my hang up about co-sleeping. And voilà, I have a happy baby! However, the main difference is probably in me...it was a fair point well made about basically giving up control but tbh ive pretty much been ok with that, the common denominator of hell has been constant pain - I could sit here for 14hrs just feeding it's been the nipple carnage that's the problem but I've finally invested in some Lansinoh & it appears to be helping a bit. DH also slept in a separate bed last night & went back to work today - sounds terrible but though I've been dreading it, I'm actually quite relieved to get started on carving out our regular 'week on' daily routine. (neenz my hubby is a skipper for CalMac - on the small vessels so not quite as grand as it sounds, he'd never refer to himself as Captain).

So, virtual red velvet cake & hugs all round today in celebration of normality here & love to however needs it today (let's face it, at least one of us will be having a day of it). Thanks again for your support, will echo Aussie in her sentiments that this thread has been the biggest help ever in becoming a new mum.

poor you vix, it's staggering how much care varies between hospitals/staff isn't it? I've been horrified by some of the experiences people have related. Glad you are both doing well now :) x

We're making progress with feeding. My supply is definitely increasing and he's had some longer periods of sucking before falling asleep. Still scared to latch him on without nipple shield - if he goes on wrong it takes me ages to get my finger into his mouth to release the suction and it kills!

Nights are a struggle at the mo, but almost more because of dh than Joel! Dh is great during the day - energetic, helpful, cheerful and supportive but at night he's lazy, grumpy and very slow on the uptake. I'm looking forward to when i can manage by myself at night so i don't have to interact with dh but we're not there yet. I've managed to keep my temper with him so far but not sure how much longer that will last :(

I've heard of projectile vomiting but the other day Joel did a projectile poo! Fortunately dh was changing him not me but he squirted poo more than a metre! and [eewww]

Marzi F did a projectile poo across the sofa yesterday, it went all over me, the change mat, the sofa throw, the cushion and my supersoft, handwash only throw All seems to have come up clean though (thank god!)

WeeHector i remember looking forward to when DH went back to work after having DD so that i could get on with real life. It seemed that we were living in an unreal bubble while he was off work. Bit different this time with 2 though, i am outnumbered!

I'll gladly take your red velvet cake and hugs weehector

thought everything was going super well, surviving second week with dh back at work, even managing a spot of housework...

until 2 hours ago

finished feeding G and lo and behold, that old familiar burning sensation started up in my left boob again looks like thrush is back

It's so bloody typical. Last night I skipped putting cream on my nipples because it had been 2 weeks since I'd last experienced any symptoms and I thought we were in the clear. If only I'd just slapped some bloody cream on...

hey ho. no pain on latching on yet though, so I guess that's a good sign??????

I am also in the 'glad DH went back to work' camp

Weehector, how fab that your LO is now such a happy bunny. i'm glad my cry = feed approach is working for a few people (me included .

Marzi big big well done on the BFing. Lansinoh is brill, the MWs gave me it on my 2nd day on pn ward with the twins and i am so glad cos i think my nipples would have been shredded without it. it should be mandatory that all bfing mums are given it in hospital!

dibby, baby groups are great and the more u go the more people u will meet and when you go every week u become a really familiar face and you'll find loads of people chat . it is quite scary tho at first isnt it wondering if anyone will talk to you!

Blueberries, is it too late to start using the cream now? Or will it already have gone to your LO?

have already started both of us back on cream thanks neenz

keep your fingers crossed for us!

Gosh Vix how nasty. I had a fairly traumatic birth in the end, though labour had been relatively OK. J would just not come down so after 4 hours of pushing his heart rate started really dropping and I was transfered to the labour ward (from birth centre) and delivered with ventouse (DH later told me this was because a doctor said 'we will just have to try this for now as there is no surgery free for a C section). I'd had local anesthetic on one side of my bits for the cut but then had 3 2nd degree tears too so when they started stitching those further from the cut it hurt like hell but as soon as I screemed they appologised and put in more anesthetic.

I had horrible flash backs for the first couple of days too but it's all faded now. I can only recomend talking about as much of it as you feel able for now. At first I found it hard to talk about it at all as it brought on the flash backs but it got easier and I feel fine now. I would definately have taken up the hospital staff on thier offer to go back later and talk through the birth if I wasn't OK with it all now though. Definately worth it if it's available for you and you have questions, even if the flash backs stop.

Thought my nipples had recovered but recked my right one again yesterday when J had a coffing fit whilst feeding but refused to let go of my boob. Back to nipple sticking to breast pad, ouch!

just a quick post.... aaarrrrggghhhhh my angel wont stop crying... finally get her to sleep then wakes 5-10mins later n cries some more :(
wish i knew why :(

blueberries I hope the thrush goes quickly for you. Are you still taking probiotics?

vix that sounds horrible, you poor thing! I'm glad you sound more positive now though and congrats on your LO :)

Is anyone using washable breast pads? and if so what do you use? I never leaked with DD but I keep leaking this time - so irritating!

I've still not had a painfree feed and Sam's 6.5 weeks old. My right side is still blistered and I've had the latch checked over and over again, he's not tongue-tied, I don't have thrush anymore so I've got no idea how to get rid of this pain...so frustrating cos I'd love to feed him without having to grit my teeth, curl my toes and suck the roof of my mouth like crazy.

chulita i'm afraid my solution is painkillers- i take ibuprofen or paracetamol about 3 times a day and it means i can feed pain free. i suppose it's not a long term solution, but things seem to be easing (touch wood). Do take painkillers if it hurts that much.

I went shopping on Oxford St today with J in the sling - it was good to get out, and we met my cousin for a coffee and a friend for lunch! very civilised! It took a few stops on the tube home before I got offered a seat though, grr.

blueberries so sorry to hear about the thrush, poor thing.

smiler no real advice, sorry! Do you think it could be colic? It sounds awful! Maybe try to speak to your gp or hv.

Projectile poo? Eek! We only have a dirty nappy about once every 5-7 days so they are truly epic, but i haven't yet experienced projectile poo!

Chulita why not start a thread about it? Someone is bound to have some suggestions.

I am still not pain free feeding, but it is bearable, more like pressing on a bruise constantly iyswim? Hurts a fair bit as he gets a mouthful, then the bruiselike pain.

I am using washable breastpads. I got a pack of Avent ones and they are lovely and soft and come with a decent bag to wash them in, but are fairly thick so have to be careful what you wear, and some boots own ones which are not as thick but come with a tiny rubbish washing bag.

Gotta go, F grumping....

Enster my babies have always pooed at every feed so I am always at babies who only go once a week! (altho it is common I'm told)

FloweryBoots, are you a namechanger? I am very at 'there is no surgery free for section'. You must be glad now that you didn't have one though.

Smiler, it's awful when you can't settle them. Have you heard of the Dr Karp Five Ss technique? Try searching for it on YouTube. outline here

Chulita are you using Lansinoh or anything?

I'm using Lansinoh and taking paracetamol after every feed, I've had the breastfeeding coordinator check the latch twice now and she said that I'd probably just have to wait til he's grown a bit bigger. He's a big boy, I must just have odd shaped nipples It took 8 weeks to be painfree with DD so I'll just have to stick it out I think, so crap.

I was looking at the Medela pads, might give them a go cos most of my tops are quite tight so you'd most likely notice thick ones.

emster what sling have you got?

morning all. have had no internet since monday so congrats to all the new deliveries since then

On advice of gp I have only been giving Tilly the hypoallergenic formula this week and expressing my milk to see if her skin improves.

Lo and behold her skin looks loads better, I think my milk is drying up though.. I expressed on electric pump for a total of over an hour yesterday and produced only just over 1oz..

My boobs are not hurting in a full up way even though I have been expressing 3 times a day, one being first thing in the morning when there should be more.

Anyway will continue with this for another few days then go back to bfing and give her the expressed milk (the week's total is unlikely to even make up 2 of the 5oz feeds she drinks) and re assess her skin then.

Dd1 started ballet this week very sweet, she turns 3 tomorrow then has her joint party on saturday with dd2 who is 2 on monday.

Hectic..

Morning all :)

I have been meaning to post for ages, hope you are all well, & the babies of course! Congratulations to everyone!

Dont think I ever told my birth story- I was booked in to be induced on the sunday morning, on the sat night I had a show & a few crampy pains & so called the hospital & they agreed to wait & see if things started naturally, plus they were too busy & didnt have a bed for me anyway!

So I started having mild contractions around 11am, put my tens on straight away, by 5pm they were getting more painful, about 11pm I really wanted gas & air! I called hospital & again they said they were too busy & try & stay at home longer so I got in the bath & it helped so much (I was planning on using the pool at hospital if it was available)

I stayed in the bath the rest of the evening, rang hospital a few more times & they kept saying to stay at home longer, they finally let me go in just after 3am & at last I had some gas & air!

Baby Sofia arrived at 4am, weighing 8lb5oz.

I was so proud of myself for managing with just gas & air! It was so much better than my ds birth, with him I had a very long labour, had epidural, ventouse delivery, lots of stitches(didnt need any this time)

Anyway, she is 17 days old now & weighs 8lb12oz, she is doing great, her big brother adores her.

Sadly I gave up breastfeeding again, which I'm gutted about :( other than that everything is good.

Will catch up more with you all later, x

Can anyone give me some advice on introducing formula to a bf baby? I've tried expressing and am really not that keen, but I'm not sure if there are any disadvantages of using formula instead - is it likely to damage breastfeeding?

At the moment ds feeds around 8pm and is asleep for the night around 9ish. He'll often sleep 5 hours then, but it means two night wakings before he's up for the day at 7ish. I was thinking if his dad can give him a bottle feed at 11pm, then I could go to bed at 10pm and potentially sleep til 4am, have one night feed and get up at 7am. So that would mean a breastfeed at 8pm, formula at 11pm and breastfeed at 4am - does that sound doable?

I guess I could persevere with the expressing just for that feed, but I have a couple of nights out planned for October and it would just be much easier to leave some formula for him occasionally than have to build up a supply of expressed milk. But maybe I'm being too lazy about it

hi moonunit how old is your ds? I've heard that if you introduce some formula after 6 weeks it shouldn't mess up your supply. I'm no expert though. I'm currently trying to wean ds off formula and my supply seems to be doing really well. Still rubbish at latching on though so using nipple shields. I'm doing everything wrong for bf aren't I? Formula top ups from bottle, dummy, nipple shields... :). He's thriving though so I don't care.
Unfortunatley though I seem to have mastitis. Have a temperature, bit shaky, and slightly sore left boob. Rang mw who came round in 15 minutes (she's so great!) and agreed it looks like mastitis so dh has gone out to get my antibiotics. It's made me so tired (as if i wasn't tired enough already) :( Hopefully the meds will shift it soon - at least we've caught it early

girls 2nd and 3rd birthdays within a week, wow!

Am I the only one whose baby wakes every hour in the night for a feed? We go to bed at 8 every night and get up at 5, he sleeps in hour long naps then wants feeding and will only feed for a maximum of 20 minutes.

He's only 9 days old so maybe he'll settle, I am so tired!

Hi Vix my little one doesnt do that every night but we have had a few nights where he wanted feeding nearly every hour...from what my friends have said he is cluster feeding, probably having a growth spurt and thats why hes feeding so much! Thank goodness he sleeps in morning so I can catch up then! Cam's 12 days old.

Went out with dp and baby cam for lunch today...was really nice. Was getting ready to be all brave and bf because we left house at 11 but he slep through! Will have to be brave another day!

marzipananimal - he's 5 weeks now but I can hold off til 6 weeks. I've got an abundant supply (maybe too abundant as I leaked through breastpads and my vest at my parents' last Sunday!) and we seem to have latch and everything pretty sorted now.

Poor you with the mastitis though! Sounds like you have caught it early though so I bet the antibiotics make you feel better in no time.

vix - just remember there's a huge difference between 9 days and 5 weeks! When ds was that age he was really jaundiced and sleepy, so I had to set my alarm to wake him up and feed him every 2 hours. He'd fall asleep again almost immediately and every feed would take an hour+, with nappy changes, stripping him off, wiping his face with a damp cloth etc to keep him awake enough to suck.

I remember DP and I going out to buy a sandwich for lunch when ds was 2 weeks old - just to get out of the house. We were both total zombies! We just sat on a bench staring vaguely into space, not talking That seems a world away now - although we're still tired now, it's nothing like the level of sleep deprivation of the first couple of weeks.

poor you vix! it took a good 2-3 weeks for james to get to know the difference between day and night. sleep deprivation sucks. hang on in there...

chulita we have the kari-me, like a moby wrap. it's good!

had a bad night last night. yesterday i got my new bedside cot from eBay and we got it all set up, but james didn'tlike it much! he wasn't very tired anyway as he had slept so much in the sling yesterday. i couldn't get him to sleep until after 1am, and then he woke up at 4.45 for a feed and then again at 6.30, when he stayed awake until 8.30. i meant to get up but we ended up going back to sleep until 10.30!

Ooh so hopefully it won't carry on for too much longer then! He feeds every hour and a half in the day and hourly every night, I am so grateful for lansinoh :)

I've had a couple of really big clots and bleeds over the last few days that have scared me after the bleed I had in hospital but the mw thinks it's all right and that I just need to take it a bit easier. Has anyone else had this happen?

I had quite a big clot a few days ago vix, my midwife said I needed to rest a bit more ( that day I had ran to catch a train so I def think that's what done it! Ooops!)