December 2010 - Merry Christmas new babies!

[Chooster]

Hi, I couldn't see a post-natal thread but as we grow in numbers we'll need a place to chat!

All good here... Jude is now 5 days old and such a wonderful good baby. Mind you he must think he's been born in the Arctic as it was -16 outside this morning in Edinburgh. Brrrrrrr - Its not always this cold Jude .

How's everyone else getting on?

Jasmine is two weeks old today and is still a placid little soul. She sleeps through some nights and has a rather half-hearted middle of the night feed other times.

What I really posting about is to ask if it is normal for my breasts to leak when DH is giving me a friendly cuddle. No more than friendly but for example if he runs his hand down my back to my bottom I can feel the milk start to come.

well remembered 93pjb

thanks emza I've been having a couple of baths a day which definitely take the edge off.

DD had her last day at nursery today - the end of an era! Took LO in when we went to collect her as the staff were desperate to meet him.

Had to do some emergency Christmas shopping today for LO - thankfully the shops were nowhere near as bad as I'd anticipated. DH took DS with him for a little while while we were out - apparantly he brought the perfume counter in John Lewis to a standstill while the assistant summoned all the staff to see him! [very proud emoticon]

Names wise, Jack's now off the table so we're toying between Matthew Thomas or Thomas Matthew. I would like to make a decision before Christmas day as I want to be able to write his card to DD and sign it with his name. My plan is that she'll find out his name by reading her Christmas card from him and then she can introduce him to the rest of the family over the next couple of days.

Thanks cat

Merry Christmas everyone !

Happy Christmas everyone. Babies really are the best present ever!

Happy Christmas everyone, hope you all had a lovely day.

We think we've settled on a name - Matthew Joseph.

Was full of happy tears this morning - I just can't believe how blessed and lucky I am to have such a lovely family.

Hi all waves to everyone I already know from the Dec Ante-Natal thread and to all the other lovely December mums.

I am marking my place ready for when little Bob comes home from hospital.

Mamathulu just reading your description of the first poo makes me want to poo myself I am on day 4 and still waiting.

kind of birth story here

I am feeling really emotional but mostly because my milk has come in and I am expressing like mad and trying to get to hospital when I can to breastfeed Bob. Tonight is my first night home after discharging myself from the maternity ward this morning and it's been really hard to leave him there. I drove up through the black ice and burst into tears as soon as I saw him; they have moved him from high dependancy to the nursery. He managed to feed for half an hour, completely filled his nappy and then fed again for another hour. I just wish I could have him home so we could do some real skin to skin, it's so so hot in the Neo Natal unit.

Spoke to someone there who said he could be home late next week but really I need to speak to the consultant and get a proper idea of what is happening. All we know is he has to finish his course of anti-biotics and then have 24 hours observation, problem is no one seems to know how long the course will be. We hope it's 5 days which would mean he is home by Mon/Tues, but it may be longer.

Feeding seems to be going well, they are giving him bottles of my expressed milk and I am feeding him myself when I can. He seems to have taken to it naturally but I really would like someone to come and check if I am doing it right. It feels ok but he's a bit fussy sometimes and also I am finding holding and getting such a small new baby into position quite tricky, specially as he still has some wires and tubes attached and I feel like I am doing it all wrong and with an audience .

I am tired though, after racing around in the day to drop off presents and then going to the hospital. A lovely friend of DH's came over to cook us Christmas dinner though which was really kind.

maxpower reading your posts about the monitoring, it reminded me how awful I found it when they had me on my back during really strong contractions and I just wanted to get back onto the birthing ball. They didn't seem to believe me when I said I was in huge pain yet minutes later I was up in the consultant led unit being told I was 6cm dilated and having my waters broken.

Love the nameway by the

pitterpatter RE the leaking thing, I read in a book today that Breastfeeding can be a kind of sexual thing - all similar hormones - so perhaps the gentle touch from your DH sets off something which causes women to leak?

glad you're home df it must be so hard being apart rom Bob but you sound like you're coping amazingly well. I'm in awe of your determination and perreverence with the bf. Most hospitals have bf counsellors - when your next visiting ask the staff to get in touch with them for you. I'm sure they'll be happy to come and reassure you.

I was sooooo tired yesterday. I fell asleep with DS on my lap and DD propped up beside me - so my kind family all took pictures!!! DS did really well last night - fed at 12 then slept 'til 5am - woo hoo! Lovely DH got up with the chdn this morning and let me sleep until 11am . Stitches are much improved

Happy Christmas everyone

We had a wonderful Xmas with family and the twins, it's really sink in how much life has changed and I really feel blessed

I just wanted to tell DF that she's doing an incredible job, well done for coping so well. Little Bob is a lucky boy and I'm sure you'll have him home very soon.

I also wanted to send support to everyone who is struggling with breast feeding. Because the girls were so small when they were born they would only such twice then fall asleep. We had to give them prem baby formula untilmy milk came in them I was doing a mixture of expressed milk and formula. I always put them to the boob for the few sucks before the bottle and after 2 weeks went onto solely beast feeding and haven't looked back.

Make that breast feeding not beast feeding

Thank you Lavita :)

I had my first poo! punches the air he he.

Bob has had his feeding tube removed, took me ages to work out why he looked so different. They have also stopped one antibiotic so only two to drop. All being well he may be home on Friday/Saturday. Managed a long feed earlier and it was much more relaxed than last time when he cried and fussed. Hopefully we are both getting the nack.

I just expressed a full bottle of milk.

Quick question though - I used a sterilising tablet for the pump and can't remember if I rinsed the pump before expressing last night. The milk has gone up to the hospital, should I call them and get them to throw it away just incase?

DS managed to let us all sleep from 3am to 8.30am this morning - I'm reciprocating DH's kindness and got up with both the chdn so that he can sleep in. He has some important exams the first few days of Feb so while he's over the moon to have DS here, I know he's also stressing about the lack of study he's getting done at the mo.

hi all, i can graduate to this thread now as i have a sleeping caleb in my arms ( hence lazy typing). he is 5 days old and gorgeous! my birth and bf story is all on the due dec thread so won't repeat it here but we're both well now. dd (5) is loving being a big sister and helping out, although we do keep having to remind her to be gentle. and caleb is going to be able to sleep through anything as dd is shouting all the time due to deafness from a cold! nights are hard as the most he sleeps is 3hrs and often only 1 1/2 and i feel for poor dh as i'm still snoring - its all in my throat and i did it for the few weeks of pg, was hoping it would've stopped now, soon though hopefully as i wake myself sometimes - not caleb though, the only thing to wake him is hunger, and boy is he hungry!
dh and dd have gone shopping today and its lovely having some peaceful time to ourselves, I could happily never go out, i'm so glad dd is off school until nxt weds. must go now, going to try and have a nap while caleb is napping, then i'm going to dig out my washables nappies and see if they fit him yet - didn't fancy washables and meconium combo much but hes got rid of all of that now and i love his fluffy little lamb nappies - just have a feeling they may still be too big!

Hey all, finally a quiet moment. Yawn! Bea is fast asleep, DH has gone for a nap and chicken run is on.

We are still on obs, having to go up the MLU everyday for checks, somedays we are home in 20 minutes and others 3 hours depending on the midwife. 4 days of obs left and hopefully all is well. We are getting on well with BF at the moment, she does get agitated and excited at night time and wiggles about like a maniac, hands are the worst as they'll delatch her or want to go in mouth at the same time as nip, she's getting better but we still have moments of frustration. She's also gaining weight well, which is a relief. The leaking is annoying, have to put two pads in advance of which side will be used next as it'll ti gle and leak in anticipation. Also a few niagara moments where it comes streaming out before i can get her attached. She seems to have adopted her own 4 hour routine for feeds. She only crys when it's time to change her bot, and she really can pee.

DH has been amazing, getting her for me in the night for feeds, then burping and changing her.

I had an episiotomy which they stitched up well, but the surface stitches came out within 24 hours, but the muscular stitches are still holding up, but they won't do anything about the surface stitches ubtil my six week check up, which is a pain. I am having a shower after every visit to the loo to keep it clean.

Christmas was lovely but stressful. Warned my family in advance that I am highly emotional at the moment and don't tease me. My sister calls at 7am to find out when we will be getting there. She's 21 for crying out loud. I hadn't planned on being there until 11am and she got really ratty when i reminded her that it's alot harder than she thinks. So I get in the door at 11 and she starts on me, her collie than flies off the sofa and bounds into my pelvis. I went down in pain but got back up. I had asked that her dog be shut away initially as she is very bouncy and excitable. I didn't say a thing but my sister burst into tears and said why does she always pick on me. After things had quietened down we had a chat and she really doesn't understand and failed to comprehend my worries as when i left her snuggli g Bea she put her on the carpet and let her dog luck her face and snuffle her. DH went ape. It's not like i don't want her dog sociable, but she's just a week old and small it could have waited, so took Bea for a rinse and sister cried again. Glad to get to the in laws where no pets and was calm and quiet.

Glad to be home and resting, no planned visitors, just us and a cosy house.

Hi everyone. Went to see lactation consultant today and William latched and fed for the first time in nearly 2 weeks! Was really happy. Since we've been home, he has latched twice on the right side but gets very agitated and upset on left so I am expressing and topping him up afterwards with bottle. I am quite hopeful we are going to manage the transition back to breast now, but my nipples are really cracked and sore through all the pumping. William's latch is not great yet - he seems to want to slide on to the nipple and chew (ouch!) but there is a baby cafe near where we saw the LC on Thursday so I'm going to do the hours drive with him to get there. Wish there were better resources in my area, but sadly not.

Physically other than the mastitis and then sore boobs I feel great. All healed up already down there and my pelvis is 100% better than it was so amazing to not be in pain constantly with it. I think recovery 2nd time round is definitely much better.

kelle sorry your sister was being a bit of a pain. I would have been fuming about her putting your DD on the floor and letting the dog lick her!!

DF glad Bob is doing well and hope he can come home soon.

lavita that is amazing about the BF and really inspirational - thank you! If you can do it with twins I can sure as hell do it with my little boy :)

Got to go and put DD to bed - how are everyone elses' other children?

Good news Wholelottalove. I am a bit worried about Bob as I only get to feed him twice a day and he needs top-ups of my expressed milk. He is quite fussy on the breast and I wonder if he's frustrated that he's not getting the milk quickly enough. He also often just falls asleep on my breast which is sweet but makes everything take ages. I will get in touch with the NCT breastfeeding person when he's out I think.

hey everyone! Great that bf seems to be gettimg better wholelotta - come on William, you can do it! .

Any more news on when Bob is getting out DF?? Hopefully only another couple of days... forgive me missing the detail but what are his anti-biotics for? Hope he's doing well .

Kelle - Nightmare with your sister - the last thing you want is an emotional person blubbing around you when you're feeling emotional enough! I'm still a bit teary, but I think thats down to tiredness and feeling a bit over-whelmed still. I'm finding 3 older kids and a newborn hard hard work. The kids are all great but I'm finding it hard spreading myself around and I'm so aware of not leaving the big boys out.

My main problem at the moment is the dreaded colic! Jude got to about 3 weeks and it started.... Particularly in the evening he can just wail and wail. Its so hard as I feel so sorry for him but so sorry for my other kids because I'm so ragged by the crying and trying to pacify Jude that they get the shitty end of the stick. My others never had this so I was hoping Jude would follow. Am now trying a different medicine which I hope may give some relief.

How is everyone else... Got to say I'm finding bf easier than I thought and the night feeds easier (probably as I'm heading to bed at 9pm!), but finding the demands of 3 kids harder than I thought. What about everyone else - has anything surprised you so far??

Just a quick catch up from phone - really uncomfortable at moment as I appear to have thrush in my nipples and breasts. Have had to spend day expressing, topping Hugh up with formula and applying cream to my nips and gel to his mouth. Very painful!

Out of hours gp currently has 20 hour wait for phone contact alone!! I got a "comfort call" at the 12 hour point - ha!! Luckily the local pharmacist was some help but have to wait until 0500 to speak to gp!!

Bob should be sprung from Neo Natal on Friday

we've been offered the family room for Thursday night so we can all stay together. I've just got back from the hospital where I sat with him from 9 - midnight breastfeeding and doing skin to skin. I am hoping tomorrow I can do two consecutive feeds so that he gets the idea that this is where his milk will be coming from. I am a bit worried that he just isn't getting enough from me compared to what he gets when they give him milk from a bottle.

Re colic, why does it start?

I feel like i've been a bit protected from all the feeding associated problems babies can have so might have a lot to learn when Bob is home and feeding from me constantly. Even the sleep deprivation will be different because even though I am waking regularly to express it's a lot easier 'feeding' a breastpump than a baby!

MrsSnaplegs at the thrush. hope you manage to get it sorted. Both Bob and I are on antibiotics and I dread the thought of thrush.

DF I think it totally depends on the baby. William has developed 'flow preference' ie he gets immediate gratification from a bottle but has to work on the breast. He also has gotten used to something firmer than a nipple in his mouth IYSWIM. HOwever I think some babies can switch back and forth with few issues. Personally, I would see if you can get some specialised RL help asap with Bob's latch and feeding, maybe a LC of a BF counsellor in your area. You'll know if he is getting enough by keeping an eye on his wet nappies and the colour of his poo. I'll dig a link out for you from kellymom.

I'm feeling a bit impatient which is silly really as William has made massive progress in the last 24 hrs considering he wasn't even latching at all before. Feels like a big battle to get him on every feed though and stressful. Still feeling furious with our treatment at the hospital and thinking of making a complaint.

MrsS ouch to thrush. Hope it gets sorted soon.

chooster sorry Jude is getting colic. It must be really hard with three other children. I'm finding it tricky with DD and feel guilty for splitting my attention. It's easier when DH takes her out so I can just concentrate on William.

Wow kellestar - that's brilliant that Bea is in a 4-hour routine. She sounds like an angel! From day two, I started writing everything down in a book as I didn't know if we were coming or going and it became apparent we're on a 3-hour routine - yay!
In that first week, every day felt like a week...

That's brilliant Duellingfanjo that William is due home on Friday.

Breastfeeding DOES get easier. My nips are stopped bleeding (thank goodness) I think Hannah and I have cracked it in the last two days. When she just wouldn't open her mouth latch, I would put her down on the bed/sofa and stretch my shoulders. She would then wriggle and start rooting for boob and grizzle a little, so when we tried again she was real keen to eat!(and I was less tense) Also, I hand express a little first into a muslin, then rub it all over nipple so it's easier for her to latch and the milk is squirting out.

I feel for you Chooster with the dreaded colic. Fingers crossed your new medicine works.

Awww chooster colic sounds nasty, fingers crossed a change of medication helps.

DF great that William will be out on Friday!

It's amazing when you look back at your notes and see they've already formed their own routine. Bea does like to worry thenip first and we have to take a break and calm down first, then she turns to nip and nap which isn't too bad unless it's the middle of the night and ibwant to get back to sleep.

The nights are the worst, eh?
Haven't really got the hang of BF lying down. Scared of falling asleep. I got a good dimmer light that fades to off too. It really feels like someone's cattle prodded me at the 4am feed and the regular bedside light was burning my retinas.
I often think that there are millions of mums feeding at the same time - it'd be great to be able to whisper to each other :)

stenogirl where did you get your light from?

I also have fountain boobs, I can't feed lying down because it soaks both the bed and the baby, I sticj muslins every where!

I need to do a proper post but am on my phone which makes it difficult to post legibly

It was the funeral today for Cheeses little girl I know her loss has been on everyone's mind, a I already had my girls I felt so lucky but guilty in comparison. For those who were still pregnant when we heard the news, it must of really scared you. Life sometimes is really unfair, and Cheese & family have been in my thoughts a great amount this Christmas.