April 2011-kicking back drinking lactulose cocktails and riding the maternity surfboards

[Petalouda]

Post-natal thread for all the antenatal April 2011 Family!

Share the birth stories, the baby blues and everything else.

Hurrah for dummies I say! H will only take his when he's in the mood but they're fab when he is.

It's weird Beetle but I too get the latch better when I'm out and about.

Oops, the screaming has begun...

we have just had the poonami! B even waited until his nappy was off, good boy! It was everywhere. DH is out too, so I had to deal with it. He dodged a bullet!! Decided a bath was the best option!

Lis don't worry - I still have a bottle of semi-decent non-alcoholic from pregnancy :)
I managed poonami without getting any on her clothes and we had tickles and wriggles when she was clean. DH has had to deal with a second poonami this eve. Hopefully she's not planning any more tonight as she's at the awkward size of too big for most newborn clothes but too small for the 0-3 size so we haven't got too many clothes that fit well. Finally got weighed today 9lb 8oz :)

Those boobs are frightening. And just not practical clothes wise.

Have a nice weekend everyone - hope feeding and sleeping goes well.

I saw that woman on the tv. WTF, I mean really, wtf???? Can you imagine the corrective surgery that she'll eventually have to have?

I think I is having his 1st growth spurt - aarrrggghh. DH is out seeing a customer tonight so I'm fueling my boredom and lactation with some M&S cookies

It's going to be a looooooooong night isn't it?!

Quick question. How do you know when a baby has drained a boob? If P has been guzzling for 30 mins and then starts slowing down/looking sleepy, then do you think she's emptied the breast? At this point I tend to burp her / wake her up a bit and offer the other side. What do others do?

Oh, Lis x-post - what timing he has!

I do exactly as you describe Star.

Once I have fed my boob feels soft and pillowy rather than silicone enhanced

star that sounds spot on :)

Well T is fast asleep in his own bed. I was going to have but I am seriously tempted to go to bed.

ILike - T has had one the last 24 hours I think, and finally conked out. Good luck :)

I had T weighed yesterday - 11lbs 7.5oz. Which is 20oz in a fortnight again, he is gigantic Gorgeous though, and so lovely and smiley when he's happy :)

Phew! H asleep at last with aid of dummy and Pizza Hut has arrived and been eaten.

He looks so angelic right now, I miss DP though Am not looking forward to going to bed alone and having no back up in the event of a screamfest. I'm sure it'll be fine though, after all there's always MN in the event of a crisis!

Cycle - mmm pizza! Fingers crossed on the screaming :)

hello all - hope all your babies are feeding/sleeping well... a knackered lucielooo here as G just wants to feed and feed and feed, especially at night so I am just gearing myself up for the for the feedathon that is due to start and won't stop till about 2.00 or 3.00 in the morning. Most of my Nct group who are breastfeeding do a formula feed at night and in the small hours when G has been sucking away for about 4 hours I am very very tempted by this. Any thoughts? Breastfeeding is going well and I am loathe to mess it up but it's exhausting. Yesterday he started his feedathon early and apart from a quick half hour bath and half an hour when DP had him while I ate he ded almost constantly till 2.00 which is nine hours for gods sake.. by this time I was just desperate for someone to take him off me :(

Any thoughts or suggestions??

Hi guys!!
Sorry been awol the last few days, do not seem to find the time to post or even turn on the laptop these days!!!
Robyn is doing realy well, routine basically goes like this goes to bed about 11pm sleeps til 3 or 4 feeds, gets changed goes back to sleep, wakes at about 7 or 8 feeds again, gets changed goes back to sleep and it just goes on like that in a wee 4 hourly routine all day until bed time again!! Mix feeding seems to be wrkng lke a dream for me, although still strugglng to express more than I need, can manage basically 1 feed formula, 1 feed expressed breast milk - Lis what's the trick to pump 240mls in one sitting??? I definitely find I get more overnight and first thing in the morning (maybe 60-70mls) and then can only seem to get about 30mls every other time during the day. I can't imagine how you're managing to express 2 hourly cus I'm struggling to get 4 hourly!! I know I need to keep up with at least 6 expresses a day to keep my supply going but I'm finding it difficult doing that and keeping up with real life too! If I stay in all day it's much easier but obviously that's not sustainable long term. I also feel it's impacting on my tme with R, once she's fed and changed, she's usually passed over to DP or my mum (whoever's there) so I can express while she's awake as this seems to be more successful.

Having our first night out tomorrow am not sure how I feel about it yet!! Will be very strange to leave R with my mum but we are going back to stay at hers so I won't be away from her too long, am dreading expressing and disposing of my milk though - heartbreaking!! R wasted an ounce of it yesterday and I was practically crying!!! It's precious stuff!

Sorry not to name check, but too much to read back through and too little time!

MrsW I have no idea, something is working, I think I may be half dairy cow half woman. I have to admit i don't pump between midnight and wake up time (about 7-8am), DH does the through the night feed at about 4. So that's probably why I get so much first thing.

What kind of pump are you using? I got a range of funnels to try with my hired one, if the funnel is too big or too small that can have a effect on how much you get. Worth thinking about at least.

To those expressing, looking at your baby, or a pic of them is supposed to help with supply too!

I have a tommee tippee manual and electric Lis have given up on the electric already as I can get more milk quicker using the manual pump but I can see what you mean about funnel sizes I think my nipples are getting too used to the pump and the suction isn't as good as it was if that makes sense! So maybe better alternating with the electric as it's a different shape - it just takes so bloody long!!

Have tried looking at picturs lucie and usually try to do it with R sat right next to me but I have limited succes. My let-down is all to pot! I feel it at random times as opposed to when R is crying, near me etc so it's not great trying to pump milk that isn't ready to flow!! And the only time I ever leak is usually at a completely inappropriate time when no pump is to hand i.e when I'm in the shower!!

My god, I think you are doing really well using a manual pump, My hands couldn't take it after a day. Could you use the hand pump to get started then switch to electric?

Evening all,

How's things? I've read all the posts but can't retain much these days!

F is currently screaming upstairs with daddy. He's refusing to go to sleep. He just totally fell asleep at the boob (which must've been attempt 4 since about 8pm) and then sprang awake as soon as I put him in his crib. And he's usually so good at sleeping!

I think it might be punishment for making him sleep at Pizza Express earlier!

Can I second again the LilyPadz - they are truly amazing. I've just bought my second pair today (from Boots this time, although they're cheaper online).

Weighed F yesterday - he's now 12lbs! That's a gain of 2lbs in a fortnight. What a chunk!

Oh and at breastfeeding group this week the conclusion is that I have a fast let-down (like mini-showerheads - I can spray well over F's head!) which he deals with by breaking the latch.

However, his windiness seems to have subsided, this week is overtiredness as he's learned how to keep himself awake (exhibit A, upstairs currently). This might have been what it was last week (and not wind) but we didn't recognise it.

Congratulations Aussie (I think) with your compliant baby! Mine used to be a 4-hour regular in the first fortnight. Sadly, no more. I am

News just in - apparently DH won round 5. F is asleep.... for now...

Morning gang.

Dunno if H was sensing my melancholy but he was ever so good last night. He went 10.40-2.10 then 2.50-5.40 before coming to bed with mummy for a light doze. Not bad at all and he barely fussed during the nappy change. He only had one big projectile vomit and settled pretty quickly.

I don't know I'd it's contributed but I took the advice of only feeding from one side to avoid too much farty fore milk and he's a lot less screamy.

We had the usual witching hour with P last night. She screamed and cluster fed between 10.30 -1 am and wouldn't settle. I was falling asleep on the job at this point and wasn't convinced she was hungry, so handed her over to DH to try and settle and went to sleep!

Woke up an hour later and she was snoozing on his chest. He managed to get her in her crib, where she slept until 7am! - 5 hours straight sleep = RESULT!

It is bizarre though, she seems so settled in the daytime and so restless in the late evening/early morning. I wonder how long this phase will last for?

Pet - what are Lilypadz? Are they nipple shields or breast pads? I

Morning ladies! T slept in his bed last night!! 8pm-midnight, then 12.30-3pm with DH, and then 3.15-6am in his own bed again. Hurrah!!

MrsW - you do not need to pump and dump your milk. Unless you are having an absolute skinful then you are still fine to BF, a few glasses of wine over an evening will hardly have any in your milk.

Cycle - :)

lucie - personally I wouldn't. It is still early days and all these cluster feeds are regulating your supply for now and for the long term. The late night/early morning stuff is designed to take advantage of your higher prolactin levels at that time of day, which helps stimulate supply.

star - yay that is fantastic The restlessness is for the reason I said above - your prolactin levels are highest 11pm-4am or something like that, and so babies are programmed to feed lots during that period when they need your body to produce more milk. Go with it and it will pass - but it will come and go over the next few week and months.

Cycle, Star & Ali - woohoo to having had good nights last night! S did well in the early part but then decided she was awake for the day at 5am. Yawn!

Lucie, same as Ali, I personally wouldn't recommend giving the formula feed just yet, as tempting as it is to try anything to get more sleep and peace! In a few weeks when everything is really settled and established then I would consider it but not just yet.

Thanks for the reassurance re the chocolate munching too everyone. I don't think I can put S's restlessness down to chocolate as it seems to be coming and going randomnly. Yay, can continue to stuff my face guilt-free now.

Anyone else's babies not pooing every day? S seems to go 2 days or so without anything then the poonami comes then nothing again for a few days. I thought they pooed all the time at this age (she's 3wks)? I shouldn't complain should I?! Less washing .

MrsW have a good night out tonight! Very .

S having to cry more than DS ever did too and it's so heartbreaking but same as others on here with more than one, sometimes there's nothing I can do to avoid it. Oliver James always springs to mind and I think of her cortisol levels soaring each time she is left to cry . Can't be though that every second/subsequent child is damaged due to being left to cry for longer? Surely not .

Well M is number 3 and does inevitably get left to cry when other things need doing. Not for ages ever but just not held/cuddled all the time when she wants to be. Not sure what it teaches her long-term but life has to carry on.

She had a fab night last night 10.30-3.30, a lovely 5 hours! :)
then back to sleep until 6.30, so all in all feeling fairly human today. Hope, but don't expect, it to continue...

Let DH have a long lie-in this morning, and now it's lunchtime and i'm not even dressed, never mind, nothing planned anyway.

thanks for the advice re the night time formula feed we had a pretty good night last night so feeling a bit more normal today and think I'll leave it for now! G slept in 2 hour segments throughout the night which is pretty good for him!! Have an unhappy baby this afternoon though... he was feeding and dozing throughout the morning/afternoon and then took him out in the pram about 5 and he just screamed and screamed. he always cries after about 10 minutes out in the pram but I cant work out why? Even if he goes in it asleep he wakes up and starts howling.

Anyway got him home he calmed down while I fed him then brought a load up and then screamed/cried inconsolably like I've never heard him before. He's not been very happy since - any ideas???

Good to hear that some of our April babies are starting to sleep!

Despite the above I have to say it does seem to be getting better - George will be 4 weeks on Monday and I feel a lot like my normal self but with a baby.. looking back to a couple of weeks ago I really felt awful like I'd been hit by a truck and really questioned whether we'd done the right thing. I cried a lot when DP had to go back to work but already we are in the swing of things a bit. It's bloody exhausting and no doubt there will still be days (and nights!!) that are awful but I feel completely different to how I did a couple of weeks ago...I'm actually enjoying it!! Getting to know my baby has helped a lot with that - and feeling physically capable now I'm recovered from the c-section.

Just wanted to say that, for anyone that might be feeling how I felt a few weeks ago.. and I think I asked then when does it start to get better - so if my experience is anything to go by, I'd say suprisingly quickly!

Hello everyone. I did announce on our last thread but think I was the only person left to read it. Ha.

Samuel James eventually arrived Wednesday 11th may at 4:49am by c sec. We are both doing well now but I didn't have a smooth labour;

Full details!! Laboured sun pm. Eventually went in. 1cm so sent home after a sweep which broke my waters. Went back. Examined. Didn't believe waters had gone so sent home. Mon everything stopped. Tue laboured. Went in. Examined about 3pm and 3.5 cm but still unsure about my waters. Eventually moved me to labour ward as finally believed me so pool birth out. Then got no further than 4cm right up to c sec at 430 wed am. App membranes were intact. I had an infection so they gave me anti bs on drip but baby reacted and his heart rate slowed and scared everyone so they had to build that and the hormones slowly but nothin changed. Turns out he was back to back and stuck and not easy to get out in c sec either. He also pood in me. Am on anti b's and painkillers which are upsetting sam's tum. Midwife is comin to take my stitch out today which I'm anxious about. I haven't looked at it yet.

Think we are settling in. Sam is fab.

Have read all your posts now and hope to be back on board.

Huge congrats kittycat, sounds like Sam was liking it in there and had no plans for an easy exit!