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.

I am a bridesmaid in 3 months time. Atm the dress won't go round my boobs, but I've lost 4lbs since I tried it on and hopefully another few pounds and it will fit. If not then alterations here we come!

Cycle can you get yours altered?

I'm with you all on the poo explosions. P has been through about 20 sleepsuits and vests in the last two days. Nappies appear unable to contain the mess! I can't keep up with all the washing!

We're still working through the stock of nappies that I bought pre birth but am going to have to buy some more this week. We're using Pampers at the moment but I'm considered getting some supermarket own brand in for daytime changes. She needs changing so often that she's only keeping each nappy on for a couple of hours. Anybody know if there's much difference between own brand and Pampers/Huggies etc?

I'm also back in pre-pregnancy clothes and nearly back at my starting weight (albeit with a very saggy jelly belly). I think it's because I barely ate for ten days post labour! Sadly, I've been making up for lost time in the last few days! I've got a really limited supply of tops that are suitable for BF though, so am going to have to brave the shops at some point. Eek - i'm scared of a shopping trip with a baby in tow!

Frak thank you for giving us hope that periods might not be back just yet! Would you get period type pains with placenta scab?

sassy my health visitor said to expect lochia to tail off then re-start, perhaps even more than once

F has just woken me up after sleeping for 5hrs 40mins! Got a bit of mega-boob going on (& mega poo, I suspect) but yay!

Oh well, Friday night was a fluke and we were back to three wake ups last night with at least an hour needed to settle S back to sleep. He's hardly slept today so far, he's just dropped off at last, I ended up resorting to laying him in his basket and leaving him to settle himself (which worked!) He is very overtired, so is mummy surprisingly enough!

DH on the other hand managed to sleep through or roll over and go back to sleep each time through the night. So much for more help overnight at the weekend so I can catch up sleep I don't think he realises just how draining it is having to wake up (and be alert enough to find my glasses and not drop S!) every 2-3hrs for at least an hour through the night when doing the same all week on my own all day and most nights.

Meh, think it's time I have a word with him (or maybe just take to a swift kick in the middle of the night to wake him up! )

Beetle My DP is the same, first week we were at home he was keen to help with night feeds and changes etc but since returning to work I thought it was cruel to keep him up at night so stopped waking him and did them all myself. However, I think the weekend is a different story and he should do Friday and Saturday night feeds and changes so I can get a bit longer to sleep. I have to get up anyway to express but can do that in about 15 minutes and then just go straight back to sleep rather than being up for the usual hour or so. DP not so keen now, keeps saying how tired he is as he's been working all week but not really sure he grasps how tiring it is having a baby all day and night!! I know I can't complain as R is really quite good but even so!

Interesting about placenta scabs Frakk and also glad to hear that this sounds normal ecuse will check with HV tomorrow. Bleeding has stopped again now, well almost, just tiny little amounts and less bright red and more brown again. So glamourous!! DP checked out lady garden this morning and has decided it is ready for use again...............hahahahahahaha!! My thinks not!! Anyone else done the deed yet or thinking about it? I'm aware some of you will have already as some babies were born at the end of March but I just really don't think I can get my head in that zone quite yet!! Obviously it's out of the question til bleeding subsides anyway.

Hello all,

Conor is three months old today, I can't quite believe it's so long already. Sadly sleeping and feeding like a one month old, though he's got into quite a nice routine with sleeping and feeding now.

After a week of having fairly hellish feeding sessions during the day, with him stopping to scream every few minutes, I am now feeding him upstairs in bed and he's an angel. This is very strange and I can't work out why. I was complaining to DH that he feeds really well at night but that the days are really hard going sometimes. DH brightly suggested feeding him upstairs. It's worked but doesn't really help with feeding when out and about. I don't think it's the position I hold him in as I tried to sit on the sofa in the same position and that didn't work. It's very odd. I'm hoping that if I feed him upstairs for a few days then he'll forget about whatever is making him scream downstairs and the issue will go away. Am also using Colief, which might be helping too. My, they are mysterious little critters aren't they?!

Poor you Cycle, could you buy a more suitable dress in the same colour perhaps? It's the boobs that make you feel massive but that's not fat. I have also cried about looking grim. I came out of hospital only 7lbs over my pre preggers weight (two and a half weeks of refusing to eat the vile offering the NHS scrapes together for tuppence) and have now PUT ON WEIGHT since being at home. I think it might be all the biscuits I am eating as there's no time to eat proper meals. And I didn't even get to the end of my pregnancy so didn't put on masses. Am going to start yoga again this week, and eat better.

I have done the deed but we had five weeks after the birth when Conor wasn't home, so we were getting lots of sleep and I was well up for it. C-section too so I didn't have to worry about the battered lady garden. Have managed it a couple of times since C came home but am generally too tired now. As I said to DH this morning when he suggested a quickie: "If I'm staying in bed, I'm sleeping".

Jo - wow that has gone so quickly!

We haven't done the deed, but are considering it if we can get DS2 into bed early enough one night!

Attempted DTD this afternoon for first time. S must have sesnsed what was going on as she woke up before we properly tested out the lady garden. Ah well, will probably be a few more weeks before we time both DCs asleep at the same time and me and DH both up for it at the same time.

I think my mood for action was brought on by being able to wear my pre-preg fat jeans today! Victory! yes, I had to lay on the bed to get them done up, and yes, the seams around the waist have left permanent lines on me, but I did it! Step one on the road to recovery!

Will have to resist the urge to eat a mini Magnum to celebrate!

On sleep front, S has had a rubbish few days. First half of the night goes well then from 3am onwards it's been hourly wake ups. Hoping it's not some new pattern. Same as you Beetle and MrsW, DH does nothing at night except pull the pillow over his head when he hears S stir. Not a great help.

No deed-doing or even attempting here, lol. Still got some bleeding anyway & i'm way too nervous about my stitches/recovery of wound to even attempt it anytime soon.
Plus as others have said, if i'm in bed & DD is asleep...i'm sleeping!

Not such a great night last night despite a feedathon in the evening which gave me some (false) hopes of a better night.

Managed our meal out last night & a trip to the park for a picnic gathering of friends today, plus we are generally on top of things in the house so all is well.

Looking forward to a relaxed girly day tomorrow whilst the boys are at work/school :)

Hey ladies,

Can I ask a quick question?

How often do your babies poo? My 4 week old poos once every 2-3 weeks and I'm not sure if thats a problem and what I can do to change that?

Thanks in advance x

Hmmm - all these posts about wearing pre-pregnancy clothes are seriously depressing. Anyone else who had a caesarean who can't bear a zip or seam on their scar? I literally can't bear to have anything resting on my scar as it's so tender and feels so bruised. Even seam lines on knickers are too much. It seems crazy when I'm six weeks in but I can't remember from last time. Plus I guess I'm older and maybe the healing is slower. It's very depressing. I can get my trousers on but there's just no way I can wear them. I'd wear dresses but as I'm breastfeeding I need something with front access which rules everything out. Gah! Plus I'm having to eat a lot to keep my milk supply up and fatty satiated.

The baby doesn't smile yet. He's six weeks tomorrow but I'm (secretly) paranoid about his oxygen starvation at birth. They did brain scans when he was in NICU and said they were okay but that they could only give a basic picture. I'm worrying aren't I?

Have had a tough weekend as my nerve pain has flared up again quite badly. Not sure why as I thought it was improving slightly.

Natzer do you mean 3 or 4 days rather than weeks? Mine poos a couple of times a day (only on breastmilk at the mo which I think makes them more 'regular') with the occasional opt out day thrown in for good measure. For example, today he hasn't poo'd . Having googled it the other week I think it's pretty normal and it varies from baby to baby, although if they were presenting signs of pain from constipation you'd probably want to try and help things along a bit. You can try bicycling the baby's legs whilst they're lying down. Or massaging their tummy gently in a clockwise direction - it all helps get things moving.

Oh yes, toyed with the idea of the post-birth shag yesterday but considered my ginormousmungous breasts, my sad tummy and my c section scar and ruled it out. I'm not in the zone yet.

Desperate to do some serious exercise again - need to go running - but I've got to wait until 12 weeks to heal from the caesar. Might attempt the plank later to see if anything is working abdominally....

Ha Ha, Thank you kits, yes every 2-3 days! I really would worry if it was 2-3 weeks.

We managed a family swimming trip today, DS2 was very happy in the water :)

Natzer - T poos most nappies, but just a little bit. We then get a poonami roughly once a day although the timing varies. Fortunately he waited until we were home from swimming before today's offering arrived!
I don't think it unusual for babies to go a couple of days between pooing though.

kits - you are worrying T smiled about 10 days later than DS1 did, I'm sure because we spend much less time baby-gazing this time around!
Re. the section scar - this time I am fine but after DS1 I was stil in maternity stuff at 7/8 weeks because I was so tender. Have you though about using arnica or something to bring the bruising down?

Well I'm totally up for a shag the only poblem being I have a baby who won't be put down so as eithee DP or I am always holding him its a total non-starter. :(

I know what you all mean about your DH sleeping blissfully through the night. My DH is the same. He just rolls over when G wakes and I am feeding in the night.

I often find it impossible to get back to sleep as G spends most of the night snuffling, and grunting then I also have to put up with DH's snoring! Tonight I have come up to bed to find the room stinking of DH's farts. Poor G started crying which I am convinced was due to the terrible stench. Even if I had been remotely interested in the first post birth shag , I have been put right off ! To be honest I just don't feel like having sex at all. I'm sure breastfeeding must totally reduce your libido, well it definitely does with me!

Yaaaawn, it's 2am feeding time, yay!

I'm overtired so have no shame... DP and I have tested out the post-birth lady area. We got a bit carried away when H was four weeks old. We were careful (second degree tear with stitches but I heal quickly) and while it felt different it was rather lovely frankly! DP said he expected it to feel weird or different for him but it didn't. Phew!

France very sunny

Hey Cycle! I'm up, but without B, he's sound asleep upstairs. My boob is so engorged I cant sleep. I've tried everything I can think of, hot shower, massage (hurts like hell), hand expressing, hot flannel, hot water bottle. Nothing is coming out when I use the pump. It is bloody ridiculous how painful it is. GP for me tomorrow I think!

Awake here too.

Ouch lis hope gp can help.

Bf definitely reduces my libido, I'm just not bothered most of the time, when I stop it's a surprise to everyone how interested I am

Dh snores here too.

morning team, I celebrated F's sleep too soon. We're in the living room after he decided not to sleep any more..He's finally dropped off, but how long for? We suspect reflux, although it's only bothering him at night.

Not DTD here, not soon at this rate either.

How's the boob Lis?

managed about 4 hours. only with the use of a pillow wedged between my basukas. pumping again now as things have calmed down enough that i can at lease touch it now. I fear righty may be going the same way. GP surgery open in an hour and a half, swithering to just turn up rather than faff about getting an appointment. I had a HELP my boob is about to explode thread last night and someone sggested A&E! If I get nowhere with the receptionist I'll go there.

'scue the one handed typing!

Another crap night here, G slept between 1.30 - 3.30 and we've been awake ever since. Suspect today is going to be fun.

Good luck with boobs Lis!