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.

Jen - don't be sorry, day 4 is horrid, really horrid! Have a and a

chilli - pedicure sounds a fab idea, I had one last week - my feet were so neglected!

Beetle - can you try expressing a little before you feed to draw your nipple out? I sort of twiddle mine a bit before I let T try to latch on to make them stick out a bit more, they are getting better each day now that he has got the hang of latching better.
Another tip is to give some milk via bottle to take the edge off the hunger (and accompanying rage!) and then latch the baby on.

I gave in on the dummy front on day 8 and it's not affected my supply Beetle. H won't always take it but it's a godsend when he's gorging til he throws up or is comfort sucking when I'm exhausted. He tends to take it better from DP, I think because he knows daddy doesn't have milk to offer.

Beetle, I'd second the suggestion of a bit from the bottle to curb the hunger rage before latching. I'd give H just under an ounce when he got enraged and my supply wasn't great (I also have flat nips) and it calmed him enough that I could persevere with latching without him flailing and screaming. Good luck x

It is just me and DS2 today - DS1 has been taken out for the day by family. It feels REALLY weird to be at home with just a teeny baby. It is quiet, and I have the radio on and a hot cup of tea in my hand
Going to have a nap in a bit and then a friend is coming over for a cuppa this afternoon :)

Hope everyone got some sleep last night. We managed ok, but only by virtue of DH removing himself to the spare room and me having DS2 in with me. We have mastered feeding lying down as well which is a bonus so at least I got to snooze while he was gulping away!

Am wasted today. H has decided that 3am is projectile vomit and play time. He's asleep again now but I'm wired! Plus my sisters are back from the US and the younger one is hopefully coming for a visit today. She's only met H once so it's going to be nice to see her.

My other sister has also only met him the once and I'm hopefully seeing her this weekend.

Oh well, am off to express ready for the odyssey to DP's grandparents tomorrow!

We didn't have a bad nights sleep in the end but M is in trouble as she was crying lots early evening for no apparent reason - we tried everything we could think of. DH parents were round and she was quiet as soon as she was held by grandma - thanks for making us look incapable

Hope everone has a good day today.

DS arrived at 16.33 local, 8lb4, 2hour BF straight after my 2nd degree tear was stitched up (I blame his huge head!). Will post birth story later on but just marking place for now.

yey frak congratulations! we were all thinking of you last night.

Feeling tons better today. baby blues y/day were wierd. i honestly felt like I was losing the plot!

cycle i know the wired feeling despite being completely exhausted.

chilli George has a habit of falling asleep just before visitors arrive, so makes me look like I am making it up when I tell then he has been constantly feeding or crying for hours preceding their visit.

Well George is clamped on to boob as usual. he has literally spent pretty much all day feeding/sucking.I am hoping it means we may get a bit more sleep tonight.

Yay! Another baby!

Congrats Frak, and welcome to the second degree tear club

Still no nap yet, am now knackered to hell. Am hoping to sleep in the car tomorrow...

Yay, well done Frak

DD2 has been officially diagnosed with reflux so I have had my hands full with cleaning up vom and jiggling a screaming baby to post. I am lurking though and admire all those of you who have been brave enough to go out alone, esp with 2!

Need to mark my place after having a little girl yesterday, Scarlett. She's a weeny 3kgs, likes to squawk & boob-munch amd is just perfect. Back soon with birth tale!

Congratulations Frakk (also extends a welcome to the 2nd degree tear club... ) and Caramello, I love the name Scarlett (and the phrase to 'boob-munch'!).

Thank you to everyone for any and all breastfeeding advice. It is all welcome and we'll be trying anything! Today we went to the BF Clinic and managed to get latched on to righty 3 times and we even got onto lefty for the first time since he was born. Still haven't managed without assistance but it's at least given my confidence another boost.

Today was also our first solo outing. A trip to the hospital for BF clinic doesn't sound too exciting but it is two buses and a walk through town each way so I felt like it was a bit of a mission. Thankfully S slept there and back in the sling and managed to have quite a fan club on each bus!

TMI Alert having thought I'd got off pretty lightly as my stitches have healed nicely and things seemed to have returned to normal I've realised that I've become constipated again . Typically I've realised this at the start of a Bank Holiday weekend so can't get to the GP, so any suggestions for over the counter stuff that I can take while BF? I've usually found apricots work but not this time!

Also while where onto the embarrassing stuff, when do we start to shed the excess body hair? Now my tummy has shrunk my tummy looks like it belongs to a yeti! (we won't even think about the blanket on my chest...)

Morning all!

Well, I have had some sleep! george slept for 2 lots of 3 hour stints over night. I am feeling so much better for it. I literally haven't left the house since George was born 6 days ago apart from one trip to pick up dd from nursery. He has been clamped onto the boob continually. The beautiful weather has completely passed me by.I'm currently still sitting in my milk stained nightie feeding yet again.

Caramel congratulations on the birth of Scarlett.

beetle You can buy lactulose over the counter at any chemists and I have been taking it whilst breastfeeding. Also drink lots and lots of fluids. i have chopped prunes on my weetabix too but thats not to everyones taste!
God I know about the excess body hair, I looked in the mirror the other day and discovered I seem to have grown a fine beard on my neck! I found with dd that I started losing lots of hair from my scalp when she was about 6 months old, hopefully that will also happen with the beard!!!

Beetle you can get lactulose over the counter - that should sort you out :)
Well done on the breast feeding - I'm finding the right seems better than the left too - she gets a better latch and I think there's more milk (well, she's been sprayed by the right a couple of times! )

Welcome Frak and caramel

Yes lactulose will deal with the problem, 'tis fabulous stuff :)

T slept in his hammock for 6 hours last night! Hurrah! DH and I actually feel human today

Beetle - well done on the feeding

Yes also furry here, WTF is that about???

Congrats to Frakk and caramel! :)

Congrats Frakk, Caramello and Aussie too (I believe)!

Well done on the sleep front Ali - although I often wonder: what is the hammock you have?

F is really hot today, I just put a forehead thermometer on him and it said 38C. Rang on-call doc who said if he's otherwise fine, it's probably nothing, and these forehead thermometers are not that accurate.

He's feeding well, filling nappy after nappy and doesn't seem to be any more grumpy than usual!

This hot weather is causing me even more clothing confusion tho.
(he's currently in a vest & nappy, btw)

Petal - it's an Amby Nest. We had it for DS1, and it is brilliant because it doubles as a travel cot.

I'm with you on the clothing, we've just got T in a vest and nappy today, but I am already pondering what to dress him in for bedtime - and what in the way of covers!!

Ladies, this is a pleading post for assistance! And I think I probably know the answer....

Since you have all had your babes can you tell me if there was something you did to bring labour on. Please don't say curry and sex or I'll cry!

I'm a week late now, had a semi sucessful sweep yesterday, with a Bishops of 3 [busad], little bit of pinkish mucus last night but nothing since. No pains, nothing since.

I'm getting desparate now, my SPD is agony, I've had to up my painkillers but the pain is still there.

Induction is booked for Thursday, but I really don't want to be induced, so I feel I need to give everything a try.

I know he'll come when he's ready, but I am ready now!!!

Lis I can safely say, absolutely nothing I tried worked. I too had curry, pineapple, sex, walked up a hill. 3 membrane sweeps with Bishops score of 8 each time, and apart from some cramp like lower abdo periody pains afterwards for a few hours, nothing.

I was more than ready, totally sick of being heavily pregnant and I was fortunate not to suffer from crippling SPD like you. I really don't think there is anything you can do, which isn't what you want to hear. My best advice for you would be to rest, rest ,rest and sleep if you can. I desperately didn't want to be induced but i actually had a fairly positive induction. Labour was very quick only 3 hours but they could rupture my membranes so I didn't need a pessary or the drip. I managed on only gas and air too. Please don't worry too much about induction, and just think that there is an end in sight and baby will be with you very soon.

I had a glass of wine each evening for the last 2 nights before F came. By which I mean I took about 4 hours over a half filled glass! But it helped me relax, even if it was only psychological!

I also finally agreed to sex with DH on the sunday night, but we never got there!

Oh, and booked a pregnancy massage for 40+4. Still haven't re-booked that one!

Had curry throughout, so I don't believe that one.

Sorry, I don't think that helps you much. Do try a little though. It might make you feel better.

Painkillers say avoid alcohol [busad] however I've not had any today [busmile]! Maybe a small glass will be ok! Thanks Petal

Just spoke to my sister who said she started a bedtime routine at 2 weeks, and self-settling at 3 weeks.

Made me feel a bit like I'm wallowing in this newborn period.

So when should I stop F falling asleep on the boob, or on my chest? When does a nice cuddle to sleep become 'making a rod for my own back"? He still seems too little to me.

(although she did say that he'd sleep for 6 hours from 7pm, so they never really felt the benefit as he'd then be feeding constantly when he woke. And then she said they's do the bedtime routine from 6pm to have him asleep by 7pm )

Lactulose! Thank you, I knew there must be something but had a complete mind blank in Boots, I'll be back there tomorrow armed with the name of what I need (how did new mothers cope before post-it notes? My memory is terrible at the moment!).

Lis The day I went into labour DH had been sent to get Jasmine essential oil after the MW recommended it the day before. I doubt it had time to do anything as I'm sure things had been picking up all day (so I cleaned the oven [buhmm] ) but I did get a lovely Jasmine bath and foot rub from DH though [bugrin]

Petal a bedtime routine at 2 weeks? Really? [bushock] We haven't got any routine yet, never mind a bed time one. Plus, as I'm not yet breast feeding properly I find that cuddling to sleep is giving me that time and connection with S that I just don't get from Daisy the breast pump! (Though currently DH is the favored pillow so I'm not getting much look in!)

Right, I'm off back to the breast pump. S seems to have the munchies at the moment, I can barely express enough to keep up with him. I'm having to pump every 45 mins which means I don't even have 1 hand to MN with!

Petal my honest advice is not to even go there with a routine at this point, or rather - have a routine but not necessarily the traditional bed at 7pm one which I personally think is bonkers for exactly the reason you said, you don't get the benefit.
When DS1 was little, we always took him to bed when we went to bed, and then we got the benefit of his longest stretch of sleep. We are doing the same with DS2 and we got 6 hours sleep in one shot last night - midnight to 6am.
It is a precious time when they are so tiny, and it is also lovely to have some flexibility. Newborns are so portable - use this time to go out for dinner, take walks in the evening while F sleeps in the buggy or sling or is awake with you. In 6 months time all that will be much harder.

DS1 has a bedtime routine now, we started one when he was about 7/8 months old I think, but he is still pretty flexible. He can cope with a later night, or meals at different times, or falling asleep in the car and being transferred to bed without it causing any problems, something which I'm really grateful for.

I'm sure others will have different experiences and views, but that's my take on it :)

Hi guys!

Hope you and your wee bundles are all well [busmile]

Was just popping in to see if any of you could reassure me/offer any words of wisdom, have been having chronic back pain and periody type cramps along with it and wondered if this was how any of you started in very early labour??

I know I am a little bit constipated as well and really hope it's not just constipation cramps I'm getting. Really just feel like I want to curl up and cry, I'm so uncomfortable. Can't bear having to go on like this for another 2 weeks potentially. Due date is Sunday and haven't had any other signs of impending labour whatsoever. :(

Thanks Ali, that's exactly what I wanted to hear. My sis was trying to help, but being exhausted from what feels like a whole day of cluster feeding, it just freaked me out and made me question my judgement.

I had routines on the list of Things To Do Before I Go Back To Work. Along with expressing milk and possibly starting weaning.

Besides which, we're so inept at bathing him still, it's not exactly conducive to sleep!

Not sure about taking him to a restaurant tho. Do you just take the whole pram in of am evening? Is it the done thing in a curry house?!

Thanks so much!