August 2011 - a place to wAit until the rest graduate !

[MrsVidic]

Hi,
Thought I would start us a postnatal thread. Were still in hospital, here till Tuesday monitoring dd (now named Eva) and giving her the anti biotics. Im missing dd1 loads as I only get to see her at visiting and trying to contain a toddler on the ward is tough.

of course you should still join us if you go into sept! how many days are you over now? hope its soon!

It really is lonely over there KT....I've wandered onto the sept thread for some company in the final day(s). Desperate for it to be tonight...I just have a feeling, and midwife thinks it's early labour
Tomorrow is my sweep with the male midwife, really hope the baby comes before then!!!!!

Hiss talk talk and talk some more- I found that helped me get to grips with my first labour. Glad you're getting out- I'm the same it feels better tk get on with things than hide in doors.

Kt and others please still join even if u go inti sept!

Firawla well done on the feeding! I admire your determination!

Things r good here- we got a sticker chart from tesco for dd1 to help with regression with potty training and it has worked like a dream! I'm so happy as she has returned to normal and is back to her usual cheeky self! Also she has calmed down and isn't so obsessed with Eva anymore, she gives her kisses but has stopped wanting to be with her constantly. Thank god

Eva is doing well and only woke once last night, a fluke I'm sure! But much appreciated! I'm taking her to see a cranial osteopath tomorrow to see if it helps her colic.

Is anyone else really broody?

MrsV - wouldn't say broody, but have talked about when we have our NEXT child several times already. Despite my hideously traumatic pregnancy, I can't wait to do it again. Although I WILL wait, at least 2-3 years I should think!!

Well done to those of you battling on with breastfeeding. Some of your stories of cluster feeding make ME want to cry for you, you must be exhausted. I feel very guilty that I didn't plough on BF / expressing for my two, particularly since people say it gets easier after 6 weeks (mine are 6 weeks today) but I have to stick with my decision now. My HV mentioned today at the girls' 6-week check that Sophia is tongue-tight and can't lift her tongue as much as she should be able to ... which may be why she couldn't breastfeed. WHY DID NO-ONE NOTICE THIS SOONER???? Can't believe I put us both through the trauma of trying to breastfeed when she was never going to be able to. She got so distressed trying to latch on, poor little love.

TMI alert - need some advice on a sensitive matter! DH and I DTD last week (for the 1st time since the girls were conceived last November!!!) and whilst it was all fine at the time, I have had some pains since... kind of like period pain but not so intense. It is every day and gets worse at times and then better. The pains coming on also coincide with me giving up BF so not sure if it is linked? I am still bleeding from the girls' birth - only very lightly now, but it is still there. Could I have some kind of infection? Am I just still a bit internally battered from PG and CS? Any thoughts / advice gratefully received.

I think it is just me and Annie left now on the antenatal board. Was checking the dates thread earlier and there are a few regulars missing - RugbyWidow and Teladi but from their last posts I'm assuming they have had their babies by now.

I had my mw ap earlier. I'm officially 40 + 11 but by my dates I'm 40 + 4 so I've declined induction - how to win friends and influence people :o. Have an accupuncture ap tomorrow and am bouncing on my ball with clary sage in the burner. I think agenda for tomorrow night is hot curry, 16 pineapples and a hot session with DH :o Unless I'm the only woman in history who never gives birth it surely can't be long now????

kt oh yeah if your dates put you at 40+4 it may be good to put off induction cos only 4 days over is not so much.. i bet they will push you for it though! but good luck, hope it all goes well!

mrsv yeh i am broody too but then i am always broody! but keep telling myself to try and wait a bit more before the next one, because i don't want to finish too quickly, and after having #4 i think it would take quite a bit of persuadeing for dh to want more, so if it would be my last then i dont want it over and done with so soon (dont like the thought of next being my last though, too sad.. soo we will see!)

mrss dont think you should feel bad at all, youve done really well to bf and express at all for twins i think some people dont even start with it as they know it will be twice as hard with two?

Hello ladies!
I've graduated, yay! Elise Olivia Miraid was born on sunday night at 11.07 after an EMCS. She weighed 4260g or 9lb6.5oz! How I fit her in I don't know. She looks exactly like me and DH is absolutely fascinated with her. Best thing I ever did.
Will have a proper catch up on the thread and compose my birth story as well, but just wanted to come and wave at you all :)
Hope you're all good, lots of love x

KTisPG good luck! Can't be long.

MrsVidic me too, kind of... in that DH and I have decided that actually we don't think we're done and I really thought I would feel I was when DC3 arrived. WOuldn't want more than 3 years between DS3 and potential DC4 though as only two lots of 2 year gaps between our current 3 and wouldn't want baby to be loads younger. We've decided to give it serious thought from when DS3 will be about 18 months, and decide yes or no then. I'm thinking it'll be a yes though.... I cannot contemplate DS3 being my last baby now, I just don't feel finished. I always feel broody when people announce pregnancies, I hope that will actually disappear one day??!!

Matthew is feeding roughly every 2/3 hours in the day, cluster feeds for a couple of hours in the evening and feeds about 2/3 times in the night so going quite well here. The key to him settling is making sure he has burped enough, my milk comes out a bit too quickly at the start of a feed and he gets a bit windy with all the gulping I think. He is getting chubbier and outgrowing his newborn sleepsuits so I know he is doing well

Hi sargesaweyes and congratulations! Love his name. At only 2 days old short, frequent feeds are quite normal, he's stimulating your supply and in a day or two you should get your milk in properly. Get his latch checked if your nipples are sore just to make sure he's on properly, however I always have sore nipples for the first couple of weeks despite him latching on correctly. Lansinoh is good for making sure your nipples don't get too dry. Expressing doesn't usually get out as much milk as the baby does so it's not a reliable way to see if you are making enough. I would not bother at this stage if I were you. You will be making enough if he is feeding frequently, doing wet and dirty nappies, and after the (usual) initial weight loss in the first few days he puts on weight. Hope the bf lady helps, try not to worry and good luck!

Hi sarge, glad you see you here :) they are just so beautiful huh? Contests again on bertie x

I wish we had a bf support here. I am going to the clinic on Monday though to check see if I can better latch on the right. Grace gets on the left easier. I hope she helps you out I wouldn't bother expressing just yet though as littlemiss says they can get it out way better than we can.

Days 4/5 were so hard. But Grace is a week old today and for the last 2 nights she is doing a 6 hour sleep, feed, then a 2-3 hour sleep. What an angel. She cluster feeds all evening though before her big sleep and my nipples are sore. At least I'm not shattered as well.

We've been getting out n about too which is nice. I think now I've had a week off I am ready to talk about the horrid induction experience. So I'll post later I hope you wont mind me moaning about it.

congrats jennifer and sarge!
sarge i dont know whether 2/3 days is too early to express?? but the bf support lady should be able to help anyway
misslozza thats great you decided to have one more, cos you sounded so sad before about thinnking he would be your last

Hi everyone, Elliot Jonah was born on Sunday 28th at 4:04pm weighing 9lb 5oz :) He was 10 days late but I avoided induction which was booked for day 12. It was a very sudden on-set 90min labour which frankly was a bit too intense, we only just made it to the hospital in time (thank the Lord for wonderful best friend who realised how advanced I was, phoned the hospital and got us there in the nick of time!) Thankfully I didn't have any tears or problems and was allowed home again a couple of hours later in time for DD and DS1 to meet their baby brother before they went to bed.
Feeding is going ok so far, being a bigger baby helps I think as he's more efficient. Day 2 was a bit of a mare as he was hungry but my milk wasn't in yet. I gave him an ounce of formula three times in that day which saw him through until my milk came in yesterday afternoon. I'm trying to feed 3-hourly which is going well so far!

hiss I was traumatised by my DD's birth but didn't realise it at the time, I wish I had known that help was available. It was years before I could think about it without getting upset, in fact while I was in hospital on Sunday and they had my notes there I asked the MW to find the notes of my DD's birth and we had a chat about it which was very kind of her! Tbh it does sound like you're trying to do too much (sorry, but I can see myself in you after my first birth!). With DS1 and 2 I've stayed home for the first week, put my feet up and just watched tv and got to grips with feeding, which means I've recovered nice and quickly from the birth. Looking back I can see I had unrealistically high expectations of myself after having DD - I used to see other people out and about with newborns, confidently feeding, and tried to do the same, but they probably weren't out in the first week or two after birth, or that might have been the only outing they did all week, you never know. I hope you feel better soon :)

Hope those who are still pg are doing ok...not long to go I'm sure!

sarge I'd echo that expressing with pump not much help at day 2/3, I'm at day 6 now and hand expressed on one side in days 3-5as my nipple cracked &bleeding. It now healing so I can feed with a shield. I was prepared this time as had same problem with DD1. My rhs nipple is just odd shape I reckon as latch been checked. Get help though from a BF supporter or counsellor if u can as it can make all the difference in early days. I struggled for wks with DD1 but by wk5 was a confident BFer and did 9mths. I finding it tough going this time but taking it day by day and used the odd formula syringe top up when it just all gets too much so my DH can help too. Gd luck x

I hadn't realised how much my previous birth -emcs - had effected me until 9mths later at the dentist sitting in the chair and seeing lights above sent me into a panic attack and flash back to theatre. I also waited a long time (4yrs) until I felt ready to have another baby whilst most of my antenatal group were popping out no2 within 2yrs of first. I had flash backs for a gd year after. There is counselling avaible if u feel the need to talk about it just talk to your GP or HV they should help.

was hoping to have joined you all on here by now as I am T+4...I know its not very overdue but just had a failed sweep where midwife said that labour "isn't imminent" due to posterior cervix? Anyone else have this and if so, how soon after did labour start. Dr Google has told me that cervix's can come forward during contractions in a matter of hours so just wondering how likely that is. A bit deflated as I've been given an induction date for next Friday (I know thats ages away) and I thought things might have happened by now...

Annie I had a sweep on Wed - high, posterior closed cervix. Then another Friday - it was softer but still posterior. On Sunday I had a show, contractions started - so it can take days, but my mw also said hours. Don't worry - you'll go into labour soon enough lovely :)

Thanks jennifer - did the midwife manage sweeps when it was closed and / or posterior? Mine said he couldn't do one as it was so far back. I do think he's generally a bit crap though so might not have tried very hard...

annie my ds2 i was told labour nowhere near & booked in for induction but he just came a few days before that, and cervix has been really far back with all of them, even during labour of ds3 they were saying it was still far back??
hopefully it wont be too long for you

I've asked for visitors only 10-1pm and said none in arvo as I need my rest. Everyone been fine with that. You &babe are most important thing, plenty of time few wks down the line when you will prob welcome the company more. Ask your DP/DH to be firm for you.
Fantastic you getting some BF support maybe I should ask for help with rugby feed as my boobs vlarge they need lots support when feeding and I've not practiced the lying down feed which was my fav last time. Waiting to get off shields first. Left nip nearly healed so by sat might be brave and try with out shield again.

Annie sweeps have never worked for me-had not stopped three natural labours and rapid induction! Good luck

I do not think I would express in first couple of days before milk comes in.

Regarding stress about a bad birth experience a friend of mine, expecting her third, recently had an appointment at the hospital and went through notes from her two previous births with a midwife which she said really helped.

First couple of weeks definitely time for rest not rushing about in my book. Though we gave been inundated with visitors.

I have to say I am far from broody though ds3 is gorgeous. Attempted a park 'fun day' with them all the other day and was a nightmare with them all running off in different directions-I lost ds2 for a few horrible minutes. It is hard to give them all time with the constant feeding. Am taking DD shopping on sun with just me and ds3 as she cried yesterday that she gets no time with me with three demanding little brothers. Still I do love the beautiful chaos

Still pg :( Going in to day unit at 10 for monitoring. Fingers x everything ok.

Re debriefing negative birth experiences, the NCT have postnatal/early day sessions and a helpline that are very good: 0300 330 0773

Hi everyone, I graduated 7 days ago now but just have not found the time to get on here! The last week has been quite a hormonal one for me, I have cried every day for various reasons, the main one being DD entirely refusing to breastfeed. She has just never done it. We had a difficult delivery and then I required care not long after her birth so I think we maybe just missed our window for DD learning how... I have been trying everything but she just will not latch on. So for now I am an exclusively pumping mum, I am going to keep it up as long as I can. I am still trying to get DD to latch on but also trying to ditch the feelings of guilt and regret - I was determined to breastfeed and was looking forward to bonding with DD that way but it just has not worked out like that. DH has been fantastic ever since DD was born, am hoping that when he goes back to work I will be able to continue with the feeding schedule and looking after DD.

I'm really wishing I had had a chance to get on here before as I am finding it very reassuring to read all your posts - so much to relate to. Being a new mum is such a lifechanging experience. It's good to know I am not alone.