November 2011 - early birds, just in time and late to the party, all welcome!!

[TwoJackRussellsandapumpkin]

Hi all,

just starting up a post natal thread for all the due in November peeps on the antenatal forum and anyone else who would like to join in too, hoping to see my arrival by the end of the week, so officially an early bird I hope :)

snoozle to change go to 'my mumsnet' and then click on registration details. you can change nickname there.

Great night. Fed at 10.30 (ebm botlle, 5oz) and my first wake up was 5.30, then we've had a lie in until 9.30. I think I would feel a new woman if it wasn't for this stupid cold/cough.

concerned how long i'm going to be able to keep up expressing for his late bedtime feed. I was easily getting 4-5oz in one sitting until a week or so ago. At the moment I'm struggling to get anything over 2oz, which means I'm having to express a couple of times to get the full feed. Why the sudden drop? its so frustrating, because now instead of having an ongoing stock in the fridge all my efforts each day are going into one bottle. plus I just dont have the time to feed myself/go to the toilet/sort the house out etc. some days let alone having to express umpteen times on top of everything else...

I NEED him to have this bottle a day, selfish maybe, but I need the space it gives me just once a day; to go to bed early and sleep for a good chunk more than anything else. I need Daddy on duty time.

If expressing starts to fail I'm thinking of introducing formula for bedtime. I'm not militant about bf in the slightest so why do I feel guilty for considering that?!

Hello ladies,

Took me a while to find this thread! Just checking in quickly while Viggo catches up on some sleep but it's nice to read through and see that everyone's having issues of some sort, makes me feel more relaxed!

V is 2.5wks now and a big chunk, am just starting to feel vaguely like I know what I'm supposed to do. This is day 3 of looking after him by myself while DP is at work. My biggest issue is breastfeeding, he's a bit tongue tied, I've seen the bfc twice and been to a couple of drop in sessions and I'm going to ask to be referred for the snip when I see her again on Thursday. He's chewing my right nipple to death and he can't latch on my flat left nipple so I'm expressing from that boob which is such a chore. Also I'm really messy at it, it's quickest to do it simultaneously when he feeds but V seems to get irritated by the noise so doesn't feed as well and my right nipple gets more stretched and chewed up and we both end up with leaky milk all over us. I'm sure I must smell delightful by the end of the day.

Other than that things are good, he sleeps for 4/5 hours at a time at night (so far) but then when he wakes up he's starving and my boobs are like rocks so night feeds involve a lot of foot stomping and yelping on my part! I can't wait for the bit where I look back romantically on the early days of breastfeeding as a distant memory. I'm already doing that with the stage one bit of my labour..

Going to see a cranial osteopath on Saturday for a mother and baby session, has anyone else done this, was it good? V's head is very misshapen so I'm hoping they can help him with that. The last midwife recommended getting his brain scanned and taking pictures of it she was so surprised by it, I thought it would just fix itself over the next few months. Not sure if it was caused by forceps or his head being lodged in my pelvis for weeks?

Not so quick post afterall, hope you're all enjoying a stress free day.

Caz I feel torn about formula too & I've counselled Mummy friends to give a bottle of formula once a day for their wellbeing & was determined through my pg that I wouldn't get drawn into expressing (just not sustainable with 2 other LOs to look after) but would just give 1 bedtime bottle of formula. H 4 weeks today so we are going to try bottle tonight - I've expressed a bit here & there so have enough for 1st couple of bottles (want to be sure that if he hates it or vomits is because of bottle not formula) and now I am beginning to worry & feel guilty as neither of the other 2 had formula before 12 weeks.

Smiling if V has a funny shaped head then prob worth trying to get a referral to a paediatrician - I know a few LOs who have needed helmets and definitely the earlier it is addressed the better as they need to wear them for much less time (DS1 was assessed for 1 but didn't need it in the end - he had a flat head which we managed to sort with a specialist mattress and lots of tummy time)

Mash everything you describe sounds normal - don't be anxious :) Sounds like everyting is kicking in great. The problem with boobies is they aren't transparent so you can't see the milk. You would know if your baby wasn't getting enough milk - no wees, hardly any poos, dry mouth. If you are worried about any of these then speak to your mw or hv.

My boobies were like massive canon balls for 2 days until William regulated the flow for me now they are only firm if he hasn't fed for 2 or 3 hours. Otherwise they are soft and the same as you, I have to squeeze to see th emilk. Just remember that your baby is 100x better at getting the milk out than you are - it's more than physical.

Ok we had PMA to get through pregnancy how about we share our breakthroughs here? Give hope to each other and hopefully help each other out? You guys have helped me already so I thought I'd share my breakthroughs to help anyone else struggling with confidence like me.

We've had a great few days.

Firstly no more screaming at bath time. We now use the bathroom sink lined with a towel (and a flannel over the taps) and we increased the temperature so it is just a wee bit less than his belly temperature. He loves it! Heart melting smiles at today's bathtime.

Secondly, a moses basket breakthrough - kind of. He won't fall asleep in there but if I put him straight in after a feed he'll remain asleep. He doesn't cry when he wakes up as he has a monkey to look at. My tip is to lay him on his blanket when he feeds and put the blanket in under him when I transfer him - it's warm and minimises disruption.

Oops - epic post. Whoops.

Hello I'm finally here :-) Here's a copy of my birth story

Hey everyone sorry there is not more baby news, and confessions to all the new babies! I understand my little Darvey may have a couple of birthday buddies

Sorry I haven't been on here much but it's been a pretty tough week! So here's my birthday story.... You may wish to look away!

Got admitted to hospital on Wednesday for I induction for a suspected large baby. The whole process was really nice and relaxed, I was really looked after. I explained my bad experience with the internal an the MW then gave me my own pod of gas and air so for every internal I was sucking away which took away alot of my anxiety. I got a reputation as the one with the gas and air after I started having really spaced out dreams at one point I was dancing to Darcey's heart rate whilst having an internal and talking to random bits of medical equipment like they were people, at one point I was offering the midwife it. Contractions started Wednesday afternoon and by Wednesday night I was having contractions so frequent but with no regulatory that they were worried as I was having no off time.

Thursday morning I went to queue for toast and tea and my waters broke this just made me stand in the corridor and cry haha. During the day the contractions slowed and became less intense so at 5.30pm it was decided to take me into delivery and start the hormone drip. I managed fine on gas and air and tens until about two hours in when the drip was up to about 16. This coincided with hand over which was great as the first MW was trying to persuade me to stay on gas and air, whilst the 2nd who was lovely said that if I thought I was going to end up with an epi then I might as well have it then. At this point I really didn't think I could last another 10mins let alone a few hours so I agreed, it didn't help that Darcey was pushing on my bladder Andy contractions were 2 mins apart I felt like I constantly needed a wee.

The anthestist came almost immediately and again was soooo nice. The epi changed my labour and made it enjoyable. I had it so I could still feel the contraction but that they weren't painful I went from fearing my labour to enjoying it!

I progressed nicely to 6cm over 6 hours but then did not progress any further for the 6, Darcey's head wouldn't fit in my pelvis therefore would apply the required pressure but with each contraction her head was swelling up more and more it was decided to do a c-section my OH would not stop crying. It was quite nice in a way as my MW stayed on and the anthetist wad the same etc so I felt very safe

Darcey was pulled out as she was well and truly stuck at 7.28am, and OH cried again haha! The epi went a little too high and I lost the use of one hand and the feeling in the other so found it upsetting that I could feel her.

I lost a lot of blood and required a blood transfusion (twice) and I had a blood clot. We were just about to be discharged on Sunday when Darcey got admitted to SCBU for jaundice... They were worried because she got it on day one and couldn't work out whether it was dehydration, or liver/kidney problems so we are still waiting on the outcome of that but fx we can be discharged today... Together! That has resulted in me bf and toping up which I have no problem with, but am struggling to get the right balance/routine still early days!

Sorry for the mammoth post

It's our first night home tonight am petrified and think ive already got mastitis in one boob cos of all the messing around :-(

Thanks Alicat, I've been in touch with the hospital to arrange a follow up appt for him, so it should at least put our minds at ease.

Good tip with the Moses basket, blanket combo Pamsco, V has to be nursed or white noised to sleep at the moment, then he wakes himself up thru sucking air which is annoying, I have to sooth him and put him down multiple times. Bit worried I'm embedding bad habits already... I have tried letting him settle himself but he's quite capable of shouting for 10 mins and then it takes longer to settle him again.

I cursed myself with my previous post about him sleeping for 4 hour blocks, last night he was waking every 1.5-2 hours. Poor nipple, am hoping it's a temp growth spurt!

That's great Smiling - best get your mind put at rest - their heads are so soft at this stage that they do change shape

Dog walked, laundry on, dishes done, bottles made, baby asleep in her pram and the house is quiet... And she slept from 11pm to 5.40am... And at the dietician yesterday she weighed in at 5050g (11 lbs 2oz) - steadily tracking along the 80th centile... Minus the reflux screaming after feeds (she's now constantly propped up with pillows apart from in her cot), we're getting there!

Although I am never giving her codein again - it makes her vomit and completely resets the work on the reflux for her :( It's a 2 day re-adjustment for us every time.

Hi all!

Only just found this thread - my DS is 3 weeks old now and I am into my second week of looking after him by myself as DP went back to work last week. Last week was awful, I was consistently in tears and overwhelmed and the DS screamed/whinged fairly constantly, not only that but he had terrible wind!

When I was pregnant I imagined a well-structured routine where my baby would sleep and be massively contented... I have given up on any hopes of a routine until at LEAST week 6 after reading threads on MN lol! I have also lowered my expectations of both him and me.

This week (after a massive chat with my Mum on Saturday) I feel a lot more positive. The DS has put on 2lbs (nearly 3!) since he was born and is doing poos and wees and feeding well. He doesn't seem to want to sleep in the day for anymore than 10-20minute naps and he still seems to struggle with getting rid of his wind (moreso out of his bottom). He settles fairly well at night. During the day on the other hand, he seems to just want to be held - which I have been indulging him in. I am looking forward to having a little more structure because I still feel a bit all over the place and can't pre-empt his feeds AT ALL! But I know it will pass.

Pam and Ali thanks for the words of reassurance. I saw the mw yesterday after getting myself in a tearful state about the feeding and she said he's doing just fine and put on 30g since Sunday (he hasn't had any formula since then) so he IS getting food out! I feel a bit more relaxed today. Unbelievable how happy a dirty nappy makes me these days as they're a sign all is working!

F is one week old today. We took him out for a walk which was our first trip out since leaving hospital. We were only out for about an hour (sat and had a cup of coffee for most of that time!) but I am absolutely wiped out this evening. DH is busy cooking dinner and I've got my feet up as I thought I was going to pass out after doing a bit of tidying up!

H007 I hope it isn't mastitis - I know I'm finding feeding painful enough without any other complications so that would be horrible.

Cali you sound like you're doing an amazing job.

Perish I am dreading DH going back to work but I suppose we just have to roll with these first few weeks/months and do whatever our babies demand of us!

Hope everyone else is well.

Hi Ladies.
Sorry for not checking in regularly we have just been a lot more busy than I envisaged with the little one!!
Absolutely dreading OH going back to work tomorrow as we have zero routine going here and baby doesn't settle well at all. 2 weeks old today and still not sleeping without "disturbing" himself for more than about 20 mins. Although we do sometimes get a 3 hour block at some point in 24hrs. He is really struggling with wind and just doesn't seem able to get rid of it. Been on infacol for ages but not sure it is making a difference. I also noticed he makes a squeaky type of noise when he feeds- does anybody elses baby do this??? I can't remember DS1 doing this.
Really sorry for the long and self indulgant post
Hope you are all doing ok

Hey ladies

First up, sympathy for sore nipples and loud nights - I am having the same issues. Amaya sleeps beautifully in the day but is really hard to settle at night. But its still early days (sort of, she is 3 and a half weeks old ;)

And one boob keeps getting chewed - I was "resting" it and expressing for a day or two but as soon as I stop, its raw again. So horrible.

Caz - I already started on the last bottle of (organic) formula but understand the mixed feelings about it. I did exactly the same as you (DH giving last bottle of expressed milk) and think its excellent for everyone. All I can say is that if you keep up the expressing, your supply will catch up. I have already started on milk-increasing herb tinctures - blessed thistle and fenugreek seed three times a day. Will let you know how that goes...

smiling - I love the name Viggo! I was just thinking last week that was a cool name. I also love the danish name Storm.

H007 - that is quite a birth story actually and you sound very sanguine about the whole thing. Hope the mastisis isn't mastisis or at least clears up quickly.

Well, I had my parents over for a week and that definitely brought me down from my post-birth high. Or maybe it was coincidental ;) Somehow it was just too much having everyone all up in my apartment, which isn't small but still felt cramped.
I love my parents dearly but they are quite hard to please and my dad seems to have no editing button for what he says to people.

And of course, tiredness makes everything seem worse.

I have a horrible scene in a department store yesterday when Amaya was crying and I was with Elodie too. So I went to the tea room in the basement and immediately latched her one (of course very discretely in one of those specially made Bf-tops).
But one old lady in the queue started tripping saying loudly (in Danish) "You may not breastfeed in here" which caused a kerfuffle as everyone else turned to look at me. And I just said "What? Says who?" because you can breastfeed in this shop and practically everywhere here in Copenhagen - they are very liberal and I am super discrete anyway. But other people were saying stuff too and I got all flustered as my Danish isn't that good and I didn't understand and I felt all victimised. But I couldn't do anything about it anyway, so I just fed her, with all these eyes on me.

Anyway, my mum, who had been upstairs shopping finally showed up and I just burst into tears and buried my head in her shoulder like a baby! And she, not knowing who said what, glared at everyone with daggers!
But when I went to the toilet to sort myself out, people came up to her and said "don't worry, just ignore that old bat" and even the waitress said of course you can breastfeed here.

But I felt like a right twat, losing my cool like that! I am 36 years old! Bloody hormones and crap Danish got the better of me...

Grr feeling a bit disheartened - DS has first bottle tonight which he took nicely but only took 60ml so a load of hard earned EBM went down sink & he was shouting for food an hour 3/4 later. So I bought myself 1 extra hours sleep but he has been faffing around feeding a bit, falling asleep, waking up rooting & shouting for well over an hour with no sign of properly settling so doesn't feel like I've really gained any benefit. Dunno whether boobs just empty as I expressed before coming to bed. Just want to have a big cry as the sleep deprivation is getting to me. Also annoyed (unfairly) with DH as feel he should have got him to take more

And while I am wallowing I am also seriously fed up with CS wound nor healing. I am sick of not driving as would be nice to be able to 'pop' to places every now & again. And the wound itself is minging and if anything is getting worse rather than better .

Alicat, i'm sorry, sounds like a low night. What do the doctors say about the wound? As for the feeding, I think we've all been there, or thereabouts.
Saw paediatrician yesterday, and. He'shapy with dd's reflexes. So relieved.

Ali Big, big hugs - and reassurance that it will get better. He's getting used to the bottle, you're getting used to the bottle - first time I gave Abi EBM she couldn't figure out which end was up of it all. A few sore, machine-pumped boobs later, she was wolfing it down.
Hand LO to DH for an hour or two and nap - let him make up for lost breastmilk! ;)

Thanks Just & Cali, I know I just set my expectations too high! Eventually got H properly settled about 4 so got a good 2.5 hr block of sleep. Seeing practice nurse about wound today so will hopefully come up with a plan.

Just great that you've had reassurance about reflexes - having a child takes us all to a whole new world of worry!

All my posts are really short now, having tended towards epic in the past, cause they're all donw one handed on the phone these days..
Seem to be massively over producing milk, dd is just not keeping me comfortable at all. Have pumped three boobs now, but dont want to get stuck in vicious cycle. Plus, I think hes getting too much foremilk and not enough hind milk. Eugh, after the breast abscess with ds i'm just terrified of my boobs right now. And the midwife thinks I have a little uterine infection. Great.
Xmas decoration day! Woo!

Tjuice, how horrid for you. I wouldhave been upset too and cried on anyone's shoulder! Urgh people can be so rude. Well done for standing your ground though! Well, sitting your ground really!
Ali sounds like you are knackered and need some pick me ups. Hope the nurse is able to help re the cs wound and that you can drive soon. :)
I've finally got a day in the house on my own! Except ds made it half way to school and ended up at his grandma's sick for the 3rd time this week. Not entirely sure what's going on as he's seemingly well. Mw expected today to sign us off and I've got my job interview tomorrow and am bricking it! Bought a new suit last week (normal size yay!) and need to have a chilled day reading application over again and trying to work out what the hell I say in a funded phd interview!
Hope we are all well and getting some rest.

H007 mastitis sucks....hope you get sorted! I had a bit of a bout thank god it didn't last tho....it was like flu for me....so achey and freezing cold.
Cali you sound so organised and in control....I'm a bit jealous
hadak feeling same about infacol...not sure it's doing anything. I'm going to switch to gripe water and see whether that is any different I think. Breaks my heart when it's hurting that little tummy, as she's such a happy baby other than those times!
tjuice what a horrible cow...think anyone would have cried! Good your mum was there for a bit of comfort...some people are so rude!
Ali I'm with you on the driving front...climbing the Walls here...family have all been great at ferrying us around but it would be nice to pop out without pre planning! What's dr said about wound...do you have a dressing on still?
just great news about reflexes.
Dd skipped the 2:30am feed last night so did 11:30pm-4:30am....makes such a massive difference to get that extra sleep. I think because she is getting much more awake time in day, so trying to encourage that.
Don't know where the days go....I don't seem to achieve much that you can see but seem on go constantly, making bottles, washing, sterilising, expressing, nappies, sorting house. Feel like I have to defend what I've done in day when dh gets home....not that he says I've been lazy or anything, it's just me thinking I've done nothing! Going to start on online Xmas shopping today... 25 days to go....looking forward to our first little family Xmas.

Ahh Tjuice, how upsetting! I know how to say shut your mouth goatf*cker in Danish perhaps you could wheel that out for the next time a grumpy old lady speaks up?! I remember when re-learning how to ride a bike in Copenhagen a few years ago, I crashed this giant backpedal brake bike into the side of a bus at traffic lights, and then the bus pulled away and all these Danish cyclists and bus passengers were shouting in Danish at me while I got half pulled along with the bus. Eventually the bus driver stopped, got out and started shouting at me as well and I was just going, I'm sorry, I'm English - like that was some sort of excuse for not being able to ride a bike.... very humiliating.

Well done you for continuing, i'm glad the waitress stuck up for you. Storm is a great name but thought people might think he was a gladiator with a name like that over here!

Viggo has been referred for the tongue tie snip next week, I have my fingers and toes crossed it gives my nipple a break, otherwise I'm not inclined to get him to feed on my left as one sore nipple is enough! Right boob is now about 50% bigger than my left though, expressing just doesn't work as well as baby sucking.

Tjuice, seriously, well done. We all imagine thesse scenarios in our heads I think and i'd be proud of the way i'd coped if I were you.
Smiling, ds had a tongue tie snip and it made the world of difference. Dd has a bit of a tie too and despite what happened with ds we seem to be struggling to get referred this time. Grrrr. Still trying.

Tjuice what a nasty old bag. I've had my fair share of dirty looks & people moving tables to avoid me (with DD, haven't done public thing with DS yet) & all that made me feel bad enough without any verbal abuse. John Lewis impressed me - it is normally self service but when I arrived with screaming baby & immediately started feeding a member of staff came & offered to take my order for food & drink. It is so upsetting when people disapprove, I don't know a single mummy who doesn't want to be discrete though it isn't always easy.

Saw practice nurse today - I haven't had a dressing since day 2 but she thinks given the problems I'm having & it's position in a fold of skin that a dressing might help. So she applied iodine strips and a dressing & gave me the kit to change it every other day so hopefully it'll start to dry out now. Booked 6 week check with doc so hopefully will be driving after that.

Those with windy babies - we got on better with gripe water than infacol with DD & think I heard good tongs about colief but you might need a prescription for it.

H007 how are you feeling? Was it mastitis?

Ali I hope your wound starts to heal in the next few days. Two courses of antibiotics and a truckload of tea tree oil later, mine finally seems to be healing, but it looks horrendous. Still, I've never worn a bikini in my life and won't be starting at the age of 36, so no one will see it but me and DH, so really I can't complain in the grand scheme of things.

TJuice I'm not surprised you were upset by that nasty old bag. I hope you are feeling less shaken now, but I'm sure it was really upsetting when it happened.

Things are going well enough here. He was five weeks past on Wed, and weighed in at 11lbs 2oz, which the health visitor said was just right for his birth weight and previous growth. He just feeds so often though - instead of wanting to take more milk each feed, what he really wants is the same amount but more often. Its tiring, but thats how it goes I suppose!

Tjuice good on you and your mam for standing your ground. I did my first public feed today. Since my wabs are now a 42J I was dreading it as discretion isn't really possible/effective. Luckily I bagged a corner table in Sainsburys cafe and no one batted an eyelid.

voodoo when I went for my PhD interview (over a century ago now lol) I was given a tip by a man on a train - long story - he said enthusiasm and ideas will bring you success. He was right. Got me through my viva as well and every other interview since.

Well I had a trauma today - William has been referred to the jaundice clinic so they wanted to do a series of blood tests. Now I know some little ones here have been through so much and this is trivial, but when she put that needle into his hand and he just went silent and his big brown eyes just widened and stared at me before the blood curdling screams my heart was ripped out my chest. I was sobbing as hard as he was. The Dr took AGES to get the 3 samples. I guess he is blessed with his mama's low blood pressure. It was horrible seeing him so upset and not able to hug him - god I'm crying again!