April 2012 newborns: the insomnia continues...

[LaTristesse]

Hello fellow April mums. Following on from our lovely ante-natal threads, here's the first of the post-natal ones. Join us as we work out how to handle nappies, feeding, colic, crying and all things newborn, or just to celebrate the joys of a new baby!

hmm my midwife told me that the mirena was hormone free and it was the copper which made the womb unfavourable

Your midwife is mixed up. The mirena is progesterone based. The copper coil is a different device but that one is hormone free. Some people find it makes periods heavier. Some people on the mirena find that they don't menstruate at all.

Just going to post on here quickly as laptop was being rather crashy...I have already shared my feeding woes on the other thread so I won't repeat those, will update when there is some progress :)

As far as my post-CS progress goes...one glitch is with the do-it-yourself anti-clotting injections (does everyone who's had a CS do these?) - I was too nervous to do it myself so DH did it and squirted the stuff all over my tummy, the needle didn't go in. The leaflet didn't really help explain what we'd done wrong, either.

So have already missed one of the injections, we're hoping the midwife will be able to watch DH do it and hopefully correct whatever he got wrong last time. Really don't like the idea of injecting myself.
...also related to thrombosis, is everyone else who had a CS still wearing their stockings? I was told to continue wearing them for 6 weeks 'where possible', at least when in the house. I couldn't face putting them back on when I got home today (and they needed a wash anyway) so am wearing a pair of DVT aeroplane socks instead...but feeling guilty especially as we missed the injection too. Will put them on at bed time.

Also had the post-CS contraception lecture - DH and I only used to use condoms as we had the vague idea of TTC well before we started seriously trying, so a broken condom wouldn't have been the end of the world - but now I realise it's a bit more serious post-CS, in terms of impact on the scar, and if you end up with a second CS with the 'surprise' baby, that will affect your ability to lift a boisterous 10, 11 or 12 month old...I know someone that happened to.

I hated being on the Pill, though, hated, hated, hated it, and the coil sounds so painful. If I tell the GP 'condoms and if we have an accident I'll get the morning after pill, Brownie's honour' will they accept that?

marsh the hospital only told me to wear the stocking whilst in hospital, I haven't worn them since day 2. My feet & ankles did swell up enormously though I think that is a side effect of cs. Swelling lasted at least a week & was worse than in pregnancy.

I had to do the anti clotting injections, didn't fancy doing it much but was ok when I did. The first time I did it a little bit did drip out the end of the needle before I had suck it in. Think it was maybe that I had the needle angled down or maybe I had put pressure on the plunger thing?

Thanks for the info on mini pill, will put off making a decision until there is some danger of having sex!

Hi! I'll join you guys on this postnatal thread now that our little DD has been born . Rose Isobel Aleksandra arrived via elcs on mon 23.4. At 7.40 in Texas weighing a whopping 9 lb 4 oz !!! All of us were shocked at her size since DS and all our surrogate's own children have been small or average .
In the hotel now for two nights after two in the hospital which seems to be the norm here. They run a lot of tests even though she's healthy . Going to a pediatrician on mon and for a follow up bloodstest at the hospital on tue. Trying to sort out surrogacy things as fast as we can ticking things off the never ending list . Hopefully getting the passport by next wed and applying for the visa. Looks like we might be here for another month at least . We'll have to send DS back in two weeks with grandma . Also we might have to stay in Texas which ruins our plans of going to California for the waiting period . It's really hot here , about 35 celsius degrees so would have liked to leave the state . So far I've been in with the baby day time because of the heat and just went out in the evening to some shops when it was cooler .
She's doing well , eating about every 3 1/2 -4 h and sleeping quite well . First three nights were harder but last night went well. I'll check back with you later ...

Congratulations Nordic!!!!

Congratulations Nordic, a great weight too!

Congrats Nordic-love her name! Good luck with all the paperwork...hope you all get home together soon. Also congrats to e'one else who's delivered since I last posted. We're doing well
Here. HV weighed Emily yesterday. She's 8lbs 15: so in 2wks is 1lb above her birthweight & has also regained the 7oz she lost initially. Makes the nights worthwhile! Have our first day out today as a family; DD1 & 2 have a dance competition an hour and a half's drive away. It means a full day away: not ideal but it's their first & don't want to miss it. Forgot how stressful days like this can be & how much planning they req: am feeding Em AGAIN & already way behind!!!!! Which brings me to a question for you all; will he publicly feeding today(eek). A'one have tips for good feeding tops? Never indulged lSt 2 times but will prob be out & about more this time as it's Summer & I'll have to continue normal routine for the older girls.

Ps. Excuse typos. Typing on phone & feeding....

jelly re feeding out and about, a vest under a normal top can work well. Top up, vest pulled down slightly to allow baby access but the vest still covers your tummy. Pretty much the same way that a feeding top works with two layers.

Hello ladies. Anyone else getting dizzy/light headed first thing in the morning?? I lost 2.5l of blood and had a transfusion and am on iron tablets so not like I shouldn't expect something... But could do with reassurance.

The Diva was awake practically all day and night yesterday and I'm shattered as I'm breastfeeding. She went down at 6am after a frantic feed anc us Still asleep! Just about to start expressing so that my husband can help.

Diva; people with low blood pressure tend to be lightheaded in the morning cos they're a bit dehydrated in the morning. You'll have low BP following your bloodloss, because your body is using fluid to make milk & possibly cos you're not drinking enough. Keep water by you all the time & particularly during the night. But speak to your GP in case your heamoglobin levels/iron levels still a bit low. (a blood test will determine this). Also; if you're not eating enough in the morning your blood sugar could be too low. Maybe try eating a cereal bar before you get up. Any named for the Diva yet? We had a couple of nights like that with Emily in her first week...hopefully she'll settle for you. It's really tough though. Whendoisleep: yes; have always done the vest thing, but getting hot flushes already & know I may ne too hot for the extra layer over the summer this time (both my previous babies were winter so it was fine).

Wow: 2.5l - make sure that DH does all he can to help while you recover! You must be exhausted after being up all night, too.

Well done on starting to express. MW says we should be thinking about trying as Bill is 12 days now and it's advised to start earlyish.

Speaking of day 12, I bit the bullet this morning and weighted myself. I have lost 1 1/2 of the 2 stone I put on. 7lb to go before I'm back to pre-pregnancy weight (which was a bit high but hey ho) Got to say that's not as bad as I thought. Tone & condition are another matter entirely & I feel sure are gone for good!!

Anyone else braved the scales?

jelly I saw some feeding t-shirts in H&M a few weeks ago (think they were £20 for two) - not completely two layered more a cross over style that you could push the top layer down on to expose the nipple, but there was still a modesty panel over the top of your breast. If not, how about an extra large muslin or a feeding shawl thing that some of the baby shops are selling these days, that way you only need it when actually feeding, which should help your not to get too hot.

holly hope DD settles a little for you overnight soon. On the dizzyness etc., second the recommendation to try and keep your fluids up overnight, I remember that I was drinking pints of water and squash during overnight feeding sessions. Also, try eating some biscuits/cereal bars before getting up and make sure that you are eating plenty of iron-rich food during the day. I would recommend that you speak to your MW (I'm assuming that you haven't been discharged yet) or GP to get your iron levels checked to make sure they are coming back up.

Thanks allfor replies. Am on iron tablets for 2 months (!) and gave MW tmrw so will get her to check BP. I think I just emptied out yesterday and thinmonrinh and was running on empty. Have had fruit salad and yog and feel much better. DH is being a bloody dream.

She also doesn't seem to want to settle in her Moses basket. She'll settle on the bed, on me, on husband but not on her basket... Really frustrating :)

Going to have some crumpets and jam now too

the settling on you, DP etc is normal - after all she has been nice and cosy inside you for nine months, so it will take a little while for her to realise that she is separate.

My BP was a little high yesterday when the midwife checked it- a bit annoyed at that as it was fine all the way through when in hospital- why go up when I'm back home & much more chilled? MW is back tomorrow so hopefully it will be lower by then.

i started expressing yesterday & got 10ml, managed 20ml today (on top of usual feeding of DD) so that is all looking positive for my milk supplies.

What DD can get directly from the boob is still evidently not enough, though, as she can feed on and off for an hour or more and still be grizzly after that, so we still have to top up with formula. My milk must just be very hard to get at!

Using formula means she hasn't had a dirty nappy in 2 days, only wet ones, which I know is to be expected but still worrying...we tried a bit of abdominal massage last night & that seemed to calm her beautifully...but still no sign of a nappy explosion. Argh!

hi all! new to this so please bear with me! gave birth to dd1 last Sunday , had a pretty good waterbirth at home but had to transfer to the hospital last minute as i tore and the midwife couldn't stem the bleeding -i tore upwards and then either side of my labia, stitched up by a surgeon and back home within 3 hrs and felt reasonably good. anyway 7 days later and after 2 very short walks in the park i've started getting really bad pains in my fanu -not the stitches but kinda the fatty tissue area, its aching enormously and feels a bit like severe period pain or like my pubes are being pulled! has anyone else experienced this, any suggestion on how to make it better -already taking paracetamol, arnica and salt baths, and dp is being wonderful and doing whatever his two girls need!

Ouch, poor you Gillyweed. Congratuations on your DD - sorry no advice on the stitches but I hope someone comes along who can help.

Just posting because 2 weeks after my lochia stopped I got a sudden flood today after bfing - darkish, old looking blood, no big clots - and another couple of smaller ones since the first. Is this normal or should I be worried? No pain or fever.

gilly I'd get that checked out, just to make sure it's not infected.

bear I was told lochia can be quite stop start. But after a 2 week break, sounds like a while. I guess if no fever or strange smell then you're probably ok.

Ds2 starting to wake more, and has been sleeping only 2 hour blocks the last couple of nights. Just feeding him again and hoping he'll go a bit longer after this. Does anyone do a ff top up to help them sleep longer? Not thinking of doing this yet - but maybe if he's not going for longer than 2 hours by 12 weeks...he's 3 weeks tomorrow so plenty of time for him to learn to sleep. We had a nightmare with ds1 not sleeping, but willing to cheat a bit more this time to make life easier.

bear, digital - thanks, midwife checked today and said everything looks good no sign of infection. I'm beginning to wonder if they are afterpains as it seems to get worse as i feed, strange place to get them tho, mind i didn't feel one contraction or the need to push in my uterus so why would my body start doing what i expect it to now (ahem!)

bear -the midwife mentioned that unless I'm going thru a pad an hour the lochia seems pretty normal (i passed a few clots today), sounds like your body is just expecting any residual matter, guess it can take a while!

does anyone happen to know if its worth winding a baby if she's sleeping? dd1 is feeding really well but instantly falls asleep, i put her down but then she wakes herself pretty quickly with wind...and then starts the cycle again!?!

S'thing similar happened me on Thursday Bear. Am day 16 today, but my loss had stopped after a week. Thur evening whilst feeding I had a gush with a largish clot & then 15 mins later a gush, which poured while I sat on the loo. Scared the life out of me. But; no pain, temps & that was it, though loss started again on minimal amounts - dark red & old. It's not good if it's bright red & persistent. I spoke to my cousin who's a midwife & she asked about odour/temperature/pain &offered to palpate my uterus. Obviously there's a risk of retained products & or/infection, but I've been fine & haven't spoken to my Gp. I have noticed a correlation between activity (too much!!) & increased loss. Hope that helps. When: H&M tops-will check that out thx!

Holly, my LO wouldn't settle unless held for the first 4 days, but gradually progressed to carseat then pram. Totally refused to lie in her Moses Basket though & we've resorted to bringing the body of her Mamss & Papas pram upstairs every night instead. Works a treat.

Have had similar experience with blood loss this time & previously too. Dr told me before that sometimes doing a bit too much reopens the site healing where the placenta was. Nothing to worry about as jelly said unless very very heavy, smelly or you have a fever.

Crikey gilly you're a bloody trooper. As long as stitches are all good it does sound like after pains/swelling. I was cut to get the Diva out and my perineum was swollen beyond belief. So sore to sit on, stand up, walk, be still etching pi feel for you. Would paracetamol help?

I'm feeling so much better today, yesterday was not a good day :(

jelly we've had success!! She slept in her Moses basket all night only waking for feeds at 2, 4 and 8. She's now fast asleep so I've had a shower, crumpets and a cup of tea. DH has been amazing so he's having a lie in :)