October 2012 babies - we meet them at last!

[YompingJo]

Getting thread in place in readiness!

[Elpis]

Emmiedarling My section looks pretty ghastly too - not sure whether I should be grateful they cut out the scar tissue from the first time - but they really do get better. The fact it's below your bikini line is actually a blessing. Unless you're a Brazilian kind of girl, I suppose. There's a good Mumsnet thread somewhere on caring for your scar/ handling things post-section which I can link to if it's not findable via Google.

I can't believe how little I learnt first time round. Or have remembered.

[Elpis]

Also... Weight drops off at a wildly varying rate. A couple of months after birth last time I threw away all my tighter size 12 trousers from pre-baby, thinking they'd never fit again. By 8 months or so I was a size 10. This time (sorry) my stomach has shrunk back very quickly. I suspect tandem feeding of a toddler and newborn is the reason.

[Velo]

Hi Ladies, just starting to find some headspace to catch up with the threads. DS has just been weighed and is now a whopping 2.4 something Kg! This means that he has regained his birth weight and then some. The midwife has said that we are allowed to leave the house so who knows, might get our first walk today. Breastfeeding is going well - I used the aventis cups to get through the engorgement phase and they really seemed to work. I am however feeding on demand, if lucky we manage a 3-hour cycle but there tends to be a lot of top-up feeding especially during the day. Feels like I'm breastfeeding all the time.

I'm trying not to worry too much about post-pregnancy body but I have 10 kg to loose to get back to my pre-IVF weight (put on weight during the ttc process). I have joined Weight Watchers even though they say to wait 6-weeks, the points for breastfeeding mothers are generous and I need to make sure that I don't eat biscuits, cakes for the sake of it.

Not doing too badly with the baby blues, had a bit of a wobble at day 9 (which according to my MIL is normal).

Hopefully we'll have a few more graduates to this thread by the end of today!

[Velo]

On a lighter note, I have:

• eaten sushi
  
• slept on my back!
  
• eaten a sandwhich without having to worry about whether or not it was with cooked meat or if I could trust that the lettuce had been properly washed.
  
  Still to come: 1 rare or medium steak...
  
  What have you enjoyed now that the pregnancy dietary shackles are off?

[WantAnOrange]

Afternoon ladies! Baby Orange arrived yesturday, at 6:30pm. Glad to be home!

[squidkid]

Hey lovelies
Just marking my place. Will write soon.

velo I had champagne and soft cheese the evening I delivered :)

[Elpis]

Velo Am ashamed to say I did all those things while pregnant. I don't like soft cheese but will lobby DH to open some champagne tonight!

[Elpis]

Fantastic WantanOrange! Treat home just like the hospital, but with better food and no Archers-style overheard medical dramas in the rest of the ward. (Does everyone keep their curtains closed around the bed these days?)

[WantAnOrange]

aww we had the curtains open. The other ladies on the ward were nice!

DD has just coughed up loads of gunk all over clothes, been washed and dressed and then filled her nappy! So we'll start again......

[YompingJo]

Just popping on to wave broodily at all the new babies - hey babies! waves.

Mine's never coming!

[WantAnOrange]

Is anyone else BF? I've woken up with boobs like Jordan. I'd forgotten this bit. Ouch!

[crazypaving]

wantanorange I'm so not looking forward to that. I think my milk's on its way though cos I just randomly sobbed for half an hour this afternoon because I feel so bad for DS adjusting to this new usurper Maybe tomorrow I'll have my first Jordan day...

DS has already shredded my left nipple, gah. Nipple shields ahoy...

yomping, have a whiff of this it's supposed to bring labour on

[squidkid]

My milk came in Wednesday... thankfully the rockhard pornstar thing only lasted 24 hrs

am v v lucky in that feeding's not painful.

Just fed babysquid for 4 hours... woah. so. tired.

[Angelico]

Hello! Like Squid I was feeling too fraudulant to write here but getting brave now that a few of you are here :o

Champagne - I took a swig and the bubbles made me cough = death post-section. Swearing off it for a while...

The boob thing lasted about 3 days for me and now they are back to normal although the boob ready to feed from does get firmer which helps me remember which boob's turn it is :o I have to write it down though too or I would forget

Sympathy on shredded nipples and 4 hour feeds Bean varies between 20 and a record 40 mins, most feeds 25-30 mins. We either have a cosy tucked up in bed feed or a 'plonked in front of telly with boxset' feed :o

Gave her a bath this evening and now she is sleeping soundly. Lots of good stuff in Baby Whisperer but one thing I found unhelpful was the whole 'keep baby awake for half an hour after a feed'. Think that's what gets her overtired and then she has the daily meltdown. So aiming now for let her sleep if she can so mummy and daddy can sleep too!

Squid how is the co-sleeping going? I'm really torn about it. Part of me loves the idea of it, part of me relishes her just sleeping in her moses basket so DH and I can snuggle up in bed without fear of squishing her. How do you manage the practicalities of it? Did I read someone on other thread say you can't use a duvet? If you know of any good links or have time to give some info would love to know how you're working it.

[Mikyahrose]

Hey everyone. Can I come join your gang. Was due in Sep, but my little boy didn't arrive until 1st Oct.
We're doing well so far. I'm having problems with night sleeping, in that he'll only stay asleep on me, as soon as I try to put him in his crib he wakes. Means I'm not getting the best sleep, but he is. I'm actually not feeling too bad for it yet either. DP is being great and we've started a routine where he takes DS at about 7am for as long as possible so I can get a couple of hours of sleep.
I think my milk is in/coming in. His poo has changed colour and when I've had a squeeze its more white than clear now.
If you are expressing, are you both bottle feeding and boob feeding? I want to express but am worried about introducing it too early. Also does anyone use a dummy? We think our DS really likes sucking and are sure he'd settle for longer with DP if he could suck, but again are worried about bringing it in too soon.
I think the bf is going well, he's latching ok (although mw says I need to get more boob in his mouth) and my boobs aren't that sore. They're not dry, but have felt a bit more tender today, and are quite warm right now. But actual feeding isn't painful.
Think that's all my worries and concerns so far.

[Elpis]

mikhyarose Welcome! It's been a bit quiet round here as we're all so interested in the babies being born in our antenatal thread, but now things are livening up.

The general advice is not to express for a few weeks so you can build up confidence in your supply. Expressing can be a bit of a faff - I did it for 18 months at work four days a week with DD, so I became relentlessly efficient - but for now I would just let your supply establish itself.

Personally I don't use a dummy because sucking prompts the breasts to produce more milk. It is comforting for the baby sometimes, but certainly at this stage I want him to associate milk with comfort so that he gets enough of it.

DS doesn't really like settling in his cot either, which is why we're co-sleeping for the moment. Basically you don't want to run the risk that the baby will get trapped under some duvet and suffocate. So I'm wearing thick pyjamas and using a blanket, which is thinner and moves around less. Make sure the pillows are out of your baby's way too.

Angelico that recommendation to keep them awake for half an hour after a feed is really odd. Milk sends them to sleep, and thank God for that.

Don't want to come over all Mother of Wisdom about bfeeding, so I hope this advice doesn't come across as patronising!

[WantAnOrange]

I am finding BF painful tbh but shes feeding now and its not too bad. She feeds for about 2 hours at a time. I'm expressing a bit to relieve the engorgement but not introducing bottles until BF is established.

We are co-sleeping because she will not go down in a moses basket, or anywhere else. She wants to be with be 24/7.

I have offered her a dummy but she was not impressed!

[squidkid]

Hey

I have a million and one things I want to share/discuss/ask about my first week of being a mum, but I can't seem to order it all in my head... perhaps I will write something substantial later.

Baby squid seems to have been feeding with no more than 20 minute breaks since 5pm last night, finally stopped around 7am and is asleep in her dad's arms... I am a dehydrated, exhausted mess! Still at least she's feeding well. And my boobs don't hurt, bonus.

angelico still very much trial and error with the co-sleeping here. We haven't tried sleeping her anywhere else because she's so small and new I can't quite bear to. Practically - I sleep in the middle, facing outwards, and the duvet covers me and my boyfriend. She sleeps in a sleepsuit and wrapped in her own blanket flat on the mattress within arm's reach of me. Sometimes I hold her in my arms as I sleep, sometimes not. I was experimenting with breastfeeding lying down last night (I thought this was going to be the genius solution to everything) but we both kept falling asleep so I think she was less satisfied which is maybe why she fed ALL NIGHT

I am not sleeping very well even when she does, probably because I am too conscious of squishing her. But I think this will pass as I get used to it. Im' keen to make this work, I think it will be easier in the long run. Boyfriend seems fine with the co-sleeping - he is not worried about squashing her cause I'm in the way. We still cuddle. We always had sex all over the house so when we are up for that again I'm not bothered that she'll be in my bed. (I didn't tear, but I have a "graze" down below... oooowwiie it stings. Other than that I think I'd genuinely be up for sex! Bleeding is lighter than a period now...)

I read a good quote about co-sleeping/the fear of squashing babies somewhere: you don't squash your baby in your sleep for the same reason you don't fall out of bed in your sleep - you sleep, but not THAT deeply. (Which is why obviously you shouldn't co-sleep after drinking, sedative meds, etc).

Wow, I have loads to write, it's all going to pour out... feel very sleep-deprived and hormonal though and the sun is shining and jess is sleeping so I think I'm going to go out for a short slow walk around the river, try and pick up some endorphins and vitamin D. laters xxxx

[crazypaving]

morning all, 1 handed typing as i have ultimate velcro baby!!! last night didn't get much sleep...

my left nipple is in tatters. already. i know his latch is crap on that side and i can hear him clicking but no amount of relatching helps and we both end up frazzled. aarrrggh. got nipple shields which i hate.

any 2nd timers getting horrific afterpains during bfing? last time i remember mild crampy aches, but this time i feel like they left a twin in there and i'm back in labour having to breathe through it and poor DS1 finds it a bit odd i think.

v jealous of all whose jordan look passed quickly. with DS1 it lasted over 2 months, nightmare.

ok left handed typing too time consuming!!

[WantAnOrange]

crazy I had awful afterpains for the first 48 hours, then I passed a huge clot and they pretty much stopped. Keep taking paracetamol and ibruprofen.

I sleep brilliantly when shes with me! Shes just so snuggly and delicious! I do find im cold at night because she sleeps against my chest so I cant have the duvet over me properly.

I keep trying to get her to feed lying down and its worked a couple times but mostly it buggers up the latch and hurts. When it is successful we fall asleep together and its bliss so I'll keep practising.

You have sympathy for the pain. Its horrible.

[lisbethsopposite]

Marking spot - lost this thread. Back later.

[Elpis]

crazypaving Afterpains felt like period pain despite being on major doses of Diclofenac and paracetamol after the c-section, so God knows what they'd have been like without the painkillers! Agree with wantanorange that pills are answer. Pain wore off once I no longer looked at all pregnant.

I'm so glad to be cosleeping this time. With DD, I fed her to sleep each night, put her in the cot and then went downstairs to marital bed. We'd be awoken between two and six times a night by the crying, and dragging myself out of bed each time was awful. Then I'd sit in an armchair propping open my eyelids while she fed. When she'd finished one side I'd change her nappy to wake her so she'd tackle the other. Then back downstairs. Then up again. Don't know how I stuck at it. I just took the 'do not sleep with your baby' advice whole. Why do we put ourselves through that? Anyhow, this way I notice when DS is sucking his fingers, grunting etc and we never get to the crying stage AND I CAN STAY IN BED. He will tolerate an hour or so in the cot alongside my bed each night, though, if he's drunk himself into a stupor.

He can't seem to latch on in the dark yet, so I have to show him the nipple by the light of an iPhone to get him going.

[crazypaving]

oh god DS is so unhappy and keeps crying heartbreakingly and hitting me. I can't stop crying, DH has had to take him out to the playground. This will get better won't it?

[WantAnOrange]

Of course it will get better crazy. It really will. How old is your DS?

[crazypaving]

23 months