It's April 2013, the time is now & HERE ARE OUR BABIES!

[toobreathless]

Our first post natal thread!

Cooking & Cleaning can wait till tomorrow
for children grow up we've learnt to our sorrow
So wipe away cobwebs and dust go to sleep
I'm cuddling my baby cause babies don't keep!

A thread to celebrate the highs of life with a gorgeous newborn and the lows of sleepless nights, stitches, feeding traumas & Baby blues.

[lutrinae]

dysgu , too and bunny - thanks for the reassurance and well wishes. Yep delivered on the 5th with a second degree tear and a litre of blood lost. Recovering from a truck crash feels about right! I do seem to feel more bruised now than before as I begin to get better and active as you say.

At least breastfeeding is getting better now as latch is improved. Although last night DS was very fractious and wouldn't sleep in his basket. Only sleeping next to mummy would do. Oh well at least feeding was easier (ie more lazy).

Ha ha Jessie mine totally sounds like that too! Or like a little wheezy piglet.

Sneezy I had never stayed in a hospital before having DS and had no conception how hard it was to sleep in one. It's almost impossible, especially in a post natal ward. So bright and hot too. Hope you're out soon.

Trish and Mama hope you both get back home soon too.

[Trishstar]

He's 6lb15oz now! Put weight on in last 2 days! Docs just want to monitor sugars til this afternoon/evening (tho they are happy with last 24 hours) and hopefully home tonight!!!! Keep sending the positive thoughts!!! Don't want another night in here!! Xxxx

[Trishstar]

You ladies have kept me sane whilst in here xxxx thank you! Xxx

[Mama1980]

Way to go hunter, well done clever boy you must be thrilled trish, many hundreds of positive thoughts being sent your way! Fingers crossed you get home tonight xxx

We are still sitting here, Alex has no infection but drs are still concerned. He is technically nearly 5 months old, so the 4 week immunity he has from me is long gone, but he is exclusively breast fed which is good....basically dr has gone to discuss it with other drs! Very complicated/rare medical situation apparently-well I seem to be managing rather too many of those lately.....

[SneezySnatcher]

Going to spend yet another night in the hospital (our fourth so nothing compare to some of you I know).

Yesterday the paed said that, as long as Henry's cultures came back today free from infection, we could go home. Came back - all clear! Paed comes to do newborn check, have discharge meeting, DH and DD came with car seat.

Another paed comes to double-check. Comments on how alert/healthy he is. Brilliant!

The consultant has decided to now leave the cultures another 24 hours to see if anything grows, despite the fact that after a clear 48 hours (+ a visibly healthy baby) it's extremely unlikely. All of this because my waters went before labour started.

I know it's good they are taking care of him but I am truly miserable. I had a crash section on Saturday and I'm having to do all the baby care outside of visiting hours (doing pretty much everything on the 'banned' list they gave me). I have barely slept since labour started on Friday and I'm starting to hallucinate from tiredness (plus the anaemia they have just identified).

[HavingALittleFaithBaby]

sneezy I'm struggling too. BabyFaith has got into the habit of cluster feeding and is struggling to settle on her own. We are topping her up and I'm about to try to express so hopefully my milk will start to come in - we're just struggling because she's so small. However she hasn't lost too much weight in the last two days so we can persevere with feeding and expressing...trouble is I'm only getting sleep when someone else is with her which is a bit of a challenge but the staff are very supportive!

[BonaDea]

Sneezy - I completely identify! I ended up in for 6 days and in the end was so miserable. Although I knew they were being careful of DS in the end it felt over the top and I almost felt got at. Paranoia I think now.

Just hang on in there. I promise you that when you get home with LO it will be the best feeling ever. Just don't do what I did and have a melt down when you are finally released - think I had been so busy trying to hold myself together that when I felt the relief of escape I turned into a wreck for a good hour!

[SneezySnatcher]

Thanks Bona and Faith it's so hard isn't it?!

The worst thing is the guilt about DD. I'd really wanted to keep things as free from disruption as possible for her and instead I've been away from home since Friday.

[Trishstar]

Home once daddy gets here after work!!!!! Woohoo xxxxxxxx

[BonaDea]

Great news trish!

[Mama1980]

Such wonderful news trish!

[SneezySnatcher]

Great, Trish!

[HavingALittleFaithBaby]

Yup at about 4am I decided I was failing as a mother and would give her away...been reassured by the staff that it is purely down to DD(!) first time I've written that! is small and that even if I was bottle feeding we'd have the same issues. Had success hand expressing earlier with a top up feed from a cup so we'll keep going with it. Only big issue I have is that she won't sleep alone if she knows I'm around...might have to hand her over to the staff for some kip tonight!

[Mama1980]

Hope you're safely home now trish having cuddles
Faith- hope you get some sleep!

[Trishstar]

Everyone else had cuddles since we got home xx

He's been so good! No crying x just a good feed n back to sleep. Xxx

So nice to be back x

[Dysgu]

Gosh, this having babies is full of angst, isn't it!

In the beginning there is the hope for the BFP and then the symptom spotting begins that keeps us worrying throughout the whole pregnancy. There is the stress of movements and the anxiety about birth.

Then there is the arrival - perhaps early, late or on time; perhaps to plan or full of more panic, chaos and anxiety. Some of the babies need extra care, extra support and we need a bit more help before we get to bring them home.

Bringing them home brings with it the worry about whether they are too hot or too cold; what to dress them in, where to get them to (try to) sleep. They might be noisy sleepers so keep us awake even when we could be asleep or they might be quiet sleepers and keep us awake as we constantly check that they are okay.

Feeding them - whether BF, FF or a mixture - is so often far from straight forward. Are they getting enough, too much? How to get the wind up, cope with the reflux, feed in public, whether to wake them to feed if they seem too sleepy. Is the latch right? Is it the right teat? Which milk should we give? Are top up helpful? Cup or bottle? Dummy or not?

A mummy's chest is obviously the most comfortable place for a baby to sleep but it is not a great way for us to get to sleep ourselves. There is the stress of sleeplessness, how to balance napping and the needs of everything/everyone else. Co-sleeping, bedside cot or own room? When to put them down? Routine?

And this is just the early weeks.

But you know, in just a few short years we will find it hard to recall the details of these early struggles as we will be going through different ones!

The best advice I was given when DD1 arrived was "This too shall pass: the good as well as the bad."

So when things are tough (as they are here tonight as Evan is really struggling to get comfy) then it will get better.

And when we think we have it all cracked and know what we are doing - it will all change!

[SneezySnatcher]

Just had 2.5 hours sleep and feel magic! For the first night since delivery it's been calm enough to have the window open, so my room is
cooler. Henry had eaten a good amount so he was asleep. The only thing that woke me was needing the loo.

Even if I don't get back to sleep I've had some! Getting BP done in an hour.

[ratbagcatbag]

Oh god, I can't do this, I am beyond tired, and I know I'm still going to have to have her upright til at least 3:10, then she will be awake atbfouragain. I'm beyond exhausted and just want to walk out the house and slee in the car :(

[BonaDea]

Ragbag. I felt the same for different reasons last week. Every feed was an exercise in torture for me as I was in so much pain and whenever DS wanted a feed, which seemed like all the bloody time, I just wanted to open the door, walk out, find the nearest hotel, check in and sleep alone and unmolested for a night!

Of course I didn't do it and neither will you. This wont last forever - the famous mn expression is: this too shall pass. Someone told me to think of these early weeks just as an exercise in survival because they are so hard. All you have to do right now is survive - you and LO. The rest will get easier very soon

[EssexWelsh]

Loved your message Dysgu totally summed it up for me!

[HavingALittleFaithBaby]

Ratbag I was the same Monday night. Exhausted and ready to give her away! Hang in there, hope you got some rest. It might be worth getting some advice from your community midwife?

We've had brilliant night! Faithlet has excelled herself with regular feeds - 10-15 mins BF then taking top ups. Main thing is she slept in between so so did I!!! I finally feel like she's got the idea :) maybe not far off home now which is exciting/terrifying in equal measure!

[Giddypants]

I think this is about the 4th time I've clicked on this thread but not got past the first few posts, so I thought I'd mark my place and then go back to read

[Mama1980]

Morning all
Trish, how was your night? Enjoy being home! I saw the pics and I have to say again hunter is utterly gorgeous
Ratbag- no advice but hang on in there, you're doing amazingly well. Maybe ask the hv for some idea re sleep?

Alex was allowed home last night he's fine, ds1 seems fine but still spotty and clingy, I've just got to be super vigilant. Alex is feeding every two hours on the dot still but he has gained 4 lbs already since last week so its all worth it
Feeling so much better for talking properly to the drs yesterday like I know what I'm doing now and what symptoms to look out for.

[Mama1980]

Well done faithlet !

[ratbagcatbag]

Thanks for support everyone,,as I said yesterday I think some of the problem is the Moses basket, so my dh got into vacant DSS bed this morning and I put Lucy in with me at four, had fairly on and off sleep, but at least it's sleep, she didntbwant cuddles just space. Other big issuenis reflux, infant gaviscon has helped but she's still bad and wakes up gurgling and choking, I've got a thread going where others have been through the same so I'm going back on that asking what other meds work and then going to drs this week to specifically ask for them and I won't be fobbed off.

Interestingly when she wakes up I normally feed her and she settles, I gave bottle at 11:30, then 2:30, then at four I put her in with me, didnt even offer (forgot during sleep depravation) and she slept like I say fitfully, but due to normal gurglingsbetc which eased when I put my arm behind her head. At 6:30 she was whinging so dh got me a bottle before he left for work, again I was sleep deprived, so gave her the bottle and she had two sucks and fell asleep, normally I'd keep going with it, but thought sod it shed wake me if hungry, she did at 8:30 so I think the very two hours is because she's fully waking herself.

Yey to mama and faith, so pleased for you both. :)