November 2014 - newborn thread!

[Greenstone]

Welcome to all the November 2014 babies! Let all the post partum rejoicing and angst begin...

bellyrub there's someone over on another thread feeling the same - have a read of it & see if you can relate: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/antenatal_postnatal_depression/2219528-1st-time-mum-think-Im-doing-it-all-wrong

In fact that whole board may be of help to you. There are a lot of people on it who have a lot of experience of post-natal anxiety & how to control it.

Today my boobs are INSANE. Baby has been guzzling like mad. He's been fully emptying one boob and then going over to the other and half emptying that one. Then sleeping for a couple of hours.

I tried my electric breast pump about 15 mins before the next feed as they were fit to burst. I was careful to only do a couple of mins on each side to just get the rock-hardness off & I still got 50ml easy! WTF?!

My MW today watched him suck and said he was a proper Dyson, lol. Have already almost finished one tube of Lanisoh! It's saving my poor nips though.

On the flip side, I have zero energy & feel pretty weak and achey. He's literally draining me.

Thank you, will check out that thread x

Sorry to hear everyone's feeding and sleeping problems. DS is feeding poorly, even with nipple shields, he'll often only stay on for a few minutes before coming off either due to falling asleep or choking. But he's put on lots of weight and I've been discharged by the midwives and the health visitor doesn't want to see him for another three weeks. I'm not sure if I'm worrying unnecessarily or whether I should call someone to get the latch checked, and if so do I call the mw or the HV?

I'm another person frantically googling everything, which is helping with some general anxiety!

I found Savoy cabbage really helps with engorgement. Had to send DH out to get some! Hugs to everyone suffering at the moment x

Around here we have Breast feeding cafes and workshops, I think they're arranged by the NCT. I went to one when I was pregnant and they were really friendly. Might be worth a shot?

We have poo! Hurrah - 4 day gap but he's finally filled 2 nappies. Bit of a relief. Now just need my milk to come in properly. Still only getting 10-20ml when I express. Anyone know anything about lip tie rather than tongue tie? Was looking and seems to fit some of S's feeding issues. Although one side's feeds seem much better than the other including latch. Off to baby cafe to see lactation consultant tomorrow so will ask her. In other good news, my 2nd set of antibiotics seem to be starting to work so hopefully everything is going in the right direction now.

Belly I have been very anxious too - some of it with good reasons but other things seem to set me off as well. Been teary on and off since Day 4. Make sure you keep talking to people.

Hang in there people - another night to get through.

bunnykitten the woking baby cafe is tonorrow 10-12 I think - is your DH still on leave, could you get there? Sounds like it'd reassure you to have someone watch you feed, although weight gain sounds a pretty good sign things are ok.

We left the house today! It was fab to get some fresh air (and admiring coos over her dinkyness from other shoppers in Waitrose ). She did look cute in her bear snowsuit if I do say so myself.
While we were out we bumped into my pregnancy pilates instructor who had her DD the day before ours. She had a good tip for stitches- sitting on a travel / flight neck pillow. It's made sitting so much more comfy this evening and hopefully has got to be good for healing.

Annarose- love the dyson comment! Hoping ive got one of those too as she doesn't take long to feed.

Ah yes, I had forgotten about the baby cafe. I might give that a go, although 10-12noon is going to be a stretch - why are baby things always in the morning?! Or is it just me who can't get out of the house at all before 2pm?

No we would be like that too!

Could cry with happiness- DD just slept in the bednest for two whole hours. Nice not to have to kick DH out for at least part of the night! Hopefully she'll go back in there after this feed too...

I'm in the same boat, moggle. Feeding now but rather hoping she will go back into her basket to sleep again afterwards. She did an hour in there between these two feeds though, which is much better than the 10 minutes I'd managed to persuade her to do before! DP was fabulous last night and took her to settle and sleep before bed, so I got nearly 3 hours sleep before the night shift.

Nipples a bit sore at the moment, even with liberal application of Lanisoh. Hoping its just pressure from the engorgement. How long does the horrible over full stage usually last? Xx

Twiglet - 24 hours, maybe 36. It will feel better soon.

On recommendation from a friend who visited yesterday I've ordered some landsinoh hot/cold compresses from Amazon which should arrive today. (So glad for our Prime membership!). Oh and a new bra. I bought a few sleep bras beforehand but they're all over the head ones which is NOT happening at the moment!
Took a while and another minifeed and two nappy changes but she did go back in the bednest hurrah! And stayed there asleep for almost two hours again. Good girl!!!

Thanks Greenstone, actually feeling a lot less engorged now - boob monster up and about and having her first breakfast. But she last went down at about 4ish, so I have had sleeeeep!

Remaining cord bits fell off in the night and all looking lovely and healthy. Going to attempt our first bath since leaving the hospital this morning, which I feel may not be a popular decision...

How was everyone else's nights? Nobody was on the awful first night last night were they?

moggle, let me know what the compresses are like? I'm using a hot flannel and an ice pack at the moment, but it is a pain in the bum.

Well she went down fine after the last feed again. :-) actually woke up before her and DH still asleep so having a leisurely baby less breakfast and reading Metro on my ipad. Just like last Monday! Managed to do the last feed without DH help so he is going to be pleasantly surprised to wake up in his own bed. So nice to not kick him out esp as I find it much easier to get to sleep with a warm cuddle from him. Now just need to get next feed done on right boob and hopefully will be feeling even better - lefty actually feels almost normal after the last feed. Hope you get some relief from the boobs today too twig- in my opinion the phrase "over the shoulder boulder holder" for a bra has never been more apt!

I think I may have over fed my 7 day old baby. I'm a bit worried now, what are the risks?

This morning she took 4.5oz of expressed Breast milk with a burp in the middle. But was still rooting after that so topped her up with another 2oz of FF. She's now sound asleep. Do you think I over fed her? It's more than double what the book says which is 3oz of FF. What's the worst that could happen now? I guess she'll just be sick in her crib if over full?

Honestly you cant really overfeed as they wouldnt take it imo
I have a bit of a guzzler tho and she has brought up some milk where she took it too fast . Piglet
Grace seems to be more hungry in evening i notice ! She takes 5oz bottles every 4 hours - on the dot too ! Tho last couple of evenings she has had extra 2 oz in between one of them
Mw says this normal tho
She weighed 9lb 4 oz last wednesday and she increasing steadily so she jusy having hungru moments ! Go with baby thats what I say ;)

Ok thankyou. She's skeeping soundly now and in keeping an eye on her when I'm not really sure what im looking out for! I could be sleeping too!!

*im keeping

Bellyrub Mine took both boobs twice during the night - fed solidly from 1.30 to 5am, then 1 and a half hours merciful sleep, then fed solidly from 6.30 to now.

I suspect the child has gobbled about half a litre of milk! So I think its impossible to overfeed them. What they don't use they either puke up or wee out.

So yeah..another night cluster feeding...one and a half hours sleep....not a great night here. But boobs have gone down a lot thank the gods. Also bizarre how much belly I've lost - my DH says that I no longer lok pregnant, just FAT! Yaaaaaaay!!!!

Mine guzzled all night too. She does puke back up any excess. She's been feeding so much I now have a big supply and it's hitting her tummy fast and making her windy. So she slept on my chest for about an hour during the night, with a short stint in her carrycot and then longer stint in bed beside me. Wish I could get her to sleep in the Co - sleeper (all of about ten cm further away) but she's not having it. I ordered that sleepyhead thing in desperation because I think she's still just too little for big spaces.
dh back to work this morning so it was first day of doing the run to the childminder on my own with both littlies (dd1 is keeping up her morning sessions thankfully). It was a bit hairy but ok.
I'm wrecked this morning! Next up is dd2's 2 week check at GP surgery in about an hour...

Ok so it's good to know I've not got the only guzzler. She's a week old today and only 7lbs 2oz, but I doubt she'll stay that way for long.

I have a midwife support worker coming today to help me with returning to Breast feeding. I had to abandon it on day 3 due to both nipples bleeding (learning how to express and formula feed in the space of a few hours was rather traumatic!) but I'm so desperate to go back to the Breast and they're all healed up now. Just hope she isn't too confused by it all.

Does anyone Breast feed and use a dummy?

Yup. I do.

I basically use the dummy to give myself a bit of respite i.e. If he's been cluster feeding constantly and I'm worn out, if he takes the dummy instead of boob for half an hour then thats half an hour of much needed rest for me.

Bear in mind though that you have to lightly keep your finger on it for the first 30 secs or they spit it out. But after 30 secs they should suck away. They still spit it out after 10 mins usually though. But by that stage it may have lulled them to sleep - happy days! (Its doesn't always work though - hey ho)

I've had three different MWs in tne past week say its ok, and to do what I have to do. In fact yesterday one said that there was evidence it might help reduce the risk of SIDS as suckling on the dummy keeps the airway opening.

Does that help?

Oh and for the love of god use Lanisoh religiously after every single feed. Its the only way I've managed at all.

Oh & this helped me Bellyrub, though you may have seen it already:

kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing/

Echoing that - I am alternating Lanisoh and Multi Mam nipple balm after each feed and its a life saver. Also trying expressing a few drops after a feed and rubbing it into the nipple, letting it dry then applying the cream. Breastmilk is fabulous for healing and will help your nips to stay soft and not dry out.

MW came for three day check yesterday and DD has only lost 4oz, which is 4% of her birth weight. Phew! Makes all the incessant feeding feel worthwhile! She is a bit jaundiced though, so keeping an eye on her skin colour. She had her bath this morning and actually quite enjoyed it, though she squealed a bit at first! Did anyone else get advised olive oil for rubbing on dry spots? She has a bit of a scaly patch on her little forehead that is looking a bit sore

Thank you for that Annarose. My little one has taken to a dummy a few times but only since ive started with bottles. So it's good to know they can work with Breast too. Yes my midwife is pretty pro dummies too.

So you use the flat orthodontic ones? My baby much prefers the old fashioned cherry style. I'm on the lansinoh and I think my nipples are back to normal now. I'm also in a much better 'place' to cope with the pain. Before I was in so much pain everywhere else that the nipples pushed me over the edge and I couldn't stand it. Plus I had no milk, just colostrum!

twiglet I was advised olive or grapeseed oil.