February 2016 - our babies are here!

[IslaMann]

New group for those graduating the ante-natal thread

Thanks maisiedotes yeah I've been doing the breast milk trick as well but think the hashes had just got too deep - I alternate using the nipple shield and not on just that side - hopefully she won't get too used to it as I'm hoping it will heal up nice and quickly!!

Hi newmama

Hope everyone is doing well. It's been quiet here with ds1 back at nursery. With 2 adults and 1 newborn who has been exhausted after a night of activity, things have felt quite under control today. Dh goes back to work monday then As its half term next week my mum will come up. Hopefully dh will be able to ise the rest of his leave after that... not sure i fancy surviving solo!

Wishing everyone some sleep...

Thanks for the replies everyone. Here's to a good night for all!

It's so good to be able to splurge thoughts with people going through the same!

Felt soooo achy today and back pain - going through labour is such a huge thing for the body ahhhh

Terrible sleep here - as in none!! She just wants to feed all night, seems to have terrible wind from about 10pm and become really unsettled - any ideas? Xxx

Sorry liberty we have the same problem here. Last night it was screaming from 10 to 230. Nothing worked! Can only think he had got too tired and couldn't settle. The previous night was good until 230 and then awake until 5. I can't even remember begforr that. Needless to say we're all a bit broken dh has been a star and done the nursery run. No idea how i'm going to get up for that next week...

liberty Yes mine feeds all night too! He usually finishes feeding at about 4am and then the challenge is to get him to lie down in the snuzpod and not just fall asleep on me!

Last night we had some success with a pink noise soundtrack on YouTube- he/ I slept from 2am to 3.30am and then again from 4ish am to 7ish. That's the most night time sleep so far!

My emails tell me I have purchased a Ewan the dreamsheep from Amazon last night...

I dread checking my back balance I really do.

liberty we have had the same problem too but keeping upright 20mins after a feed is helping as he was in so much pain.

We had a family funeral yesterday 3 hours drive away so I am absolutely shattered today, I keep forgetting that I only gave birth 2 weeks ago and think I have been overdoing it a little bit.

The baby blues have hit me today. I've spent most of the day on the verge of tears. Nearly told the midwife to F off. She couldn't have arrived at a worse time, my mum had just jiggled him after I fed him so he was sick all over his outfit. She had just ruined my bottle brush washing out a pans with it and Josh was refusing to finish his feed. My mum then decides it is time to leave and just leaves me with the midwife and a trainee. Then the midwife insists I strip baby naked after I had just changed his nappy 10mins before. I felt completely judged as I struggled to get him into clean dry clothes.

Then DH goes out with his friend, he had told me he was going for a drink but he had left out it was actually dinner. I feel very abandoned tonight. I ate cake for dinner, fuck my diabetes. Trying not to cry, just too tired!!!

Midwife insisted spots on Josh's face are normal but they are getting worse and spreading. She said I only needed to worry if they became pustules. I don't know what her definition of pustules is because I'm seeing them all over his face!

rufus ((hug))

I'm sure the HV wasn't judging you. If she was then she's shit at her job. Every single new mum (and even experienced ones) struggle to get tiny fragile newborn limbs into tiny clothes.

It's always the way when you have things organised that the baby pukes/ does a massive poo just at the wrong time!

DS1 had those spots and they come and go within a week or two. It seems ages at the time though. Are you breastfeeding? Rub some breast milk on them, it's sterile and it dries out the spots so they go away more quickly. Even if you're not BFing you might be able to express a bit?

I mean the MW not the HV!

Sorry you've had a tough day rufus

Sure mw won't have been judging but will be vigilant that it's just the baby blues and not the start of pnd. I hope that's the case or my mw won't have been very impressed with us at all! Firstly we didn't hear the door so she had to phone. Ds had just woken and somehow feet had escaped the baby grow and also had a dirty nappy. Then he weed all over the scales, himself and the carpet and i didn't have anything to hand to clean up... before struggling to get clothes back on!

After last night's poor sleep we had a very quiet day and early night. Just doing the first feed since bedtime. Think baby blues has kicked in here on top of the tiredness. Have been on the verge of tears a lot of the day for no real reason other than dh is back at work next week

On the plus side my boobs are much less uncomfortable than yesterday and we have some of my family visiting at the weekend.

And i've finished the antibiotics. And i've just had 2 hours sleep

Hi all, just joining with my little one who was born yesterday evening. He slept so well last night (dh and I spent the night taking in turns freaking out about him breathing) but tonight just don't be put down and even skin to skin with DH didn't work (he'd had me sleep then me). Bubs is now sleeping on my chest and is so adorable I feel like crying! Or laughing at him. I haven't set myself up for co-sleeping so I don't feel comfortable sleeping like this, so I'll wake DH up in a min to get him to have his turn. We'll see if that works.

Lots of family visited today, but only the people we wanted to see and actually I surprised myself by how happy I was for people to hold him. My dad is the oldest of 10 and has 4 daughters so we were getting tips on how to hold him, etc.

Another baby with tongue tie here, so they're going to keep an eye on it.

Welcome haq!

How did the night go in the end? I think I've had about 2 hours sleep in total

I need to get this baby to feed more during the day!

Hi haquoi congratulations!

Oh no maisie, I hope you get a nap or 2 today!

Thanks! maisie he gave us both about an hour or two sleeping in the cot and then maybe 10 mins here and there taking in turns. I definitely made the mistake of not sleeping with him during the day yesterday and thinking we'd have another lovely, easy to put baby down night... Stupid , not doing that again! MIL might pop in today so hopefully she'll take him for an hour so we can kip. It sounds like you're having a rough time, is he just feeding loads?

haq Yes he feeding loads and I want to let him so that I can build up my supply, but it's constant! I never regained my supply after DS1's tongue tie so I'm really keen for that not to happen again. Did they indicate what kind of TT your DS has? DS2's was moderate/ severe.

Thanks clumsy I've just slept from 9ish to 11am so feel a bit more human now

maisie glad to hear you've had more of a nap. They don't think bubs' tongue tie is too bad but they're keeping an eye on it. He seems to be feeding fine - I was a little worried last night but he's had two long feeds today. My milk hasn't come in yet though so we'll see but I think he's latching well and I'm not too sore. If they don't correct the tt will it go of its own accord?

Hope everyone else is doing ok today!

On a tangent, anyone else doing placenta smoothies?

Glad you have had a nap Maisie hope you get one too haquoi

Does anyone know how much milk I would need to express for one feed? I have a hospital appointment next week and I have no idea how long I will be there, it says allow 2 hours on the letter so he shouldn't need feeding while I am there but I want to make sure there is something for him if I am longer.

Sorry clumsy i don't know but maybe try the kellymom website? I can't remember the details but found it v useful last time... i expressed a bit for ds1 and sometimes what i could express in one go was enough for a feed but sometimes not!

alternatively, could you take ds with you? Or have someone mind him nearby who could bring him in to you for a feed if needs be? I would expect most hospital departments to try and accommodate you... hope it all goes well!

Oh my god, he's been cluster feeding since about 8pm.I'm exhausted and my nipples are killing me. How do you cope with this??! Baby blues also hit and my stitches are getting sore and tight. I was fine when the midwife came today - naively cheerful. Does it get better?

I say better - he is the best thing ever, so I think I mean easier

haq ((unmumsnetty hug))

Yes it definitely gets easier. The tongue tie makes it very hard on your nipples. As he grows and learns to feed more efficiently it gets better.

Cluster feeding is a tough one as everyone says just go with it to increase your supply. But then the midwives would tell me to limit feeding to 30 mins max each side every 2-3 hours to save my nipples (I was never really able to do that- I would always end up feeding on demand). So you get all this conflicting info. It's hard at the start.

The other issue is that the tongue tie might be making it difficult for your baby to take milk from the breast, hence the long feelings. If you feel that feeding is non-stop and that your nipples are very bad I would consider re-visiting the tongue tie issue.

For me, my nipples were bleeding from day 1 with DS2 and when he would spit up there was blood in it

I also had to give a formula top-up for the first few days as he had had urates (I think it's called) in his nappy- i.e. he was getting dehydrated. We are now down to about 3-4oz formula per day and hoping to get rid of it completely over the next few days.

So keep an eye on the nappies as if your baby is having lots of wet and dirty nappies then he is obviously getting milk from the breast and the TT is not a major issue.

Wrt your nipples, try Multi-Mam compresses, pricey but a lifesaver IMO.

Keep going, this bit is tough but it is not for long

Here's a photo of the Multi Mam things.

haquoi what does a placenta smoothie taste like? I couldn't even begin to go there.

Had another crying session this morning. Got up late, just too tired, hoping Josh's face would look better. Still covered in pus but now also has conjunctivitis as well in the eye that has pustules all over the eyelids. DH has been sent out to get chloramphenicol after speaking to Dr who said it was safe to use. My hands look like they belong to an 80 year old from all the hand washing to not spread infection round. My eczema is really bad on them and my knuckles have all split open. Tummy still not good after all my post c-section probs, it is still excruciating to do a poo, even with lactulose. Feels like someone is jamming a red hot poker up there. I'm wondering if I have internal piles developing. Something isn't right, I shouldn't be sat there trying not to scream the pain is so bad.

Despite me spending the morning crying, DH has invited his parents around this afternoon. I have already told him I don't want visitors to which he snapped he has to put up with my mum and be polite to her so I can do the same. I don't think he understands I'm not normal at the moment and to be honest I'm having feelings that I had in previous bouts of depression. Definitely not got depression yet but I'm aware of not pushing myself and what to watch for.