March 2016 babies! The (hopefully) graduation thread!

[hayleycookie]

We reached 999 posts without making a new thread - woops!

Park your bums and continue the newborn chitter, and due date whinges

Love the name Rory, Q! What a chilled out little chap!

Have had a rest this afternoon, crispy. Came for a lie-down while the boys played Wii, just woke up for a run-down of wii boxing reenacted on our bed. Wonderful!

Think I'll stay here for the forseeable...!

She's so cute, Suz!

Congratulations to so many mummies such beautiful pictures of lovely babies!

Haven't listened to it yet but just went on to update my podcasts and there's a Woman's Hour one about non-sleeping babies. Which I thought might be/become relevant!

Congratulations doc and vroc and glad you found a (lovely) name Q. I love Evie too but new baby, if girl, will be aunt to a 2year old Evie so off the cards.

still pregnant here, 40 +13, though baby fine and no pressure over a few days of monitoring to be induced, had 3rd sweep today and having lots of tightenings so fingers crossed.

Fingers crossed french it leads to something!
Ugh, think I'm going to end up cracking with this breast feeding sooner rather than later. Had a trying evening so far, managed after many attempts and different positions to get Eleanor to latch onto the other breast, only for her to lose interest after 5 or 6 sucks. I don't know if this means my supply isn't as good on that side or what. We both ended up crying in frustration and then when I put her on the other breast in desperation, cried even more because it was painful. DH couldn't stand to watch more and has gone out to buy formula as a back up plan Got the midwife coming tomorrow so if I can survive the night I'll get her to check what I'm doing.

And we're still at it. She's just fussing with both breasts now and having a few sucks on each. I'm wanting to scream with the pain though when she latches on- that can't be normal can it?

Sympathy Charley. I don't know what to suggest, other than it'll feel worse now than it will in the morning.

My cough is incessant again. I've given up lying down. The heartburn's ramped up this evening too. I'm so sore.

Oh no charley, can you ring your midwife in the morning? We're still going too, she just doesn't want to be put down and has been feeding constantly all night, I'm exhausted.

charley hope the midwife can help tomorrow, painful perseverence seems to be quite a theme with many who are breastfeeding but hopefully you are getting the right support. Good luck too suz.

Sweep no 3 (or giving time to get to 40+13) may just have worked. Having regular contractions since 7pm, not long or painful enough to get to hospital but positive after little boyond irregular tightenings over the last few days. Bloody show too, fingers crossed this is the real deal - I think 9.5 months is long enough to cook baby French.

I broke and gave her some formula. She had 2oz no problem so she'd still been hungry.
It meant at least she was full and settled for about 3 hours which as great, although I am slightly disappointed I gave it her so early on. Funnily enough I think my milk might be coming in- lots of leakages and my boobs feel heavy and sore, so hopefully we can have another go when she's hungry.

Ooh French definitely sounds like something is happening - good luck!!

Sounds promising French! Hope you're having newborn snuggles soon!

Charley it must be something about Eleanors as we had an awful night last night! My E fed from 7.15 till 4am it was just constant - she'd fall asleep, I'd try to move her, she'd wake and immediately start rooting and screaming for more. and my milk has come in now so a) feeling very emotional and b) very engorged and sore! Nipples are very sore too as I just can't get latch right, at one point was just crying with pain managed to cope with iboprufene, hot compresses to encourage milk flow, and gel compresses to help with nipple pain. She woke up at 6 and is already on her second feed of the day absolute boob monster. Don't feel bad or guilty about the formula, this bf lark is hard! If you do stick it out, it will get easier, but dont feel bad if you can't. I'm basically having the same experience I had with DD1 ie super massive boobs, nipple pain and a baby that can sit on the boob for ages. It did get better with DD1 and I loved bf in the end and fed her for 15 months (in fact gave up before I really wanted to as wanted to try for another baby and not be bf at the same time) so I'm focusing on how nice it will be rather than how crap it is now! My El doesn't seem to fuss on the boob, just wants it constantly, so that makes it less frustrating I think. If you're worried about supply, though I'm sure its fine, you could try breast massages to encourage flow or hot compresses (I use lanisol ones which you heat in the microwave - they really helped me with engorgement last time). Anyway, good luck with it and don't beat yourself up about whatever you decide.

Good luck french hope things have continued to progress.

Sympathies for everyone with bf problems. I have had the opposite problem with Cassidy, last night she slept through! Fed her at 10.20 and she has only woken at 7.30! Whilst the sleep was amazing my boobs are paying the price now, so uncomfortable and she's still feeding slowly, I'm desperate for her to drain them! I do think 3 weeks old is a little young to be sleeping through so strangely I hope she goes back to waking up!

marmite I'm also looking forward to the three days a week when it'll just be me and Nancy. We need to refresh sometimes, then hopefully it'll be easier to cope with the older ones!

Sorry to hear about last night's breastfeeding problems :( sounds so hard. Can anyone just lay in bed all day feeding? Feed them up for tonight?!

indomitable how are you feeling?

French wow, 13 days over, really hope this is the start of something for you xx

Charley please don't feel bad I had exactly the same last weekend. E would only fuss at my boob but then manage two ten minute stints of really good feeding and then wouldn't again. I was exhausted and stressed. My midwife advised feeding from a bottle lid as improvised cup feeding so that she had milk but then I could still try to establish breast feeding. This just became equally stressful as she would have the cup but still not the boob. In the end I gave formula in a bottle and things have been much better since then. I'm not a pro formula person I would have loved to bf her but I'm pro doing what makes you less stressed and feeds your baby. Believe me I spent lots of time crying and feeling guilty but a week later I'm happy with our choices.

Good luck with whatever way you decide to feed but my main point is please don't beat yourself up as you aren't the only one who has been through this

Hope you end up with a baby soon 1french.

Sorry to hear about all the breastfeeding trauma - I think I must've blanked all of that from my memory. I remember it being hard in the daytime, I've got a feeling it was worse overnight. If you want to, keep on going, it will get better. This is the hardest part.

Morning Beaut, I'm sore and tired, but I've had more sleep than most here so shouldn't complain! My heartburn seems to have ramped right up though. I was expecting it to get better as octo-baby dropped into position. Maybe I've coughed him up into my ribs instead (does feel like it!).

Thanks marmite and purple for the advice, it's really useful to know others are going through the same thing (although you'll wish you weren't!). I was feeling so relaxed about it all, I think there's something about the nights that makes it so much harder to cope than during the day! Not sure what time the midwife will be coming but will get her advice. One good thing is that she seems to take a bottle well so if needs be I'll get expressing and give it to her that way if she carries on fussing at my breast. DD1 is being taken out for the day by relatives so it'll mean I can just focus on Eleanor today which will help.

I'd seeing what Beaut said. If you can stay in bed all day and feed that's a fab way to rest and work on latch/build supply. Breaking a latch if it's not right is important, but not easy to do.

Also, lying down BF was a lifesaver for me. For the first few months of DD's life, I'd get out of bed at night and sit in a chair to feed . Once I discovered side-lying to feed, I felt much more rested, even though I was still feeding as often. Changing position also meant that the pressure on my nipples wasn't always in the same place.

Now I'm on DC3, I don't even open my eyes at night - I roll Ted out of the co-sleeper, pop him on and then doze while he feeds before I roll him back.

I forgot to say Beaut sorry to hear you are achey as well, though I was selfishly reassured that it wasn't just me. I feel a bit better walking around this morning but I'm off food shopping now so that will be a test as to how well I feel.

I'm only two days in but so achey too Beautiful and purple, all my muscles and joints hurt. Can't decide if it's from the exertion of labour, hormones or lack of sleep, but it's not helping! Really need the toilet too but too scared to push, might get on the lactulose today, urgh.

The midwife is coming over again, she's worried that in the last two days both times she's been checked the baby has been very stiff and wants to come and look at her again. It was the kind of call that suggests they're worried but don't want to say they are. I've stupidly googled and got lots of stuff about cerebral palsy, and am panicking a bit.

suz that must be so awful! Hopefully its nothing and they are just being cautious! Fx for you

Try not to worry, Suz. It's likely nothing but they'll want to be sure.

Sorry to hear that suz, hopefully its nothing serious. Fx they put your mind at rest.

I'm also achey, stupidly surprised at how fragile/frail I feel and how I can't do anything without feeling wrecked. With DD1 I felt wrecked for days but I'd had such a long labour I wasn't surprised.

DD1 has been a right nightmare today, spitting out water, throwing things, laughing in our face, crying when we try to impose any kind of punishment e.g. removing cup of water from her that she's been spitting all over the place. Its been very trying! She has a really red cheek so I think she's teething again as her last molars are in the process of coming out. Bloody awful timing!

Boobs are so painful and one of my nipples is bleeding god I hate having such ridiculously large boobs

Q it sounds like we had the exact same induction experience (poor us!) it's amazing how soon you forget it all though one your baby's safely in your arms. Had my catheter out today so feeling more human now that I can wear proper clothes and move around without carrying a bag of wee! Unfortunately Oliver has a suspected infection and is on IV antibiotics for 5 days so not going to get home till Wednesday at the earliest