October 2016 #1

[Afreshstartplease]

Don't think we have a thread yet so here we are!

Ds arrived here 18/10 @ 5am one day before due date

Concrete tits over here too. And a very forceful let down apparently....poor boy gets drowned if he comes off too quick

I just wish there was an off button or a form to fill in if you don't actually intend to use them ...

Is anyone else anxious about their baby being ok? And if not, how do you do it?

How do you mean November? What's worrying you?

They let us come home, bleeding has settled and blood tests are clear of infection. Got to rest though so have spent afternoon doing skin to skin while DH took DD1 swimming.

Hoping to feel a bit more normal tomorrow. C section recovery is hard, much harder than after normal delivery.

Oh, that's good news lokah. I'm recovering from a section as well.

Fresh - I'm finding I'm very anxious about making sure baby is breathing and ok and it's hard to leave him with his father so I can sleep. Dunno why. He got taken to special care. I'm scared to lose him somehow though he seems fine.

November I'd be the same if DD2 had been to special care - and combined with the hormones, it all sounds like a recipe for anxiety. I'd be tempted to let your midwife know, esp if you feel it's interfering with how you deal with baby and partner. Post natal anxiety is just as much of a thing as PND. Talking it over might help.

Oh no November so sorry to hear you're feeling anxious.. I felt a bit like that between due date and LO's arrival.. kept convincing myself something would go wrong (even to the point I couldn't discuss baby names with my husband) because I felt we had already gone OTT with the nursery etc.. as lokah says talking it through with someone really is the best thing.. don't bottle it up or try to dismiss it..

Hanks everyone for the breastfeeding comments. I'm trying to perceive but wish someone had shown me to stick the small amounts i expressed when messing about with the breast pump for nipple stimulation to entice labour when I went overdue into the freezer.. my DS seems to have got the hang of this breast feeding better than I have and I'm not sure my poor boobs will keep up.. but I'll try.. here's hoping the milk comes through ok today/tomorrow and that he hasn't dropped too much weight at weigh in today with my attempts so far with the colostrum..

November have you mentioned how your feeling to the mw? Some anxiety is normal but I would keep an eye on it if your finding it overwhelming.

november I'm an anxious Annie so I don't know if my experience will help or not but here goes.

I was super anxious with DD1. I couldn't sleep and would sit and watch her, terrified that she would stop breathing. She was a healthy baby and we were at home but I still felt this way. I think it lasted around 3 weeks until I calmed down enough to sleep more. I can only imagine what you are going through . Try to take any help offered and try not to become anxious about being anxious iyswim.

Re DP, I was the same both with DD1 and right now with DD2! With both babies he is ordered to bed for a good 8-9 hours sleep (funnily enough he's ok with this) because I am so scared of him falling asleep holding the baby through the day. I can sneak off for a nap during the day if I am happy that he is rested. It is probably completely ott on my part but it is what I need. Why do you find it hard to leave baby with DP?

How are the boobs dizzy? I've had an awful night. My milk is definitely through. Everything is dirty. Every bra and muslin is soaked. I am so engorged that it is a struggle to get DD latched on properly. The only thing keeping me going is that it was exactly the same last time so I know it will settle in a day or so.

DH is driving me mad. He is desperate to go out for a family walk but I can't stand up for long due to my concrete tits (stealing that eggy). He has taken DD1 swimming instead. DD2 is 4 days old - I am really that unreasonable to ask for a few days to recover? I had a natural birth but big pph so have been advised to rest to get my blood levels back up. Plus stitches. Plus concrete tits. Surely a walk can wait? Ha he also suggested going out for lunch!!! I fed DD1 everywhere when she was little after feeding had been established. Can you imagine me feeding in public today???

Milkshake today is a day for sitting down and leaking. That is all.

This was me 5 days ago. Everything was saturated. Today? Not enough milk in the world to satisfy this baby's hunger! Or mine come to that!

Thank you everyone for reassurance, it helps, really.

DH is perfectly reasonable man, but am afraid something might happen and
I could have stopped it, if I sleep. I did sleep, but was worried and annoyed him by listing things to check over and over.

Mw says some anxiety normal, maybe should emphasise extent of it?

Will life ever feel normal again?!

for everyone

milkshake it's the only way I can describe them....like concrete!!
DS couldn't latch for the life of him last night because I was so engorged, and when he did manage to latch, my let down was so forceful the poor boy got drowned I had to hand express some off which made things much easier. I kept it in the fridge last night and put it in his bath water today it's made his skin all soft and yummy

november I think that is totally understandable. You carried your baby for 9 months - ime it is then very very difficult to then allow someone else to care for the baby, even for a few minutes. I trust DH but but not as much as I trust myself. It should get easier as your baby grows and is less delicate. I've always had bad seperation anxiety with DD1 but it did get better as she got bigger. She's nearly 3 and I still feel unsettled if she isn't with me .

lokah and eggy - boobs still hard but not as bad as last night. I have taken to stuffing my bra with maternity towels because nipple pads do nothing to help.

Can anyone shed any light on cord stumps? DD2's is a bit whiffy! Seeing the mw at 11am so can ask then but I don't remember this with DD1. It doesn't look infected....

Ds's cord thingy came off in the middle of the night. Looks fine now, it had been on its way off for past couple of days.

Not sure about a whiffy one I know they say to keep it dry now

milkshake my Ds's cord came off last night too - it did have a bit of a funky smell. As long as you keep it dry and the smell isn't really offensive, then I doubt its infected

I must admit I didn't go out of my way to smell the stump! It looks near enough healed now though!

November I was massively anxious for the first few days and I still check breathing now at every strange noise DS makes whilst sleeping (and he's started making a lot!) I am happy for DH to look after him though, mostly because he is more patient and apparently better with newborns than me

Poor ds seems to be swallowing lots of air when feeding, both from breast and bottle and it's causing him so much pain. He grunt and moans for hours between 9pm and 1am and it's now starting to creep in at other times too. He was such a happy settled baby three days ago. Anyone have any idea why the sudden change? It's really pushing me to the edge.

It's an overpowering stench that I can smell through 2-3 layers of clothing. I had my 5 day appointment earlier though and the mw said there is no infection and it is healing normally. Maybe my sense of smell is still heightened. Hopefully it'll drop off soon - I can't smell that delicious newborn smell without taking in a lungful of rotting stump.

That doesn't sound great! But atleast the mw has seen and said it's okay.

How are all the babies doing weight wise? Ds is being weighed tomorrow first time since birth on day 6.

DD was weighed on Friday at day 5 and had lost 15% so we had to take her to hospital to be checked. Fortunately all seemed fine and that she just wasn't getting enough milk so we've been topping up with formula and also trying to express. She was weighed again this morning and is back up to 10% under so hopefully heading in the right way and she'll have gained again when she's next weighed on Tuesday.

I'd be massively surprised if ds has lost any as he's putting away SO much formula! My last baby was kept under mw for longer due to not gaining quite enough weight back but I can't see that being the case this time.

Hi everyone! DD1 arrived safe and well this morning! So exhausted but so in love with our beautiful little girl!

Welcome to the other side tea!