July 2007 - yet starting in June!

[Jamantha]

Well, I can't see a post natal July 2007 thread, so will start this, even though Charlotte, my DD was born 4.5 weeks early in June. I'm sure the other July ladies will be along soon enough.

Have had 2 nights at home now. Yesterday afternoon was fairly distressing as Charlotte wouldn't latch on, and if she did she wouldn't suck. But have got loan of electric pump from hospital, and support from midwives and now managing with comination of breast, expressed and formula milk, sometimes all three in the same feed. Finding it quite emotional, with all the issues associated with feeding one's baby, but trying to stay calm as found out yesterday that getting self into a state doesn't help anyone.

Dh has just gone out to get some things we're still missing, and I'm putting my feet up for a bit. Phil & Ted has just arrived so we might try a stroll down to the ante natal class tonight!

Any how, hope there are lots of lovely birth stories to come from July ladies, and that we can swap advice, give each other moral support etc over the coming weeks and months.

MM - so pleased to hear LO is ok - must have been v scary for you.

Can I ask a question about co-sleeping? My LO does not settle well in her crib in our room at night - she's not too bad during the day, but after night feeds, I struggle to get her down. On a couple of occassions my DH has moved to the spare room and I have had her next to me on the mattress in her grobag (duvet and pillows well away) and we have all slept like a dream. Does anyone else co-sleep - could this cause future sleeping problems? Thanks!!!

Sorry for the scare Melissa - what a worrying time for you all. I am a Group B strep carrier and as I knew, I received IV anti-biotics once waters had gone. I wish they would test everyone as standard and then some of these things wouldn't happen. At least Evelyn is doing well now

Cyee - I used to heat expressed BM but people have since advised to feed at room temp as it means you wont get the LO used to heated milk all the time which makes it easier when if you are out and about and not able to heat it up.

catstar - The last few nights Theo has been slightly unsettled getting to sleep after night feeds so I have also brought him into bed and he has slept so much better. In my view they are still so young that it probably wont cause a problem with sleep issues later on. It would be interesting to see what others say though.

Congratulations to all you 'newbies'! Have not had much of a chance to check the thread and it's fantastic to now read all about the new arrivals. Well done Mums!

MM- so so sorry to hear about Evelyn's first week. Can sympathise a lot, SCBU is never a nice experience, it's awful watching them having IV drips put in etc. Glad she managed to escape with a clean bill of health after a week & feeding has been well established- well done you both! I have to say seeing Mairi in SCBU I found even harder than when DS was in, maybe because in a way knowing what to expect made it more painful... even though she was in a week compared to his 8 weeks, & had far fewer 'issues'. It can only get better now after such a start!

We had good news today- Mairi now weighs 6lb 2oz- so has regained her birth weight plus 10 oz!! It is so reassuring when BFing... She is now 4 weeks old...so now officially 'due'. Time has flown!

RE co-sleeping, Mairi spends about half of each night in bed with me as she suffers from wind etc. and I find this the best way to settle her. We co-slept with DS & it didn't cause too many probs for him learning to sleep on his own, and he was in a cot in his own room at six months. But for the first couple of months co-sleeping resulted in better sleep for all of us (he was quite colicky). I also find in the day with Mairi she settles very well in her sling so I just walk about with her & can play with DS like that. We went for a half hr walk like that yesterday which was great... finally feel well on the mend after the section- yey!

A wee tip for those suffering engorged sore boobs or blocked ducts or mastitis- I bought these breast soothers which you can warm & slip into your bra, which have really helped me... Take a look at: www.expressyourselfmums.co.uk/Breast-Soothers/prodnum/320/areanum/271

Huge hugs to you all & your wee ones xxxx

Heated milk? When mine is having EBM or even formula that's been in the fridge for a bit, we take the chill off it, but certainly don't heat it as such. She seems to down it fine though.

And Melissa, I know the feeling of having the healthiest and heaviest baby in SCBU. DD was in for 48 hours, and we felt rather guilty that she was taking up a bed in there, because compared to the others she was fighting fit. Glad yours has come out OK the other side and hope continues to thrive.

My department at work is having a do this afternoon, to thank the staff for months of hard work and trying times. So even though I'm on ML we get to go joint he fun Be first journey on the bus though - see if I can manage folding the pushchair and loading it onto the bus while still safely keeping hold of DD?! Am determined to get the hang of it though as really do not want to have to go down the 2nd car route.

If your lo will take ebm at room temp, then all the better. You don't need to worry about heating up if necessary. I know of someone whose lo would take it straight from the fridge!

Re b'fing in public - closest I've got is at a friends house (covered one side with a muslin while latching on & off) and answering door to posty & mw while feeding. mw was impressed and posty

Chooster apparently the tests aren't reliable and only show +'ive in 1/3 of carriers. At least I know now and can take anti-b's next time!

MMN - well done on Mairi's weight gain. It's such a relief isn't it particularly when b'fing.

Jamantha hope your trip on the bus was successful.

We tried our first trip just the two of us on Monday. Took me 1/2 hr to try to figure out how to fit the pram top and base in my car. I then went to move the car forward so that i could put the car seat in but the car was completely dead! Aaargh! I had 15 mins to get to the docs and now DD decided she was hungry. Had to call docs to explain was running late and get a cab. At least future trips should be less traumatic!

Melissa, you will be loading the washing machine and preparing dinner before you know it while bf!

well, from sore nipples to full blown mastitis!! God in heaven, is it sore!! Anyone else??? I was shaking with the cold and then sweating profusely and I felt so unwell. Had to go on antibiotics, but still bfing through teh pain barrier.

If men breastfed......!!

dewmeadow. Hope you feeling better soon. You are ok to take Ibuprofen while breastfeeding for pain AND fever.

Dewmeadow- really feel for you, know the pain only too well and it's awful! Definitely agree with Jennster- Ibuprofen is the way forward. Also try using hot flannels /hot water bottles etc. on breast and keep massaging the lumps even though it can be sore, especially try massaging while your DD is suckling. It usually takes up to 4 days to clear up. Rest as much as possible too. Huge hugs xx

Hi All

Been having a read to catch up with all your news and seeing all the new babies! I think most of us are now mummies of newborns rather than pregnant.

Owen is settling nicely into a 3 hourly routine during the day and slept for 5 solid hours last night- bliss! We are following EASY (Baby whisperer) which we did with DS1 and it's going well so far. Have been expressing a bottle each day to use in the evening for cluster feeding and that seems OK too.

Owen has gained nearly a pound in three weeks and only lost 1 1/2 oz after birth so is doing very well. Am struggling a bit with bfing, he's clearly getting enough milk but have had lots of cracks and sore nipples and owen's had oral thrush. We are both receiving treatment now though so am hoping everything will settle down soon - if not we will be moving to formula! Have had lots of help and recovering well from the c-section - hoping to start driving again next week which will make life a lot easier.

DS1 had a very bad reaction the first time he saw Owen bfing, but has now settled down and is very taken with his younger brother.

Hope you're all well and settling down with your babies...

Am feeling very and sorry for myself I'm afraid. Not only did I have an unsettled night with C, I've got an emergency dental appointment for a bad tooth at 2.30 (and I don't like going to dentist at best of times) and going for xray late pm to check for metatarsal fracture. Not happy, sorry for having a whinge here though.

Dewmeadow sorry to hear about the mastitis. Hope you feel better soon.

Abgirl glad you are doing well but sorry about the sore nips. If you can continue through this I am sure things will improve. Have you tried feeding in diff positions (eg rugby ball). When mine get a little sore if I change lo's position, it seems to make a difference - at least it's not the same bit that it rubbing all the time anyway.

Jamantha sorry you are feeling low and hope the dental app goes ok. I am sure you will feel much better tomorrow. Try to get some rest when you can - always helps me feel a bit better about things.

My nips are beginning to get sore again due to the fact that greedy guts has started to feed every one hour instead of two. i thought two was bad enough but one hour I dont have time to do anything!!! Poor DD isnt getting a look in when DH is at work. Im hoping its only for a few days perhaps he is having agrowth spurt. Has anyone else experienced this? James is 2 weeks plus 4 days and he has increased freq for the last two days. please tell me its temp!!!!

emmyb, do you think he's looking for comfort rather than actually wanting feeding? Maybe worth trying a dummy to see if you can spread the feeds apart a bit, sounds like he's got a bit of a snacking habit going ... you may want to wait a bit longer before taking any action though.

Hurray I can move over here! Bryher is about to wake so I'm copy and pasting a lot from what I wrote on the antenatal thread.

The basics are... I gave birth to a baby girl at midday on 20/07/07, 7lb 1oz, and we've named her Bryher after this place

Then the full story... if I can get it written before she wakes.

On Friday morning at 4:30 my contractions started. I didn't realise for the first one, just thought I was desperate for the loo. I climbed back into bed 7 minutes later and had another to woke Mr Bilblio and told him to get the rest of the bag packed while I phoned the hospital.
Because of the fall from the chair and possible waters breaking I wanted some reassurance. The hospital told me to come in straight away as if my waters had gone that far back they'd be inducing me whether I was in labour or not.
So we phoned the taxi and were in the hospital by 5am. By which point my contractions were 4-5 minutes apart and I was at the "I can't talk through them" stage. I was examined and I was 4cm dilated.
I had G&A, but I'd only had 1.5 hours sleep and was exhausted, the MW suggested pethedine and I decided she knew best.
I was hooked up to monitors for the whole of the labour as the babys movements weren't very good so I couldn't walk around. I tried going on all 4's but my back was too sore for that too.
At one point I asked for an epidural, but it was too late as I was 8cm dilated. I was also impressed how quickly I'd got that far so decided I could do the rest anyway.
At 11:30 they decided if I hadn't delivered by Midday they'd use intervention.
I work well with deadlines.
At the stroke of midday I gave birth to a baby girl called Bryher, 7lb 1oz. She had a "true knot" in her cord which had tightened during the delivery and had passed meconium so was rushed away, but a bit of suction and she was fine.
They had problems with me as the placenta wouldn't come away, then when it did I bled heavily so I let Mr Bilblio and my Mum (who wasn't there for the birth but I allowed in to see the placenta being delivered) have a cuddle, while they sorted me out.
I got her back at 12:15, we did skin-to-skin and she had her first feed at 12:20... and it feels like she hasn't stopped since.

I was home by 1pm the next day. I was really lucky the ward was really full thanks to other hospitals in the area being closed. There were 22 women to discharge, and only 2 midwives, but thankfully one of them was the Community midwife I've seen a lot so she discharged us first otherwise we could have still been there at tea time.

Bryher is very contented, feeding very well although she struggles to keep awake while feeding and it can take 2 hours, but she sleeps for long periods in between so when I can switch my brain off I'm getting decent sleep.

We must be doing something right though because rather than losing weight on her 3 day weigh in she'd put on 3ozs!

Pulapula - your TENS machine didn't even come out of the case everything happened so quickly.

Oops, she's named after this place

Perfect timing, she's just done her first "I'm hungry" cry.

Abgirl Have tried a dummy and hes not too impressed. And he does actually feed well each time he feeds so Im thinking he is quite hungry whereas he was just sucking a lot last week. Ill just have to see what happens in the next few days. May start expressing a bit to take the pressure off.

Hi All,

Emmyb - also wondering about growth spurt here (2 weeks and 5 days) even though it's not due til next week. Definitely increased feeding and I feel a bit guilty as had been witholding a little because I thought she only wanted to be attached to the mothership, as opposed to eating. Apparently the 3 weeks growth spurt is very trying as they feed all the time in order to increase the supply... so maybe our LOs are just getting in there early? Knowing/thinking this doesn't make it easier though!!!

Thanks all for the feedback on heating (or not heating) EBM. We're going to start a little bit of expressing in the next few days. I have the Dr Brown bottles and teats, have any of you used these?

Sorry to hear about the mastitis DewMeadow - sounds horrid.

Congrats Bilblio and welcome Bryher! Lovely unusual name, how is it pronounced - Bry-err? Sorry if all wrong!

Jamantha, hope things went ok yesterday. Can understand why you felt so low..

Take care all - C

Yep Bryher is pronounced Bry-er, the same as Briar. Her surname will be easy to spell, but we're going all Spanish and giving her my surname as a middle name. (There aren't many of us around and me being into genealogy I didn't want it to die out completely if my brother doesn't have any boys.) My surname isn't that easy to spell but at least she won't have to use it much as a middle name.

I'll have to come on and catch up becuase you've obviously all been talking about breastfeeding. Bryher sometime goes 2 hours between feeds, sometimes 5.5. Sometimes she feeds for 5 minutes sometimes for 3 hours. Hopefully you guys will have some advice.

hi cyee,

We use dr brown bottles, and have found them great for DD and now DS. They just take longer to wash-up with all the extra bits but sure they help reduce air bubbles.

I tend to co-sleep when DS doesn't settle in his basket after first night feed. I don't think it causes long-term sleep problems. I did the same with DD for first few weeks and she's a great sleeper- we used the 'baby whisperer' technique of shush-pat to get her to sleep. I stopped co-sleeping on the advice of my HV last time, as I was really tired so a bit risky, but my HV now didn't have any concerns.

Bilblio- thanks for the card for Ben. Lovely to read your birth story, and no rush for getting the TENS back.

congrats Bilblio, and welcome to the thread.

Well no fracture, which is good but also means don't know why so much pain in my foot. Had temp filling and got course of antibiotics for my tooth. Still plenty of pain, so nagged pharmacist to look up what painkillers I can take while BF as paracetamol alone not doing much for it, so now taking paracetamol & codine. Some pain still, but less. Just hope it settles a bit more over next couple of days as 4 weeks until can get proper treatment, and don't want pain that long, or to be passing drugs on to DD if can avoid it. Plenty of sleep last night too so feeling a bit better today in general, plus it's sunny Also glad I'm still remaining free from sore nips. Off out fir nice walk and visit to baby cafe soon - better than walk to dentist in pouring rain yesterday at least.

hiyall!!

mastitis nearly better, which is just as well as have another greedy guts baba here, and not 2 weeks yet!! I alsi co-sleep with her for about half the night, and have a niggling worry about future problems, but one day at a time (sweet Jesus) for now.

HV was with me yesterday and weighed DD and she has regained all her lost weight - she lost 10oz.

Biblio - I LOVE your babe's name - it's gorgeous

Is anyone flooded on our thread?

thankfully not flooded, WW, but in Oxfordshire, so have been paying more attention to news and weather this week.

hi cyee,

We use dr brown bottles, and have found them great for DD and now DS. They just take longer to wash-up with all the extra bits but sure they help reduce air bubbles.

I tend to co-sleep when DS doesn't settle in his basket after first night feed. I don't think it causes long-term sleep problems. I did the same with DD for first few weeks and she's a great sleeper- we used the 'baby whisperer' technique of shush-pat to get her to sleep. I stopped co-sleeping on the advice of my HV last time, as I was really tired so a bit risky, but my HV now didn't have any concerns.

Bilblio- thanks for the card for Ben. Lovely to read your birth story, and no rush for getting the TENS back.