The March-ers 2019 - Baby Talk #1

[Angelmiracle]

Congratulations to all the mamas with their new babies 🌸

Now the fun really starts 😄

@toastfiend - baby boy - 28/01/2019
@TheWanderlust - Baby girl - Althea - 7lb6oz - 16/02/2019
@PurpleFlower1983 - Baby girl - Matilda - 17/02/2019
@Wineandchoccy - Baby girl - Lois - 6lb12oz - 19/02/2019
@Harley8888 - Baby boy- Logan - 7lb4oz - 01/03/2019

Thank you @WhatALearningCurve 😊

Hi everyone

My daughter was born 29th March

Been having a tough time . I'm breastfeeding and the first 3 days she was constantly feeding and would not be put down . I was awake for 3 days just surviving on 30 minute naps ..then yesterday when my milk came in she had the best day ever. Fed every 3 hours and would sleep in the pram inbetween . Unroll midnight last night when she just stayed up . Awake all night. Feeding on demand and wouldn't be put down again . I thought we turned a corner yesterday . I'm exhausted. It's making me want to give up my breast Feeding . She's on me now. I haven't even been able to put her down . I had a section and I'm so sore . Finding this really hard.

Also she's been pooing every day . Her last one was 7am yesterday morning . She hasn't had one since. Should I be worried? She's having wet nappies x

Thank you everyone for your supportive comments, which have made me feel significantly better. I will respond properly when I have chance, but for now just want to shae this totally bizarre info on PND that I found on the website for the Association for Post Natal Illness, linked from the Royal College of GPs site...

"Sometimes the care of the baby is too much for the mother whilst she is unwell and someone else must be found to ‘take over’ until she has recovered. It is usually inadvisable to separate the mother from her baby, as this may serve to deepen the depression. If a relation or friend cannot be found to keep the mother company and help look after the baby, an advertisement may be placed in a local paper for a lively pensioner who for a small fee will help a convalescent mother with a young baby. This arrangement enables the mother to stay in her own home and keep her baby with her whilst she recovers."

What the actual? A lively pensioner?!?!?! For a small fee?!?!?!?!??!! I feel I have stepped back into the early 20th century!

OMG. "Remember that depression is not a sign of weakness; Winston Churchill suffered from it."

@Jenlou1992 Congrats to your little one. My LO's nighttime feeding settled after a few days, currently we're feeding every 2-3hrs, but first few days after my milk came in, it was constant. It almost didn't make sense to take him off the nipple. They're building their supply that way.

As for the pooping, I wouldn't worry yet, every baby has a different digestive system. If she doesn't seem to be uncomfortable, I'd leave it one more day. But you can always check with your MW, I think? Mine is a pooper, we've been having almost too much poop, as opposed to too little.

@BadBadBeans how bizarre you don’t know whether to laugh or cry at that statement

I’ve started pumping today. The midwife and breastfeeding consultant said I should try to breast feed, top up with expressed milk and the express for the next feed. Waiting for tongue tie appointment and all the time Adela is getting less interested in breast feeding. I’m pumping tiny amounts. I know I’ve only just started but it’s pretty disheartening. Does anyone have any tips?

@Gronk27 I would appreciate tips too. Is it an electric pump you are using? I tried it and got a tiny amount.
Baby is feeding on me sooo much. And taking formula every now and again. It’s actually quite lonely to feel like all you’re doing is feeding! Xx

@Gronk27 Do you have a haaka or naturebond pump? If not I can recommend getting one you attach it to the other side that you are breastfeeding from and it fills up without any effort. I’m getting between 1-3 ounce at a time. They are about £10 off amazon

@beherenow32 it is electric. I might take it to a breast feeding group and check all is in order.

@wineandchoccy I’m haven’t leaked at all and can’t breastfeed much as LO has a tongue tie. Does it just collect as I don’t think anything would happen.

@Gronk27 for pumping it is supposed to help if you look at a picture of your baby while doing it. Makes sense to me - at the moment I am getting a ridiculous let down if I just pick up baby J if I haven't fed him in a while!

@Gronk27 I worry about low milk supply as baby feeds for so long. I don’t do skin on skin so much, as she screams when getting undressed. Do you do this at all? I also heard that eating oats helps to boost it? But that could be rubbish... xx

@badbadbeans I noticed that when I was happier mood and looking at Adela sleeping I defo got more.

@beherenowx32 we do do skin to skin but because she can’t get much from the breast she ends up cold and furious! Yep been told to eat porridge. My friend from antenatal class has porridge with oat milk!

@Gronk27 I actually have oat milk, but forget to use it! I’m also anaemic and was told that can lower milk supply. Feel like I’m not making enough effort.
I hope things work out for you too xx

@beherebowx32 it’s tough isn’t it. The midwives say just do this and that and make it sound very straightforward and almost like you should already know. Some have been really kind but on the whole they’re not making me feel I’m doing a good job! You too xx

@Gronk27 the suction acts like a pump and apparently it works with the let down due to the oxytocin whilst you are feeding. I’m not leaking either yet it still works.

Hi everyone,

I've been bad at keeping up with the thread what with trying to get to grips with this motherhood business!

Can I just say I think all you ladies are bloody amazing and doing a sterling job. Without doubt these early days are so so so so hard, much harder than I anticipated.

I especially think you're all doing so good with breastfeeding. For me, I took a decision very early on to bottle feed, as I just knew that I wanted to eradicate any further issues/anxieties I may experience in putting myself through added pressure. In a way I'm quite sad I didn't persevere instead of just deciding 'if he doesn't latch right away I'm going straight to the bottle'. But then again, I was really struggling with mobility doing feeds and getting up and down from my nursing chair in the first 7-10 days because of having an epi and a second/borderline third degree tear. So in a way I know I've made the right decision for me and Charlie.

We had our first weigh in outside midwife care today at a local children centre. Charlie stayed asleep this time (he weed all over the midwife at his 10 day check 😂) and he's very up from his birth weight which is great.

The tiredness I'm finding a killer. Darling partner went back to work yesterday and keeps saying how tired he is. I feel we are going to have a competition for some time as to who is more tired. If I get three straight hours sleep I feel I'm winning whereas DP says he feels tired having 6-7 and it makes me internally a little bit annoyed at him!

I do think looking after a baby is trial and error!!

@gronk27 & anyone else definitely try the Hakka style pump, I've got a non branded version from Amazon (cost about £8, will find the link) and find that I'm getting anywhere between 30 and 70ml per feed which is the same as what I've been getting using an electric pump. I do leak now but not crazily and I've been amazed at how much I get out as I was getting frustrated at the lack of progress with the electric pump and wondering how people manage to get enough supplies to begin freezing it etc and it's genuinely been a change maker as I now can get around 150-200ml just overnight let alone in a 24hr period and I'm doing anything different as it's all just coming out whilst I'm feeding him anyway. Might actually stop using the electric pump (fortunately borrowed it from a friend) as I feel a lot more successful with this style. You just have to be careful that baby doesn't knock it off in its feeding excitement, or at least mine kicks and thrashes around with glee when he's on me.

@gronk27 this is the one that I have: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07KF3KSF5?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_pd_title&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

@jenlou1992 it is just really hard particularly in the early days, and I imagine that a lot of us could have written the same post. With the pooing, I think it takes time for them to establish a pattern so what you've said sounds ok (although am no expert) but the midwifes are always asking about poos so you could ask them? I think as long as baby is weeing etc then the poos are a bonus as long as they're the right texture etc when they do them.

@ballanj my husband is the same!! We deliberately kept his sleeping pattern vaguely in tact (I do midnight until 6:30am and sleep from 8ish until midnight, then again in the morning [in theory]) as we have spare bedrooms so have been sleeping in different beds, as we felt it'd be silly for him to become nocturnal given he has to function at work too ... But he's always been affected more by lack of sleep than I am as he gets a full 6 hour stint each night wheras I've not had that since before baby was born a month ago, yet we've had several debates where he does something stupid and blames it on being tired/lack of sleep etc. That said I think it must be really hard on partners having to function in the real world as they did pre baby whereas we can just focus on baby, even if we then are flying solo for 18 hours a day whilst they're at work or sleeping!!

@wineandchoccy @cardboard33 if I can get her back on the breast sounds good, thanks.

For those pumping you need about 10 mins a boob to build up supply, but equally it is no guide on what baby is getting as they are so much more efficient than the pump.

Got an appointment for DDs tongue restriction next week.... Oh DS's birthday! Thankfully managed to get an appointment that won't clash with our plans.

Still feeling very low and off to weigh in/bf clinic today. I know it is unlikely to be entirely positive and failing to prep myself for that. We had to take DD to the doctor today due to the failure to gain weight, but the doctor was happy she was perfect and just small. Reassuring on some ways but less so as I was kind of hoping there would be a reason she wasn't gaining weight not just my failure to feed her enough. Fingers crossed for an OK gain in the afternoon

@SquirtlesMumAgain hope dd has put on weight. Typical that the tongue tie appt is ds birthday do you have any plans?

dd is normally at nursery but I might not send her and take her out somewhere but my parents have bought her a playhouse for the garden so once she sees that she might not want to go anywhere

@squirtlesmumagain I hope our tongue tie appointment comes through quickly, typical for you about that timing! If LO has a tongue tie then it’s nothing you’re doing (and in any case this bf malarkey is challenging). Are you giving formula? We’ve had to but now she’s trying the breast less than ever. I managed to get an ok latch at support group but haven’t managed since when she can gulp down her bottle. I’m pumping 15 mins each boob. It is so tiring though!!

@ballanj competitive tiredness is a killer - DH and I agreed not to do it this time but it is hard, especially when they're getting more sleep than you!

We are offering ebm in bottles but she isn't really taking a lot. The only bottle I got into her was by not bfing first which misses the point, but wasn't wasting the milk!!!

We are going to a Clay & Play session at the local museum and then to pick up a bike on DS's birthday. Not too bad for having to then drive to Milton Keynes and we can go for dinner after the hospital there maybe. At least he is still little and won't remember too much!