August/September 2019 Babies (Due in Sept 19)

[IVEgottheDECAF]

Couldnt see a post natal group so have taken it upon myself to start one! Will obviously still keep up on antenatal also until babies have all arrived!

Shall we start a list of arrivals?

IVEgotheDECAF - DC5 - boy - 07/09/19 - 9lb1oz

Congratulations to all the new babies!

@Puglover88 - also echo those who say day 5 is a real turning point for c section recovery. Pain was also worse for me day 2 and 3.

Baby happy is 6 weeks on Thursday, cannot believe how time is just flying. I don't want to jinx it but he is such a chilled baby, especially compared to DD who was a real screamer. He's feeding well - over 9lbs now and clothes are actually starting to fit him! Despite him going 3 - 4 hours between feeds I'm still getting no sleep because he is just the noisiest baby! Going to try ear plugs tonight in an effort to muffle some of his grunting!

Oh, I meant to ask: has anyone with other DCs ever had experience of an umbilical hernia? DS has a large one which doctors aren't overly concerned about and have said 95% of them disappear on their own but it is huge and makes me feel a bit 🤢 to look at it!!!

How are you doing today @puglover88 I could only sit up in hospital using the mechanical bed to push myself up. At home, I had to use the headboard to manoeuvre, sitting up for feeds was tricky for the first few days. It does get better quickly though.

I am losing my mind with my grunting baby! He's gone from being a silent sleeper to grunting almost all night long. It ramps up in the hour before he needs a feed so I'm awake then. If I pick him up to feed him, he's not ready and ends up frantic. If I put him down before he's in a really deep sleep, the grunting starts and he wakes himself up. So I'm awake an hour before a feed, then for an hour after a feed. He feeds every 2.5-3 hours.

I've been co-sleeping with him this morning to see if being slightly on his side will help. That just meant the grunting was right in my ear. He even woke DH up last night with it. I'll record it to show the HV at his 6 week check on Friday but please tell me this will stop? Ideally right away!

@Stroan I am having a similar meltdown re the grunting! Does R grunt as much in the day? Max doesn't, he seems to be a silent sleeper between the hours of 9am and midnight. Right now I can't imagine keeping him in the same room as me at night for another 5 days, let alone 5 months!!!

I've never heard of grunting babies? Mine is currently 2.5 hours into a mammoth feeding sesh - I'm going to turn into a prune!!

@happydays00 no, but he is rarely on his back during the day so maybe that's it?

DD stayed in our room until she was 2, R will be evicted much sooner if he doesn't stop grunting!

Morning all, just catching up with the thread -- massive congratulations to all the new babies! We must be almost there with the group now?

DD is 4 weeks now and I've FINALLY got her to go to sleep in her bedside cot! Woohoo! Which means that I can properly sleep for the first time in weeks without fear of squashing her. She's also settling into a nice pattern of feeding at 11-11:30pm when we go to bed, 3:30am and then around 6:30/7am. I'm also now being weaned off all my blood pressure meds as BP has returned to normal after rising again slightly in first two weeks PP - starting to feel back to my normal self.

Going out for afternoon tea with my mum this afternoon and I want to eat my body weight in scones and clotted cream - calories don't count when breastfeeding right?! 😄

Is anyone else struggling with midwives freaking out about weight? My little girl is 9 days old- she was CS. Started at 3.4kg (birth weight), went down to 3.0kg by day 5. Day 8 yesterday was only up 20 grams but at least hadn’t lost more. Lots of wet and dirty nappies for past couple days. Feeding every 2-3 hours, latch has majorly improved and I definitely have more milk the past few days. Midwives want me to supplement with expressed but can’t get anything out despite using double electric pump. Don’t want to top up with formula as surely that means I will produce less milk? The midwife is back tomorrow (day 10) for another weigh in. If anyone had been through this, it would be helpful and reassuring to hear your opinion

@Exitstrategist we had lost 6.9% at Day 5, just had Day 10 and they’ve not weighed again yet, they said they won’t and the HV will instead. No mention of topping up or anything?

Checking in officially on this side! DD born in the early hours of yesterday morning, and we are now home and getting settled. Her older sister is very sweetly singing nursery rhymes to her at the moment.
@Exitstrategist that's quite a high weight loss, are you getting good support with the feeding? It can be very hit and miss depending on where you are. The nappies are a brilliant sign that things are falling into place, though! Getting the latch checked out can really help. Otherwise, my best advice is retiring to bed with lots of water and snacks and just keep offering the breast, with skin to skin too.

@Exitstrategist I had trouble with weight loss too. 3.65kg at birth and was 3.185 at day 9. Suggested to top up with formula too by health nurse after that mornings weigh in. That same afternoon I had appointment with a lactation consultant who wasn't happy about weight and his jaundice so we ended up back in hospital.

On hospital advice we topped with formula due to the weight issue.

I had great trouble feeding to start with as he chewed me to pieces and just fell asleep when feeding so this more than likely contributed to the weight issue. He has always been quite lazy on the breast though I feel (compared to how his sister was previously) and will just go to sleep despite attempts to encourage him. I'm guessing now that might be an effect of having bottles too.

I am still feeding (both with and without a nipple shield as he still makes me a but sore) and topping with a bottle if needed. Health nurse has me on some meds to boost milk supply which I think they have a bit. I'm also having to pump to stimulate supply too. Feel like feeding time is such a log drawn out process with breastfeed, bottle if need be and then pumping. Am a bit over it really. I let him have plenty of time at the breast so am still rather tender. Evenings are the worst as it's like there's nothing left (I know this is normal) but he'll just scream if I don't give him a bottle, but I honestly can't keep him on there longer or my nips will legit fall off.

Anyway, sorry that's a long waffle. If you feel she is feeding well and latched properly and seems satisfied with feeds then I would see how she goes for a bit longer., but obviously not at a detriment to her health. It's a tricky one... I've made peace with myself now where I'm happy to feed him, but if in the long term there is a switch to bottles then so be it.

On another note, does anyone have a baby that absolutely hates having their nappy changed? Nate screams blue murder every time! You'd think he'd get with the program by now, but nope. He has a bit of nappy rash at the mo so that's definitely not helping, but it's such a traumatic process each and every time poor love 😔

@exitstrategist it sounds like things have turned a corner for you. It can take longer for milk to come in after a CS plus the baby might be sleepier/full of mucous. I wouldn't make any decision about formula until the next weigh in. If you don't want to give it, ask instead what other support they have to offer.

R lost 11.8% - he was SO mucousy and had no interest in feeding initially, even with formula top ups. He's now piling on about 300g a week and we are EBF. I think I'd have had more pressure from the midwives but I was very clear on my plan to reverse things and had already involved the infant feeding team so they left me to it thankfully.

@geegrl19 yes, absolutely hates being naked even after nearly 6 weeks. Screams the place down.

BabyDECAF hates any form of clothes / nappy being changed. Very upset every time but i remember my others being like this too and they all survived!

Thank you so much to everyone who replied. I think probably the weight loss isn’t as bad as it looks as she would have had extra fluid from the IV at c section. She has latched on seven times since 1am today (it’s now 2.30 pm), had a wet nappy every hour and two massive poos so far. Spending 20 minutes approx on each side. She isn’t jaundiced and has had periods of being alert and looking around. Comes off breast happily. Provided she has gained something by tomorrow’s weigh- in I’m going to keep going as I am.

@Exitstrategist I did wonder that re her birthweight- they don't get squeezed out quite the same that way! Also IV fluids can make for a slower start for BF anyway as the baby is less hungry/thirsty while the fluids pass through.
Making sure you are eating, drinking and resting lots is always good too (easier said than done!).
It sounds like you are well on your way though, so hopefully the weigh in will go brilliantly.

@exitstrategist sounds like today has been a better day breast feeding for you - hopefully at your next weigh in she’ll have put some back on.

Babypug seems to be latching on ok and feeding for ages but we haven’t had a pooey nappy for 24 hours now since her meconium nappies so not sure if she’s even getting any of my colostrum!

@Puglover88 have you had any changing poos or just the really tarry ones? I wouldn't worry anyway, your milk proper will come in shortly and change things! Are you getting wees?

No we haven’t had a wee either for 24 hours so not sure what’s going on, she did loads yesterday! Still in hospital though so the midwives are aware. They’ve put some cotton wool in to see if that picks up a wee in the next couple of hours. Ah the never ending worry!

And no changing poo yet, just the sticky meconium

Argh @Puglover88 just as well to have the worrying bit while you are in hospital at least! Is there a good lactation person at the hospital? They can show you what to look for re signs of swallowing etc which can be very reassuring. Hopefully at least a pee will appear imminently!!

@Exitstrategist sounds like today has been great for you and everything heading in the right direction. Meant to add too that the idea for us with the formula and increasing my milk is that bottle quantity will cut down as more milk being produced. Hmm. Not sure how that's going to pan out.

Interesting re the iv fluids. Nobody mentioned that to me and I was hooked up with fluids for over ten hours

Reassuring to hear others little ones hate the nappy thing too. So sad seeing tears in his eyes though!

I've honestly forgotten everything with such a big gap qld feel like a first time mum again 😊

@Exitstrategist just seen your story re weight - we're exactly the same. 3 weeks yesterday and still not quite up to birth weight. Midwives signed us off as he was consistently gaining despite not being back. Hv coming every week just to check he's gaining. Everyone my end is being fine about it though - hv says he's thriving but asked me to make an appointment with gp just for his opinion and he said the same thing. We think he may have been bloated at birth - I had a lot of fluids and a glucose drip at one point during labour which could explain it. Also, his length and weight match exactly- both bang on 25th centile - I think hv does that for the first time at around 2 weeks. He is content and alert and obviously not hungry Fingers crossed you get a sensible team too - let me know how you get on.

@Geegrl19 yep re nappy time - although we're just getting through the worst of it I think as ds is now happy to look around and look at the bits I have hanging over the changing table. You'd think he was being tortured up until this point though!!

Anyone's baby prefer one breast over the other? I'm struggling to get him to latch on my left. I had an oversupply with my first and seem to have a strong let down on that side. Having said that he properly chomps on my left side and seems a lot more gentle on my right. Any tips on how I can manage this? Going to a bf cafe tomorrow.

@iano
I'm not sure if my little one has a preference but I definitely do! I much prefer the right side as it seems he latches better and I can get him in a good position.
Left boob he always looks uncomfy. However now this means my right book is a bit bigger than my left!

My boy only cries for a nappy change if he is flat on his back. I not raise the top half of his body on a pillow and he's happy as Larry. Will sit there quietly for the whole duration.

Anyone had their maternity allowance through? I tried to call but was in a queue I waited 40 mins then gave up!

Mine prefers the left, I had a nipple bleb on the right and the nipple changed shape. It's taken weeks to get a good latch on that side again and it never feels as full as the other. I always start on that side now to try to even things out a little.