May 2020 Babies

[MarshmallowsOnToast]

Still waiting for my little man to arrive but starting a thread ready. Can't wait to catch up with all the other May 20 mums.

Huge congratulations to those who have already met their little ones. It's been quite a scary time to face giving birth recently and you've all done amazingly.

*milia rash

@november90 thank you for replying, that’s so good to hear. I feel so vulnerable at the moment and feel like I’ve got no support to ask anyone. I’ve been told to check my stitches daily to make sure they’re healing and I’ve literally no idea what I’m looking at 😩
Hopefully it’s just swelling and it will get better

@sazzlerazzle I could have written your post. I felt exactly the same and insanely guilty for my toddler not having the usual attention. Lockdown has definitely had an impact.

After some reassurance here ( I felt so guilty and ashamed I didn’t want to tell anyone but I decided to talk to my midwife and it all came out. She was wonderful- arranged a doctors appointment and extra visits and support. My doctor was really nice too - she said she has also had PND and was really reassuring.

It’s not gone but at least I’m more positive now.

@November90- aw poor little man. Is it bothering him? Why don't you ring health visitor- you could take a picture & she could say whether he needs to see a doc as will probably know whether it's something normal or whether it needs checking out. Hopefully it will start clearing up soon!

@charlieb93- yes I felt exactly like that! I'm 4 weeks now & still not quite there but feel much much better. I would say from 2-3 weeks onwards I started noticing it was healing. Did your midwife check at your 5 & 10 day appointment? - if not and your concerned ring them up and say you don't know what your looking for and your concerned so feel you need to be checked. Keep taking pain relief regularly as I found if I forgot a dose I would then suffer later! I still take paracetamol & ibrofen before bed as bu the end of the day I feel swollen and slightly sore.

Xxx

@CharlieB93 I feel the same. My stitches have never been checked so I'm going by my own diagnosis and memory from last time that everything is ok this time too 🙈 But I do 100% remember that feeling so try not to worry. I think the main thing to look out for is a change in odour/worsening pain!

@GinUnicorn @sazzlerazzle sending lots of love to you both. You're so brave to even acknowledge those feelings and like I've said before, it doesn't define you. It's those pesky hormones and it's part of your recovery ❤️ It will go away!
I too feel horrendously guilty for my first son, I almost feel like I've deserted him which I know is ridiculous and I haven't done so! But it's just part of the adjustment. I totally remember feeling the craving for normal life which my first sazzlerazzle . I used to always get sad around 4pm. I remember friends visiting once and leaving at that time and I felt so sad that they were going home to be able to be themselves and have some freedom and I was diving into "witching cluster feeding" hours head first and it made me so sad I went upstairs to have a shower just so I could cry and cry and cry! I still remember that exact feeling now, 3.5 years later! Those feelings for me just went away gradually thankfully. I suppose I'm sharing because I need you to know that you're not alone!

@May2311 they are not bothering him in the slightest and he seems absolutely fine! I think it's just hard as a Mum to see because they're taking over his body and I feel so sad for him! A few people have commented on his spots before they have commented on him and that just breaks my heart! I text my HV today (she is literally SO nice and helpful!) and she said it's Milia and to go to the gp is they turn green or look angry.... 😩😩😩😩

@May2311 no I haven’t been checked! I thought I might have been at the heel prick test appointment. It’s strange it must be different for each nhs trust!
Thank you, thinking about it I have stopped taking pain relief the past couple of days so maybe that’s why things feel swollen! I’ll try taking ibuprofen again and see if it makes a difference x

My baby was born Friday. Milk came in yesterday and so leaky today I'm like a cow ahh! Trying not to get engorged/mastitis any tips? I have a tommee tippee silicone pump but not getting on that well with it!

@helpasisterout try to not use the pump until 6ish weeks if possible! It's not recommended to use before as it can cause an oversupply which can lead to both of those things, unless obviously you've been told to pump for whatever reason! I've had to use my pump to express to treat my sons skin and it's made me soooo soar! I'm going to try and ration what I have in the fridge and not use it for a few days!

You'll be soar for a week or so which is normal but you will soon balance once your supply is established :)

@november90 okay thank you that's good advise so kind of just let baby regulate the supply and soothe myself with warm showers etc to ease off the pressure?

@november90 - the spots are really strange on my son also. He goes to sleep and they will be say on forehead, by the morning completely gone from there and now on his neck. Next morning different again.

@helpasisterout yes whatever you need to do to ease the discomfort! You can buy special pads to put into your bra which help but they're a bit pricey!

@Caspianberg oh bless! That is strange how they move. I hope they clear up soon!
I woke up this morning feeling really on edge about them. There is literally hundreds (no exaggeration!!) of them and they are just getting worse! Anyway I rang the doctors and he agreed they don't look right so his got antibiotics for an infection. He said they shouldn't be spreading or have red blotches around them, He's had 2 doses so far and they're still spreading, all down his tummy now, so I'm just waiting for the medicine to kick in! :( I feel so sad for him... first ICU and now this!

@May2311 I have two carriers, couldn't be without them running after my toddler.

My fave is the baby Bjorn mini (in the breathable fabric) by far, really quick and easy to put on, not too hot in this warm weather, great head support and I don't worry when I'm bent over double changing my toddlers nappy unlike with my stretchy wrap carrier. It's relatively expensive but the amount of freedom it gives me is priceless. Only negative I have found so far is that it will probably only be suitable up to 9 months ish for us (George is tall and relatively heavy) so if you are planning on baby wearing a lot it maybe worth looking at a carrier with a higher weight limit to get your monies worth.

Ladies, just wondering where your baby sleeps during the day? We have a sleep cushion and a bassinet downstairs but wondering if we should buy something else too?

Also curious to know what everyone’s baby wears to bed at night? My midwife told us to put him in a onesie and a sleep sack but at the hospital the nurses were telling us to put him in a swaddle.

@Moongirl10 wow that's crazy your hospital advised swaddling because my midwives and HV are so anti swaddling due to SIDS risks! My HV was very pro the sleepbag and I used that with my first too. So far I've just been using blankets but he's started to wriggle and waking up with nothing on so I may swap over tomorrow night!

@Moongirl10 - we use the pram carrycot or bouncer chair for daytime naps.

At night he wears just a sleepsuit and is swaddled in a large muslin. We swaddle him with arms out as he hates them contained.
There is no Sids risk swaddling, the issue was some people in the past were swaddling legs too tight leading to hip problems. If you look online you can see how to safely swaddle

I swaddle too, I know they don’t always advise it as babies can get too hot or can be swaddled too tightly but I’m a paeds nurse and have been doing this for years so I’m comfortable doing it. Plus he’s feeding almost every hour and a half overnight at the moment so he’s not actually asleep that much lol.
We have Moses basket that we carry downstairs every day. When he grows out of that we have a crib which will stay upstairs and he will nap up there during the day with a monitor. It’s so hard having him sleep downstairs with a 4 year old who just wants to make lots of noise. Constant balancing act trying not to upset my eldest by telling him to be quiet 😬

@CharlieB93 I also think something isn't quite right down there.. stitches healed a while ago but it sort of feels like I have a tampon in which isn't high enough if that makes sense!? I suspect a prolapse but it's not causing me any problems atm so I am religiously doing pelvic floor exercises and will ask for it to be checked by the GP when I have my 6 week check. Definitely not what I was expecting to happen this time round though! It's still early days though, I am 3 weeks post partum so hoping things tighten up on their own..

@Lu1u I could have wrote that myself, that’s exactly how I feel, like something is ‘there’. My pelvic floor is completely wrecked after pushing for 3 hours and then having to have drugs to speed up my contractions, she practically flew out 😂 I’m two weeks postpartum tomorrow and feel no where near healed.

When I had my first and had episiotomy and forceps, I felt like I had a prolapse for weeks and weeks. It felt like a dragging feeling down there and I had trouble standing for any period of time. But it sorted itself out over time and it wasn’t a prolapse. So don’t panic that something is wrong, obviously if you’re not happy then your midwife should check it, they have ppe. But it probably just needs time. It takes a lot longer to get over childbirth than you think so try not to rush it x

@emmacb82 really? I’m wondering whether it’s swelling still.. I’ve had a good look (tmi) and to be honest everything looks normal down there 🤷‍♀️ It feels worse than it looks... how long did it take for you to feel normal again?

I've downloaded the NHS Squeezy app but don't know where or when to start with it 5 days PP.. looks a good app that sends you reminders to do pelvic floor excercises so think I'll ask midwife advise!

Evening all,

Is anyone formula feeding?

Trying to find out how much my little one should be having- I feel like she is eating loads! Xxx

@may2311 hi again! G is 3 weeks old now and feeds every 2.5 hours ish day and night and I offer 4 Oz each time, in the last two days he will now sometimes finish the whole thing but most of the time takes 2.5-3 oz. He is a slow feeder too so it feels like I am feeding him constantly :o

@Lu1u ahhh fab thanks! That's reassured me. My baby girl feeds on average 4hrly and has 4-5oz each time. She has started the last few days eating all 5 so now I'm contemplating whether I should be giving her 6oz but it seems a lot!! She is 4weeks 3 days today. I think I might try her with 6 for the odd feed and see how she goes.

Also thanks for the recommendation! I've ordered the carrier off amazon and it arrives tomorrow! I can't wait to have 2 hands/arms back haha. Xx

@CharlieB93 i can’t remember exactly but probably about 6 weeks or so x