Nov 2007..... Once we pop, we will not stop!!!

[sparklygothkat]

I can finally start this, as someone else has had her baby.. woohooo!

SparklyGothKat - 25 Sep (8 Nov) BOY - Callum Eden
KaylaBMummy ? South Wales - 18 Oct (8 Nov) GIRL - Katie

Lizzie -- that surgical oops sounds dreadful.

My labour was exhausting, but recovery is going very well. I feel good and even energetic in between naps. It's been a week now, and I am much closer to my pre-pregnant shape than I'd ever imagined I could be, so quickly. It really helps that I have my mother here, waiting on me hand and foot. DP is great, too, but doesn't really have the hang of cooking, laundry, and tidying up.

The name Nova was actually my DP's idea. He had totally decided on it months ago, but I wanted to keep options open, even though I knew we would probably go with it in the end. Maybe I was just being superstitious?

We're starting to relax a bit about the feeding rules. At the hospital, they said to feed at least every 3 hours, but Nova seems to prefer a 4-hour schedule most of the time, except in the evening when she wants several feedings back-to-back. Also it takes forever (over an hour, usually), to feed her, and I'm hoping that will be quicker later on. I can read a bit while feeding now, but not consistently.

We've been using a nipple shield, which is inconvenient but also means that my nipples are very comfortable. I still want Nova to latch on without the shield as soon as possible, though.

Congrats RG! Another hardcore mummy too - you can be in my gang! Hope the stitches aren't too sore. Mine have healed nicely and I think I'm normal down there now!

Congrats Sarahlou too! And Loopy! It's like mums reunited now everyone's popping the babies out!

Geek - I've been thinking about you (fellow Southampton mum!) How did you the PAH? Glad Rebecca arrived safely. My DD was back to back and did all sorts of damage to me, but it healed brilliantly, and William created new damage! Hope your stitches heal just as well.

William still hasn't got around to differentiating between day and night, though the nights are becoming more bearable. I am trying to get out for a walk every day - though when the weather has been awful I just can't face it. We had a lovely walk today, DD sitting happily next to William in my gorgeous double buggy - which doesn't fit though our front door! So I have to put the kids in it once I've put it up outside. Not a problem until I return from the walk and DD has fallen asleep as well so she has to be carried indoors too. I'm thinking of it as weight training!

Off to write Christmas cards now, every time I sit down to do them William wants a feed though, so people probably won't get them till next Christmas!

Jarm - glad it's not just me who's having left boob trouble! That is reassuring! I did manage to get Ellie onto it for a good feed once today but the rest of teh time she refuses. I have sent DP out to get nipple shields at the suggestion of the mw (she came round today) because my leftie doesn't stick out half as much and she suggested using the shield until it sticks out on its own. I tried it once but she was having none of it so i will try her on it again when she is less fretful. I'm not sure my latch is right either because i now have a lovebite above my nipple!! Think she might be latching too high?? DP read to me on a supernanny site about making sure the nipple is pointed upwards towards the roof of the mouth so i've been trying to do that. She seems perfectly happy sucking away and the mw checked and said she was fine. I dunno, maybe you're meant to have lovebites on your boobs?

Aiki - glad things are going ok for you and Nova. How do you keep the bloomin nipple shields on?!!

Jet - I have officially joined the hardcore labour gang! Yay!!!

Sounds like we're all falling into some sort of lovely pattern of baby sniffing and normal life (as much as that is possible!), which is great.

rg- position is v importnt.
have tummy to tummy. nipple to nose. let baby latch on herself. baby nose should be clear of you. you should have more areola on top than below. hold baby tight to you.
id see a bf counsellor before you use shields as they can cause problems and midwives aren't that good at bf advice ime.
are you perhaps engorged? is that why she's having problemds latching on? if so hand express a bit before putting her on to make room for her

Pixie - no i dont seem to be engorged and this all happened before my milk came in.

Loopy - think i will contact a BF counsellor or something to show me what i'm doing wrong. I'll give you a shout if i need the numbers.

I can feel that she's not low enough on the areola at the bottom. I hope my ample norkage aren't going to be causing me BF problems.....

they shouldn't RG. I had swyn on all wrong and that'been one of our problems hence why i said for you to see bf counsellor

Hi all

CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE on your gorgeous babies. Loopy, RG, Aiki, you all sound like such strong women - bravo.

RG, Rebecca gave me a love bite in hospital too! She hasn't since. I found nipple shields helped when my milk first came in because my breasts felt enormous and hard and Rebecca had trouble with her teeny head getting onto them! Managed without after 5 days so they didn't harm the latch.

As for feeding in public, I've managed in mine and other people's houses but not outside in public places yet, mainly because I still need the feeding pillow and it isn't convenient!

Loopy I'm with you on the toilet feeding issue!

JARM, well done with the feeding!

Well I'm on antibiotics for a gum infection (sigh), any tips on avoiding thrush?? We've bought Rebecca a swing this morning as she tried out a friend's yesterday and it sent her to sleep. Anything that helps her sleep is good... We have friends over to meet her this afternoon. It's chucking it down here, horrible, and I just want to curl up and snuggle.

Take care all and hugs!

glad im not the only one attatched to their feeding pillow! i take it to dads with me when we go, but it cant really get folded up and put in my handbag!!!

weather is torrential here today, we have the inlaws visiting and they have hardly seen daniel becaue i have been feeding (like now) or he has been sleeping!! hahaha that will teach them for coming up to see us with about 3 days notice and not even asking if it was ok!

hope the rest of you are ok... rgp... please call a bfc or ask on the bf boards here, the girls here are what have helped me feed for 10 days now!!!

Pixie - thanx, i'll probably give someone a call on Monday

Choc - Those babies must really love us, eh?! I cant really get on with shields tbh, and thankfully the last few feeds i have managed to get Ellie to feed from the left side, rather than the right Sorry you are suffering with thrush!

DJarm - Glad you are doing so well. I'm really pleased for you hunni. I've made a post on the feeding board and will call someone on Monday

Weather here is uber-pants too!!! I was going to take a walk to the dreaded Asda today with Ellie and pram too but i dont love Asda THAT much to get soaked!! Might sent DP up there in a bit. I need some nice munchies!!!

RG -- The nipple shield doesn't stay on at all well at the start, but once it's a little wet with milk it seems to stick pretty well. I'm afraid that 9 days into it I've gotten Nova started with a lot of bad latching-on habits, but most of the advice I've gotten is to wait until she's regained her birth weight before putting much effort into fixing her latch. I'm still trying without the shield a bit here and there, a few times a day. I should do it more consistently, but in the middle of the night I just can't be bothered.

As for the feeding pillow, I don't like mine at all! I have a boppy, and it's just not as useful as plain ol' flat pillows, as far as I can see so far. I also haven't gotten to the point where I can nurse and MN at the same time, but maybe that's because my computer chair has no arms.

Nova is getting fidgety. Off I go!

Dont think i will use the shield. She's just about managing the left side without it so i'll leave it off for now.

Can anyone recommend what to use to help with my stitches? They are sore if i sit for too long and every time i go for a wee!! Thanx!

RG - re stinging stitches and the loo I've heard that pouring warm water on your fanjo area at the same time as weeing helps but not sure how practical that is?

Wet and windy here today too but kind of glad as we had a shopping trip planned and Adam wouldn't settle last night until 3a.m. (after sleeping like an angel all day!) so was the perfect excuse to stay snuggled up in doors. His umbilical cord has dropped off and I got v.excited about his new belly-button (really must try and get out more!).

I haven't got a breast-feeding cushion but keep meaning to get one as I always end up with arm-ache with normal pillows. My nipples have finally got used to the demands being placed on them and feeding has stopped being so toe-curling (either that or they are dead and about to drop off!). I haven't quite got the hang of arranging the biscuits/magasines/tv remote before feeding yet and often end up sitting there with my drink just out of reach, staring into space! Nice to hear about everyone else's breast feeding experiences - no-one I know has breast-fed.

Sarah - yeah i heard similar too. I heard you should do it with cold water but after placing some cold water on some loo roll and holding it there, it just bloomin' hurts! Not sure how i could do it tbh, unles i invest in a turkey baster!!!

Typical re Adam being up all night. Ellie was a bit restless last night too because of colic, but after a bit of infacol she settled down quite a bit.

I dont have a feeding cushion either. Not sure i really need one as i'm quite happy with doing it without at the moment. This might change when she gets bigger and heavier tho!

I also sympathise re the drinks being out of reach. I'm normally the same and sit there staring at my drink trying to figure out how i could get it as it's normally on the wrong side of me lol.

My dad is coming round tomorrow - i really hope Ellie doesn't want feeding when he's round as i'd feel quite unsociable sitting in the bedroom!!!

Hi all. We went out to the supermarket for the first time today. Went to the petrol station to fill up first and Anabel started screaming so i jumped in the back while DH was fill up. She needed a change of nappy so I changed her on my knee (and it was number 2s) but managed not to spill anything. The rest of the outing was fine I'll deffo only be attempting such trips with DH for a while yet as couldn't be coping with that by myself.

I bought sainsburys brand nappies and when she got home she needed a change so put one of the new ones on her and then 5 minutes later she soiled them and it ran down her leg!!! Had to bath her then so am knackered now. Stupid cheapo nappies. So not worth it.

It is good to hear that most of you are getting the hang of BF.

Left feeding problem ladies, I was having nightmare with this too. Now I just move him to the left to feed and tuck him under my arm rather than switch him over onto his other side if that makes sense?

For some reason he didn't like being laid on his right side to feed tummy to tummy from the left breast, but he has no problems in the rugby ball position on his left side under my left arm. Weird, but it stopped the problem straight away and he was refusing to feed from the left at all!

Fiona - glad you ventured out and had to deal with a number 2 situation. At least you'll know how to deal with it next time!

ST - I tried the rugby ball position when the mw was here yesterday but Ellie didn't like it either. I dont seem to be having too much of a problem with the left any more. i think i just had her held wrong.

RGPargy - hypericum is good for stitches (along with arnica for the bruising) and bathing with a tiny drip of tea tree oil in the bath.

Loopy - I'm with you on the feeding in public thoughts. And for those nervous of feeding in public, I sat feeding in Paddington Stn twice yesterday & nobody batted an eyelid. People really don't notice as much as you think

Chocolatehobnob - probiotics when you finish your antibiotics will really help get your system back on track and avoiding too much sugar and yeast (ie bread/ refined flour/fruit / sugar etc)will limit the likelihood of thrush. HTH

aiki- if the baby isn't latched on correctly she'll be slow regaining birth weight- you need to sort the latch out now rather than waiting

ladies- here

hope little man is ok

Morning Girlies....

Haven't been on pc since birth of DS 30th Nov....

So glad to see others having BF probs too, just left side for me , cracked sore and bleeding, right side fine !! expressed off left this morning as i couldn't bear the idea of him latching on !! i think it has just got to heal now, as according to all the diff mw i am latching propperly.

Very tearful but not tied.

JARM - hope he's fine now! What a scary thing. Poor you.

Well, we went and tested a friend's swing on Friday and yesterday we bought Rebecca one for Christmas! We went to Mothercare and Mamas and Papas but Mcare only had a portable one in stock and it didn't look very comfy, whilst Mamas and Papas had two different ones, both very stylish looking, but the first sort of rocked a bit rather than swung whilst the second was so stylish it didn't look very child-inspiring. So we went to Babiesrus at Toysrus and got the big Fisherprice Rainforest one, which is green and non tasteful and very exciting - she loves it. It has only sent her to sleep once so far because she's utterly mesmerised and excited in it but it allowed us an hour to have a glass of wine and eat a nice dinner last night with not a murmur from her ladyship so it can't be bad!

Went into town today, had lunch out, then as we came home Rebecca YELLED and cried real tears - usually she just sort of fusses a bit. I think she was hungry, but it came on very suddenly and was quite horrible, really. I am reassured that you've all had screamy children in town too!

Thanks for the thrush advice... I HOPE I won't get it... I can't avoid sugar though - I'm craving it still... oh well..

Hugs to all!

hi all, still having weight gain problems, callum only put on 2oz this week, and that wsas after a feed, before the feed he had actually lost weight. he is now 6lb 6oz so still topping up after every feed.

And I'm back, sorry it's taken so long, we've been having a difficult couple of days with lots of crying and feeding and not much sleeping Today I'm clinging to the fact that lots of the baby books say crying usually peaks at 5 or 6 weeks, and after that they cry less and sleep more - only about a week to go before we turn that corner then. Told my parents that and they said "Well lets hope Rebecca has read the same books"

jetgirl - thanks for thinking of me! My impression of the hospital was mixed - as I say, I wanted to use the pool and couldn't because there weren't enough midwives, so ended up on Labour ward rather than the midwife-led ward (may have contributed to my instrumental delivery?). And bizarrely, the postnatal ward I was on was really cold and draughty! But I think every midwife I saw was really kind and helpful.

RGP - I found a bath with a few drops of tea tree oil heaven while my stitches were sore, but then they'd hurt again almost as soon as I got out of the bath. Weirdly, they hurt pretty consistently until about 5 or 6 days after the birth, and then in the space of a couple of hours got tons better. My theory on that was that the stitches were rubbing somewhere sensitive whenever I moved, and as soon as they started to dissolve, they stopped rubbing and the pain went. I'd also recommend doing pelvic floor exercises a.s.a.p. - I started doing them gently from day 2, they didn't make the stitches hurt any worse, and helped me feel more 'together' down there surprisingly quickly as I built them up.

Loopy - well done for making it to church, and for feeding while there, that's pretty brave! We went to church last week, having fed and changed Rebecca just before-hand. She was mostly fine, I think she found the music really soothing Didn't make it today though - really needed the lie-in this morning!

Totally sympathise with everyone finding BF painful - my nipples have both been consistently cracked for the past 4 weeks! I'm fairly sure my latch is good now, and it only usually hurts for the first couple of seconds while she's getting the nipple to the back of her mouth, but BOY does it hurt. I'm just finding it difficult to get them to heal up. A couple of days she's fed really well and regularly - satisfied with one side every 4 hours - and then I think we're getting somewhere. But then the next day she'll be back to feeding every 3 hours, or having a block in the evening of feeding every hour, and they've opened back up. I've been using lansinoh nipple cream after every feed, and just started using breast shells to collect the leaks on the other side while I'm feeding, so hopefully they won't be so damp. Haven't resorted to shields yet, but I may try it soon, it's starting to drive me up the wall.