we did it, we did it, the babies are here, now come and join us and we will give you a cheer!!!!

[Dozymare]

Hope this works

thought i would start a thread for those of us already in the heady World of motherhood, so we can share the trials and tribulations of the early days....

I shall start with my birth story and hope other's follow and I haven't started a dud thread

As you know I was dreading a 3rd CS, almost to the point where I was having panic attacks - we went in on the Thursday and after waiting for an EMC we were taken to theatre where I was DELIGHTED to recognise the aneathatist (sp!!) who helped deliver DS2. Now, one of my major fears about a 3rd CS was the fact that having had a "perfect" excperience with DS2, it6 wouldn't be possible to experience the same thing again...I was wroing, it was better The whole thing was started at 1315 and Tallulah was born at 1344 weighing 7lbs 2oz. She has a shock of dark hair but seems so small compared to the boys who were 9 and 10lbs respectively. The care I recieved was absolutely 2nd to none - no complaints or gripes.........So far so good.........

HOWEVER.........my god, do you forget the pain of breastfeeding before the milk comes in - I am in absolute agony and have had to top up with aptamil as the poor wee thing is so, so hungry...I am literally BF for up to 2 hours (the point of pain in both udders ) and then topping up with Aptamil. She guzzles 30ml and then settles.......As for sleep - sleep is for wimps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lacks interesting you say that you are worried about something happening to Fin - I am also very worried/paranoid about Tiger - do you htink it is somethIng to do with being our last baby??!!

Just posted the following on the ante natal thread but also skim read here and wanted to say to oblomov that you are so not alone (wish i had the time and brain power to say more but will try to return to this) and also to lacks and dozy that my pnd with ds1 in part manifested with the most crippling and overwhelming fear of something happening to him (in particular cot death)

Hello everyone! I pop by this thread regularly to check on how everyone is doing but rarely get a chance to actually post. Right now ds1 is upstairs snoring in his bed, ds2 is snoring on my chest, the dog is snoring in her bed and dh is still at work (probably snoring at his desk)so here i am...

Congratulations to all the lovely babies born and lots of luck to all the imminent arrivals. (love love love this thread title by the way, never fails to raise a smile with me)

So my little preemie baby boy is 6 weeks old today! Doing well aside from a few minor hiccups along the way but he is getting big and i am starting to slowly feel a little less fearful of his tinyness and earlyness, if that makes sense. As happened with ds1, i find myself an accidental attachment parent again, bf on demand, co-sleeping (the only hope of me getting any sleep), slinging (enabling hands free for ds1) etc and so far it is working for us. I seem to find my days are complete rollercoasters, veering between moment of lovely peaceful calm and me thinking to myself, 'mmm, this is fun, really love to do it all again asap' to moments of sheer chaos, tears (both ds's, me and the dog) and threats of chopping dh's old fella off if he so much as thinks of coming near me!

So far no signs of the crippling pnd i suffered with ds1 (touch wood) but i guess still early days...

Labour vibes to all those in need, easy delivery vibes to all those in the midst and sleepy vibes to all those on the other side...

Hi all,

Can I come in for a warm? I am sorry not to have been posting for a week but I have only just got to the stage where I can sit down anywhere other than the sofa for more than ten minutes. I don't want to just jump in and go "Wahey, here's my birth story" but have been trying to catch up on posts and can't keep track (no sleep, stitches etc). Plus my boobs hurt and I keep crying at nothing.

It seems nice here on the other side, is there cocoa?

Lacks, can we call my baby Finlaysaurus or something to avoid confusion? You get to pick nicknames, obviously, as your little Fin was here first!

Got to go, tea and phone calls and feed and change calling. And painkillers, yay!

PS is it okay to put my birth story on here or do they go somewhere else?

Love and hugs and big fat buckets of sleep and lansinoh to all.

dozy, it might well be. I thought it was perhaps my general anxiety/depression, but as i said before i feel so normal otherwise that this seems a bit incongruous.

hi zonedout, I'm lolling at your snoring household

DS2 is still settled and asleep and has only had a little bit of wind this evening and that came up easily.

HI LADIES. Just found my way over to this thread 6 days after the birth of Alyssa and wow just a few posts . Will try to catch up but will take a while.

Hope everyone is ok. Sending hugs and happy thoughts to anyone not having a good time at the moment.

I apologies if anyone already seen this on the antenatal thread but just dont know where to post ...

NEWSPAPER - Our birth story may be getting put in the Rotherham Advertiser (local paper). MIL contacted them and told them about our surprise arrival and DH delivering Alyssa. They have left an answer machine message for us to call back. DH will never come back down to earth at this rate!

SECRET STORK - Could I request my letters please?

ALYSSA - So far so good. Feeding well and is increasing amounts quickly. Seems to be doing 3-4 hour feeds and sleeping in between with the exception of around 12 ish - 3 ish when she will not but put down after her feed. I think this is her awake time (was when she was in me) just a pity that it is at a time when you would most like to be in bed! QUESTION Anyone else encountered this now or with past babies and any solution or just ride with it?

I'm still working on a nickname for my Fin rutho as nothing seems to stick (other than windbag )......so you can have first dibs on anything!

Good to see you over here though; we've been missing you

much empathy on the bottom issue. Mine is only now starting to feel something like normal after two weeks....still better than a CS though!!

you can put your birth story here or in birth announcements topic on the parenting board...whatever suits!

I got that, Vbab! Mine is also a nocturnal creature right now. He is sleeping like a little angel right now but I know will not go back in his lovely basket at 3am...

Bless him [mad-eyed sleepless emoticon].

Hi vbab...cross posted there.

how exciting at being in the local paper; it's certainly newsworthy

I would just ride the midnight waking for the time being and she should settle soon.

I quite like it in the wee small hours when it's just me and Fin awake; like it's a special time just for the two of us.

Lacks, so far we have Finpoo, Finbags, Finners old chum, Finlay-sausage, Finbum.

I got the doc out at 4am on Saturday re stitches as even moving made me scream. I didn't know they were infected, I just thought I was being a wuss. But then I didn't know I was 6cm dilated at home either last Saturday... The doc says they have "come undone a bit" as well - nice. I love the way docs tell you things, bedside manner and all, but he was actually a nice doc.

More anon, I have sausages for tea arriving presently. DH is also going nocturnal - am I the only one in this house that wants to get up in the mornings?

lacks - thanks for the advice. Cant really force Alyssa into a routine yet will just ride with it and maybe next week start a routine NAR.

ruth - OUCH! I've been very lucky, so far, as not had any pains from my stitches, just my BOOBS! Cant remember them hurting this much with DS. Goes from nothing to severe . Healing vibes your way. Especially for our north/middle ladies get together.

I like finpoo and finbum

I love my lie-in in the mornings and am appreciating it whilst DH is off work. The reality of the school run can wait for a few more weeks!!!

Ouch at the infection though. Hope it is better soon.

me me me post coming up.

well the day got worse. it was cold and miserable when i went to pick the girls up from school and nursery. and sophie hates the pram. she prefers to be carried. usually i would oblige but my back has been killing for a couple of days now so didnt want to use the sling. so walked with a screaming baby, who finally slept as i got near the school. on the way home we have to cross near a small roundabout with 4 roads coming off/on it. i checked, checked and checked again as it busy at that time of day. as we were over half way across a car came speeding onto the roundabout. dd1 was ahead by a couple of steps pushing sophie in the pram, and i was holding dd2+3 hands. i screamed 'no no no' as this came came tearing towards us. fortunatly they came to a hlat, then yelled at me. i said 'its a roundabout, you're meant to slow down.' was shaken and almost in tears.

then dh came back from his hospital appointment and said 'i forgot the car was invisable' (long standing thing about our silver zafira not being seen by other drivers), i said 'what you almost got hit?' 'oh no, i did get hit!' 'when, where' 'by a lorry on the m25' [almost pass out]. fortunatly dh is fine, and the car has minor damage, but means we will be out of pocket by £75 excess and need to replace 4 car seats inc sophies which has been used three times, to the tune of around £300-500 depending on which seats we go for this time. sophies one with isofix base was very pricey and i am hacked off at the cost of replacing them this close to xmas. we may be able to claim the costs back from the other uinsurence com-pany, but as dh car is a mobility car, they dont cover the costs of car seats in their insurence. which is a PITA.

RE alternative baby names ... I keep without realising it calling Alyssa, "her ladyship" and a couple of times Olivia (niece's name put it down to exhaustion) and Alicia or Alisia (because everyone and I mean everyone in the hospital and family keep saying it wrong to me except DS ).

Lacks & Dozy, I too feel the same way about Zack, worrying that something could happen to him or him getting ill. I put it down to LBS (last baby syndrome). This could explain why I am co-sleeping when I have always been adament I never would.

Hi Rutho, good to see you here, much sympathy on the undercarriage issues. I have only had 1 really bad day, that was enough and I remember only too well how bad it was after ds1 who was born after an episiotomy with a hand over his face.... ouch!

Also good to see Vbab & Zonedout!

oh, misdee , you must be really shaken up after that near miss. Have some virtual hot chocolate and take yourself off to bed.

If the seats were empty they might not need replacing, especially the isofix ones. It's worth calling the manufacturers or RoSPA to check. Surely if there was no weight in them then they won't have gotten stressed?

DS2 fed like a mad thing yesterday and my boobs have gone beserk today!

misdee - HUGS. Stupid person for shouting at you, stupid lorry driver and stupid insurance company .

Me and DH and my family have always had silver cars and yes it is true that they are invisible. So many scratches and near misses and me getting a honda civic into the back of me in stood traffic on the motorway and few years back . I'm physically fine from the accident but it has left me a very bad passenger in cars (lack of a feeling of control I guess) and I jump at the slightest thing.

I keep calling Fin, either Emily (DD) or Daisy (the cat)

oh yes, and mobility say they will send us a courtesy car. of a fiesta or corsa size yes cos that will fit 6 people in. f*ckwits.

Misdee, I am sorryto hear about the rest of your day, sound scart all round. I hope you can sort something out about the seats.

Lacks, sound like the 3 week growth spurt to me. I still have some engorgement ect, so am already dreading the growth spurt!

Vbab, I am forever calling Zack by my ds2's name . Ds2 refers to Zack as IT.

Alyssa - just picked her up from her rocker as she has woken from her sleep (since feed 2hrs ago) crying. put her up to my shoulder, she promptly moved her mouth to my face and burped twice! Then fell asleep snoring on my shoulder. She makes me laugh even at 6 days old.

Earlier when i was holding her while she was sleeping she did the biggest grin and laughed twice. Was beautiful and so funny. Me and DH couldnt stop laughing.

Obs, not caght up on your full story but feel for you - it all is so hard.

I am enjoying having 3 - my life has all ready been turned upsidedown by kids so Greta just fits in nicely (early days yet).

I can tell, though, that my DD1 (age 2.5) is gonna use the baby as bait for her tempers and I think baby is heading for a few subtle hits or hard hugs when the mood takes her!

HMJT - we only get 2 mw visits here and then I have to go to the clinic at the hopsital to get myself disharged! Shows the state of how things must be.

Nipples still sooo sore - is annoying as I know that there can be painless feeds even with sore nipples of the latch is right - I just have to keep trying. Grrrr, had this problem with the other 2 and so hoped it would be better this time round. At least the actual feeds are goin well.

Greta just stirring in her basket so best go. I should try to go to bed early but hate such disturbed sleep so tend to only go about 1am and hope to get a couple of hours in during the night then catch up in the mornng.

is there a thread anywhere with a list of the new arrivals stats and names?

oops - sorry I hadn't refreshed for ages so missed loads of posts - will check back later

night, night ladies going to bed now so can take over my feeding shift starting probably anytime 3am onwards. DH stopping up to do last "night time" feed then me for all others.

Misdee are you o.k. now ? Sorry to har what happened.

Thanks for all nice messages.

Have been trying to read thread whilst pumping. My norks seem to love your wit and comments and the mnilk was pouring out

No phonecall from mr patel, as yet. Have phoned and left message again, this morning.

Feeling better.
Have a new word. "Drawn a line". I need to forgive and forget. No keep talking about all this shit. whenever thoughts come into my head , I think 2I have dealt with this. I have drawn a line" Repaeat " I have drawn a line". As recommended by my mum.

friend comeing over in 1/2 hour. must jump in shower.
Nanny seaside and my lovely sil coming for the day later.

Daisy, have been trying infacol, becasue it was available at sainsburys, for last week, is helping. BUT, colief is the best I bleieve. V.V. expensive, but worth every penny. I used that on ds and swear by it.

Re alternative names, I am sure that ds2 thinks his name is 'MaxI', 'poppet', or 'my lovely'. LOL at Alyssa's 'other' names.

I am still bleeding, thus still wearing a pad. I has been more than 3 weeks now. seems long time. but hey.

Roca, you can have a bath after cs, but they don't recommend it. I mean they say keep it dry as poss. Quick shower. And they mean this for atleast a week, if not a couple. But 8A* bath , no prob, enjoy.

Re chairs, no need for head support, should be as flat as possible, but yes, can be used from birth. don't worry., woman from mothercare said, even if throw head about, no harm done.

Dozy, we currently have NO ROUTINE AT ALL> and am going with the flow. Literally. Slept on sofa with ds2 on my chest last night.
That boy still thinks day is night. Night is day. Lady in playground yesterday suggested more hoovering to wake him up !!!!

Any suggestions of how to switch a night/day baby ?