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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you cuddled your baby to sleep?? oh the horror

pinky. SINNER

oops soory x posts there- that was to obs lola sounds like you are making progress, that's fab.

choc sorry things are not going so well. sometimes babies just have off- patches. I would suggest you get some sleep when he does, if you can.x

ChocO, this might help explain a little of what's going on with junior.

aha, AP! I had planned on doing as much baby wearing this time around as I could...but I'm having a hard time wrestling DS2 away from DH during the day . He is thriving on being able to AP this time around. He missed out on DS1 when he was a baby; only seeing him every month , and then with DD he was working away in the week.

and Lola, that's fantastic that you have got BFing sorted

I dream of the day when we have it sussed!

Thanks Daisy thats interesting stuff, although DS is only 3 weeks today and according to the chart on the link he "should" be in an "uncomplicated phase"??

He is obviously very advanced ChocO

Seriously though, try not to get too hung up on what he should and shouldn't be doing. They are little people and just like older children and adults, they are all different.

DH is currently fighting Bumba with a dummy. Bumba is winning so far

choc, 3 weeks is classic growth spurt week.
besides all babies, including GF babies, don't 'play by the book' EVERYDAY

don't be disheartened. you are doing a fab job. i think you just need a bit more sleep. get ogg MN and go sleep girl !!

Woohoo.....the baby has got the hang of the dummy

gosh yes obs.....classic growth spurt time and general fussiness.

I remember DDs six week growth spurt. She fed all evening and I had a wahhhhhh thread on here about it. she finally went to sleep at 11.30pm after feeding constantly from 5.30ish....and then slept fo six hours!

I would love to go to sleep Obs but I currently have a very wide awake baby strapped to my chest!

Hello I feel like I haven't been on here for ages.

I see Dr's Wife has finally had her baby, she will be so pleased.

Esme is great, however will not breast feed still, so expressing it is for me. HOWEVER, i woudln't mind some advice as it would appear everything I read conflicts with each other.LACKS where are you? Firstly... someone told my sister that by just expressing my milk supply will slowly dry up. Is this true? esme will not whatsoever feed from me so am i basically buggered? Also, to increase my supply what do i do? Do i express more frequently or less? I am only getting at the moment about 100ml i was getting 120ml. I am worried. HELP

pinkali Hello!

I don't know of you remember from the antnatal thread, but I expressed for about 10ish(can't remember)weeks with DS.

I doubled up at first- ie expressed every two hours,then every three.

EBM can stay in the fridge for up to 5 days now so you can try to get ahead of her. I was around three-four days ahaead of DS.

I eventually latched him on anf bfed for 7months, but I think if you don't do that you may find you are mixed feeding by about 4 months, but either way you will have given her a fab start.
I think you just have to do what you can manage without it spoiling your time as a family, ie if it doesn't work out, don't beat yourself up- you have done your level best for her.

Hello, the ante-natal thread had tumbleweed bowling through it in the last week.
Poor old reluctantincubator is still waiting.
DH and i have finally decided on Paddy Christian Adlei for his forenames. Hope the kid likes at least one!
He is so tiny and sweet, and yesterday got the hang of latching on and breastfeeding so i was rewarded with the full milky bliss look. gorgous! i must try and get it on camera.
Love to you all
Toolly

Pinkali can't help re expressing - I was going to do it to help my b milk increase but was told not to.
Lacks / leaks I do kep sticking dd on but she does fall asleep a bit to much which makes me think she is comfort feeding. Last night she was on off like traffic lights. DOc advised to do top ups only at night if felt my milk was not satisfying her enough. After 3 hrs of boob,cuddle, into cot , sleep for 2 mins SCREAM ( repeat ad infintum)I caved in as just did not know what to do.
I read a GF freebie that was with a mother/baby mag this summer sorry not for me. DD1 has a good routine now ( done with common sense !!!) but i don't think I could apply Gf methods just yet to dd2- but to those that is works for good for you !
Flooding has subsided - It will be in the news tonight / papers tom ( Venice) as it was very high. So this pm if it doesn't chuck down will go food shopping. It might be high again tom which means no clinc - its my human lifeline the only contact I have with other baby mums and a HV / paed ( apart from mn of course!) Off for a little nap whilst I can !

Pinkali, there is good information and advice on kellymom regarding pumping. All credit to you for keeping it up this long even, as it is really hard work

As pinkyminkee says, if it doesn't work out in the long term you shouldn't beat yourself up about it as you have given her the very best start in life.

However, if you want to get her latched on and feeding from you, it should still be possible, but I think you need to get in touch with a breastfeeding counsellor with experience of long term pumping. Do you have good support locally? You should start a thread in the feeding topic as I know there are a few MNers who have exclusively pumped, plus a good few breastfeeding counsellors who will hopefully be able to give you some advice.

with regard to amounts to pump, again kellymom has some good advice, but I think the rule of thumb at this age is about 25 fl ozs per day, regardless of the number of times they feed. And growth spurt times are hard when pumping as you need to pump more to compensate for that. She's about three weeks now isn't she?

there is also advice on kellymom regarding galactogues that you can take to help increase your supply.

hope that helps.....

DD and DS2 are asleep; Dh and I are off for an illicit afternoon cuddle

choc what you are experiencing is totally normal!!! This is why i said the other day, I don't do GF properly until 6 weeks, as I feel that you and babies need time ot adjust and get to know each other......Ihave jut been so lucky with Tiger that she has put herself into GF routine but that is because i think that a) she is bottlefed (remember, both my boys didn't do this and they were breastfed)b) we have to get up at 7am for school runs etc so she naturally feeds at that time.......

Please don't beat yourself up about "not" performing the Gf routine esxactly....Tiger had slept from Britain today and I certainly haven't been waking her up etc.

however, I do agree with obs in that children/babies thrive on routine - after all, we all live our lives by routine anyway - getting up for work/school etc bath before bed etcI

lola well done on getting the brastfeeding sorted!!!!

Pinkali nice to see you posting, also well done on perservering with the EBM feeding...I did that when DS was in baby unit and it is not easy.....have you seen a BF councillor yet???????

X posted with lacks pinks i had a BF councillor come around when I was having problems with Tiger, she was fantastic and really helpful.....just a shame I couldn;'t produce any milk

lacks are you off for a ????

Has anyone else "resumed" relations?! Am very impreswsed if you have, we can jsut about manage a cuddle and a kiss!!!!!

good God, no woman ! that would be a wifely duty too far. Kisses and cuddles only. It might have gone further (but not that far) but for DD waking up! Nice to have a stolen few moments on the sofa though

lol Dozy ,I was thinking the same thing! lacks you could have kept us guessing with that one!

Dozy I never got newborn tights, have got 0-3 from m/care- I think they do newborn, but didn't have the sizes when I went. I know someone told me Asda was good for them but I never went.

Desperately resisting the urge to think, "Wow, Venice, lets have a MN meet up at Rosa's!"

Do I wake DS after very short nap so he gets to tumbletots cos he missed it last week and next week is his last before we move? Will he be horrid? Have to go out and get baby to MW clinic anyway

I haven't seen newborn tights. When DD was little the smallest I could get was 0-6 months.

I say take him Yorky; he'll probably be OK once you get there

Yes please just to I can converse with other mums with little ones ....Only have 1 spare bed though !!!!!
The smallest tights I got for dd1 were M&S white cotton ones they could still go up via her shoulders and folded over twice. Next were massive -dd1 is still wearing her 12-18 mth ones easily ( she is 2.8now) I got a pair of pink ones here that were smaller but she wore them at 3 mths.
So much for nap - dh forgot to put in pull ups on dd1 she wet the bed and is now in our bed on my side dd2 grumbling for food so I forgo sleep !!!!!

Thank you everyone. I am finding it very time consuming but keep thinking that my selfisness on the time front shouldn't over power the good i am doing for her. It does make each night feel twice as long though. When I try to feed her myself she gets on but not properly as her mouth isn't open as wide as it should be she then does a couple of pathetic sucks and gives up. I've tried it when she is over hungry, not so hungry and in between and nothing. It really upsets me.

I have got the number of a local group for breast feeding and think i will call them.