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

Thanks for all your advice re BF. Saw the mw earlier and DD was weighed. Her weight loss since birth is within the 10% range but at the lower end so mw agreed that topping up was probably a good idea. She's suggested I take fenugreek tablets to try to increase blood supply and she'll come back to weigh her again on Wednesday to see how things are. She suggested I try exclusively bf once I start the tablets just to gauge the effect. We'll give it a go! DD has been a bit more settled after feeding today - I'm getting breaks of up to 1.5 hours between feeds so that's progress. She still feeds for a long time though.
Coolkat when is the wedding? I still can't believe your sister expects you to bf in the toilets!
Lacks Your DS1 sounds so cute - I'm sure he will get a reply from Gordon. I remember writing to No 10 when I was 9 or so and definitely got a reply.
Hope everybody else is OK.

Hello all, daisy pointed me in this direction as I excl bfed DD with a thyroid problem. Sounds like nothing as severe as you guys though, I'm only on 50mg, though could probably do with more. I did have some problems with DD, especially at night, she often couldn't get a let down and in hindsight it might have been because of the thyroid issue, but in theory Levothyroxine is just replacing something that would be in your body anyway. Don't know much more about it than that. Many sympathies for the mammoth feeding sessions, my guess, putting my peer supporter hat on would be that
a) LO is tanking up for the night, also known as cluster feeding
b) LO is still not latching of properly, if you are feeling any pain still, that could be an indicator or poor latch. Even if it is not painful there still could be a problem, poor latch means that they are only getting out a little at a time so have to feed for longer.

I wouldn't have thought that really long feeds are an indicator of low supply, if LO is feeding for 2 hours then that suggests that your supply is fine. The more the baby feeds the more your supply will increase. However if the baby is fussing at the breast that could be an indicator of several problems, Kellymom has loads more info. It is very tempting to top up, and that is perfectly fine, but it is important to know the risks, e.g. reduction in supply, nipple confusion, bottle preference. It's not recommended that you replace a feed for at least 6 weeks. Of course that is very easy for me to say as someone who hasn't had to deal with sleepless nights for over a year! But I just wanted to point that out. There is a lot of conflicting information out there. I will say this though, it was at least 4 months before I really got to grips and actually enjoyed bfing, really it was, and I think daisy will say the same. And DD and I only just gave up about a month ago at 15mo. It is sooooo tough, but if you can stick it out in these early months you will reap the rewards (i.e. being able to eat more cake! Not having to wash and sterilise bottles). I also expressed and gave DD EBM from about 2 months on the odd occasion to more frequently as she got older, I expressed literally every day for 10 months and I am the breast pump and expressing queen so if you have any questions daisy can come and find me.

Sorry to leap on your thread and get all preachy, I just remember how hard it was in the early stages and really wanted to off some advice and support. Feel free to ignore it, You can have you thread back now!

hi bumperliocious and thanks for your advice.

I have decided not to carry on with breast feeding, as for me and Tiger, it really is not the best option. Having BF both DS 1 and DS2 for 9 months, this hasn't been an wasy decision but one I feel very happy with now we have decided. As Ladybizz said, a Happy mummy = happy baby and the fact that I am BF for up to 2 hours and then Tiger is guzzling up to 60mls (which on the box of aptamil, indicates what a baby of her weight should be drinking if they were excl bottle fed.) Having BF successfully before, I just know that this time is different, I am not getting any indication I am producing very much milk at all as after 10mins, when I squeeze my boobs, nothing. This is a very hard decision for me, and one I find very . Also guilty as feel that Tiger should at least get the same as DS1 and DS2.

However, having listened to 3 specialists in the field of Thyroid issues and breastfeeding, and considering my high dose of thyroxine, I am giving up the battle for my own sanity. I can;t continue as I am - not good for me, Tiger and the rest of the family.

Hope everyone else can resolve their BF problems as it really is a very special thing.

DM x

Morning All.
Been up most of the night.
Oh dear this is not good. We are off to Mothercare to get new bottles - Dr Browns - see if that helps.

Hope you are all o.k.

obs, seem my message to you on other thread....found better than Dr Brown and also with cargirl on the row, row, row method for winding......

Glad you have made the decision that is right for you and your little one Dozy You will feel much happier now i'm sure and i echo what Ladybuzz says about a happy mummy.

I'm still persevering here with BF and have good feed days and bad feed days. A couple of nights ago Oscar wouldn't latch on at all and it was so upsetting. He was frustrated and i was frustrated. I ended up expressing which made my engorged (.)(.) feel so much better. I persevered into the next day (yest) and had to express 1/2 oz off each breast before Oscar could latch on. So that's where we are up to at the moment. Not great as it's a vicious circle. The more i express, the more my breasts make but at least Oscar can latch on.

I also had a couple of bad blockages yesterday and thanks to the super advice on this thread while reading last night from Lacks and bumper i managed to massage them out. This thread is my lifeline sometimes. I know i don't always post but i always read and keep up so thanks to everyone for keeping me sane throughout this pregnancy lark

Sorry to hear you have been up all night Obs. It's so much harder when you are sleep deprived. Hope you get your new bottles sorted. I have heard that Dr Brown's are great.

How is everybody else today? Maybe we will have some new graduates join us over on this side today.

Hope you get sorted Obs. My MIL swore by the row row row method too nd it always worked with DS1 and he had major wind prolems often.
Dozy glad you have come to a decision, I too have decided to go with the bottle. I feel I need to for my own sanity.
The Antibitics are kicking in and DH gave me a lie in this morning so I feel alot better today.
Thanks for yesterday Dozy you really helped.
Now I just need my massive hard ( . )( . ) to go down!
Glad you are winning Lola

Dozy, glad you have come to a decision; BFing isn't easy, but with other health issues involved must make the job so much harder. You have given her the benefit of it for the first couple of weeks of her life which is good regarding passing on your antibodies and immunities.

It is so much more difficult when there are other babies/children to consider as you just donlt have the luxury of sitting around for hours on end.

I'm feeling pretty despondent about it as well today as Fin just isn't latching well and I'm now using nipple shields which I know can be the beginning of the end if i'm not careful. And like you, having done it before it feels awful that it isn't working out so well this time.

but, I will persevere as I know that, for me, giving formula will not make a happy mum. We are off back to bed for some skin to skin and back to basics stuff to see if we can't get things back on an even keel.

I used the Mam bottles with DD which are anti colic ones and thought they were fab. They come apart at the bottom as well and are really easy to clean.

sorry people are having such a hard tiome with feeding. Glad you have come to a decision you are happy with, DM.

hi all.
Thanks for the welcome[smile[

i knew i shouldn't have cursed being able to MN, im so tired i cant see what i am writing properly, and have my nose against the screen.

baby kept me awake most of the night, and my poor boobs the rest! they have expanded overnight, and despite the fact i always wanted bigger boobs, this takes the p**s, and i never knew how painful they could be.

other than that little rant{blush] all is good.
how is everyone?

Think you've made the right decision on the bf, Dozy.
Thanks for advice on the row/row method. will try.
Just got back form mothercare. Bought dr browns and one of dozys recommendations - thanks for that.
I returned my medela pump. I bought one of e-bay. I put the whole thing, the electric pump bit, in the sink. Presumably sleep deprived. Funnily enough it didn't work. Loose connection, that started going green
So went to mothercrae and bought one, last week. and then took back my ebay one to them today. Result. They refunded me fully and i bought all the bottles. Love scamming big companies. Hate ripping off little guys, but have no qualms about big companies.

I AM BACK IN MY OLD CLOTHES
My maternity wear was too big. Tried on my old work trousers - black, wallis , size 14, fit lovely.
OBS IS BACK IN HER OLD CLOTHES< HOORAH. You can whop me with your jealous sticks if you like - tee hee-

Welcome Mum2bean.

How you doing Daisy, Bella, Buzz, Pinky ?

Dozy please you have made a decision and are happy.

Obs good on you re mothercare, not a fan of them myself!

Well here in my camp Rebecca has been feeding every 2 - 2 1/2 hours, one boob feels quite'bruised' is the only way to describe it.

Muscles near 'Fanjo' and top of legs playing up badly again, had a small walk today but nothing major

Met my health visitor today she encouraged expressing and giving a bottle so that I can feed when out, feel pissed as wanted her to tell me know as DH thinks that is what I should do but I don't want to, I want to get more confident and be able to BF when out and about.

Off to relax and look at new job structures at work to see if I am being made redundant!

poo to your HV coolkat . I'm surprised she wasn't more supportive than that or suggested any local support groups you could go to. The first few times feeding in public are daunting but it becomes second nature, honestly. Are there any baby cafes or other support groups near you? They are a good place to practice feeding in public but everyone is doing it so you don't have any worries. Or your local NCT postnatal group as well. It's early days still.

I remember with DD, we had been out for a meal for Father's Day and we skipped dessert and went home rather than me feed her in the restuarant as I was cinvinced everyone was looking.....fast forward a few months to me sitting in IKEA feeding a very curious DD and then was aware of a breeze and she had pulled off and was looking around and an old bloke was getting an eyeful!!! I just smiled at him and tidied myself away

and meant to say Obs; well done you for getting one over on Mothercrap. The number of times they have overcharged me or charged me twice for things is unreal; so you have made me feel much better for reading that

slummy mummy alert . Fin has had his first bath and he loved it

Thanks for all the 'welcome backs' everyone...it certainly is lovely to be back online and slowly catching up with everyone's news. But preg brain seems to have morphed into baby brain and by the time i start trying to respond i have forgotten everything i wanted to say...

lacks, your ikea story reminds me of the time with ds1 when i opened the front door to the postman with my boob hanging out i too started out not feeding anywhere in public but gradually built up the courage to bf pretty much anywhere and everywhere. it was remembering to bung them back in my bra after feeds that proved to be the problem!

dozy, though a little sad you must feel such a weight off your shoulders for having been pro-active and made the decision. Not only is breastfeeding possibly one of the physically hardest and most demanding things i have done in my life it is also bound up with so much emotion so i really admire your strength in being able to choose the best path for you.

coolkat (and all those with sore post birth fanjos), i wish the fanjo better

oblomov, wishing you a better night and peaceful nights to all

it is weird because although my little man is 5 weeks old today he still acts like a complete newborn. all of his developmental milestones will go by his adjusted age (based on being born at 35 weeks gestation) for at least the first year

despite it being well into november it seems there have been so few births so far... looking forward to some more news...

ooh dear people have been bathing their babies? Dinky has had a wash.. erm.. that's it. Maybe she can have one at the weekend. Seriously slummy mummy here.

But I did get everyone played with, changed, fed, washed brushed teeth and in bed today, all by myself. Feel quite proud!

Coolkat your HV sounds like a bit of a prude! The best way I found was to just go for it. No-one bats an eyelid, honestly.

phew pinkee.....there was me thinking I was being bad. Funny how the frequency of baths is inversely proportional to how many children you have

right suppertime and feed and then bed for me. Hopefully we'll get a better night tonight.

morning all - hope we all had good nights??? Tiger was only up 1x from 11pm feed (which DH did) at 2am then woke at 6am with DS1 today. I went to bed at 10 so managed to get 4 hours of good solid sleep...amazing how much more positive I feel for that. And the fact that Tiger is so content now she is getting nourished.

For all my love of brast feeding, I could never do it in public, partly because my boos are soooo big, and partly because I was never happy getting DS's latched on and off without flashing to all and sundry Was happy in front of NCT pals and other women, but would always have to find a breastfeeding friendly palce to feed - luckily we have a mothercrap in town that has a feeding room.......

Thanks for all your suppore re my decision to not BF. I still feel really really bad about it as never, ever foresaw it as a problem, espeically after being so successfuly with DS1 and DS2 but unbelievably have not BF since Sunday now and STILL nothaving leakage, or engorgement, or any other sign that I have just stopped. Just confirms what I knew really in that I was producing very little.

Both my DS's are up now - got to get ready for the melee os school runs!

have a great day everyone

DM

Oh, forgot to add...Day 12 and Tiger also NOT had a bath yet...... defi9nately proportional to the number of kids you hae me thinks!!

Gosh my DS is positively gleaming in comparison now, but I have to say he still had bits of bloody stuff between his toes and around his toenails

he is now peeling and there is a new baby underneath.

Not too bad a night here either. Put him down at midnight and that was him until 2. Was up till 3:30 and then slept till 6:30. That constitutes a good solid block of sleep for him....would prefer it to be four hours between feeds but it's early days yet.

And, I'm pleased to say that the feeding is going much better and he seems to have twigged what to do to latch on. Nipples almost pain free now!!

Dozy, did you have the thyroid issues when BFing the DSs as well? or has it worsened? Glad tiger is settling well now on the formula though.

hope all the other LOs are doing well

dozy and pinkee, so relieved to hear of lack of baths! my two had their first bath last Thurs. They were 15 days old!! I did give them a cotton wool wash all over, not everyday tho'. Their skin is quite dry so was hoping a bath with e45 would help. MW suggested olive oil, but made ds a lot worse when he was a babe, his cradle cap was terrible too. At least this time I am not bathing the poor mites in johnson's having learned my lesson well...

We had a good night too by previous night's standards. I went to bed at 9pm. Dh woke me at 10.30 as both babies crying. Bf'd ds2 while dd had a second bottle, greedy guzzler took 130mls. Both restless, and dd bf'd again around 11.30. Slept till 1.40 then more feeding ill 2.30ish, then slept till 5am. Feel great this morning - what a difference a few hours kip and a sunny morning make! Roll on Spring!

Glad everyone is settling down. Well done on the feeding decisin dozy, deciding is the hardest bit. I am debating whether to express bottles for ds2 and bf dd as she just seems to be putting on a lot more weight and when they have their night bottle of formula drinks about 3x what ds2 drinks! I'm wondering if he is getting milk out efficiently esp. 'the good stuff'. He does have latch probs, but have worked out that if he has a good cry for a couple of mins he feeds better! Nasty mummy!

My mum's bday on Thur and ds's on Tue. Not got prezzies yet. Aaaaargh. How much delivery do J Lewis charge?

4 hours between feeds sounds like a dream. My aim is 2.5 hours. Any ideas how to achieve this? Do you just let them cry till their time. I am feeding on demand and I think they know they can get it when they like, so they are not getting enough in one go. Also dd is just a hungry (and getting quite CHUBBY!) baby.

Oh, and because I am feeling smug, and because it was a MAJOR worry for me...Ds1 is being an angel. He loves the babies, and has responded well to having his mummy back - have done more with him than I did when pg and trying to make him feel obvioulsy loved. Also dh still off work (today is redundancy day!), so that is helping a lot. I am sooooooo relieved. I was petrified he would be jealous and insecure and tantrummy, but so far things are better than when I was pg. It may all change, I know!

Sorry for 3 posts in a row!

Sounds like everyone is starting to settle down and things are on the up
Does anyone have tips on how to help the pain of getting rid of your milk?
I look like Lolo Ferrari and my boobs are rock hard and very very painful at the mo. Very perky I have to say for the first time since being a teenager but really not orththe pain that comes with them!!
Hope everyone is well today

Oh and at Obs being in her old clothes again well done lady!