Pregnancies April 2018 - #3 the babies are nearly here !

[DaisyLand]

So we’ve nearly finished with thread 2! Just on time for the babies joining us !

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/3070393-Pregnancies-due-April-2018

@amysaurus87 Hi Amy. Thank you!
The midwife came this morning. So we had been home about 24 hours.

@amy we had a community mw come out the day after we got home. So we came home the Monday evening and then she came the Tuesday. Then came out again the Wednesday to do the heel prick test at 5 day old. Then came out the following week to weigh them as hadn’t heard off health visitor. Then again the week after to discharge us. Have you got your discharge notes? May be worth phoning the ward you was on to discuss it as they need to be seeing you really.

Congratulations @Kirta !

Congratulations @Kirta sounds like baby was more than ready to meet you!

Midwife came out to us on day 2, 5 and 10. We had two additional visits due to Áine's weight loss so really you should give them a call tomorrow if you haven't heard from them

Thanks all! That's what I thought. I've got my discharge notes, tried calling the midwife office to see what's going on, but there is nobody there. I'm going to call first thing tomorrow

Does anyone know anything about pumping? I've been told to do it every 3 hours to establish supply even though the baby can't take any milk (yet). But I'm a bit confused about how long to do it for, how much I should expect to get, whether to keep going until I can't get any more or just do 15 mins, and how to keep the pump clean between pumps especially when I'm away from home. I've already looked at the recommended resources online but none of them really answer my questions.

@HarryHarry what type of pump have you got?

@Harry 10-15 mins per breast or until no more comes out...whichever comes first...stop if you get sore too. Ensure you have the correct sized flange too. Breastfeeding equipment does not need sterilising so simply wash in hot soapy water to keep it clean. You could invest in a closed pumping system as they don't even need cleaning but they're expensive if you're only going to be pumping short term. Ensure you set your alarm to pump throughout the night too as you make more milk overnight. Are you freezing the milk for use later or just to establish supply?

I'm just doing it in case the baby is able to have it at a later date. I was just going to do it to establish supply but the NICU have said they will freeze it. I've got a Philips double electric pump.

Quick question for c section ladies...how much activity were you doing 5 days post surgery? I've been going for short walks just to keep moving as I'm finding I get far to sore sitting down all day, especially my lower back/coxix area which generally still feels numb anyway.

I've also noticed that my right leg on occasions goes 'funny' I can't describe the feeling but it means I struggle to get off the toilet as I get like a shooting sensation in my leg, which goes away as soon as I'm standing and moving. I don't think it's a clot as the symptoms don't match and I'm still taking my anti coagulation injections.

I've tried calling triage but there's no answer, I was really hoping the community midwife would have been so I could ask her.

@Harry it's worth freezing a small portion yourself and defrost it after a couple of days to test your lipase level. If it's high your milk with smell sour taste soapy. Some babies will drink it but most won't so you may need to scald your milk before freezing. Would be a bummer if you went through all of this and your milk was unusable...just my opinion of course!

@Amy day 5 I had only just got out of hospital and I was still quite unsteady on my feet. I had had my tubes cut and tied under section too which didn’t help my pain or lack of mobility. I struggled walking far or even up and down the stairs I found it hurt too much (but again more my tube pain as was in my sides more and the bruising in centre of my tummy) just do what you feel comfortable with but remember it’s major surgery and to not push yourself too far too quick. I literally hobbled the first week or two. I’m now week 4 going into week 5 and I’m feeling so much like myself now. Even managed two successful emergency stops at 30mph as my insurance said up to my dr and the dr told me as long as I can do an emergency stop so been to check tonight that I can and I could. So glad as need my car to do school runs from tomorrow when dh goes back to work. I would definatley call mw tomorrow as they should have been out to you. How you finding the injections? I have another week and half left was unlucky and got them for 6 weeks 😫 I dread them each night poor dh has to do them as I can’t even stomach the thought of doing it too myself 🙈 Iv binned the socks off though 😳 the other week I changed them to just at night times to wear them and now about a week I haven’t worn them at all naughty I know! But I’m so active now walking school runs and up and down to shops etc so hoping my risk is going down. Plus still having the injections as a precaution.
Hope everyone is getting on well with their new arrivals and those still waiting aren’t waiting for long.

Thanks @bez that makes sense. I was told I didn't need the socks anymore when I left hospital, might see if SIL can pick up another pair for me. The injections aren't to bad, the trouble is it was first given to me at 2am so I have to do that every night, so I'm hoping I'm doing them right as I was usually half asleep when they came round!

I'm calling the midwife office first thing in the morning, so hopefully they will be out to see me tomorrow!

@amy they told me didn’t have to be an exact time long as was a rough time. Mine varies on when the girls need their bedtime bottle. Sometimes 10:30 sometimes 11:30/12. The midwife said main thing is I have it. I keep rotating sides but they still sting so much I hate them. I just keep telling myself won’t ever have to have them again after these six weeks. My mw told me when she discharged us just after two weeks I could wear them for bed or needed too shall I add 🙈 but in day it was fine as I was so active. But then a week later I forgot one night then thought Iv done one night I may aswell carry on 😳 plus I thought I don’t get how it changed like with my son it was 10 days but with the girls six weeks?! Oh well it’s five weeks on Friday so not long left now.

My grandson was due yesterday but no sign his head is too high up x

Thank you @AnnaMadden for the advice - it's hard to find information that applies to our situation online, most pumping guides tend to assume the baby is with you and breastfeeding in between pumps.

@Bez and Amy, do you mind if I ask why you are having injections? Is it standard post-C section procedure?

They are fragmin injections to prevent blood clots. Where I am it has a risk score so you get based on your risk. I had to have them after my son but it was only 10 days as he was my third child. With the twins being a multiple pregnancy and over third pregnancy etc it meant my risk factor increased so got them for longer. Some people don’t need to have them but some do it’s depending on your risk factor for developing a blood clot.

@harryharry I had section but my risk factor for clotting was low so I had the injections in hospital but didn't have to bring them home.

Definitely echo the taking it easy. My dressing came off last wed and then went really painful over next couple of days. Called midwife out who dressed it again as became inflamed on one side. Now on antibiotics incase of infection!

@Harry I'm on tinziparin its to prevent blood clots, I lost a fair bit of blood in surgery, and some other factors meant I'm at risk of developing blood clots.

You may have them in hospital, but it depends on your risk factor whether or not you go home with them.

Baby Joshua has already (almost) regained the weight he lost post birth! We had the midwife out this afternoon, and she was really happy with his progress, no jaundice and gaining weight nicely! Going to get him registered tomorrow...Exciting times!

Congratulations on all of the new arrivals.

@Harry - I've hired a double breast pump because my milk wasn't coming in. I was advised before hiring it to use a single pump for 5 minutes on each breast and then increase to 10 minutes on each but rotating every 5 minutes to prevent soreness. Now I have a double pump it has really helped with production but I was separated from baby this week because I was readmitted to hospital for emergency surgery and I found it harder to express without him nearby. It is hard if they are not around and you feel that it won't be used but they say to keep pumping so that the milk is still being produced otherwise it will dry up. You may be able to use it in a couple of months and may feel glad for having stuck with the pumping. But also, formula is so well tested these days that it is not necessarily true that breast is always best. I had to use formula at the beginning due to lack of milk supply and now I use formula to top up feeds as he is so hungry and it takes the pressure off me having to be permanently pumping. I try to pump 3 or 4 times a day for about 20 minutes. It comes better at night. If I miss a session I don't worry too much because I can top up with formula.

Regarding the socks and tinzaparin I've not been very good. I'm supposed to have it for another 10 days now following my second operation but I can't bear the thought of injecting my tummy as it is so sore. Husband gives it to me if we remember. I took the socks off to shower and can't get them back on. I know I should try to get husband to help but they make me so hot that I haven't. I know I'll regret it if I get blood clots but I've had so many other drugs to take for sepsis and low blood count and pain that I've happily forgotten the injections. I really must try harder.

Resting hasn't really been an option for us as we've been going to the hospital every day to see the baby. I gave birth on Wednesday, had the dressing off on Thursday, and had the staples out on Friday. It still hurts - I have to sleep upright in a chair - but I can move around OK on just paracetamol. Nobody has said anything to me about blood clots though

The nurses in the hospital keep telling me I have to pump 8 times a day without fail to establish a supply and prevent infection (?) but no one can tell me where to hire a hospital grade pump, or where to buy the kit for it, so I can use the ones in the breastfeeding room in the NICU. (They say the pump I have - the Philips double electric one - is more suitable for casual use, which might be why I'm only getting a measly 20ml per session with it). Which pump did you hire @rosegarden45 ?

HarryHarry, your milk is still probably just coming in so you should see more volume in the next few days.

I was told to express 8-10 times a day, which I still haven't managed to do and I've been expressing at home for over two weeks. I hired a medela double pump which is the same one as the hospital - I got it directly from their website.

It's hard work, especially when you express at home without your baby, but I found looking at videos and photos of Lyra really helped while I expressed.

@harryharry I hired a Medela double pump from a lady from the NCT. There is a breast feeding specialist at the hospital who put me in touch with her. It took well over a week to start getting much out and is frustrating when you feel like a cow being milked holding onto the pumping equipment.
I've been really immobile with my post op complications and feel like I'm not really being the mum I should be because of the pain and exhaustion but we can only do our best. Motherhood so far has been really tough and it's been really hard for husband too but I'm sure we'll get there.

rosegarden45 I blight this fancy bra to go 'hands free' with my pump...

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071LJNZNG/ref=asc_df_B071LJNZNG51483344/?hvlocphy=9046638&linkCode=df0&hvptwo&psc=1&hvnetw=g&hvadid=210308255242&creative=22110&hvpone&hvlocint&creativeASIN=B071LJNZNG&th=1&hvpos=1o1&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl&hvqmt&tag=mumsnetforum-21&hvtargid=pla-342819616996&hvrand=11740487814955160923

I'm finding expressing increasingly difficult. I can't breastfeed Lyra yet as her harness means we're unable to do any position she likes so I wanted to express until next week when her harness come off. Unfortunately, she's suffering from terrible trapped wind (which she can't shift herself because her legs are confined) and colic so I am finding the time to feed, wind, comfort and change her stops me from expressing more than 10-15 minutes a time... My DP thinks we should just switch to formula, but I feel I'd be letting her down somehow...