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Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Rainbow Babies - New Mums Support Thread 1

227 replies

MOGMOGMOG85 · 18/09/2020 17:48

Wonderfully supportive thread for anyone pregnant after previous loss

[title edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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24
SammiLou2312 · 30/09/2020 21:00

@TunnocksTCake congratulations and welcome to the graduates group. Francesca is beautiful 🥰🥳

We have had a tough few days, Amelia has been absolutely inconsolable on a night lately and pretty much attached to me all day so have barely slept for the last week. Health visitor thinks she may be suffering from colic so we have started her on infacol to see if that helps. On a somewhat brighter note, or at least a funnier one...I was getting her ready for a bath last night. Took her nappy off and cleaned her bum then stripped her off completely ready to go in the bath. The water was still a little too warm so we were waiting a couple mins for it to cool down before I put her in when she started crying...I picked her up to comfort her / warm her up and she promptly pooped all down me and onto the carpet 💩🙈😂

Knotemma · 30/09/2020 21:42

@SammiLou2312 have a look at "the happiest baby on the block" it's very American, but I've found the technique helps when Samuel is fussy, just to chill him out. In fact you're tired, here's a link to a quick video

The trick is to do all 5 S's together, hopefully it will help. The doctor who came up with it has studied infant colic and has written a book, which I found a free version of online quite easily. Fingers crossed it can help you get a bit of rest!

On the bodily functions side of things, Samuel has been very sicky since last night... I've caught projectile vomit between my (bare) thighs to save the bedding and he's thrown up with my boob in his mouth 🤦 seems to be calming down now though touch wood, I think my let down might be a bit fast for him

SammiLou2312 · 30/09/2020 22:17

@Knotemma thanks for the video. We actually bought some swaddle wraps a couple da

SammiLou2312 · 30/09/2020 22:19

Try that again, caught post before I was done lol... We actually bought some swaddle wraps a couple of days ago and have been trying to use them to help her sleep ☺️

Rainbow Babies - New Mums Support Thread 1
Knotemma · 01/10/2020 00:08

@SammiLou2312, look how happy she is to be a burrito!

SammiLou2312 · 01/10/2020 01:41

@Knotemma she quite likes it for a short period but then freaks out as she likes to have her arms above her head or be able to suck her thumb / fingers to comfort herself

SunStruck · 01/10/2020 04:26

Posted this in the other thread...

Baby Leo born at 4 am on 1.10.20 😄 all went very well, super slow to get to 5cm but then I went from 5 to 10 in 2 hours! Few pushes and he was out. He seems super chilled and sleeping in his hospital cot for now 😄

SammiLou2312 · 01/10/2020 05:50

Awww congratulations @SunStruck. Happy graduation day! Leo is super cute!

Knotemma · 01/10/2020 08:10

Aw @SunStruckhes beautiful! Our first October graduate! Glad to hear he's doing well. I know others will have said it, but get some rest now while he's sleeps xx

Avocuddles · 01/10/2020 22:27

@SunStruck congratulations on your beautiful baby boy! So happy to have you here, hope your recovery is swift and you're back home ASAP.

@TunnocksTCake Francesca is a beauty and looks so cosy in that photo! I hope you're feeling ok after your very intense birth experience.

@SammiLou2312 @Knotemma I have the Love To Dream swaddle and it's excellent - the first night we put her in it was the first night we managed to get any significant amount of sleep!

Things here are looking up after a tough start. Feeding has really stepped on and although we're still having to have regular midwife appointments until she gets some weight on, I'm at least managing to express a reasonable amount of milk and she seems to be feeding relatively frequently and enthusiastically. Sleep is still in quite short supply but I suspect that will be the case for a while. Our area is in lockdown so we can't see any family or friends which I'm finding tough, DH will be back at work (from home) next week and I suspect the days will be long without being able to have any visitors, or be able to drive myself anywhere for another 4 weeks until c section is fully healed. My mind has already been scrambled by daytime tv! 😆

Rachael321 · 04/10/2020 12:27

Afternoon all hope you're all well! I've been AWOL for a while thanks to gallbladder issues and OH gran passed away and the general day to day with a baby! Can't believe my little Henry is 6 weeks old now!

I've been in hospital since Wednesday thanks to gallstones! Had surgery yesterday my gallbladder is gone!! Now the road to recovery... post op recovery with a baby round 2!!

Rainbow Babies - New Mums Support Thread 1
Avocuddles · 05/10/2020 19:31

@Rachael321 sorry you've been suffering but yay to having had the gallbladder removed! What happened to lead to you being hospitalised for so long and how was the op? I have my consultant appointment on October 23rd so hoping it won't be too long a wait until mine comes out. I've only had one flare up since having India, touch wood, but am still constantly living in fear.
Henry looks adorable, I hope your recovery is quick and you can get back to happy, healthy family life ASAP.

Had another midwife weigh in today and India has put on a fantastic 12oz over the past week so it seems like breast milk is finally doing the job. She's still a dainty little thing (6lb 15oz at 18 days old) but definitely seems to be filling out and developing so much more personality every day, it's a joy being with her even if sleep is still very much lacking.....

SunStruck · 06/10/2020 10:59

Thanks so much @Avocuddles @SammiLou2312 @Knotemma! Sorry I've been gone for a while but these 4 days have been hectic after coming back from the hospital! Happy to say that my biggest worry about breastfeeding is working out well so far, I just wish he would clusterfeed during the day rather than nights 🤣 next goal is to turn this around...

We have been out for a quick lunch already and taken the pram out for a spin, and managed our first sponge bath - picture attached of his him after his first hair wash too 🤣

@TunnocksTCake congrats, baby and name both beautiful! Wow what an eventful birth, I'm glad to hear all has gone well!

How are all you ladies doing otherwise, any advice on when to start express do DH can also feed? And how to go about it?

@Rachael321 im so sorry to hear you've had a bit of a nightmare, I'm glad to hear that surgery went well though and hopefully no more pain!

Rainbow Babies - New Mums Support Thread 1
Knotemma · 06/10/2020 11:33

@SunStruck gorgeous photo, Leo's hair is amazing! Glad to hear the breastfeeding is going well for you, cluster feeding can be a killer, hopefully you can shift it to evenings rather than the middle of the night!
On the bottles front, I think we're probably going to try Samuel with one this weekend. DH is back to work now, so away Sunday-thursday. So it will just be the odd one to start off with, but I don't want to wait too long. He'll be just over 3 weeks by then and his feeding is really nicely established, so it feels like good timing. DH has actually given his notice at work, he realised within a day that working away isn't going to be something he's ok with now we have Samuel. So he's got a months notice in and should have 2-3 weeks holiday pay, which give us a bit of leeway for him to find something new and local. Honest though I'd rather cut back on all the nonessential stuff and have him home 🤷‍♀️.

@Rachael321 glad that you're through you're surgery, hopefully recovery is going ok for you while looking after Henry.

@Avocuddles really pleased to hear that India's weight gain is back on track. My little chunk was 7lb 12 last Thursday and is eating like a furious animal. Mornings are fun, because from 9ish til about 1 he just wants to eat... Takes maybe 20 minute breaks between feeds, which is fun. I've taken to making a smoothie after his 8am feed and then at least I have some food 😂🙈

SammiLou2312 · 06/10/2020 13:41

@SunStruck look at all that hair! Such a cutie x

Glad to hear you are home from hospital. Hope your nights settle down a little, Amelia is still tending to cluster feed on a night but I'm starting to get used to it lol. With regards to expressing, I would highly recommend a Hakka if you can get one. Basically attach it to the opposite boob to the one Leo is using and it will collect leaking milk. You would be surprised at how much it will collect...I know I was. This I've was recommended by my breast feeding consultant and is fairly cheap www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LZ2ZVCY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I also have an electronic Tommy tippee pump too which I tend to use after a morning feed when my supply is at its highest. Only thing to bare in mind with using those is it will potentially increase your milk supply which could leave you feeling a tad engorged so I tend I'm to use mine sparingly ATM. I also purchased some silicone ice cube trays with lids that I use to freeze milk so I can just take a few cubes into a bottle to heat rather than using big bags etc. Hope that helps ☺️

I've had a bit of stressful few days with Amelia not being well.. She seems to be a tad better now but the lack of sleep has caught up on me I think. On top of that, I have been trying to get Amelia registered with our doctors for last couple weeks. Finally managed to get paperwork sorted last week and was told she would be on their system by Monday this week so I could phone then to book our 6 week check up. Phoned this morning, was on hold for 30 mins for them to then hang up on me. Phoned back and was put back in the queue again. Finally got through to the receptionist after another 25 mins on hold to be told that she still isn't registered. When I raised concerns that Amelia turns 6 weeks next week, I was told that they don't do a check up until 8 weeks anyway! Which is completely different to what midwife and health visitor had told me previously... So frustrated and slightly concerned that I've not had a check up since delivery and Amelia hadn't had a check up since 2 weeks when we were having all the feeding issues. Finally, my Amazon order has gone missing today... Says it was handed to resident but we have been sat watching for it all day and were tracking it, it definitely hasn't been delivered to us! Customer services have started that it was marked as delivered in error and they will try and redeliver but this might take 48 hours. So frustrating. Sorry, just needed to rant I think lol!

At least I have my beautiful baby girl to keep me smiling. Pic attached just because she makes me happy x

Rainbow Babies - New Mums Support Thread 1
Avocuddles · 06/10/2020 16:57

@SammiLou2312 @SunStruck thanks for sharing your gorgeous baby photos, they are both so cute!

Re pumping / bottle feeding, India was first given a bottle at 3 days old because of weight loss. We're now in a routine where she feeds predominantly from the breast but also has two bottles of expressed milk a day - typically one around 'lunchtime' and one when we go to bed (10-11pm ish). She has no issues switching between, the bottles we use are Mam easy start anti colic bottles with a size 0 teat, you can 'self sterilise' them in the microwave but I tend to chuck them in my Milton cold water steriliser along with the pumping equipment.

We rented a Medela hospital grade pump due to the issues I initially had with feeding and I'm using it once or twice a day. Depending on when India last fed and the time of day I get anything from 60ml to 120ml per breast from a 20 minute pumping session which equates to 2 or 3 bottle feeds based on her current appetite. The medela pump will go back at the end of the month and I have a tommee tippee electric pump that I'll use then. I also have a Haakaa but don't seem to have much success with that, possibly because my boobs never really 'leak'. I get maybe 10ml in the haakaa if I attach it to the the other breast when India is nursing but know some women can fill the bottle! I use Lansinoh breast milk storage bags that I bought from amazon. One thing to be aware of that freaked me out a little at first is that the milk separates in the fridge and looks a little strange / lumpy when you initially get it out, a gentle swirl round in the bottle at room temperature mixes it back together though. I've been told to follow the '666' rule - milk keeps at room temperature for 6 hrs, 6 days in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer. I'm keeping 6 or 7 portions to hand in the fridge at any point in time and plan to start building up a freezer stash too whilst I've still got use of the hardcore pump!

@Knotemma good luck for your DH's job search, it will be great for him to be working more locally and not missing out on precious family time.

@SammiLou2312 I tried to book the 6 / 8 wk check with my GP and was told just to wait and someone will be in touch....they did however book in her first jabs, she'll be 8 weeks at the time so hopefully they'll be able to do both at the same appointment. I hope you amazon parcel turns up ASAP, I know how those kind of things can tip you over the edge when you're sleep deprived!

Rainbow Babies - New Mums Support Thread 1
Rachael321 · 07/10/2020 21:58

@Avocuddles I had 6 flare ups in 9 days and tramadol wasn't touching the pain. Ended up at out of hours gp who sent me to hospital to the surgical assessment unit. They decided to admit me and get the gallbladder out ASAP. That was early hours Thursday morning. I was on the list to be done Thursday, didn't get to me. Was on the list to be done in Friday and they weren't sure they'd get to me so offered to go home and wait to be done as an outpatient or stay put and wait it out and try again for Saturday. Was a tough decision but I stayed!

Went down for surgery 3ish on Saturday afternoon. Was in recovery about 9pm pretty sore and sleepy. General Post general anaesthetic things I suppose. Needed to get help out of bed a few times overnight but was OK on Sunday just pretty sore but cocodamol seems to be working for the pain now. Similar to post section recovery.

Guts have been a bit 'iffy' since then pretty quesy and unsettled but nothing too bad. Hopefully this is the end of it now!
It was starting to really get me down

Thanks for all the well wishes.

Had 6week check with health visitor today Henry has gone from 7lb at birth to 11lb8oz! Hes thriving and doing very well, gp check booked for Monday and immunisations booked for Wednesday.

Apologies for what feels like a book I've written! Hope it makes sense...

Avocuddles · 08/10/2020 07:12

@Rachael321 it all makes perfect sense. I can't believe we've had such similar experiences, I wasn't even aware of gallstones as a pregnancy / postpartum issue a few months ago! I was having similarly frequent flare ups in the final weeks of pregnancy, in the 3 weeks since I've had her I've had two so far including one last night. Fortunately I've been expressing milk so my husband was able to look after India whilst I was writhing in pain. I have my consultant appointment in two weeks time so hoping that l'll be able to have the surgery as soon as my section is fully healed...

That's great news re Henry's weight, so glad he's been thriving in spite of your own challenges.

Rachael321 · 09/10/2020 13:30

@Avocuddles as hard as it is just keep pushing the drs. Go to a&e for big flare ups where possible etc. Was doc that told me that the more it's recorded as being an issue and affecting daily life the quicker it can be done. Ironically after having mine done as an "emergency" at the weekend I got my outpatient appointment letter through on Monday for an appointment yesterday!

Avocuddles · 09/10/2020 14:21

@Rachael321 I have my outpatient appointment in two weeks time. I have private healthcare through work so once I've spoken to the consultant I'll enquire into whether I can get in quicker using that, though not sure if it'll be possible in the current environment. Hope your recovery is going well

tmc14 · 09/10/2020 17:11

Hi all,
Joining the graduates after our little girl arrived yesterday via c section as she was transverse... hoping to get home tomorrow after a small bleeding issue. First job at home will be to give DS the biggest hug of his life so far, second will be to choose a name!!
Will read back through the thread as we’re breastfeeding which I really struggled with first time around. Baby girl seems much more on it than her brother so I’m hoping that’s enough to sort us out. She’s done wet nappies but no poop so far... but she did poo during surgery so hoping that’s why there’s a delay. I could never express very much at all so cant help on that front!
Lovely to see all your gorgeous photos on here xx

Rainbow Babies - New Mums Support Thread 1
Hagster · 10/10/2020 07:55

Hi all, joining too! My boy was born on Wednesday after an induction. So surreal to be joining but excited to stay a part of this community ☺️

Knotemma · 10/10/2020 08:38

@Hagster congratulations that's amazing news!

SammiLou2312 · 10/10/2020 09:04

@tmc14 @Hagster congratulations graduates!!! So glad to hear of your safe arrivals. Enjoy all the snuggles you can get and hope you are both feeling ok after the birth xx

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