Due September 2022 (Thread 5!)

[IzzyLeigh]

Continuing on from thread 4!

Just having a catch up read this morning while eating grapes in bed (constipation helper 😂). Rubbish week really as Morning sickness came back Wednesday, Thurs my utility room floaded due to heavy rain when my other half was away so over did mopping which takes alot out of the core and hips apparently then by yesterday I had a day off work as I had a bad headache on top of everything else 🙄.

Exciting with more people starting to feel movements! Decided the little flutters I felt really early at 13 weeks ish was definitely Bean as now they're the same just stronger. Asked at the gender scan and my placenta is at the front but because Bean is lying transverse I can feel movement at each side of it. So strange. Sure I felt a couple of kicks yesterday.

Cant believe I'm 18w+4 😳.

Started looking at Travel systems.... I've narrowed it down to between 4.... I think 😂😂 Prob need to stop looking and decide between them.

Is anyone else bottle feeding?

Morning!! This thread moves so bloody quickly haha, just caught up on the last 4 pages whilst in bed having a cuppa.

@Belle2210 I will be solely bottle feeding, I didn't produce any milk with my daughter so I'm thinking it'll be the same this time around and I won't lie, I do like a couple of glasses of wine, I want to enjoy the festive period after giving up alcohol for 9 months!

So great to see more of us feeling movements, speaking of, had the worst nights sleep so far last night. The baby was having a party at 1.30am which kept me awake until 3am. Not massive movements but like constant tapping! My favourite feeling ever but I think exhaustion had kicked in after walking around town shopping for 3 hours yesterday afternoon! I was desperate to sleep! That combined with chronic heartburn like a blowtorch to the esophagus is a recipe for an unsuccessful night of rest haha

@Belle2210 I'm sorry to hear you've had a rubbish few days. I've also been eating grapes for constipation 🤣

I started feeling flutters a couple of weeks ago and they're more frequent, I'm now just over 16 weeks.

I think I will be bottle feeding but I'm torn. I was actually laying in bed last night thinking I'd like to give breastfeeding a go again if I can. My DD was 6lbs 1oz when she was born and she dropped down to 5lbs 10oz because I just didn't have the supply. She was awake at one point for 25 hours and I spent 15 hours of that feeding her. The health visitor came over straight away when I called her and asked if I had any formula, which we did have but I didn't really want to use. I did though and it was a game changer. I just never realised my supply was so crap until she had formula!

I'd like to try again this time but if it doesn't work out then I know at least I gave it another go. Having said that, there is a part of me that thinks formula might just be easier 😂

@Tinadecember my milk supply was very minimal, which I didn't realise as I would leak but I ended up bottle feeding with my DD in the end. I'd like to try breastfeeding again but I suspect it'll probably be the same situation and I'll end up formula feeding again. As long as the baby is happy and well fed then that's the most important thing. I also know what you mean about having a few glasses of wine too!

Omg @Tinadecember the heartburn! I've had heartburn anyway for a long time,
I had been on omeprazole but stopped them and would just use rennies after seeing that studies were showing a link with alzeimers. Called the doctor yesterday though for a prescription after waking up through the night with it and I must be taking about 8 rennies a day atleast alot of the time. I just plan to take one omeprazole every couple of days rather than daily. Doctor wasn't too keen to prescribe anything as I'd been "coping" with heartburn so long.... Eh don't think so this dragon fire I've dealt with long enough! 🤣 Was recommended fybrogel to try before anything else for the constipation too. As they don't like to have pregnant women on medication.... Well duh me either but when your poo has turned to mini boulders somethings got to give 😂.

@SoOverThisCrap That sounds horrendous 💕. Would def say if you want to give it another try this time then go for it but don't beat yourself up if it doesn't work out. I've seen so many women do that.

First baby so I've never tried breast feeding but for me it just has no appeal at all. I know how I am and I think having that pressure only on me and my body, especially when it will have already been through as much will just tear me down. Sounds selfish but I need my body to be mine again while getting to grips with being a new mother. DH also works away on an 8 week rotation so from about 6 weeks I'll be on my own for a bit so the more he can do when he's home the better. AND for me personally I can't think of anything worse than having to whip my boobs out all over the place 🙈. That would stress me out too.

@Belle2210 you definitely have to what's right for you, and I did find it stressful. I didn't really have a choice because I had a c section and whilst they were stitching me up they placed DD straight on me to feed, so from there on in I felt pressure to do it, and one of the nurses during my 4 day hospital stay wasn't much help! One kind nurse actually gave me formula because I was struggling, so I could combine feed. When I got home I was determined to just breastfeed but it just wasn't meant to be.

I think I'll know fairly quickly if it's working out this time but if it doesn't I won't beat myself up about it 😊

I had to laugh last night. My DD had a sleepover with her grandparents in preparation for staying there when the baby comes. I was feeling sad saying how much I was missing her when I got was kicked to pieces. I did say out loud, no need to be jealous.

I think we have decided on a name too 🙂 we will be testing it out for a few weeks until the 20 week scan. I want them to double check that the baby is still a girl. I'm telling DD the news she will be a big sister today.

Re breast feeding, this is my first child so not sure if it’ll be possible to breast feed, but if I can i’d love to. I have researched it boosts the immune system for life of the baby and feels like it’ll be a very bonding experience, although I have been warned by mothers of babies and toddlers that it is very tiring, and finding a routine can be difficult. That being said, breast milk does freeze for a few months, so partners can bottle feed! Downsides of that is babies suck from the bottle in a different way to the nipple, so once using a bottle they can struggle to drink from the breast again.

Has anyone else experienced a gushing sensation from their pussy? I have had a bit of the milky discharge, but this is clear and only slightly thicker than water. It smells sweet, and doesn’t seem like it’s a bad thing - only inconvenient as I have to change my pants and wash my trousers if it’s already seeped through! It’s happened a few times - no consistency with what i’ve been doing/eating/drinking, just random. Any ideas what it could be?

@Carebear99 If she saw something it'll be in your notes... also it takes them ages to make sure baby stretched enough to get accurate measurements from head to rump. Next time if your concerned at an appt or scan, the best thing to do is just ask.. you could always ask at your 20 week about the 12 week over analysis. It'll all be written down.

Re breastfeeding I was super super determined. I bought a book and spent months reading it. As soon as baby arrived I squeezed as much colostrum out of me and have it to my daughter until the milk 'came in'. She got some milk but not enough and was crying cause she was so hungry. So I ended up formula feeding. I did keep trying to put her on the boob but I don't think my supply was enough. They do say you have to drink lots of water to keep your supply going. I also bought an expensive breast pump which I thought I could express and give her from the bottle, it worked for a while but you have to pump at least every hr to keep the supply and production! It's by no means easy at all!!! Also getting the latch etc. I had my girl in lockdown but if you can get a leche league house visit when you come home I'd nightly recommend !!

@Carebear99 I'm 16+3 and have to wait for my 20 week scan until 13th May, but I'm going for a private one this coming Thursday.. on top of it we're checking heartbeat with our at home Doppler every few days which gives me peace of mind. I am too worried about the anatomy scan though, just hoping baby girl is healthy.

@IzzyLeigh it depends I think how baby is positioned, also the anterior placenta may have something to do with it! Glad all is good 💕

Also I weigh myself at home every week and I've already put on 5 kg 😑 my plan for the entire pregnancy was 10kg but guess we'll have to reevaluate 😂 now I'm not worried about weight gain itself, more about how it can affect baby so I'm doing my best to make healthier choices from now on.

@stimpyyouidiot @madeleine85 @annlee3817 not the placenta stories!!!! Haha i know it's there and I know it has to come out but it still freaks me out 😂

In terms of feeding, I think we are planning to do mixed - breastfeeding and me pumping so that hubby can bottle feed if of course all goes well and I have milk etc. if not, we'll just go with the flow. I'm trying not to get stuck on something just to be disappointed later on so our approach is quite relaxed in terms of all things pregnancy :)

@Peauela I dread to think what I weigh! I'm a size 10 but my jeans are feeling a little tight haha!! I keep saying I'll go to gym and swim but haven't managed yet! Also went food shopping yesterday, all very healthy except the bag of haribo that I ate on the way home 😂😂

Planning on weighing in tomorrow
Morning eeeeek @Peauela !!!!

@Belle2210 re. bottle feeding last time I did a weird combo that really worked for me and I want to do again if I can. I exclusively pumpd for 3 months, used what was needed to feed the baby, and froze the remainder (the excess lasted us 1-2 months more). After 3 months we introduced formula and started by mixing it with milk, and slowly phasing up the amounts so it was largely breastmilk at the start, and as the frozen supply began to run out, largely formula. I wanted my baby to get the naturally passed immunity from breastmilk, but she was a NICU baby which made breastfeeding more or less impossible. I was told to pump every 3 hours, and my supply was good so it was actually pretty easy to do it for 20 mins each 3 hours, and wasn't cumbersome. It let my husbad be a real part of the feeding process especially during the night, which was huge for sleep as we had a routine and could trade off. My grandma who had many children always said that it was best to give a bottle at bedtime as then you know how much is in their bellies and that it isn't just air, and I really stick by that, she went through it many times :). Formula takes longer to digest and therefore babies on formula tend to sleep nights faster too. I didn't end up with one boob saggy or bigger than the other, they went back to how they were before, and I'd like that if i'm lucky enough to have it again. Also, my child had something in her digestive system that did not agree with my breast milk. She had the stinkiest farts, she could clear a room with! We knew she wasn't digesting something and formula has probiotics. The minute we introduced tiny amounts of formula, the crying/stinky farts went away. Ultimately fed is best, everyone should do what is right for them, but if you are pumping, i'd really recommend freezing any excess as it is really useful to have stored up.

@Celyn22 I get increased discharge if I am exercising, or honestly after sex for a day or so, but it dries back up after a few days. It really freaks me out as increasing discharge was one of the signs of preterm labour for me, so my poor HD has been very neglected, though exercise hasn't haha. Keep an eye on it though. I don't want to alarm you, but also feel like it is worth monitoring/mentioning to your midwife at some point, i am pretty sure that amniotic fluid is sweet smelling, though hopefully it isn't that.

@TotoAnnihiliation they know!!! Hope the name works out :)

I breastfed last time, she had expressed milk from a bottle occasionally usually in the night and it worked well, but for some reason I stopped with the bottle as breast was easier for me and it was a nightmare getting her back onto the bottle before I went back to work, took us two months, this time will stick to both from early on as when DH takes over at six months he'll be able to bottle feed her when I am in the office.

Won't over express though, I was lucky as had over supply, but once it had been frozen it changed the taste of my milk and DS refused it, she'd only have it if it hadn't been frozen 🤷

Just to warn those that haven't done it before, first timers, look up cluster feeding so that it doesn't come as a surprise when it happens, sometimes you can be tied to the couch for what feels like hours.

DD not DS!

We told DD, she is delighted! She keeps talking about "her baby" and has already earmarked some of her old toys to give to her sister when step arrives. I feel so emotional and proud of my big girl.

DD was a slightly prem baby and our breastfeeding journey never got started plus, I was really poorly supported in hospital. I'm determined to give it a go this time abandon gave booked an online course with the la leche league. My boobs already smell like milk although there has been sign of it yet!

Second time + mums, what are your thoughts on collecting colostrum around 37 weeks?

A lot of social media mums swear by it and freeze them in syringes to use as medication. Has anyone tried this? If so, is it really as affective after freezing?

I'm intrigued and want to do this but have worries, that my baby may not receive enough of it straight after birth (if I can get the hang of breast feeding). I mean, I have no idea how it works so my imagination is doing all the work right now

Just wanted to say, all this info on feeding is so so useful! Keep it coming 🙌🏻 I would love to combine breast feeding and bottle feeding so that my husband can share feeds too, but I know from friends' experience it can be tricky. I think trying to be flexible with the approach is a great idea too to try to avoid disappointment ☺️

Wish I had all these feeding experiences with my first so sharing mine too in case it's helpful! I breastfed my daughter for 18 months, lots of lovely benefits but absolutely some downsides too which people talk about much less. She wouldn't ever take a bottle, family felt like I was being selfish not trying harder so they could feed her 😅 when I was pregnant everyone was asking if I'd "feed her myself" (bullshit!) but I felt like after 3 months of having her everyone asked me constantly when I was going to stop, "she's using you as a dummy" etc etc. And of course lack of sleep was mainly on me!

Fortunately she took to it very easily and I didn't have a hard time - I know I'm really lucky for that. Hats off to bottle feeding moms for keeping on top of sterilising bottles etc, it was a godsend to not have to worry about that when recovering from my C-section, I loved being able to whip a boob out whenever I needed to without having to get up lol. Have to say my boobs (unlike my belly!) aren't any saggier than before so I think that varies person to person?

I did harvest colostrum before birth but didn't really need to in the end. It was really easy to do and I'm sure there are videos demonstrating how on the NHS website.

I couldn't feed dd! She just couldn't latch, I was getting stressed out and so was she and I thought sod it. I managed to try a few times in the first few days and I think she got some colostrum and then I went to bottles. I'm going to do the same this time. Give it and go and if not I'll do bottles again.

The sterilising was a pita !

I'll 100% be bottle feeding again, breast feeding just doesn't have any appeal to me. No judgement, I couldn't care less how individuals feed their baby as long as they are fed somehow!

@Famii best to get sign off from your midwife before collecting as it can actually induce labour. I waited until 39 weeks the last time and got nothing, couple drops but not enough to collect .. as soon as dd was born tho the colostrum was oozing out of me and I collected quite a bit when she was snoozing. After that the milk came in but for me quickly dried up.

Yeah I think they say don't harvest colustrum until after 37 weeks, I didn't do this last time, haven't thought about it for this time. I don't think I got much when I was practicing with my breast pump in the hope to induce labour. A bit in the pump, but never reached the bottle. Read somewhere that it's better to hand express to get it 🤷