AUGUST 2022 (Thread 4)

[Beth262]

New thread

@Gem2811 it's crazy how the body just knows what to do right?!

A quick labour and a water birth sounds like the dream way to experience it to be honest, especially for a first. Hope you're enjoying all the newborn snuggles 💖

Congratulations @Gem2811! And to everyone who has had their babas recently! I absolutely love coming on here and checking in with birth stories and everyone's experiences. I haven't felt like posting much, till now I guess!

I'm 37+3 now and starting to feel more ready for our son's arrival. I feel totally prepared and excited to birth but the concept and grandeur of what comes after keeps surprising me and blowing my mind! This is our first child together so we're sort of taking it as it comes and picking every parent's brains as we go and getting tips, and collecting birth stories.

I'm grateful my pregnancy has been fairly smooth with no big issues. Insomnia and overheating are the only negative symptoms right now... other than general uncomfortableness when moving around and turning over in bed!

Anyway just wanted to check in at 4.30am under the full moon!!

I'm praying everyone's upcoming sweeps and inductions go smoothly, effectively and as painlessly as possible.

Sending you all lots of hugs, love and gratitude for being on this journey together.

Congratulations @Gem2811!

We also had a frustrating time with the community midwife team yesterday. The midwives are generally great but it was the assistant today as it was just a weight check and I was told first thing, then when I called at 11 it was 'definitely this morning'. By the time they finally turned up at 2 we were contemplating just popping him on the kitchen scales and phoning the weight in! All the waiting meant I didn't get my catch up on sleep time, seems counterproductive to work like that when you're supposed to be taking care of postnatal mental health too!

Can't wait for next week when after signoff from the midwife team and first health visitor visit we can hopefully have life back on our own schedule, feels a bit like being held hostage to other people's at the moment.

Congratulations @Gem2811 , sounds like a lovely smooth birth!

Congratulations @Gem2811 enjoy all those snuggles!

Congratulations @Gem2811 sounds like a nice and easy birth. Sorry been abit quiet tbh I have kinda been fed up I was 38 weeks yesterday. Midwife on Thursday said baby was really low and could barely fell head. Woke this morning with what I was was contractions but I managed to go back to sleep so I am pretty gutted with that. But have been having sore back pain today but it's more constant and not like coming and going type pain! Hopefully little one decides to come soon! X

Just called up my local midwife unit to book a sweep today and they're closed for covid! Legs firmly crossed for tonight 🫣

Ended up on labour ward in the early hours with regular contractions and pain… only for it to ease off again once morning came around. However, when examined at 5am, I was 3cm dilated so something has been happening!! Have now been sent home again as no space on the ward 🙈 The gunk keeps on coming though so I’m hopeful I am continuing to dilate 🤞

Oh wow @Isonthecase! I fear that may be like a red flag to a bull- but hopefully you don't have to find out what happens in that situation!

@Sunandsea77 hope things continue to progress nicely for you. And that you buck the trend of being sent home only to have to rush back quickly - may it all be well timed and calm for you!

Hello team!
it’s gonna be a long one! The ‘too long didnt read’ version for those of you without 4 hours to waste is - had baby, in love, but pain, feeding woes, slight overwhelm, love and luck to everyone’ 🤪

Mega congratulations to
@Unknown6 @KCat82 @Mufflette @ToCaden @Beth262 @Blythwind @makingabebe @LiMc1 @CoalCraft @madeleine85 @Coco9910 @Gem2811
I think that’s everyone who had their baby after I had mine ! Hope you’re all settling in nicely

@CoalCraft wow your baby’s entrance sounds dramatic! I’m so pleased no nicu needed ☺️

@madeleine85 Amazing news that baby was over 5lb after everything you went through.🎉

Been a bit absent here due to whirlwind since having my beautiful boy Rowan! We’re settling in at home and absolutely loving him, such a poppet. He was born with the most incredible amount of hair, it’s everyone’s first comment on meeting him 😂 (and yes, I did have horrific heartburn during pregnancy so the old wives tale holds true 🤣)

C section went really smoothly, although did find the pain of the first couple of days post op a bit shocking. Also had similar experience to some of you with pain relief not being brought in an timely manner on post natal which was distressing as couldn’t get up for a wee without pain relief, and having a full bladder made the pain a hundred times worse. And being repeatedly nagged to ‘stay on top of your pain relief’ - bit bloody difficult when I’m asking repeatedly and you just aren’t bringing it! They were an hour late at times and I was in agony by then. Is much better now I’m home and can take what I need when I need it.

I have also found breastfeeding really really difficult. It’s very painful. All the way through the feed rather than just the start and I end up anxious and dreading the next one as the pain is enough to make me sob through feeds at times. I do love the closeness of feeding him and the way he’s so content afterwards (and the fact he’s getting my milk) so I’m persevering with it but bloody hell it’s taking a toll on me. I don’t even care about the sleep deprivation (up every hour or two), I just want to feed my baby without awful pain. I’ve seen every breast feeding midwife and lactation counsellor they can offer and everyone has conflicting advice and can’t really diagnose why it’s so painful, they just say “oh it shouldn’t be painful!” I KNOW but it IS! Oh well, just going to keep plodding and keep seeking advice and keep hoping it gets better. I’m using bottle feeds to give me a break about every third feed and I will probably increase this if I don’t start seeing an improvement soon as it’s pretty unsustainable how things currently are. ‘Fed is best’ at the end of the day I guess. I did so want to breastfeed though.

I’m managing to keep my mood generally good with plenty of cuddles and loving being his mummy apart from this one issue, so I think I’ll get there. My husband is being amazing support and is wonderful with baby so I’m lucky there.

Sending good vibes to everyone and strength for these first weeks!! And sending good luck to anyone still waiting, can’t be long now 🥰

Hi all, what a sweltering week 🥵

Things going pretty well over here! Baby is now 6 days old and has regained her birth weight, one nipple has stopped hurting on latch (the other one still stings like a bitch, but small mercies), and DD1 has gotten used to being a big sister and is now back to her happy, confident self. Only trouble is she now thinks I'm mega boring and just wants to play with her dad, even when I've set aside 1-to-1 time with her 😕 Oh well, as long as she's happy!

Anyone else finding the night sweats kinda hard to deal with? I've literally put a towel down on the bed cause it's so back 😬

Congratulations @Gem2811 and @squatternutbosh12 (and anyone that I've missed, sorry!)

@squatternutbosh12 I'm sorry about your breastfeeding troubles. I've had pain on latching and that is enough to make me a little tense and fearful before a feed so I can't imagine what it's like when it carries on all through. If getting your milk into him is important to you, can you pump and give expressed from a bottle, maybe alternating with direct feeds? I fed my first by exclusive pumping for four months and while it's a bit of a faff I never had any pain with it, hopefully it can be the same for you xx

@squatternutbosh12 sorry about the painkiller delays in hospital. I remember mine being forgotten by 4 hours during changeover for nurses, so they couldn’t check what had been given. My doctor gave very specific instructions for ibuprofen/paracetamol so they made me wait, but offered me oxycodon instead as my doctor gave that unlimited?! America 🤦‍♀️. I waited for the lesser drugs, which wasn’t fun, but narcotics aren’t my thing! Re. Breastfeeding is it the latching that hurts? I honestly found the thing in the first week with both children that hurt the most is the uterine contractions in the early pumping days. I felt a little sick at the start of each session, and the stomach cramps were just awful. I just don’t enjoy breastfeeding, but I’ll tolerate pumping for a few months. My nipples are raw from that even, and it’s on a low setting. Need to get some cream. Weirdly I’m very happy with the c section, it’s day 6 here and I’m back in pre maternity leggings (but tight), and bleeding had stopped pretty much, I’m up and walking around, doing things, and definitely just washed my bedding because like @CoalCraft said, there are crazy night sweats!!! Hope those of you left to pop are almost there, and the rest are enjoying baby snuggles ❤️❤️❤️.

Bless you. Breast feeding is hard! My little one has possible posterior tongue tie and so can't get a powerful suck at all. To diagnose properly its £200 and they may not be able to snip or help with it. I know they can grow out of it but for now, I'd rather her just be fed than me stress.

I don't know if it will help but I found nipple shields helped with pain breast feeding but due to her not getting enough, I'm now combi/mixed feeding her and pumping for breast milk. It was too stressful not knowing how much she was getting. Now at least I know she's getting food, a good amount and my milk has fully come through, so the pumping has workes and I now know she's getting enough and the other half can help feed too.

Sending lots of love your way. No one gives you a manual for babies and you're expected to just know what to do and be able to feed straight away. But it's just not the case. Fed is best, no matter what you choose ❤️

Thanks guys, I’ll get there. I don’t think the rollercoaster of hormones / feeling like a zombie can be helping my pain tolerance! I’m sure that’s something we can all relate to right now!

@CoalCraft unfortunately having tried a pump I found it just as painful if not moreso than breastfeeding him. I’ve no idea why- it seems to fit properly and it’s a standard hand medela pump the midwives seemed to rave about - perhaps I just have ridiculously sensitive nipples?! I get the pain deep inside the nipple rather than on the surface and nobody seems to know why. Maybe I’ll try a different pump - it does sound a great option if I can get one that hurts less!

@madeleine85 oh my word they kept you waiting four hours for pain relief 😱😱😱 I’d have gone mad lol. I know what you mean about the uterine contractions! They came as a bit of a shock to me 🤣

@LiMc1 I bought Some nipple shields and was convinced they would help so was a bit gutted when they didn’t change the pain at all. ah well- was definitely worth a shot!

Question about mixed feeding- how did you achieve this? I’ve been doing bottles in between breast but find that when I skip the breast feed I get engorged breasts which are really painful in themselves so kind of ruins the ’break’ of using a bottle anyway! I know some people pump or hand express to relieve this but surely then the body would see it as a ‘feed’ and just create more milk to match the perceived demand? So I’m in a vicious cycle - how do I reduce breast feeds to introduce bottle feeds (I’d like about 50/50), without just ending up really sore and engorged each time I skip breast?!

Hi All, congratulations on everyone who is/has had their babies, so exciting.

I am booked in for a c section on Thursday at 39 weeks, so should be joining you with the announcements soon.

one of my fears about going into hospital though is my toddler getting sick whilst I’m not around and all day yesterday and tonight he is spiking a temperature of around 38, he says it hurts at the back of his tongue, so I’m guessing a throat infection of some kind. Not what we need right now.

@squatternutbosh12 cold compress often relieves engorged breasts.

Fron the sounds of it though, it might be worth checking you haven't got mastitis. As that causes a lot of pain when feeding... might be worth looking into.

Mixed feeding, I just do bottles every now and again instead of pumped breast milk. I don't need to pump when bottle feeding though.
Or maybe you're body is producing too much milk? Giving you engorged breasts all the time and therefore the pain? Might be worth ringing your doctors to investigate.

@squatternutbosh12 aww bless you! Glad to hear mostly things are better now, sorry to hear about painful feeding! I've no experience with breastfeeding yet but I hear it gets better/easier with time and perseverance... so well done for keeping on trying! I have been loaned s couple of great books, one on pregnancy and one on breastfeeding. They are written in such a funny way with brilliant cartoons along the way! They've made me laugh. Anyway I took these pics so I hope they help. Let me know if you want me to find anything else in there and forward it on. Best of luck and sending your boobs lots of soothing love xx

@squatternutbosh12

@squatternutbosh12 , I have a hand pump, I just bought a cheap tommee tippee one from boots. If you see my previous post I can't get my bubba to suckle.
We now had success on that front once and I'm pumping once sometimes twice a day. The rest is formula. The midwife and health visitor told me that even if they get the smallest amount of breast milk it helps their immune system.
At the end of the day fed is best, if you put too much pressure on yourself it's not good for you x

TMI Question for those who have gone into labour, did you find you had to go for a number 2 a lot just before? 😳 I don't remember this with my first and have no reason to think it's bug or food related but not sure if I'm just being hopeful!

@Passthetena not me, but hear that happens to a fair number of others before labour. Really the only signs I had before was feeling really physically and mentally restless. I spent the whole day doing diy mixed with deep naps when i couldn't keep eyes open. Ended day feeling much less uncomfortable, went to bed, and woke up in labour (though couldn't feel the contractions monitor later stated I had so didn't know that until actually in hospital due to placenta previa bleeding when baby came early).

My baby has now gained enough to be under 10 percent weight loss from (we now know very inaccurate birth weight). So hoping to be signed off from midwives soon.

Getting very tedious to explain to midwives at every weighing that in fact he's had a normal weight loss plus an estimated 10 percent or so added fluid weight due to being born with edema. So he's now suspected to be back to his normal birth weight if he hadn't been edemic.

Still get those midwives say after this reminder that oh, he's still got a while to go until he reaches his birth weight and he's behind other babies.

No s* sherlock. You're expecting him to gain extra weight on top of his actual non edemic birth weight. Of course it's going to take him longer if you expect him to gain more than his birth weight while only expecting all the other babies to reach their birth weight...

Another midwife weighing tomorrow and also getting my first health visitor meeting. Also registering his birth on wednesday. Has anyone registered their baby's birth yet? Was it straight forward?

Also anyone dealing with opinionated midwives? First hated nipple sheilds and didn't listen to edema thing, last hates breast pumps and insisted he's jaundiced even though multiple tests have said he isn't and his skin looks like it under certain lights only because he's mixed race.

@Passthetena I definitely did. My system had a whole big clean out before and during labour 😳 Wasn't expecting it as didn't happen with my first

@ToCaden it's rubbish you are having to keep explaining. You'd think their notes would tell them and they could at least act like they know what's going on.

It must make the whole situation so much more annoying and stressful for you when really, there is no need for it to be.

One thing I've noticed is their communication between each other - be that in notes or teams is hit and miss. It really doesn't need to be.

We've registered Imogen. Booked the appt online. Got one a lot quicker than I thought we would. Turned up. In and out in about 15 minutes. Apart from not having out id checked no complaints and all very straight forward.
Also picked up the forms today to register her at the GP practice, Altho they have already booked her 8 week check and jabs.

I have been a bit awol and haven't yet had a chance to go through the messages of the past few days because I am pleased to announce that my baby boy was delivered on the 13th😊🥳 We're both doing okay and there weren't any complications. The postnatal care in the hospital was rather bad and lacking for the most part though so I'm glad we got to go home yesterday and the little ones heatrash finally subsided (the postnatal ward was too hot and there wasn't much we could do about it)

@Magik8ball Congratulations on your little baby boy! What great news 🎉Although I don't envy you having to give birth in the heatwave, you did good!!