Due July 2022 (Thread 7)

[Lianna93]

New thread for the last of our July babies that are due 🥺💛

@Fizzybubblegumbottles she was a tiny bit sick after her last one and has literally just fed so we’ll see… I’m not sure, she’s quite sicky after a feed and it can be up to an hour after a feed, can be really squirmy and generally agitated after a feed and gets the hiccups a lot, I mentioned it to the health visitor and she just told us to drop the prep machine 🙄 so we’ll try that, I don’t wanna change too much at once so I’ll give her a few more days then try other bottles if no improvement

@ChinChilly sounds like reflux to me maybe book an appointment with your gp she may need gaviscon. No harm in seeing if fresh feeds help. My 2nd son suffered so bad with colic I was using avent I had to change to mam which helped with colic.

@Fizzybubblegumbottles I mentioned to OH about reflux, I’m going to see what the midwife thinks today, she seems better after her 10:30 feed, no sick and she’s settled nicely so fingers crossed it was just the excessive bubbles causing the grief.

Just catching up - had a busy few days of baby girl non stop feeding & crying 😩
Which my infant feeding team says indicates she's not taking in a full feed from my breast, so just another thing for me to work on 😩
However, we made amazing progress today & baby girl finally managed to latch without the use of shields - so unbelievably proud of my wee chicken 😭💖💖💖

@KizboBaggins I've started doing a bit of tummy time using a playmat & a nursing pillow (she's always supervised) but my HV said only a couple of minutes at a time atm. But tummy time also includes lying on your chest - just so they minimise getting a flat head 😊

@JJ1992 congratulations lovely! Hope you're recovering well & baby is also doing well 🥰

On the subject of wind, my Breastfeeding specialist said to me today that breastfed babies wind goes to the bottom, whereas as bottle fed babies wind goes to the top - which I suppose makes sense since my baby can fart for Scotland 😭😂😂
Had my first explosive nappy today too 🤢😂 Took me a good hour to realise that I was walking around the house with poop on my top too... guess this is motherhood 😭😂😂

@Lianna93 yep my boy is definitely a bottom burper! Although I do get some actual burps up after feeds too, which is always satisfying

I just successfully managed to bath baby on my own 🥳 I know it's not a a big deal but it was nice and he's sleeping peacefully but loudly now. It's quite lonely without DH here (which is odd cause if I had the place to myself pre-baby I would've loved it!). But with the baby it feels different, so it was nice to have a little win just the two of us

@KizboBaggins I haven't been brave enough to tackle bath time by myself yet 😬😂
Though, I was getting lots of advice today on how to aid my breastfeeding journey & one of the bits of advice was to co-bathe with baby because it recreates that golden hour after birth, so may try that at some point.
I'm with you on feeling lonely now that DH is back to work. I dunno what to do with myself - before baby I'd find plenty to do but now I'm just watching TV and trying to survive 😭😂😂

@ChinChilly my eldest struggled with colic/ trapped wind and we changed to MAM bottles. Also like you said, if using the prep machine, try and not over shake it but obviously you still need to make sure it’s mixed!! I remember reading somewhere you can stir it with a spoon/ fork instead but tbh can’t see that mixing it properly but may be worth a go x

@Lianna93 oh that's a nice idea! I'll give that a go when DH is around I think, cause I can't imagine trying to get out of the bath with a baby. I struggle getting myself out 😅

And I'm the same - apart from bathtime I have not shifted from the sofa. Trying not to feel too guilty about it! It's such a weird mix of resting and feeling lazy whilst also feeling absolutely exhausted and overworked lol

Oh well done @KizboBaggins ! I was just asking on the Facebook group about baths, as the one I have needs someone to hold them and the angelcare seat thing doesn't fit, so I'm going to try getting another one that I can do hands free! Which one did you use?

@Lianna93 I've been saying exactly the same thing about my wee one too, lol. Even got one direct to my face while I was changing her the other day which was actually the most vile thing I've ever experienced, really thought I was going to vomit 😂 have had a few "wardrobe malfunctions" so far already too, including a vomit one this morning just before the midwife arrived haha, typical!

@NamelessBaby1 I just have a big bright pink tub that I got for £2 from a car boot sale 😅 it's not one that's hands free - I literally had to hold him with one arm and scoop water over him with the other. He didn't squirm too much, and he was only in for like 2 mins - I didn't want to over do it (or risk getting poop in the bath). But it's done the job - his hair is no longer caked in boob juice.

Hello everyone! Congratulations on all the new arrivals.

I’ve been AWOL since my induction on the 7th, been barely human with lack of sleep. Can’t believe how envious I am of the 6hrs uninterrupted 😩 we go every 1.5-2hrs during the day and 1.5-3hrs at night. Feeds just take so long - about an hour up for each feed at night minimum, maximum 4hrs.

Anyone else still struggling with latch? I’ve got nipple shields which have helped hugely, but she just doesn’t seem to be able to latch without them…

@annie1994 I’ve been doing them the old fashioned way today and we’ve had pretty much zero sick and a much more content baby, might just be a fluke so we’ll see how it goes over the next few days. I’ve noticed a few times the powder wasn’t fully dissolved when using the prep. I think I’m gonna lay off it for a few days and see what happens. Disappointing because the prep machine is super convenient but on a Facebook group I’ve seen a lot of people say they stop using the prep and the vomiting and issues with wind stopped.

@NamelessBaby1 oh no 🙈😂😂 My little one projectiled on DH the other day - he was wearing white & now it's stained yellow 😬😬😬 Pretty sure that was the last time she got a full formula feed too 😂😂

@DrPrincessFluffyToYou Ive been struggling massively with my latch until today. I've also been using nipple shields but with the help of my local breastfeeding team, today we managed to successfully latch without them.
It took a lot of work but I've found it's so important that you're comfortable with how you're sitting.
I hold my little one in a typical cradle, completely close to my body, tummy resting on me and then when she starts thrashing her head around with an open mouth, I very quickly put her onto the boob - we've successfully latched twice today doing it that way.
Is there a breastfeeding team you can contact that could come out & visit you?

@DrPrincessFluffyToYou I know how you feel, the lack of sleep really is getting to me too. Our feeds can take an hour too, it's more the whole burping and settling her back into sleep mode which takes the time rather than the feed itself although sometimes she has a break half way through too. She also doesn't settle as easily upstairs at night, I think she prefers the Moses basket downstairs. I miss the early days when she would be so sleepy after a feed. The way we have managed recently is helping a bit, I go to bed early at about 9pm, my partner then does the last feed downstairs and then comes to bed around 12:30-1am. I then take over the feeds and get up to see to her and my partner is able to get sleep. So even if she wakes up around 2am looking for cuddles (which happens most nights!) I have had a few hours sleep by then and it's definitely making me feel a bit more human. Are you able to split the night up into shifts too? I still struggle when people come to visit to string a sentence together, I often wish people would leave us alone for a bit! My partner's parents showed up unexpectedly last night and they stayed until 8pm, I kept saying I was getting ready for bed soon but they aren't very good at taking hints 🙄

@JJ1992 many congratulations💕 hope you get home soon, enjoy this lovely time.

@ChinChilly we stopped using the prep machine briefly when we had issues with the formula, but we are back using it now as the night feeds were a nightmare without it! We have had the midwife and health visitors telling us to make a feed fresh each time so we have been doing that, even though as you say it is on the nhs website about putting bottles in the fridge... It's all so confusing. We use MAM bottles, and plenty of winding and sitting upright after a feed. Things improved for us after a change in formula and more time being upright rather than lying down straight away.

@KizboBaggins well done! I haven't tried a bath on my own yet, she gets so slippery and wriggly I'm scared about dropping her!

@Lianna93 try putting any stained stuff in the sun for a few hours after it’s been washed - it really helps bleach out the stains (also works for poo explosions!)

@SamanthaVimes That's such a good tip but I can't remember the last time I saw the sun up here 😭😂
I've got bleach & vanish but I think it may be too far gone 😬😂 Never thought baby vomit would stain since it's just milk 😭😂

When do we start trimming baby nails? I'm so nervous to start even though I've got files & know they won't harm her 😭😂

@ShellUK09 I get what you mean about it all being confusing! I think I’m gonna make some up bottles for the night feeds and use the fridge method and make fresh in the day. It is a faff but if she’s more comfortable and less sicky then I’m happy to do it. I’ve already changed her milk from cow and gate to kendamil about a week ago so hopefully it will all settle down. These babies aye..just as we think we’ve got them sussed they throw something else our way 😂

@Lianna93 yes, we’ve been so lucky to have a lactation consultant round. She seems to magically latch well (on one side at least) when she’s there, but I just can’t seem to get it right on my own! She then gets so frantic / angry that she can’t latch so I only have about a minute to try and latch her correctly before it’s game over. I guess at least with the shields she’s gaining weight well, they’re just a pain as she gets “hungry hands” and likes to knock them off quite frequently 😂

@ShellUK09 i agree - the feed itself is only about 20 mins but the settling takes so long! Also longing for the days of her being a sleepy newborn! Can’t believe she’s 4 weeks old tomorrow. Sadly my husband can’t really take any of the night shift as she’d EBF, but he was a hero and took her for 3 hours that she just wouldn’t settle last night. Sounds like you’ve got a nice routine that’s working though!

What does everyone do with them now that they’re more awake (in the daytime)? I don’t really know how to interact with her when she’s awake but not wanting to feed!

@ShellUK09 forgot to say re: guests - I’ve taken to taking her up “for a feed” and just sneakily going to sleep 😂 I’m asleep by 9 most nights these days!

@DrPrincessFluffyToYou My little one is exactly the same! Ive currently got her on for her 3rd latch of the day - managed this one without using shields first but there was a whole lotta thrashing and crying first. Essentially had to shove my boob in her mouth as she was crying but it worked 🙈😂
I never anticipated breastfeeding to be so difficult but I'm so glad I stuck with it & didn't give up like people in my life suggested I do.
I hope you get there with your little one, just takes a lot of time & patience. You've got this mama 👌🏻👌🏻

My little one loves to look about when she's awake so we've got a playmat for her and I'll do some tummy time with her but it never lasts long. YouTube have some great high contrast baby sensory videos too that I'll play for her.

@JJ1992 congratulations your baby boy!

@KizboBaggins I only bathed baby alone for the 1st time on Monday so well done!
We don't have a bath so we've got foldable baby bath so can fill it nice & shallow & baby doesn't have too much room to manoeuvre.

@DrPrincessFluffyToYou EBF here as well & with you on the lack of sleep. Still only going 2-3hrs between feeds & obviously DP can't help with them lol.
Baby seemed to be getting a bit better at latching but has been fussy & having more of a shallow latch the last couple of days.

Does anyone else get the feeling of dread about the night ahead around this time? 😬

@Lianna93 maybe I need to be more forceful when she’s crying then! 😂 I also didn’t expect breastfeeding to be so hard - kept thinking “but women have successfully done this for millennia” yet here we are! Will also try some of those videos, thank you.

@CaptainCarp biggest benefit of formula does seem to be partners able to share the load!

@KizboBaggins yes, me! Was trying to explain it to my sister earlier, but it’s hard to explain completely

@KizboBaggins oh well done on being able to hold them lol, I tried it once and decided there isn't a chance I'm going to be able to do that successfully as she's just too wriggly and slippery! And yes, I have definitely been having that feeling of dread!
However I've started pumping one bottle a day, and that allows my OH to do the last feed of the day, so last night I actually managed 4.5 hours solid sleep and I've been feeling great today lol. Hopefully we're able to keep that up!

@Lianna93 when I was in hospital and struggling with feeding that first night, the midwife basically told me because my boobs are "more fleshy" lol I basically need to hold my boob like it's a bottle and direct it right towards her mouth, so I rarely manage to get a free hand while feeding. Definitely feels like I'm shoving it in her wee mouth at times though.

@KizboBaggins ah the bed dread. I haven’t had it yet with this one but definitely did with DD at times. I know exactly what you mean it’s horrible!

just remember your DP can still help at night, even if he’s back at work you’re working in the day as well! Just not being paid for it. Looking after a baby IS WORK! Even if you’re ebf you can feed and then hand baby off for burping/ settling

@Lianna93 I’ve already trimmed nails a few times as DS seems to be half human half cat with his little claws 😂 I’ve also bitten them a few times (a bit gross I know but I figure he isn’t touching gross stuff with his hands so they can’t be that bad)