August Due Date Crew (Thread 9)

[DesertSnow]

Thread 9! I wonder if this will be the one most babies are born in - can't wait to hear all the happy announcements 😁

I'm really sorry if I've missed anyone, I've done my best. Do give me a shout if I've missed you or have your info wrong (apologies if so!), and I'll make a note.

Delivered! 👶

June 20th - @Miraclesdohappen88 💙

Due Dates 💥

July

26th - @MidnightSunshine12 💛
27th - @Spiralout 💙
29th - @DesertSnow 💖, @Mulner88 💖, @Porcupette 💛, @Loudmouth1 💛, @overwork 💛
31st - @BusyBushBaby 💖, @jjeanii 💖

August

1st - @CityKity 💛, @SnowL2021 💛
2nd - @sprollie11 💛, @ChloeN 💛
3rd - @PumpkinEverything 💙, @Chl0o 💙, @LS88 💛
4th - @BMK 💖, @Alpacabag22 💖, @Amme18 💛, @DomesticElf 💙
5th - @LBF2020 💛, @Desperatelyboredhousewife 💛, @BoodifulGoose 💖
6th - @buttercupbee 💛, @somuchtolearnabout 💛, @Rowanandremy 💙, @TattyTil 💛
7th - @marleyandme 💛
8th - @RGxo13 💙, @JT2021 💙, @Wineismybestfriend 💛
10th - @VickiGo 💙, @Sjw30 💛, @AlexM7 💛
11th - @tax19 💛, @nadsc 💛, @Rose05 💛, @sally16 💙
13th - @newmummie 💙, @Fizzmatizz 💛
14th - @Babykingincoming 💛
15th - @Gizzyanne 💛
16th - @Recoba 💛
17th - @Narwhal88 💖, @jollydollyirl 💛, @cococat88 💛
18th - @sommeliermama 💖, @EsmeSusanOgg 💛
19th - @Firsttimemomma1 💛, @P1pk 💛, @Marmaladebear 💖, @Stuwe 💛, @MartaEly 💛
20th - @BB1993 💖
21st - @BCxx 💖, @Justdancinginthedark 💛, @honeymirabella 💖, @allgoodthings84 💖
23rd - @MinnieFirstTimeMum 💙, @Owlgirl14 💖
24th - @Daisy155 💛
25th - @unluckyinlife 💛
26th - @MummaYoung2023 💛, @Wife2b 💛, @HRSC 💖
27th - @ropo34 💛
28th - @Shinea 💛
31st - @chickpea1982 💖

September

1st - @froglou 💛

Good luck @airmaxJ

@airmaxJ
best of luck and looking forward to hearing news of your arrival in due course!

@airmaxJ hope all is OK!*was trying to find your due date but don't spy it on list! I can't get my head around the volume of early spon. labours; I have gone a week over twice and I thought the norm was to deliver at or after due date particularly FTM; is this thread bucking trends or am I just totally oblivious to what actually happens!? @DesertSnow do you have another check up today and @unluckyinlife is it today or tm thst you'll be 35wks?
Hope everyone is doing well. For those of you going on mat leave around now: enjoy!!!!! I am back in bed after a week of up v. late most nights trying to get through outstanding work; so really looking forward to snoozing!! *although now that I can of course I typically feel v awake and everything going through head that I could be doing!

Ahhh good luck @airmaxJ keep us posted later on your new arrival! 🥰🥰 hope you’ve already been in and are enjoying the newborn snuggles (and toast) now!

A few questions because I’m clueless on expressing.. if I want to try exclusively pumping (or most likely pumping alongside formula, no breastfeeding).. when should I first start? If I hand express colostrum in hospital and for the next day or so then start pumping when I feel my milk is in is that enough? I’m reading things online saying you should pump within 6 hours of baby arriving but surely colostrum wouldn’t be enough to even get through the pump parts and you’d just waste it? Does hand expressing colostrum into a syringe count?

I feel like if I just breastfed it would cut out a lot of the things I’m clueless about - storing milk and if I can pump quickly enough for them not to scream then feed baby in the middle of the night or if I’d need to keep that for the morning and use a bottle I’d expressed earlier. Itl be trial and error I suppose but I just think I’m 95% sure I don’t want to attempt breastfeeding directly so I’m hoping I can make something work!

@BCxx you can actually pump colostrum! I remember getting quite a bit in a bottle even when also bfeeding in the days after baby born. I think it cones before the milk milk and it's all they need.
I think you might find bf is just as easy at times but expressing can give you a fridge supply and sleep time when you can inform OH that you're sleeping and he's on duty with the supply from fridge!
I just used pour the bmilk from the b pump bottles into glass containers (as am totally avoidant of plastic, particularly when plastic is put in sterilisers etc as it breaks it down and the nasty bits start to leach out into the milk etc) and put them in fridge. I never bothered labelling or anything as they were always used up that day or within 24 hours etc,unfortunately never had enough in fridge to need to distinguish! It even stays OK out in room for a while.
In the hospital if you have the oump they just take whatever container you're using and put them in fridge for you,or there's maybe a fridge somewhere close that you go to yourself and put in/take out accordingly.

I guarantee if you put baby to boob post birth she will most likely just start drinking, both of mine did and it's really inherent in their instincts to feed. If not you can express or do both or etc,whatever works.

I haven't tried the hand colostrum thing yet,it feels like a weird thing to do as such small amounts come out and you're basically 'milking your own boob ' with your hand,as someone put it(@overwork possibly!?) However if I find out tm that baby has turned (which I don't actually think she has) I'll try stsrt it tm night!
I have to get a new b pump. I am thinking definitely of hosp grade one as time is of essence and ease and volume are what are saving graces! Am thinking the Spectra S1. A quiet b pump is also pretty essential so you can watch TV and pump in bed without annoying yourself and/or bsby or not being able to relax or hear tv with irritating buzzing b pump noise!

they also only drink TINY amounts at first so that helps. You should definitely try find out if there are lactation people- lac consultants or whatever name they go by- in hosp as they are super for everything b milk related and make it all SO much easier!!! They show you how to hold baby in different ways for bf and also all about expressing. I just remember the warm face cloth trick to make it easier to start milk coming out for b pumping orif bombs havetoo much milk it eases that potential mastitis situation too! Do you have nursery finished and how are you feeling and how is MIL??

Good luck @airmaxJ hope all goes well!

Massive congratulations to @Rowanandremy & @marleyandme 💖💙

And good luck to you @airmaxJ xx

Still no sign of baby for me after I said about my period like cramps, however I'm still experiencing period like cramps, and going to the toilet for a number 2 like nothing normal, I read this is the way of your body clearing out before labour? my pelvis is also in absolute agony, I'm struggling to walk and actually letting out screams when I try to move, baby must be so low? these symptoms will probably go on for weeks tho : ( , I do have a lot of energy tho which I'm loving!

@BMK your memory for keeping up with people on here is extraordinary!
Still no milking going on here but I was very interested in your tips on expressing.
I can't decide if I'm jealous of all these people who have already had their babies or whether I'm relieved I'm not joining you just yet!

@BMK your early spontaneous labour observation is true for my NCT group as well where 4/8 babies have arrived - all early!

@BCxx I'm also planning on exclusively pumping or pumping and formula combined. Plan is to hand express colostrum from 38 weeks if I can, to have a few syringes to bring with me, but also hand express in the first few days before the milk comes in! Then start using the pump.

I've read online it's best to wait until the day after the birth to start pumping. Seems like some women get decent amounts of colostrum out and some get very little, so it's hard to know yet if it's worth using the pump to get colostrum. If you're only getting a few drops it will be wasted on the pumping equipment.

Still all unknown to me though so I'm happy to take advice! Maybe when it comes to the time I might be happy to try direct breastfeeding but just not sure about it for now

I wrote a long message to everyone this morning and then I must have hit back or something because I completely lost it 😅 let's see if I can recreate it!

Best of luck @airmaxJ , sending lots of love 💗

@Rowanandremy what a lovely message about the thread! please do stick around, you have been a wonderful support during pregnancy and I would love to hear how baby is doing. On home birth the midwife just kept telling me to get a neighbour to look after my kid or something if need be - I think I need to be clear with her that I'll feel safest/happiest if I know my kid is with someone I trust while I'm in labour so if that means doing it at home so be it!

@BMK thank you for understanding! Going to try to get my husband to be with me for these conversations with midwives too in future because I fall into bad habits of being a people pleaser sometimes, as much as I try not to be!

@BCxx
Yeah I think that will stay our plan even at 40 weeks... It's so annoying not knowing the date this baby will come but I'm hoping I get some early signs like mucus plug and cramping which will give my mum time to travel down so everything works out okay!!
@BCxx

Aah trying to put people's usernames in didn't work 😅 sorry everyone! Seems I'm not doing very well with technology today 🙃

@Marmaladebear fingers crossed all falls into place.
@airmaxJ good luck! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Massive congratulations to those who are holding their little ones already ☺️

I am finally recovering from snots and D&V that toddler brought from nursery. It really puts things into perspective, I am feeling great now in comparison to how it was few days ago 😂 DH now got it, and goodness me, you'd think he is on the brink of death. I was still doing bathtime/bedtimes by myself (as I usually do, but that's a story for another thread) with a toddler when feeling like a roadkill. I am not too impressed with his dying swan routine at the moment.

Now I am just hoping the weather clears up a bit so I can enjoy a peaceful cup of coffee in a park somewhere before the chaos starts.

Slightly apprehensive about baby #2 arriving, but too late now! Hoping it's just the normal jitters.

@DomesticElf I keep finding myself having second thoughts about having #2 as well but I keep telling myself that everyone must have this. I think it was just the fact that last time I knew I was having a baby and that was all I had to focus on. I got all the baby stuff, got the clothes etc and felt like I loved him before I ever met him. This time I feel like I love my toddler so much that I’m just waiting until baby arrives to feel this burst of love for her too but I don’t feel like I can split my love in two for someone I’ve not even met yet 🙈 it’s silly though and I’m sure itl help being in hospital with just baby for a bit to get to know them then within days itl probably feel like it’s always been that way!

@Marmaladebear fingers crossed you get some very obvious signs that scream ‘labour en route’ and you’ll have plenty of time to get sorted 😂😅

@sommeliermama I knew someone else was! I’m hoping to do a bit of colostrum harvesting before the birth too if I can but planning for worst case scenario if I don’t have any colostrum to take in with me. Ideally I will have all the syringes ready to go and the first few feeds will be sorted but based on my past experience I doubt it 🙄 I think the hand expressing then pump after a day or two makes most sense but it’s just hard to know. I tried to pump last time when I definitely had milk but literally a single drop came out and didn’t even make it into the bottle of the pump, it was soul destroying 😂

@BMK you really do have a crazy good memory!

I think I’m probably causing myself way more extra faff by not breastfeeding but I think the fact I failed at this strategy last time is what’s making me more determined to make it work and be prepared this time. I’ll definitely try and see if there’s a lactation specialist available who can help in hospital. Last time it felt like there wasn’t really any help unless you wanted to directly bf but I probably wasn’t confident or assertive enough to ask for help. I’ve got the double Elvie but was thinking about getting a hospital grade to get me started too and it might save on some of the constant washing/sterilising too if I’ve got a rotation on the go. I had never thought about the plastic thing until a few days ago when someone pointed it out on a post about the mam bottles being sterilised in the microwave, now I’m thinking about it 😬

All good here thanks, how are you feeling? Managed to keep her at arm’s length (quite literally) the last few weeks so haven’t seen much of her! The main bits of the nursery are done finally, just the finer details to add but I can deal with that when I get round to ordering the decorative stuff 🙈

Ah no @BCxx not at all. Actually a bad experience of anything puts you totally off and destroys your confidence and makes you want to avoid it. I actually had same problem with baby no 2 as he wasn't able to feed properly as had a tongue tie (muscle under tongue a bit too tight!); noone spotted it until I got mastitis because of it and ended up back in hospital myself with roaring fever and so sick. They were sure I had some unusual virus but no turns out it was just severe mastitis causing the whole large infection thing! But basically I lost all confidence and even though I kept trying I eventually just gave up as it wasn't working and now I wish I had done more but Covid was on and humans off limits so that didn't help! So this time I am determined to get one of those lactation consultants or whomever they have- by hook or crook- to go through ot all with me again so I can be confident or know if there's an issue etc.
So yes you have to push for yourself otherwise they'll just skip over you to whomever is demanding their time!!
@overwork not at all but for some things I suppose! And I'm actually with you if you're feeling it's all a bit too soon- I actually don't want the baby to come for another week as I have too much I have to/want to do first and I also wasn't expecting an early landing!!@sommeliermama that is crazy!is there some kind of full moon around now!!?? Also weren't you really struggling with pelvic pain and work was unrelenting: you are off now I'm assuming but ehat re your body? @newmummie yes that combo has to spell incoming!!!is it still at the same level? Did you lift anything heavy like even heavy shopping bsgs before it was sore to walk?
Ok so hopefully @airmaxJ is OK and silence means busy with baby and sleeping and not anything else.
Oh and @BCxx I was just looking at double Elvie. It's actually silent. Do you know what the difference between it and Medela or etc is. And if it's working with no tubes and on your boobs,how does the milk get into bottle(s) and where do/es the bottle(s) go? I'm not sure which one to get now but need to get one!!

oh and I also think the steriliser at 100 degrees is as bad as microwave re breaking down the plastic. Like I know a lot are now black free but all the nasty plastic sub particles like the phtalates and microplastics etc still leach out. And this is moreso with the softer teat plastic and soother plastic I imagine. I noticed this with baby 1 and switched to Hevea glass bottles with rubber teats and rubber soothers for them after that. Like usually I'm aware of these things but with baby fog of newness it took me a few months, possibly even 9months to cop that...I think I did notice re the steriliser so actually it was first thing to go and I just washed the stuff myself without boiling temps and never had a problem.

*BPA free even!!

@DomesticElf ha-haaw re 'dying swan'!!!! So true though. They are so precious and good to themselves and have no real understanding of the sacrifices women make physically, time-wise and everything to keep the show on the road,without speaking about it. It's those kind of situations that illustrate the differences! However they have positive things too but yes v annoying and more frustrating is the fact that if you say anything they won't really see or take in what you mean!

@bmk as far as I’ve seen the Elvie isn’t as strong as the medela (if that’s the word) 🙈 I got it as I’m thinking the fact it’s silent and can be worn in public etc is probably a bonus for me as I’d be too self conscious to pump infront of people but could easily have that in my bra (and a baggy jumper on) without visitors knowing. It just has a flange then everything seems to be inside the machine part of it that’s the top part of the pump, there’s a little bottle clips into the bottom of it as part of it. It’s not a huge bottles though so I don’t know how it would work if you were pumping a lot each time. It’s very expensive but I got a deal a while ago. It goes with an app and you can control it on there and see how much is in each one etc, not sure how much il use that. It was the medela I was considering getting a cheaper model of, even just a single for an extra one but then I should probably wait and see if I’m actually going to manage it before spending any more on pumps!

@BCxx that's very comforting to read you are having similar thoughts re #2. In a silly way I struggle to rationally understand how I can love a other the same as I love DS. Apparently the heart doubles (rather than love halves) when the second one is born. I am really hoping that would be the case.

Re pumping, I am just going to use a Hakka pump thingy on a non feeding boob and that's about it. If bf fails, then formula it will be. Last time I couldn't get anything decent with pumping despite having milk and the whole faff with sterilising was soul destroying.
I've got everything crossed it works out for you 😘

@BMK I had mastitis too, not the extent of needing admission, but even so it's not an experience I want to repeat. It makes you really unwell, doesn't it. And the stuff that was coming out of the boob 🤢🤮 with the advice of 'keep feeding the baby on that side, they don't mind'. Poor baby, I felt really guilty at making DS suck that 🙈