Due February 2024 Thread 5!! 🤰🩷💙

[MummyTo4BoysXXXX]

last thread is nearly full so thought I would make a new one for us all 😊

It could be nothing but always worth a call into triage, just to help ease anxiety. It's so scary at this point because you start getting a bit impatient but also want baby to stay in longer so they have best chances at being healthy and every little, or large, pain brings on panic and anxiety! If you haven't had any paracetamol maybe try that and a couple glasses of water and if it's still not easing up then deffo just take yourself to maternity assessment unit, they're there for us and would rather see you than not! X

@CheeseAndCrackersx me! What helped me is eating some carb just before bed, a slice of bread or a few biscuits, and as soon as I would wake up because of them, light massage on the calf. Then I'd go back to sleep. Hope this helps you too!

@Ebonythoughts My Braxton Hicks triggers are a full bladder, dehydration and walking (can be any distance really, even from 5-20m ). So need to drink plenty but also make sure toilet is close and go frequently haha. If having period pains that don't settle on rest then would ring Triage though.

For those asking about baby classes I used https://mybabyacademy.co.uk/ with my first and found them good, did free one first then paid for full day course as found helpful. They have some courses on for free atm for last minute spaces.

I have booked a private scan for 31+5 on 11th just to see how baby is doing (and so can mentally prepare myself for the weight/head circumference ballpark!) I don't trust fundal height after being so far out with my daughter. £80 though so jealous of those getting them on NHS, will have to sell it to DH as my Christmas present😂

Also thinking about hospital bag now as want it ready for when visiting my parents for Christmas, and so need to be putting all the baby clothes through washing machine in the next couple of weeks :O got plenty of first size so scan might indicate if need more 0-3 month as well... though am trying to restrain from buying too much as have loads of unisex clothes from when had my daughter.

@Ihatewinding so is it advised to wash all baby clothes before use? New aswell? I’m such a novice, I have no idea!! 🫣🫣

Anyone getting trouble with phlegm and coughing?? I wake up every morning and have this awful cough and phlegm, it’s horrible!! I’m snoring really loudly during the night too so I think I’m just really blocked up 😵‍💫

As well as being anaemic I’ve now found out I have gum disease. I’m so fed up 🤯

@Kelb79 Majority of the clothes have been in our loft for nearly 3 years haha so yeah gonna wash them all. I think if bought used bundles of clothes, etc, then would wash. We starting using non bio when we had our first so washed all our clothes in that, hopefully meant we all smelt comfortingly similar?! And if clothes manufactured abroad, which is majority, then I would wash ahead of time. My daughter had eczema as well so washed most stuff first until about a year or so anyway.

I've had a bad cold this last week and half, thanks to my daughter who I'm sure picked it up from nursery. Can't wait for it to go! I have reflux as well, which I think contributes to my coughing, as well as the reflux being exacerbated by all the coughing and belly tightening with it, bit of catch 22 situation🙄

I have washed all my baby clothes - I think they spray some sort of chemicals on them to keep crease free in shops and who knows what's in that. We both have sensitive skin so assuming newborn would too .

all personal choice though and if you don't have time, doubt it's the end of the world x

We've washed ours but only because DH mentioned that sometimes people drop clothes on the floor when browsing sometimes so just to be on the safe side we gave everything a quick once over in the washer

I've washed all the stuff off Vinted I bought. But I haven't with the new stuff yet but I will be soon

We've had a lot of new clothes given to us and a few used and I've sorted them all into bags by age, 0 - 3 is the littlest bag so will have to pick up a few bits, we really want to be done with getting all the baby stuff in January so we can relax and deep clean for the last few weeks.

A friend of mine has an 8 month old and has told me all of her essentials and also what she didn't use, it's been so helpful. She said the groegg gave her great peace of mind, a nappy caddy is very handy and the haakaa really helped with her BF journey.

I really want to breastfeed, I am terrified of how painful it may be, I have very sensitive boobs, got out of the shower on Sunday morning and I don't know if it was the water hitting them or that I got a bit cold but I was literally shaking and crying in pain for 15 minutes until the boob pain went away. They were very sensitive before pregnancy too and I've also had eczema on one in the past, I really hope I can bare it and that it works out.

I've washed all the clothes and muslins - feels nice to have them freshly washed and an added benefit is the lovely smell!

On the topic of BF, my boobs haven't even gotten much bigger let alone had any colostrum. How's everyone else doing on this front?

@msp2023 me either! I’ve always been an incredibly humble 34a and whilst they’re a little bigger they certainly haven’t grown much at all. I had to get new bras more for the round chest size rather than the cup size.
my teeny tiny little girls nipples (🤣) have widened and darkened but they don’t look like anything a baby’s mouth could grab hold of yet 🤣🫣 and nope, no colostrum here either 🤷🏼‍♀️ starting to worry as I’d really like to BF but I just don’t see it’s going to happen with mine 🫣

Thanks ladies - great points with the washing!! That’s now definitely on my to-do list 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

I got a leaflet from the hospital with everything to bring for delivery room and then for up to three days in a ward. It has a note saying "Ensure baby clothes are made of natural materials and please wash and iron them before packing in your hospital bag."

I hadn't even thought of ironing the baby clothes! Is everyone else ironing them too? I've just washed, dried, and folded away and didn't think anything of it

@Kelb79 @msp2023 my boobs haven't grown either. I do remember with my first baby though that they didn't grow much but once you start to breast feed and your milk starts to come in they end up massive 🤣 I wouldn't worry too much just yet about the colostrum. It's amazing what your body/boobs do once baby is here

@Ch49091 I think I'll iron whatever actually looks wrinkled just for the hospital, I don't think it matters too much, I suppose the heat is good to kill any possible bacteria?

On baby #3 here and if I’m honest - I put clothes away clean. I’m only washing them if they look visibly stained (and deffo won’t be ironing them) but that’s mainly as they’ll be going straight in a hospital bag or a drawer.

In terms of hospital bag packing. I did find it helpful to have my stuff in one bag and babies in another (or at least easily half and half of a suitcase). I’d babies stuff sorted into labeled bags for sizes (so a vest, baby grow and hat in tiny baby in one sandwich bag, and another set of newborn in a bag). I never brought 0-3 to hospital but I’ve small babies!! (currently under growth scans for SGA). For my own stuff: having a grab bag easy of big knickers and pads (again sorted into smaller bags) was brilliant. And clothes that were soft (I didn’t wear some leggings for a while after as the waist band rubbed my section scar!). Something I know I didn’t realize before having baby…but when you leave hospital a lot of us still have bumps and are in maternity wear (id packed wrong for me the first time!).

For feeding - I’ve never managed to express colostrum early, but have ebf my older ones. Hakka, reusable/washable breast pads (the disposable ones make me itch!) and cold compresses were invaluable. BUT I’m fairly certain I amazoned them as and when I worked out I needed them each time. When my eldest was in NICU they lent hospital grade pumps - so I wouldn’t worry too much about having to have one in advance. If you do need it, there are places to get them fairly quickly.

Onto baby #2, I've washed what I'm using again from DS but otherwise no. I didn't wash anything with DS either.
And deffo not ironing.

Need to write a list for hospital bags but I also found having separate for myself and baby easiest, esp for for DH trying to find x y z

Agreed, I am not ironing newborn clothes! I don't even iron my own clothes, tumble dryer will hopefully hide the creases hahaha.

Second @Callmemummynotmaaa suggestion about sets of outfits in sandwich/freezer bags with labels, helps with finding and also removing what might not be needed. Think I took 2 sets 0-1m and 0-3m with me in baby bag (also separate bags for mum and baby much easier too) then DH just took the baby bag back home with the unneeded clothing sizes and laundry - one thing that is really valuable is a spare plastic bag for your labouring clothes! My clothes were soaked in meconium waters so very grim, DH took that away also and sorted that hehe.

Are any of you ladies still doing the deed?
Me & partner haven't for a long time now but I think he's getting rather frustrated (I know he has his hand) and cos it's nearly Xmas I thought oh maybe just once will see him through to after birth 😂
But I'm worried it could bring on BH or worse the actual thing 🙈

@CheeseAndCrackersx this Time no baby is so low I hurt a lot always. Last time up untill ds was born lol x

@CheeseAndCrackersx wev only really once, a while ago. First/second tri I had so much bleeding so that was worrying me and didn't want to set it off. Now baby is so wriggly it would be off putting. I feel abit bad but think DP feels the same :/

Suppose there's just so much going on!!!

@CheeseAndCrackersx yes! I’ve been getting leg and foot cramps it’s horrid, usually goes if I walk it off but it wakes me up in the middle of the night 😩

Leg cramps have been awful!

Haven't had sex, I don't feel right doing it esp if she's moving 😂😩

@CheeseAndCrackersx similar to @Mangotango39 I had bleeding up until about 20 weeks and sex made it significantly worse. Had a short period where sec was ok towards the end of the second trimester but honestly now I just feel way to big and uncomfortable to actually do anything