Due January - Part 9!

[PartRadish]

Couldn't see another and the old one is full. Will copy the list from the last one, the tags are really temperamental though and it definitely has quite a few people missing sorry 🙈

@Kalodin
@buckingmad
@FirstT1meMum
@Vikki7
@sashastuck
@xLJ1990x
@suz2285
@TunnocksTCake
@Mummyme87
@Redpanda21
@Luhou
@RootsHere
@Matildahoney
@flowerpot258
@Ttcdcno1
@Onedayatatime24
@PartRadish
@youaremysunshine03
@Dannic2018

congratulations @Kirova. Hope you are both well ❤️

Congratulations @Kirova hope you're both doing okay. Sorry haven't caught up on messages but hope everybody else hanging in there!

I think the steroids must have helped for sure, so I'm really glad that we got in when we did and had those few days. Her birth weight was just a fraction under 4 pounds, which is apparently considered pretty okay for a 32-weeker. She dropped a little since but is now almost back up to her birth weight and they seem to be fairly satisfied with that.

There is a breastfeeding support team here - to be honest, there is everything here, we really couldn't be in a better place - and they've been encouraging to try consistently at these regular intervals too. I'm just not doing great, maybe because I'm still feeling so wiped out! I am getting an iron infusion tomorrow so I'm hoping that will pep me up a bit!

Family life upside down all right! I think they're all turning back to a primitive lifestyle, and there are no clean clothes or fruit and veg in the house. Oh, well.

Sorry to have forgotten - but when did yours arrive? I think she was way earlier, right? I can only imagine how scary and full-on that must've been. Everyone was super reassuring to me that she'd be fine even if she came at 32 weeks, but I was still worrying a lot. Earlier must be even more worrying!

Congratulations @Kirova hope you are both keeping well 🤍

Congratulations @Kirova ❤️💗 enjoy your baby girl and great to hear she’s doing well. I can see how it must have turned life upside down though with her surprise arrival!!

@Kirova congratulations! Glad Rose and you are doing well x

That's a great weight @Kirova , definitely helps with breathing when they're a good weight too. Our daughter will be 33 wks gestational age tomorrow and was 3lbs 7oz today.

Don't be tough on yourself about getting in those pumps though, they do say you just need to do 8 pumps a day and only once between 12am and 6am to get it established. The iron should really help 🤞 you able to rest too? And drink and eat all okay? I know that can be difficult.

Our family life was a mess too and tbf still is! Talking to others on the unit, it's seems like that's pretty standard when there's a preemie sibling!

Congratulations @Kirova , sounds really scary. Hope you are both doing ok and that you are getting looked after too ❤

Congratulations @Kirova she was keen to meet you!!

feeling slightly more settled today. I think now work is finished I feel I have more brain space. We’ve looked at cars today and going back Saturday morning to test drive so that’s made me relax a little. Just need to finish Christmas shopping and sort baby stuff out

Congratulations Kirova! Rose is a beautiful name. I hope you're both okay.

Congratulations @Kirova Rose is a beautiful name and I'm glad to hear she's doing well ❤️ My 8 year old was born at 32+6 and you honestly would never, ever know he was once a teeny preemie now. He's an absolute giant! 😆

Not really pregnancy related as such but any tips for unblocking my ear following a cold? It's blocked and 'wooshy' but Dr Google tells me decongestants are a no, as are Olbas Oil and basically anything I would usually try first 🤦🏼‍♀️ No pain or discharge so I'm fairly certain it's not infected, just annoying and uncomfortable more than anything! Everything sounds weird and tinny!

Preterm clinic appointment this afternoon. Should get a date for my cervical stitch to come out. My Consultant told me it'd be removed during week 36 (I'm 36 wks in 8 days) but when I was admitted on the antenatal ward recently a different Consultant told me it wouldn't be removed until during the 37th week (Boxing Day onwards). I don't suppose it really matters either way but I'm really hoping it's this side of Christmas 🤞

@Kirova bless you, of course you will still be feeling wobbly after all that blood loss. And your body will likely not be prioritising making milk for a baby until you are stronger but hopefully the iron and regular pumping sessions will encourage it along.

@PartRadish I get regular sinus infections and find that steam with some Eucalyptus helps a lot (not done it in pregnancy but cant see it being harmful) and actually massaging the side of my face, so effectively rub away from your nose towards your ears and down your neck - sounds weird but it can make a huge difference!

Last full day at work today and half a day tomorrow, I am DONE! Not slept properly for weeks and feeling really woolly headed and shattered today. Alone in the office so it will be a long day but so happy to have made it to the last week!

@PartRadish we take them out at 37weeks, in case you go into labour soon after its removal. Although in my experience it usually doesn’t happen!!!

I'm waiting for my ECHO this morning, totally not needed I don’t think but here we are.

@TunnocksTCake good news for last days of work!!! It feels good

Got my growth scan today (gone from measuring below the chart small to now on 10th centile so they're saying I've grown too much, can't win!). I'm going to ask to be monitored on labour ward after if possible as I'm having a lot of cramping.

36 weeks tomorrow!

Wow congrats @Kirova! Wishing you a quick recovery and hope you get home with baby Rose soon. ❤️

For those harvesting colostrum, did you have any signs beforehand, leaking etc.? I've had pretty much no changes to my boobs, no leaking, no pain really, don't even think they've changed size! So a little anxious to see if I'll be able to get any colostrum out. No clue if having no signs can mean I'll find it more difficult breastfeeding or if it makes no difference?

@buckingmad so silly. You think they'd be happy about that! Also aren't scans even less accurate at this point?

Good luck for monitoring! It's all getting very real now!

@Onedayatatime24 my boobs are massive but I wouldn't have noticed any other changes, however if I squeeze them I do get colostrum, I'm not harvesting yet so I'm not doing it regularly! One of my pals is 4 weeks behind me and has been actively leaking colostrum for weeks and weeks! So I think everyone's different, I don't think it has any bearing on how breastfeeding is going to go! I've also read some people can't harvest much but then go on to feed just fine!

For those worrying about not harvesting, I didn’t at all last pregnancy, had an EMCS and my milk still came in as normal day 3 and I actually had an oversupply.

I’ve squeezed a bit out recently but not to harvest, just out of curiosity 😂

I got myself in such a tizz with my ds 3 years ago as I didn’t harvest and tried and found it really stressful so I just didn’t bother and I’ve fed him up till my milk stopped while pregnant this time and he still dry nurses a bit at bedtime. So it has no bearing on your ability to bf so don’t stress if you can’t

If anyone needs a laugh, I haven't had any colostrum from my nipples... but I did get a wet patch a few cm higher a few weeks ago and discovered I technically have a third nipple I never knew about!! It just looks like a tiny freckle. The joys of pregnancy. Thankfully no leaks since!

@HopeAndStrength bet that was a fun discovery!

I just realised after my shower today I have sideburns and a side beard 😂 had to get the face shaver out! I'm not a hairy person at all, I have more hairs on my belly but they're pretty invisible, but this was a full on omg I need to get rid of these fuzzy hairs!!

I got sent home at lunch time. I'd started the day and decided I'll try and get get through the morning, and strangely (maybe a professional facade?) while in classroom I was OK. But as soon as I leave the children I start to slide, i can literally feel my face collapsing, my shoulders drooping and my emotions switching from ok to devastated. So they've said take the afternoon, see how I feel in the morning and I think I'll go back Wednesday or Thursday to see the term out. I can't just not be there for the children now.

I've been on the phone to my mum since I left school and my dad sent me the phone number for the councillor who has been assigned to talk to my mum, me, my brother, my dad and any other family members who need to discuss what's going on with my mum.

I think the hardest thing is the lack of control I have over everything at the moment, it almost feels like I need to colour my hair as I can control that, which was what I did through my teens and 20s?

Rose is such a beautiful name @Kirova

I didn't harvest with ds, didn't even know it was a thing. This time I'm only doing it to see if it'll have an impact on my supply as I struggled to breastfeed ds and ended up expressing for 6 months along with occasional formula topups.

Growth scan fine, reckons baby is 5lbs13oz ish and I'm 36 weeks tomoz so I'm happy with that size! Mentioned my cramping and she said I was welcome to go get monitored but as I'm so close to being full term she wasn't worried so I saved myself the wait and went out for lunch with DH instead. Still head down but bum is now on my right side, feet firmly wedged under my ribs 😑got a nice little side profile of her face and she's got the exact same profile as DD, can't wait to see what she looks like and whether she has the full head of black hair like DD had (and me as a baby).

If I could put money on it I'd say baby is going to be here in the next 1-2 weeks but I can guarantee the more convinced I become the more likely she is to be overdue. I just feel exactly the same as I did with DD in the final week.

Trust has moved to a new online system and everything seems to have gone to pot. They haven't booked me in for my 36 week appointment (which should be around the end of this week), I've been trying to get through by phone and email since last week but have had no response. Literally sat on hold for an hour to the antenatal clinic and nothing. They used to be so responsive before this! Combine it with completely changing how they do car parking charges to a fully pay up front parking app system (which is bloody annoying when it used to be a get a ticket and pay for the time you actually used system) and it's a case of technology ruining everything.

@Hummusanddipdip so sorry to hear you're struggling. Best to have come home. @buckingmad I am also struggling with cramping and convincied I won't go another 5 weeks. Thought it was the real deal at 4am this morning. Seems to have subsided now. Heartburn is horrific.