IVF pregnancies - Spring 2024 (thread 2)

[thislittlebird]

New thread! Do tag everyone I've missed, I'm off out to see the new Hunger Games so can add more later but need to dash! @CazzyM1983 @KG1244 @countrypunk @Misty84 @ASGIRC @TheBirdintheCave @Summerishere83

@thislittlebird what do you mean, trying to stay with you?!!

And I got a fair bit of hand me downs, but that was welcome! Though some of it, I sifted through

I'm glad the experience isn't as terrible as you were imagining 😂😂😂

@ASGIRC non-local in-laws trying to stay at our house to see baby :/ we told some no, so they stayed at a premier inn, then we had to tell another no, the requests are incredibly annoying. Just having in-laws here in the daytime/evening for a couple of days was too much, it ends up being more labour for us.

I appreciated the first hand me downs, they were neutral. Then 4 bags of entirely pink things turned up at my house and I hated almost all of it so we've shoved it all in the loft for now.

She's a very chilled baby so far, no idea how long that will last.

I'm just so scared to let her near my boobs again 😂 I've bought a hand pump and am going to see if I can express any milk tonight. At least then she can have some food from me, even if it's not directly.

My boobs don't hurt as much as yesterday though so I think I might be too late.

I got about 10ml out! Sounds like nothing but I'm pretty impressed with myself considering I've never seen any milk from my boobs at all 😂 Aiming to try pumping for twenty minutes three times a day now with the ultimate goal of getting one small bottle of milk a day for her.

@TheBirdintheCave it might increase. Did you express at all last time? I read someone say they did every 3 hours for ten minutes each side so I’m roughly trying that today to see if it increases anything. Not sure I’ve achieved it every three hours but have done more than normal. It’s the night time one that does my head in, stupid body thinks that’s important.

Here in Portugal theres something you can take which increases milk production. A friend took it, as her baby was in NICU for the first week, so she had to express.

@ASGIRC interesting, I’ve not heard of that. I had a large, benign tumour removed from my right breast over a decade ago and some minor reconstructive surgery at the same time. I’m pretty sure that’s why my right one is less productive, my left can produce double the amount of the right sometimes.

@thislittlebird Not with my son no. So far I've expressed once a day as I've been too tired so haven't had much milk come out :( Maybe like 10ml over the last two days. A bit pathetic really!

@TheBirdintheCave you aren’t alone, I’m also now getting very little. It’s my own fault in this case for not expressing enough, I had a good couple of days and then relaxed a bit and I think it’s caused it to dry up. Health visitor came today and is going to refer me to the breastfeeding team in case something can be done.

I used a supplements suggested by a midwife and had my milk supply increase from 15ml to 30ml with each pumping session. Supplements are Brewers Yeast (a powder to mix in milk or with a banana as a smoothie) and fenugreek tablets.

@CollsR I’ve bought some lactation cookies to try. They’re every weird, taste like oaty beer cookies lol, which they kind of are. I managed to get the supply from about 10-20ml back to about 30-60ml which is good, but it’s involved a lot of expressing and water.

So it turns out baby has significant tongue tie which explains why she can’t bf without a nipple shield. They’ll potentially refer us to Kings to get it snipped but she has to be exclusively breastfeeding and they won’t offer it to people who aren’t, so that’s fun and kind of annoying. We could get it done privately, or wait until she’s older and see if it impacts speech.

@thislittlebird it’s a shame they missed the tongue tie. My little one had a really significant one (as did my other DC), so at least we were able to book into the hospital tongue tie/feeding clinic early. When we went the midwife did an assessment and said it was probably the worst she’d seen. We did look into a private midwife to do it , as the hospital said on the phone that if baby was putting on weight and feeding OK they would probably not cut it, and the quote locally was £350! I wasn’t sure about the qualifications the midwife should have and a bit of internet searching didn’t help either. I was worried about letting anyone but the NHS do the snip, as there may be complications and no way of complaining or getting and complications sorted out. The hospital we delivered at and had the op done at is well equipped with ICU and A&E so this reassured me. We are 7 days past the op now and baby is feeding much better and gaining weight really well. It’s healed and you would never know it ever existed. It made a huge difference to my comfort too (as baby was leaving some of my ducts blocked and not draining each side properly). I hope you can get it sorted soon.

@PollywithaP if we pursue private then I’m hoping to see a consultant who does it as part of the fee, I’ve seen that’s an option anyway. The feeding specialist said it might not even help and doesn’t with all babies so I’m torn about it, worried it’ll hurt her and they would want me to only breastfeed after which would be hard for me.

I’m sure my ducts are a right state, nothing we’re doing is getting done properly that’s for sure.

Hi everyone, How are you all doing?

Hey, lovely to hear from you. We are doing good, not loving the hot weather as I keep worrying that LO is too hot so think we should probably keep indoors today…when going out in the summer, do you know if you should remove the pram apron and just put up a snooze shade? Pretty sure i remember you saying this isn’t your first baby so guessing you will be able to advise a FTM! How are you doing as well?

Hello all! My girlie is six weeks on Friday 🤯 No idea where the time has gone.

@KG1244 We haven't had the cover bit on our pram since she's been born. We've just popped a blanket over her instead if it was cold or left her uncovered in the heat.

Hi all! Baby was six weeks yesterday and weighing in at 9lb, she’s getting chunky lol.

I went out with her to the park yesterday, no cover for the carry cot, just the sun shade down. I took a small muslin and light blanket to cover her feet with. We did use the apron on one windy, chilly day when I went walking with a work friend, but that was all.

she’s been kinda fussy/hungry the last couple of days, wonder if it’s the heat. The HV told us no cooled, boiled water but the nhs site says she can have it, it’s confusing.

We are all good here too. The heat is very difficult, it’s 29c here today so we have stayed in. We are just beginning to get into a decent routine here, with sleep at night and during the day.
I am breastfeeding so baby doesn’t need anything other than that drink wise - we are having lots of wet nappies so baby is not dehydrated. I think the rules on water are different for formula fed babies. Are you worried baby is dehydrated @thislittlebird ? Are you having lots of wet nappies?
Pram aprons are just a matter of personal choice. I use ours without anything underneath as where we walk during the day is in full sun and I’m worried about sunburn. But as long as baby has shade to prevent sunburn and sun in their face that’s fine too.
The heat is difficult as my little one will only sleep in her snuz pod whilst swaddled in one particular knitted blanket!
We are 7 weeks now and baby is developing a little personality and starting to smile, which makes the lack of sleep more bearable 🤣

@PollywithaP Yikes, we're at 27c at the moment and have to walk to get my son from childcare soon 🥵

We have a ceiling fan in the living room and its one of the best purchased I've ever made 😬

@PollywithaP i don’t think she’s dehydrated per se, she’s having breast milk and formula, and wees plenty, but just worried she might need some in the very hot weather. But she seems ok.

Not the worst problem to have but I have so many 0-3 clothes! She was not fitting into them until very recently, so I’d bought quite a few newborn and up to one month things for her which fitted well. Then suddenly she fits the 0-3 and now I’m overrun with cute outfits, vests and baby grows to get through. Just hoping she fits in them for at least two months and that we get nice weather to dress her for.

@thislittlebird I went a bit nuts buying loads of short summer rompers for M on Vinted so I know how you feel 😂

@TheBirdintheCave oh me too lmao. I went and bought her mori babygrows and next dungaree sets and then realised she dies into all her 0-3 so I already have dungarees, baby grows and rompers 😩. So now we have a ton of them and she’s just sitting here napping in a vest lol

*fits into

@PollywithaP your baby had the tongue tie referral and snip, right?

Can I ask what the process is? We have one booked for July 29th but worried they won’t do it that day and it’ll be dragged out further or they’ll reject us once we’re in there and don’t answer their questions sufficiently.

Hey it’s been a while since I’ve been on here. How’s everyone doing / managing on little sleep? 😂 I can’t believe my little boys going to be 12 weeks on Thursday, I don’t know where the times gone!
@thislittlebird my boy had tongue tie too and they did the procedure in the appt. straight away. I don’t remember them asking many questions (it was nine weeks ago now though) but as long as they see your baby has the tongue tie, that should be it, they should just do it there and then x