Due July 2024 - part 4

[Oatmilktea]

The other thread was filling up so thought I would set up a new one!

@Sophie3003
@ceruleansky
@Amberellaella
@wannabe123
@glasshalffull0
@Morningcoffeeaddict
@missmoosh
@Jess725
@AnonymousXXIX
@Busyhedgehog
@Nocoffeenotalkie
@justanotherlaura
@Honeymint
@Savvy21
@hopingfor23
@chilliflakesmum
@ExpectantEs
@AimeeLou84
@Welshgal85
@TooHappyToday
@Bali200

I’ve tagged people from the last few pages of the previous thread, hopefully everyone makes there way over here when the other one fills up!

@MixedCouple2 I've been doing some. First time I only collected 0.1ml but now I can get about 0.7ml in a session. I'm finding 1 side is much easier to express from than the other though - as in one side will do 0.15 and the other will do 0.55ml 🤷🏼‍♀️

@MixedCouple2 - I tried this afternoon for the first time and got nothing but midwife said not to be discouraged and sometimes it takes a few goes to get anything at all so I’ll keep at it

@MixedCouple2 yes I tried for the first time last week (today I’m 39+2 so probably left trying it a bit late.. ) but I also found it crazy that it just happened after one min session. I’ve done it twice and have about 2ml in the freezer. Should probably do more but I’m just exhausted!!

also what pumps are we investing in ladies?
I might get a haaka for let down and then it’s an emergency pump and just see how I get on

Anyone trying perineal massage too?
I attempted but it was a fail 🤭 any tips!!???

@Morningcoffeeaddict dont be discouraged at all. I mentioned above I’ve tried twice but in fact I did a test run prior to this and literally got nothing. Just wanted to try the steps and not put pressure on myself. I did see a bead or two come out but didn’t attempt to collect.
let us know how it goes if/when you try again ☺️
my midwife said it also doesn’t reflect your future breast feeding journey xx

@Jess725 - thank you! Part of it may be me / my technique so I’ll keep trying and see how it goes. With my first, he was born prematurely and we had to start with colostrum to get my milk to come in and I got nothing at all and the HCA who helped me out got loads. Hopefully baby will have a better BF technique than I do manual expression!

On pumps I’m going to see how we get on with BF but I exclusively pumped for my son and used a spectra s1 that was great, I’m thinking about a Haaka too this time but I think I read because it technically has a tiny bit of suction and encourages let down it can encourage oversupply if used in the first 6 weeks so I was going to leave that for a bit and again see how we get on.

@Jess725 I have an ardo pump which is a hospital grade pump. I didn't buy it until I needed it after being readmitted and it came the next day on Amazon prime so don't worry too much about getting one before the baby.
I've also heard that hakas can cause oversupply and never used one with my first.
To be honest, I only pumped for top up feeds and then when he was older if I was leaving him for a while. I could pump but never particularly enjoyed it and don't plan on doing much this time round.

I am going to start trying the colostrum harvesting next week I think (38 weeks). Is anyone else equal parts terrified to go into labour early (I am not ready!) as well as late (omg I can't do another MONTH!). A due date baby would be very much appreciated over here! I can't with the whole unpredictability....

Should really be doing the perineal massage, but I hated it so much last time, I haven't started, and now I am thinking maybe I won't bother. Really dumb? I had an episiotomy last time, don't know if that makes things better or worse!!

I have an Elvie pump that I used last time and intend to use again now. It really worked for me, got plenty of milk with it, and really enjoyed the hands free aspect (although I did mostly use it stationary e.g. at desk or sofa, because moving around made it much less effective). It was all the rage 3 years ago, and there wasn't really a good alternative out there yet then. I see there's loads more options now, many of which way cheaper. (Although I got mine in a really good Black Friday sale!)

I did suffer with lots of milk duct blockages though, so part of me wonders if I should be trying some different pumps to see if Elvie was the key to that (specifically, the flange size)... But on the other hand, it really worked for my situation and my milk supply, so I am very hesitant to change it up... And there's loads of other reasons for blockages - with one GP suggesting my boobs are just lumpy and prone to them!!

I think my course of action is going to be to ask the hospital lactation consultant about it, and maybe my local private lactation consultant too. I am definitely bringing my Elvie to the hospital this time though! I had to stay nearly a week last time and it's my biggest regret that I didn't pack it.

I have a hakaa too, but I found it a bit fiddly. It fell off and spilled a lot of the time. Don't get the impression it affected my supply in any way, although I have also heard other people talk about that. Probably won't bother this time and just use extra breast pads.

Edit: just to say, I relied quite a lot on pumping the first 6-12 months. After that, I was so used to it, I just continued and donated a TON of milk. Make sure you contact your local milk bank about their rules/policies if this is something you are toying with, because my nearest wouldn't take the milk that I'd stored in the freezer without following their special guidelines etc. and first time I donated someone had to come from a different milk bank like halfway across the country to pick it up!

I’ve been colostrum harvesting! Have been on and off for 2 weeks now, started initially with only 0.5ml in an evening and this evening I got over 2ml. I was struggling until I followed a video that explained expressing better and I kept at it, that really helped (p.s. warming them up first really helps!)

@wannabe123 That explains it, he's moving into position. 😁
Oh, good luck with everything! My baby likes to run away from the midwife too, and he hates being poked. Last time his heart rate shot up!

@ceruleansky Thank you! I hope so too! Me and the lady who did my hypnobirthing lessons went over my birth preferences earlier, so everything is down on paper. Hopefully everything will go smoothly. 😊

@Amberellaella Good luck for you too. 💐

Still haven't done any packing! 😅 I need to do two lots, one for the hospital and one for my friend's house as I'm staying with her for a week after baby arrives. 😊 Feeling a bit bad about that because my boyfriend said he's going to take some time off work so he can see me and baby. 🥺 But I know it'll be nice not to have to worry about cooking and cleaning while I get used to having little one with me.

@Morningcoffeeaddict
so great you used colostrum with your first ☺️
I’m really nervous come feeding time, I’m going to ask in the hospital for extra help for sure
@wannabe123 oh no, you both heard it suctions, I thought I could use it without suction, doh! I’ll have a rethink and then just have a manual pump in Amazon basket ready to see how I get on perhaps ☺️ thank you both!

*lol at insomnia, anyone else woken up? 😬

@Jess725 definitely ask for all the help you can and don't rush home until you're happy. It is my biggest regret from my first. I ended up going home before I was confident and then had to be readmitted due to too big a weight loss on day 5.

@Jess725 I'm sleeping for a bit then waking up, sleeping, waking up, etc. I'm so tired all the time! Baby is lying on my bladder as well, the little hooligan.

Two weeks till baby's due date! 😱 Although as I've said, a baby is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to. 😊

So much cramping today. Cramping after I pee, when I lie down, or get up. Baby is also so active and demanding that I eat even though I'm not hungry. I just got kicked for an hour non stop.
Really tired, waiting on last few things to arrive to finish packing.

Also anyone else just craving sugar like crazy? I don't even like sweet things. But I've been wanting to have them almost every day.

i was asked to lay off sugar due to increased amniotic fluid and rapid weight gain due to anemia, apparently. No GD though, sugars are normal. Although one good thing is that my weight has not gone up since week 33. Baby's weight has been normally increasing.

@ceruleansky I thought my baby was a hooligan! An hour of kicking? 😰

Yup, I ate a whole packet of rusks yesterday. Dread to think how much sugar was in the whole box, but I woke up from an afternoon nap yesterday and my blood sugar had completely crashed. I woke up feeling shaky and sweaty, so had one sleeve then, eaten with a mug of milk, then had the rest as a bedtime snack with another mug of milk. No GD that I'm aware of, I was tested and that was all normal.
www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/252387000

@SapphireSeptember
Yep, a whole hour! Just going at my ribs.
I had something to eat, finally, and it seems to have settled..

Oops now I'm going to want to have rusk with my tea. 🤣 Hmm seems like you needed that rusk and milk! Hope you're feeling better now. Maybe keep on snacking every 2 hours.

I think ive also upset my tummy a bit by having sausages. This is the second time I've had them during pregnancy. Been good at keeping away from processed stuff. But I was craving them yesterday and my tummy is not having it..

@ceruleansky I had lots of cramping yesterday. Pretty regular for hours but no ramping up in pain level. Even woke up in the night with cramps and lightning crotch. Thought I might go into labour but they all stopped!
I have a sweep tomorrow so i'm hoping all those tightenings at least made my cervix favourable for the sweep and that they weren't for nothing!

@ceruleansky It's a good job we love them, isn't it? 😅 Naughty babies!
Yup, I did feel better, then I ate two people's worth of stir fry last night (mixed peppers with cabbage, onion, carrot and bean sprouts, egg noodles, prawns and soy, ginger and garlic sauce. 😋 ) I still felt hungry after that, hence the bedtime snack.
Oh no! What kind of sausages were they? Some are better than others. I had sausage, bacon, egg, beans and chips last week at the local greasy spoon, it was very nice. 😋

@Nocoffeenotalkie I've been getting stabbing pains in my tummy. They don't last very long, but it's not pleasant. And it's only going to get worse! 😭

@wannabe123 Ok I will ☺️ ill reluctantly pack some extra granny pants 😂 you’ll be a pro this time ❤️
@SapphireSeptember oh man! Yea, I’m on a two hour sleep cycle although last night bladder would just not allow me to sleep! Doh!
hope you had some nice zzzzz’ds last night

@Jess725 - agree on staying and getting the extra help. I wish I’d stayed slightly longer to get a bit more help last time but after 8weeks in nicu I just wanted to go home with my baby. Planning to advocate for myself on the BF side a bit better this time! I asked for the lactation consultant last time and they sent a nicu nurse instead who claimed to be an expert and just said my baby was lazy and then left. One of the other mums asked the lactation consultant directly for me who seemed great but by then it was the day we were due to go home so there wasn’t time to see her.

@Jess725 I slept a bit, then got fed up of lying in bed trying to sleep and got up. I tend to nap more than properly sleep. Currently yawning my head off, but I'm hungry so I'll eat something then go back to sleep for a bit.

Had my OB/GYN appointment today. I went and got some iced coffee beforehand just to make sure she's actually moving and not napping today. Seems to have worked and everything looks OK. 😊
Also had my streptococcus test and that was fine, too.
However, they won't induce regardless of my age and will just wait until she turns up or any of my tests show up a problem. So, I might have to wait until the end of July to evict this one. They'll allow me to go over by 10 days. 🤦‍♀️ DS was late and feeling cosy in there, too.
I've got Braxton Hicks but not much else. Meanwhile, I'm trying to sort out holiday clubs for DS so that he doesn't have to hang out with us all day every day. Our summer holidays start next week and while both DH and I will be home for the entire time (probably still waiting for the small one to arrive), I can't really do much fun stuff at the moment and I don't want him to spent all day on the iPad. So far, we're sending him to football camp for a week and then another week in the forest. 😁

Um I just had a few drops of blood while peeing. I guess I had it in the morning but didn't realize. My stomach hasn't dropped and maybe that's why baby was kicking abnormally. I'm scared 😭😭😭 going to the hospital

@ceruleansky hope all is well, if there was some mucus too could be your mucus plug, fingers crossed

I didn't notice any other kind of discharge all day. Baby finally moved.
I knew I shouldn't have had 5 dates 😒 I'm just 36+2. No contraction pain at all, just been cramping a lot.

I've just got back from a growth scan and they couldn't measure baby's head but have agreed that he is growing very big. My scheduled induction has now been moved forward to Tuesday. The midwife gave me a second sweep and said that my cervix was more favourable than the other day so fingers crossed it might get things moving. I'll then have a final sweep on Saturday if needed to hopefully try and avoid the induction. The doctor seemed keen for me to avoid induction but with it being a VBAC he also explained the risks of just being left indefinitely. To be honest though I'm so uncomfortable and fed up and earlier induction doesn't feel too bad.