Due December 2024 - thread 3

[CatCaretaker]

Thread 3 - for those of us still waiting on our babies, and those whose babies have arrived safe and sound.

Previous thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/pregnancy/5202240-due-december-2024-thread-2?page=40

@LilyJessie so sorry to hear about your Nan - there is never a nice time for that to happen but particularly upsetting given you are due to birth any time now. Sending you lots of virtual hugs and cuppas xx

@RedRobyn2021 congratulations! A little Christmas baby - what was that like giving birth on Christmas?! My DS was very unsettled the first night with gas. He is bottle fed with colostrum top up/mix. We also got the massive poops and was much better the next night. Roll on a week and we had another unsettled day and night with reduced feeding amounts etc before a massive blow out then back to normal again. I think their little systems are just catching up? Hopefully the midwife helped with the latch etc. Xx

I am now 11 days post partum and still not discharged from midwife 😩 blood pressure still not playing the game despite being on medication and the whole house has now come down with a horrible cold/flu/throat/ear infections so the midwife won't come near until we are clear of that either. (so I guess not too concerned about my BP really?!) My BP is annoying me though as it was 110/79 average (of three reading) yesterday morning at 9am and by the time I got to the GP at 9:15 it was 144/81! Then last night at home it was 109/75 average (again over three readings). Even when my midwife takes it in my home it's around 130/84ish. Seems as soon as any medical professional comes near me it rockets... 😢

This is what I’m getting. Been for a walk with friends and getting tightenings and then eases off.

On my way for my 39 week midwife appointment now and got lower back pain again, so might see if they can see if I’m dilated at all.

I genuinely think I’ll have this for another few days, based on my first labour 😭

Hope things pick up for you!

@Firsttimetrier @MaybeBaby2024 jealous of you both. At 39+5 I have had absolutely no signs of movement at all, no cramps, no mucus plug, literally nothing. Braxton Hicks when I express sometimes, but that's it and have had them for weeks anyway and I don't think they mean anything.

@OnNaturesCourse

I didn't have her until the late evening at 10pm so we got to have a fairly normal day of opening presents and having Christmas dinner, contractions stalled after the morning because of visitors but then started up again after food at 3pm

I'm more wondering how birthdays will work in future really 🤔

@RedRobyn2021 when I was growing up I had a friend who had their birthday on Christmas and they always celebrated the weekend before - so they got their party and presents then, made a fuss off etc. Even if Christmas fell on a weekend the birthday would be celebrated the weekend before. Her Mum hated the idea of combining Xmas and birthday in the same day.

I'm sure something will work out for your family in time.

I'm concerned about my son's birthday and it's a week before 🤣 so I can only imagine how you feel.

Thank you for all your kind words ❤️

@RedRobyn2021 -

My nephews birthday is on Christmas Day.

If it helps at all...
When he was a baby we used to have a little family get together the week before for his birthday.
Now he does a little party with his friends the week before and we see him as a family thing too around that.

Then on the big day itself, we always do "Happy Birthday" first and make a big fuss of him. We wrap presents as "birthday" presents in birthday paper, make sure he has a "birthday card" etc. we never "double up" on presents so he can have extra.

We then do Christmas as "Christmas" presents, and make a fuss over Christmas presents (because he has a little sister too so it is fair on her).

We have a birthday cake and a Christmas pudding. But birthday cake comes out first!

Also, Santa always brings him a Birthday Present, which is super special to him as he feels very special.

Congratulations @RedRobyn2021 !!!
Hope you managed the birth you wanted!! 🤞🏼

On the sleep situation, we had this issue but it started around night 4. Every time it was bedtime he became really unsettled and nothing would help. This carried on until about 2 nights ago. We found, starting bedtime at the same time, changing his bum, playing white noise while doing his night feed right up until he was in his crib (you can find it on YouTube if you don't have a specific machine) , then propping him over our shoulder and rubbing his back/bum in circular motions (for gas and comfort) until he would fall asleep, then gently placing him down in his next to me crib, bum first followed by head and keeping our hand rested on him for a couple minutes. That seemed to do the trick and the last couple of nights he's been soundly sleeping for hours at a time, last night he did 11.30-5.30am and then 6am-9am. It's been heaven to get a couple decent nights sleep in as we were both looking like zombies!! 😂

Also he's a very gassy baby! Farts constantly 😂 my midwife said it's just his tummy getting used to milk and learning how to process it and poop. Which makes sense I guess, they've gone 9 months without having to poo. Watching him poo has us in stitches, his little faces and sounds 😂

Little man is now above birth weight too! He's a little milk monster!

@Lunamoon23 very helpful tips, thank you!

Related to sleeping, we were told baby needs 6 layers in winter. Those six can be vest, babygro, two doubled blankets, I guess, but what about at night when we can't use blankets? I'll ask the midwives in the hospital, but what does everyone else dress baby in for sleeping?

We have 2.5tog sleeping bags, are those enough along with vest and babygro?

Maybe this 6 layer thing is too extreme, two doubled blankets during the day sounds like a lot.

@CatCaretaker that sounds like hell of a lot of layers. Granted, my first was a heatwave baby and would have been 5 months at this time of year, and he was in a 2.5 tog sleeping bag with a vest and baby grow.
It’s what I would put the new baby in too, we just got some 2.5tog Love to Dream swaddles which is for 18-20c room temps.

There are quite a few “what to put baby in” charts on Google, so I would follow that.

@CatCaretaker -
So I was told "one more layer than you wear", by someone on our MN thread, and then at an NCT class!
X

My DS is going to sleep in long sleeve vest, sleepsuit, socks under sleepsuit and a pair on top, mitts, blanket swaddle and a cellular blanket tucked in. Our room is quite cool, around 16ish with just body heat, and he seems to do just fine with that.

We will move to sleep sacks once he is bigger but he loves a swaddle right now.

PS I have the fan on in our room just now too because night sweats are definitely a thing this time round for me?!

@OnNaturesCourse -
I have the fan on and the windows open too 😂
Night sweats are real! I swear I'm constantly running on hot 🥵

We’ve currently gone with a vest, sleepsuit and 2.5 tog sleeping bag. Thermostat is set at 18 degrees in our room…no idea if that’s enough layers but seems to be working for us! We had our first four hour stretch of sleep last night…I say this now, watch him be awake all night tonight! Those of you breastfeeding, how are your babies sleeping at night?

Thanks @Lunamoon23 yeah I had her at home all straight forward like I hoped so can't ask for more than that

I don't think that would work for me! We are breastfeeding and my milk is starting to come in so she's cluster feeding. I thought we'd be able to co sleep it's an actual nightmare that I can't put her down, but just need to get through it I guess. She's lost quite a lot of weight so all we're doing at the moment is forgoing sleep to feed her all day basically. It's a barrel of laughs - not

@CatCaretaker we have baby in a short sleeve vest, baby grow sleep suit on-top, then in a swaddle with a cellular blanket tucked in. Our bedroom is a toasty 21 degrees the lowest it's been since we've been home is 20degrees. He seems perfectly fine in that. 6 layers would be far too much I'd of thought!

@RedRobyn2021 ah yes we went through the cluster feeding phase, unfortunately it is just something you need to ride out. Could you express any so you could potentially get a little nap in during the day and your partner do the feed? X

Well I think my milk is just coming in this evening, but I'm avoiding expressing for a few weeks because it can cause an oversupply

I think I've got quite a lot of weeks to go for cluster feeding but hoping it doesn't mean she won't let put her down.

My DD1 used to do it 6-10pm and then have a big stretch, so I was hoping she might do something similar soonish. It's just exhausting, just need to remember it does have an end point and won't go on forever

Also, anyone hating on their post partum body?? I know our bodies just did incrediable things, but I'm 16days pp and still look 5 months pregnant. I'm hating it.
My upper stomach is all soft and squishy and my lower tummy is still really protruding and hard. Still living in leggings and baggy clothes and even then I look huge.. I can't tell you how much I cannot wait to be able to wear jeans and a nice top again! Although I fear it'll be quite some time yet. I haven't wore jeans since April of this year - I miss them so much 😂 x

@RedRobyn2021 just know you're not alone ❤️ and it will get easier. Xxx

I don't care, I'm just in survival mode atm

When I had a shower I noticed how loose everything is, like even my bum feels weirdly loose. I have lots of stretch marks as well.

Everything pretty much goes back where it should be so I'm just going to ignore it until then

Thanks everyone. Our upstairs is generally quite cool (like 13 / 14 °C), though we'll have to heat it more I guess now. We'll both be sweating 🤣.

Anyway, had a fair bit of bleeding earlier and rang the hospital, who advised to come in. On the way in waters broke so I've been admitted. In ward now, and will try get some sleep. Fingers crossed!

@CatCaretaker Good luck and hope all is well!

@CatCaretaker good luck, I hope everything goes ok

@CatCaretaker good luck!! Soon to meet your baby 😍

@Lunamoon23 thenpostpartum body made me cry SO much the first time round. It really affected me. This time I’ve been told to get a belt! But haven’t done so yet.. just to help get everything down again
i hear they’re more helpful when you’ve had a C-section?

@RedRobyn2021 i feel like I’m cluster feeding all the time. Babygirl in 4 weeks today (1st Dec baby) and also extremely gassy. She’s struggling and just wants to feed and poop (not so successfully atm)

Good luck @CatCaretaker hope everything goes well!

After a few positive signs yesterday, I’ve had nothing all night and nothing this morning.

Hard not to feel disappointed but guess baby will come once he’s ready.