TTC grads - the one where the old temp buddies come home to roost!!!!

[rainbowdays]

The old thread was getting impossibly slow on my computer, so decided that it was time to create a new one with hopefully Rah and Ready joining us, and with a whole new due date list.....

so MrsM, Momwi - come and start the list and hopefully Rah and Ready will come here now too!!!!!

I am so excited that the temp buddies are back together again, can you tell?!?!?!?

honey - just looked at your pic of DS (I am assuming that is little Dex!) hadn't seen it before - he is sooo gorgeous - what fab hair!

Hi Greedy,

Im sorry to hear of your sister. However please hang in there.....there are tough little cookies out there who are born healthy and strong regardless of these initial signs and we are all hoping this is one of them. I have to admit i didnt have bleeding but i too in the early stages had hurrendous period cramps. I remember being on the phone to the doc and she said "well, not a lot you can do, get some rest and prepare yourself for a miscarriage". I dropped the phone and sobbed for hours....how heartless. I of course had the gut wrenching feeling that it was only a matter of time but to hear it was awful. However i ploughed on and as you know, DD is here. I wish your sister the best of luck for her scan, keep strong and be positive (hard i know).

Seaside - its strange, i am the same as you. Not being graphic but in the early 3 weeks, it was pooring out of me! I was soaking breast pads and t shirts! However it just suddenly dropped and has never come back up again. I am def going to speak to the herbalist about it. My HV keeps pushing me to go to the local breastfeeding group. No offence to anyone here but i seriously couldnt imagine speaking about or showing my boobs to complete strangers! It was bad enough with midwives! Im waaaaay too private for that!

Well DD is having a weird evening! I gave her her bottle (formula) at 2.30pm. She screams that shes still hungry but im out with her so tough, she went back in her car seat and went to sleep! In theory next would be 6.30pm. 5.30pm shes screaming the house down for food. DP makes the bottle, she gets the boob whilst waiting, she gulps down her bottle and still screams for more! She empties me and still screams desperate for more! Not knowing what to do, we made another bottle and she drank a further 3 fl ozs. Thats 7 in total! Not sure if you're meant to do that

babylove - she could be having a growth spurt - don't worry. Cassius had sudden extra hunger at 6 weeks and 10 weeks. I was also the same about being a bit shy - but I have friends who loved their BF groups. Does your local surestart have a BF counsellor? Mine was lovely and came out to see me at home.

Happy new year all.!

Cant' write much as computer is going unbeleivabley slow so can't see what I'm typing until about 30 secs later! You'll now all be able to see what a crap tou8ch typist I really am!

Wonderful news about all the latest bfps - so thrilled for you all, especially REady - your due dates sound exactly like mine wiht Isla - EDD said 15th, 12wek scan said 13th and 20 wk scan said 11th (i think) and she came on the 9th.

Babylove, sory to hear you have been haiving a hard time twith tthe BFing and expressing, but please stop beating yourself up - sounds like you have really persevered.

Greedy - so sorry to hear that things might not be going well with your sis. REally hope things turn out alright. Also, you know you said that Marcy had a really bad cold a while back and wasn't sleeping and kept banging her head about? Isla has just got over an ear infection, and at night she was just thrashing around in bed (with me, the only whay we would get any sleep) and really whacking her head about - so maybe it was that? Anyway, just thought I'd msention it as it rang such a bell.

Ok, better go as this computer is really doing my swde in , plus there is 15 mins of Celebrity Big Bro left to watch !

Seaside - im putting it down to a growth spurt too. She was weighed at 7lbs 8oz last week and wont be weighed again until next wed and i have a feeling she'll be a little more - shes getting heavy!! Well compared to what im used to! Do you think it was ok to give extra formula? I've posted twice on the BF threads on here about formula etc and on both threads people have been quite rude to me for no bloody reason so i've given up on there!

Bodkin - hehe, im glad im not the only one who has a slow computer tonight! Thanks for your kind comments re the BF. Its nice to know im not the only one who feels like this about it all. and dont get into celebrity big bro!!!

Yes, I'm afradi I've seen things get a bit heated on the BF/bottle boards before... I'm sorry that you've not received any constructive hlep on there.

BTW Greedy - I forgot to wish Kiki a happy 4th birthday - I am surprised to find that she is only a year yougner than Nelly! I still think of her as a toddler, but of course that position is now being filled by Marcy Blimey, hasn't time flown.

greedy - sorry to hear about your sister , I hope that it is not as it looks and that tomorrow brings good news instead.

babylove- Have you seen a breastfeeding counsellor? If not then I would recommend it. I had huge trouble with my ds1, and it helped me. There are lots of things that perhaps might help to know. Firstly, babies are able to get much more milk from you than any machine can do. I was useless at getting anything expressing ever but babies got out plenty. Currently if I try to express I get zilch, but my ds2 is clearly getting plenty, and when he pulls off during a feed, milk flows out of his mouth !!! so clearly he is doing much better than my pumping. When I was at work and expressing with dd, I found that I only got anything by being in very relaxed state, thinking of things other than expressing!! If I thought about the expressing, or kept checking how it was going, I got less than the times when I watched tv or read a book! It does sound like your dd is going through a growth spurt, so now would be a good time to latch her on loads and get your supply increasing. She will get milk from you even if you think you are empty - breasts never truely empty, they just feel that way. Babies if they are able to get milk from you will get milk from you if they try.

From my experience: I have to say that the limited mixed feeding I did with ds was the worst thing I could have started,it was such hard work to get back to just breastfeeding, especially as he had a tongue-tie and by the time I did I was pregnant again, and it all stopped for me when he was 7 months old. With my dd she was a natural breastfeeder and so easy, I breastfed her til she was a year old. With ds2, I already landed in hospital with mastitus with him, he is not a natural feeder and it was hard for the first 7 weeks, but gradually got easier and now, he is a real pro, and for me it is so easy again. It does get easier.

I have not read the bf boards that were so horrible, but if you do want to continue then there is help available, but if you have had enough then don't feel bad about changing to bottles if that is right for you. You have done well to get as far as you have, and you have to decide what it best for you and your daughter, no one can make that decision for you, and whatever decision you make it will be the right one.

my lovely sis had her scan today and they saw a heartbeat! i am so surprised and so happy for her. hopefully she can relax a bit now and enjoy not having any symptoms, although i know she would love some for reassurance.

hi bodders nice to have you back. and a happy birthday to nelly too! i dont think kiki was ever a toddler!! she measured in at 119cm on her 4th birthday! you could be right about marcy having an ear infection cos she doesnt normally do that when she has a cold it was just that time..........and she gets enough bloody colds!

babylove - dont let BF stress you out. although it is obviously best for baby, a happy chilled out mother is also best for baby!!

gotta go get my big boy from school!

t'ra!!

also babylove - come here and talk to all the bf pros we have on here instead of going on the bf threads!

greedy - yippy yay! So so pleased for your sister. That is great news. phew, what a relief.

Great news Greedy. Hope your sis can relax a bit now, but easier said than done I know.

Great post BTW Rainbow - you're right about babies being more efficient than a pump. It is really early days Babylove, so if you want to continue wiht the BF, it is not too late, you will just have to resign yourself to spending a lot of time feeding her over the next little while until your supply is up again and she is through this growth spurt. Breastfeeding is quite different to bottle feeding in that you just can't do the whole, "I've fed her and that's that for the next four hours" It's a much more as-and-when process, with the baby stimulating your milk production by feeding more often. With a bottle, when they need more milk, you just add another scoop... with BF you have to feed more frequently for a couple of days to boost your supply.

HTH - I hope you don't think we are being too pro BF here - it's just that it seems like you really want it to work out, so if we can be of any help, just ask

Hi everyone else. My life has suddenly got soooooooo much easier now that Nelly is at school for full days instead of just til 12pm. That was a bit of a juggling act for a while there trying to fit everything in. Now I've got all this spare time while Isla is asleep, no doubt you'll see me hanging around here a bit more!

hi ladies

so so sorry not bee around over xmas, hope you all had a lovely time!

READY CONGRATULATIONS!!!! SO SO PLEASED AND EXCITED FOR YOU - ABOUT BLOODY TIME!!! YEY!!

greedy - so happy for your sister too, sorry to hear about the bleeding but glad she has seen a hb and there is some reassurance there!!

sorry this is only brief folks i really hope to catch up with you all very soon. so much going on here its unreal and now oscar is on the move he has become such a handful especially with the tantrums he is throwing at the moment - he is only 11 months!!

take care xxx

not fair bodders! i have lost my 'me time' during the day when marcy sleeps cos kiki has started doing mornings at nursery and finishes at 11.30. so we get home and then marcy sleeps. which is great for me spending time with her, but not great for me spending time on MN!!!
still get to come on when i should be working though, like at the moment!!!

we are having a big party for kiki on saturday and i am getting a bit stressed about the whole thing!!! its a joint party and the other mum is so chilled out and relaxed about the whole thing that i am getting stressed enough for both of us!

cant stop grinning about my sister....daft i know, but i cant wait to be an auntie!!! must be amazing!!!

sorry.......that was such a 'greedy' post.....................how is everyone else? especially all the mums with babies in their tums?

evening all

greedy- great news about your sis Hope everything goes smoothly from now on. DS1 is also having a joint party on saturday- i have taken over the laid back role- the other mum has booked it all- done the invites- got the cake etc... what is your party then? Have you hired somewhere?

iam- lovely to hear from you- hope your life not too hectic and you get to post a bit more- we want to hear what's been happening.

Babylove- hope the BF is getting better- agree with bodders you just gotta stick at it really- i remember just feeding mine non stop in the evenings. I just sat on sofa watching tv with baby stuck to my boob for hours...

anyway my three are now probably doing something they shouldnt be doing.. so better go...

Aunty Greedy has a good ring to it, really pleased that all is well so far!

Question.... from naive first timer ... did everyone have the 'triple test'? I have declined to have it, because no matter the result I wouldn't have an amnio/termination... so I didn't see the point in having the test. Am I mad?

14+1 here... nervous as a kitten... when will I start to 'show'?

xxx

Right sleeves rolled up to try and catch up ?

Rainbowdays ? hello you! From your experience it does seem as if girls may be better feeders than boys. I am really hopeful that I?ll be able to feed B2 for longer than DS. He self weaned at about 6 ½ months and it still annoys me having to use formula, I?d like to carry on with B2 until she can have cow?s milk but who knows what the reality will be especially with DS being so young too.

Here?s my stats for the BFP list:

MrsMc 30 May (wrong, wrong, wrong more like 6 June) (girl)

Minxi ? wow! Only 8 weeks to go, where has the time gone? Are you getting very excited about meeting your new baby now? Bet you are!! that?s an incredible lack of weight gain! I put on just under 2st with DS and so far (20 weeks now) I?ve lost 9 pounds, mind you, it?s not rocket science here, I have been so sick this time round!

Rah and Ready ? I can?t wait to speak to you two properly! So excited for you!!

Ready ? I am very sceptical of due dates after DS. I was quite happy when they put my dd 3 days ahead of what I thought but it was a bit of a worry at the other end when they talked about induction! DS was 9 days late and perfectly cooked This time they have given me a dd a whole week ahead of what my software said (no AF so I went on ovulation alone) so I am concerned about that but the Dr won?t change it, he says femur length doesn?t lie! Where I was in Scotland they didn?t offer the triple test only the double and when I read up on it I felt that it was too vague for me and would just leave me worrying so I declined it. I did pay for a private nuchal scan though and associated bloods. This time round I have just had a nuchal scan and as it looked fine I didn?t bother with the blood tests. It?s hard to say when you?ll show, everyone is different but with DS I think I started to look pg around 18 weeks and this time it was about 15 weeks! Its fun having these questions from you, keep them coming

Greedy ? LOL at your inquisition of Ready, quite right!! Fabulous news about your sis!! hope Kiki had a lovely birthday and that she has a fun party. Well done Marcy for walking!

Lastbox ? hope your scan went well hon congrats again!! Glad you are feeling quite well I wore padded bras for a bit as my boobs were so sore last time, bit of a joke as I was massive and really didn?t need padding from an aesthetic perspective! I didn?t feel much of a change in my boobs this time, I guess it?s because they?d only just stopped making milk when I got pg again.

Hey Honeyapple Dex sounds fab! I bet having the older ones around does help at meal times. I give Xavier his own spoon but boy what a mess! Can?t believe your DS1 is 10 years old now!!

Seaside ? Xavier sounds like Cassius with his food, good days and bad and no rhyme or reason. Can get frustrating can?t it?! I know AK advises against it but when he?s being fussy I keep getting new bits of things out until I?m satisfied he?s eaten enough. I weighed him yesterday; he?s just over 23 pounds and is tall. How does that compare? We don?t have a HV here so I?ve had no medical advice since May! I can?t believe our babies are almost a year old. I feel like I am constantly looking back to this time last year and it is kind of odd to be pg again. I have my 20 week scan next week on what should have been Xavier?s due date, weird! Lovely news for Duchesse!

Hey Fettle bet Toby is a star at 15 months! My friend has a son the same age and I watch with interest as that is the age (more or less) that Xavier will be when B2 comes along. LOL at him helping himself to the beers! Were you away in France for Christmas and New Year?

Hey Chooster I remember Theo eating all sorts of things when you came round to my house Xavier hates pasta and rice but likes bread so that?s something I guess! Getting excited about Xavier?s birthday now, we are just having a small gathering but it should be fun and I am going to allow myself a glass of Moet! We gave him his pressie, a ball pit, early and he loves it! I feel that as soon as I think of a toy he may like, the best time for him to enjoy it has already passed hence giving him the pit a few weeks early!

Babylove ? sorry to hear that you are not well but glad that DD is. Sorry to hear that feeding has been tricky but it sounds like what you are doing now is working for you so that?s great I had a serious reduction in milk when we moved here, I guess it was the stress but I took B6 tablets and expressed whilst feeding as well as drinking lots of milk myself for calcium and it did improve my supply. Remember that any amount you give DD is doing her a lot of good even if it looks small to you, just remember how small her tummy is. I think I was thinking about being pg again with B2 when I was still pg with Xavier! You don?t show your boobs at breastfeeding groups you know hon!! I found mine incredibly useful as people give you tips to keep you sane and sometimes it?s just nice having people to empathise with you! I also felt very relaxed there and didn?t mind feeding if Xavier needed to. Sounds like your DD is having a growth spurt with all that milk! I think you should be fine to give her more formula if she is hungry just note the amounts if more than the daily average and tell your HV.

Lottie ? BFP vibes to you from me too if you are lurking!

Hello Bodders I know my sis feels the same as you now that my eldest nephew is at school all day.

Iamamummy ? looking forward to hearing more from you when you get a chance!

Ready - I have had the test every time - i would never abort either, just to know if i would have extra issues to deal with after birth, y'know? Preparing, i guess. First pg, i started to show at about 16 weeks. Others were about ten

Hi to everyone else We are doing great; Mimi is nearly 9 months now, and we have been ttc again for a few months, but im still BF, so who knows ?

Hey all - sorry not got time to catch up properly - not quite sure why life is suddenly so hectic - DD has been full-time school since September and I still don't seem to have hours to kill each day - always busy!

Anyway....

Greedy - great news bout your sis!! Aunty Greedy!!!

Ready - I declined all tests for exactly the same reason as you. You are not mad - my thoughts were why worry about it all - if it turns out wrong after birth I would deal with it then, but I wanted to enjoy being pg and not risk anything!

Babylove - have to echo the others - BF is hard, but worth the extra effort. If you want to carry on, do so, but also if you are finding it hard then don't feel guilty about switching to formula - you have to do what is best for you at the end of day and not listen to anyone else

Right - sorry really have to go now! Hoping I'll have more time next week during the day to catch up properly!

love to all
xxx

hiya honey - wish i could be the chilled one! normally everyone tells me i am, but when there is a party to organise and the other mum isnt doing anything, then i am DEFINATELY the stresssy one!!! we have hired an entertainer in a hall. he does magic, puppet show and disco with snow machine and bubbles...............costing a fortune, but who cares!!! (my dh actually, but he doesnt really know!!) what have you got planned? what do 10 yr old boys like? i have so much to learn!!

ready - i didnt have the triple test 2nd or 3rd time for the same reason as you. i think first time i wanted it cos i didnt really understand what it meant to have a baby. but once i had my ds, i knew i could never ever get rid of any other child of mine......................actually now i have written that i realise maybe thats not true. i was only really thinking about downs syndrome at the time and not edwards or pataus (dont know how to spell it) or more serious abnormalities. but anyway, i made the same deciscion as you at the time ( both times). dont actually think i have helped at all there. but i can understand why you dont want it and can also understand why people have it. just thought again (my brain is all mixed up after too much wine tonight!) and remembered another good reason why i DIDN'T have it.................the risk results you get arent 100% accurate (i used to work in a lab in the hospital doing the triple test and i know we werent always that accurate) and they consider high rsik as greater than 1 in 250 and would then recommend an amnio where the risk of mc is 1 in 100 which never made sense to me. OMG what a load of waffle........hope i havent offended anyone.

mrs - you are going to be one of those mums who copes perfectly with having 2 close together! in fact i reckon your aim of 4 could well become a reality! its a shock at first, but as they get bigger its lovely.

my 3 have all been such gorgeous angels today! kiki is just amazing at the moment, a real friend to me, its lovely cos i miss ellis who is back at school fulltime. he has been lovely this afternoon too though. 'star of the week' this week at school which made me so proud! and little old marcy has been super cute all day too!! she keeps trying to give me butterfly kisses and eskimo kisses (not great when she has a snotty nose!) all the time. i just wanted to squeeze and squeeze her today!! anyway, all in all a wonderful day!!!

is my wine consumption showing?!!

best go to bed!

night night!

i think what i wrote about the triple test sounded all wrong. basically i was trying to say i would always want to do what was best for the baby. saying i would never terminate might not be true cos it depends on circmstances. one of my friends was pg with a baby with pataus and was told he would only live for a few hours after birth, so in that sort of situation things might seem different. i was really trying to NOT offend anyone with my answer (do i worry about things too much do you think!?). i was thinking of you really chooster cos i know you lost a baby at about 20 wks but i dont quite what happened.

anyway..............enough waffling......

Ready - I refused the triple test due to not needing the stress of numbers that mean not alot, and not being willing to go for amnio or anything, would keep the baby no matter what. But I also did insist (not automatic here) on an anomoly scan to check for problems, so that I could be prepared if necessary. Cleftlip and palet runs in my family so specifically wanted to check for that, just so that I could be prepared for needs and not have it as a shock at birth. As it happens we have been blessed with three healthy children. As for showing, with my first pregnancy I felt huge even at an early stage, and was convinced I was showing at 20 weeks, but noone else seemed to notice! But by the time I got to 32 weeks it was very obvious and I got fed up with the comments of you must be due anyday now when I had weeks to go!!!! LOL. So I guess somewhere between 20 and 32 weeks I started to show!

MrsMc - great to hear from you, how are you feeling?

Fettle - I can definitely empathise with the no time thing since my ds started school. It feels like I am starting as a taxi service to my children already!!!

Greedy - I love it when you come chat after a couple of drinks, great to hear from you.

babylove - how are you doing? is the growth spurt beginning to settle?

Well got to go check on the two older ones here, they seem to have gone very quiet

Hey Scorpio will that be baby 4 that you are trying for? sorry hon pregnancy brain! Mimi is 9 months old! Wow!

Hello Fettle ? I never have any time and I only have one to look after at the moment

Greedy ? the entertainer sounds fab, looking forward to hearing how it went today! Thanks for the vote of confidence as a Mum I can?t believe how much I love it, I spend hours just playing with and watching Xavier and marvelling at all he does and discovers, I am so blessed we took him to the zoo for the first time today and had such a lovely family day

Rainbowdays ? feeling much better thanks walked miles today in the fresh air around the zoo and along the sea front and only feel slightly stiff as a result

Any advice on any of the following gratefully received:

? Double buggies ? which one? So sad to get rid of my bugaboo.
? Nappy bins ? defo need one over here but which one?
? Nursery stickers ? inspire me! DS has the Jungle ones and they are fab

Thanks ladies

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions, i appreciate your help without being judgemental - i think some ppl dont get the fact that that sometimes it just doesnt happen for us all!!!

We went to visit some rellies today and she was a star - slept the 1.5hr journey there, then we went out for a meal. She woke up as they took our order but i went and changed her, gave her her bottle, she had a 5 min grizzle then happily sat on our knee. Then slept all the way home! Bless her - can cope with that!!!

Rainbow - thanks for the advice I was anti formula feeding, i always said i'd bf DD until she was 6 months and weaning and have been beating myself up about the fact that i didnt even manage 5 weeks. However now i am bottle feeding, in a sense i feel a sense of relief. She is so much happier because shes not so hungry and i can see now how distressed she really was and i couldnt make her go through that again. Then on the other hand i think about how i could be doing better for her and feel down. I think a lot of it is hormones too as i have started bleeding recently so i think my body is adjusting to pre-pregnancy! I got a little frustrated tonight as she was hungry so DP went to make her bottle and i got the boob out but she wouldnt try hard enough and just threw a wobbly! I peservered and got nowhere. I squeezed to make sure there was milk there and there is so i think i am going to express during the day no matter how small it is to keep it going otherwise i might dry up!!

Bodkin - thanks for the help I am still trying with it in between feeds and sometimes it is successful, sometimes she just cant be assed to do the work to get it out and has a paddy! Shes lazy like her daddy! I have resigned myself to the fact that dare i say it, in our case - formula is best. I've spoken to many ppl about it including our HV who is very much a pro breastfeeder and she agrees that i cant keep up with her and probably never would - not even a jersey cow could! Shes on 5fl ozs which is meant to be 5 times a day. She has this every 3.5hrs plus me on top!

Iam - i hope you can keep up with him!

Greedy - hope Kiki had a great party!

honey - hope DS had a good party too! Today was party day obv!

Ready - im 22 and had the triple test. I always knew i wouldnt terminate my pregnancy anyway and although due to my age i'd be low risk i took every test i could. In my eyes personally, i wanted to be prepared for anything that may happen and getting a good result actually lifted a weight off me. Pregnancy is filled with nothing but worry. You think to yourself "if i get to 12 weeks, i'll be a little less worried". You do, until then you're waiting to feel your first kick. Then you get it and feel less worried until you have a period where you dont get a kick....(i had this at 17 weeks and rushed myself off to hosp after 4 hrs and was checked - they looked at me like i was a loony!), then you have your 20 week scan.....then you think "if i get to 24 weeks, the rate of survival goes up", then you get to 28 and think "its now 50/50 if you were born now", then you panic about labour! Hehe i know im not painting a wonderful picture but pregnancy was the most stressful time for me! It was the best thing i could ever have done though! Hey, if im thinking about number 2 and my first is only 6 weeks old....... Oh and im a big girl and was showing at 17 weeks. I took a pic every mon night and DP would measure the bump. I kept a scrapbook and looking back at it even now i think "holy cow i was huge!" Its so strange looking back at this teeeeny tiny bump at 17 weeks and this space hopper at 40 weeks!

Mrsmc - glad everything is going well with you. Thanks for your advice too on the BF. You'll have read from above whats going on. Its not the way i planned but i try not to think about it too much.

Fettle -thanks for the support

Rainbow - how are you? Nope, growth spurt still going! I had her weighed on Thurs, 8 days since her last weigh in and she has put on 14 ozs little porker! Guess the bottles are working!!!! Shes also grown 4cm in 3 weeks in length and 1.5cm in head circum....

Eeek!

Best go, gotta try and get her down to sleep. She was wonderful last night - 5 hrs followed by 4.5 - NICE!