May mummies and rainbows to be :) the wait is nearly over!

[Eryinera]

So sorry to gear about your 1yr anniversary x hope you can hold your bundle soon and be thankful of the little life you made x

 

[BettyHoop]

Happy EDD Betty! Nothing much happening here. My belly was quite hard yesterday though. Not painful. And this morning it felt like baby was a bit lower down.

I'm feeling emotional today. It would have been our one year anniversary. Instead, I'm cleaning the flat I'll be living in alone, with baby. At least I have time to do some of this before he arrives.

Hope you're OK. It must be really hard. I can't imagine how much harder this would be if my and oh hadn't made it through our rough patch. Here if you need to chat xx

 

[Eryinera]

Hahahahaha! Yep I found out! Just two fingers!!! It was completely unsuccessful and I couldn't be more closed if I tried. Now I feel awful. I'm going to go two weeks overdue, get induced only to find this baby is too big for me to birth naturally and end up with a cesarean, the exact birth I am terrified of and don't want. Sigh. Xx

Not necessarily I was completely closed and had a very unsuccessful and painful sweep one week and the next I was in labour and 3cm. It can happen really quick and without warning. With my first I went in to be induced 2 weeks overdue and they told me I was already 3cm and I had zero idea!

 

[Emily0505]

Just back from the midwife and after previously feeling so good about our feeding plan and her gaining weight Eleanor has lost weight again

I'm already doing everything I can to help my supply as well as topping her up so this is such a disappointment and my MW and the doctors have said there is nothing more that we can do except give her more formula. So she will now be a ff baby with bf top ups rather than a bf baby with ff top ups.

I'm so gutted as I really hoped I'd be able to bf but it's just not going to happen. If she hasn't gained weight again by Sunday then I think she'll be admitted to make sure there's nothing else going on. She's 2 weeks old tomorrow and still 10% down on her birth weight.

I'm just so fed up of having to keep going to the hospital all the time and just constantly stressing over her feeding. I'm mentally exhausted and I just can't cope with the constant up and down, thinking it's all going well and then being brought back down to earth with a thump when it's all gone wrong again.

I'll still put her to the breast but her nutritional needs will have to be met by formula from now on.

I've got nothing against formula feeding at all, it's just not how I had hoped to feed her.

XX

 

[Dovekie]

Don't be hard on yourself Emily! You've tried so hard, and she is still getting some breast milk. She got the important stuff in the beginning too. You should relax and enjoy the benefits of bottle feeding now - more sleep! More energy for your little one! I thought my friend exclusively breastfed, but she just told me she did a combination of both. I didn't realise she'd struggled with it. You're not alone. X

 

[kabuk1]

It's okay, Emily. I understand it's hard when you have a plan and it has to change, but any bf is good. My best friend had to ff her twins with bf top ups. One was so small that she had to be put on special formula and the other wouldn't latch. Then she wasn't producing enough for both. But all in all she managed 3 months of bf as a top up. Hope you get more positive news when she's weighed again.

 

[Emily0505]

I'm not beating myself up as I know it's not my fault and I've really tried hard and done everything my MW has suggested. I just don't produce much breast milk.

I'll still put her to my breast for as long as she'll take it but I know the bulk of what she needs she'll get from formula.

It's just really disappointing.

Really hoping and praying she had gained weight by Sunday and that there's nothing wrong with her.

XX

 

[BettyHoop]

You're doing the best that you can so I'd be proud of that Emily. What are the statistics for gaining back birth weight as I thought it took a couple of weeks anyway? Not only is she still getting breast milk but also she has a wonderful mummy who is so driven to do the best by her xx

 

[Dovekie]

The new Pampers advert! :')

 

[Eryinera]

I know dovekie the other day the premie baby ad was on followed by the dog rescue ad I was in floods of tears afterwards!

 

[Dovekie]

I've cried twice today at the teeny baby one. But I've cried about 10 times today anyway! Hope this is a sign!

 

[snowbee]

I can't watch the pampers advert.

Emily sorry you are finding it so hard, I hope by Sunday she has put some weight back on and doesn't have to be admitted.

I'm thinking about trying my electric pump, if I do want to express enough for my husband to do a feed before bed how much milk would I need? I have no idea how much he drinks as I just keep putting him on a breast until he says he has had enough.

Dovekie and betty how are you both today?

 

[BettyHoop]

Feeling quite fed up today, but that's almost becoming a normal feeling! Going to try and keep busy and keep my mind off things, if only I could get around a bit easier or use my hands, everything is ridiculously swollen! I have a stud in my top lip and oh had to cut it out for me because it was growing into my lip due to swelling! It'll all be worth it though I know! Hope everyone else is doing OK xx

 

[Dovekie]

It's weird being past your due date isn't it? Like being in limbo - no date to look forward to. I almost feel like ive missed the opportunity to have a baby!

I'm having a hard time deciding between induction and c section, if the choice arises.

Nothing happening here btw. Baby is kicking, blissfully unaware that we're all waiting for him.

 

[Eryinera]

I found this snowbee

If the first month of exclusive breastfeeding is going well, your milk production dramatically increases from about one ounce (30 mL) on Day 1 to a peak of about 30 ounces (900 mL) per baby around Day 40.1 Draining your breasts well and often naturally boosts your milk during these early weeks. But at first, while your milk production is ramping up, expect to pump less milk than you will later. If you pumped more milk for a previous child, you may be thinking back to a time when your milk production was already at its peak rather than during the early weeks while it was still building.

 

[Eryinera]

I think I need to start draining more often to build up stores for when I go back to work

 

[BettyHoop]

It's weird being past your due date isn't it? Like being in limbo - no date to look forward to. I almost feel like ive missed the opportunity to have a baby!

I'm having a hard time deciding between induction and c section, if the choice arises.

Nothing happening here btw. Baby is kicking, blissfully unaware that we're all waiting for him.

Totally in limbo, although we do have a definite date to look forward to now because we'll be induced by 42 weeks so we know at least it won't go past that date. I totally feel like I missed out on having my baby especially as all the other may mummies had theirs what seems like ages ago! Xx

 

[Eryinera]

I hope time speeds up for you soon it really drags on your side of parenthood but it's so fast on this side!

 

[gesic]

I have tried to respond a couple of times to this thread and failed due to a small but very clingy person who occupies one or both hands 90% of the time.
I too had the mindset of B feeding and thought possibly naively it would be the easiest and most natural thing in the world to do. I was wrong, perhaps having a section meant we did not get the best of starts as milk took 3-4 days to come in, to being chastised by the midwives whilst in hospital for trying both methods (but when I had no milk I needed to feed her something!!). To coming home and having her constantly looking for food and never appearing satisfied and consequently not having sufficient rest periods between feeds (I was averaging 1-2 hours sleep every 24 hours). Feeling awkward and causing her more stress trying to get her to latch on when she was already worked up.....I then decided to move onto formula. I found it upsetting However despite now being reassured as to exactly how much she is getting I am now getting a whole new set of problems, she gets trapped wind, I am almost battering her after every feed to try and shift it but I cant seem to get it to come up. She is still hungry and will take 4 oz but over the 2 hour period then will sleep.....eventually (the other issue) for an hour prior to wanting more. Her nappy changes are frequent for urine, not so for faeces which I have been told is normal but still a concern given the amount going in.
the sleep situation...... she will not sleep in her crib/basket, I will sit for ages till I am sure she is in a deep sleep then I attempt to transfer her, she will then come to within 5-6 mins and the whole feeding/settling cycle repeats. I have taken to sleeping on the reclining sofa downstairs and have latterly started to drop off for a few hours with her on me which I find very worrying as I know what could happen but I am exhausted and really not sure what else I can do.
I wonder about colic drops if that may help. Have tried to get out of house the past 3 days just to get some air and hopefully supermarket shopping....but we have failed. Oh and she is still jaundiced so the visiting midwife today has said we need to go back to the hospital for more tests etc, but not till Tuesday.
Sorry to appear to be on such a downer I am honestly chuffed to bits with her but wondered if any of you had any more tips of words of wisdom as I am feeling at a loss.
I am also mourning the loss of my bump!! After all the morning sickness and discomfort, strange but I am quite envious of pregnant people now.

 

[Dovekie]

Hi gesic, I can't really offer any advice at the moment as I'm still pregnant. About missing your bump though - is it a thing? I've been wondering as I feel like I'll be upset when my baby isn't in there anymore.