panicing at 36 weeks!

[Mrs P]

PANIC!
Im 36 weeks and all these little things are going through my head, like how do i know if bubba is crying coz its needs feeding or changing in the middle of the night? Does it need changing in the night?

In hospital do i need to take formula milk and bottles? do they have steralising facilities?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!

 

[Nicky_Jones]

If you are planning on breastfeeding, then you don't need bottles, sterilisers etc. I believe it is recommended even if you don't plan on BF on at least feeding them the first few days for the colostrum (sp?).

I felt exactly the same way in the last month or 2 before LO arrived. I bought this book and found it reassured me:
Baby Secrets

In reality is quite different from the book but I found reading it in advance helped me form some ideas about what I was doing and going to do and helped make me feel a little more relaxed. Does that make any sense.

Edit: Why can't I use HTML for URL links?[/url]

 

[mary70]

hi hun dont panic, honestly you will know every mum feels the same , as formular have u asked your mw or post on here and ask i am sure someone will have been at the same hospital that your using. all i can say is that mine did provide formular

 

[nicky22]

don't worry hun, i never had the months to get used to my arrival, i had four hours. you will know what to do. i was taken back by the way how i coped. believe me i wouldn't have it any other way.
each mother and baby are different, and only you know best.
it is nice to get info from other people too, to see how they done.
i breastfeed for seven and a half months, but i would take a day as it comes, and enjoy it.

all the best

love

nicky and lauren

 

[Tiny Sue]

Hey hunny

Don't panic...breathe and everything will slow down. I know how you feel. I used to wonder too.

It's a little different with breastfeeding and my daughter was a preemie, so I fed her every three hours day and night for the first month. Because she was small and couldn't latch on this meant getting up fifteen minutes before each feed and pumping milk to give to her. I found that I got into a routine after a while and as a result Naomi didn't cry for a bottle until she was about four months old!

Anyway - breastfeeding or not you'll have a routine, right? Unless you plan to feed on demand. And then it's easy. When baby cries, get up, check her nappy. If that needs changing, change it. If she doesn't stop crying then she wants a feed. If she won't take the feed, then she probably just wants to be held!

Our hospital here in Ireland had sterilising facilities and bottles. They also provided formula and teats etc.

Sue

 

[Mrs P]

Thanks ladies
Feeding by routine or feeding on demand?
I just presumed i would feed bubba when it cried, but does that mean it will rely on been picked up everytime it cries? I dont want it to get used to being picked up everytime it cries, that sounds awful but my friend s son had that and he is a very clingy boy.

Can i make it wait for feeds? like only feed bubba at say 4 hour intervals?
will it get used to sleeping through the night better if i give bubba a routine?

Sorry for all the questions

Amy

 

[Nicky_Jones]

Sorry didn't mean to put you under pressure about breastfeeding.

I personally struggle to make LO wait if she demands a feed early but I try and feed on routine but the routine has been set a bit by Ellie herself, if that makes any sense. The book I recommended advocates a routine which is what I have based our routine on but I have tailored it to what Ellie needs as well.

During the first 2 weeks your LO will be very sleepy and will sleep a lot. I used to need to wake LO for feeds. Some people don't agree with that - I got conflicting advice from the midwifes and HV on that issue. I think it is particuarly importing to wake them and feed them reguarly during those first 2 weeks especially if you are breastfeeding as it helps establish the supply otherwise when they come out of the sleepy phase they will be especially hungry and your body can't keep up. However you won't be BF so that will be less of an issue. I personally think that a routine does help them sleep through the night better. Basically they will sleep through the night if they get enough feed during the day once they are old enough (ie there stomachs are big enough to hold enough).

I hope this makes some sense.

 

[Mrs P]

Thanks Nicky
Ive ordered the book you recommended
Amy

 

[Gemma & Jake]

The hospital should provide formula if you are bottle feeding.

 

[Tiny Sue]

Well, There is conflicting advice on the whole demand thing! Naomi slept a lot so I used to have to wake her for feeds too. Mind you, I decided early on to tell Naomi what her routine was instead of the other way around...

Sue