Exactly what I was thinking meow! Look how many babies there were last year, why is 2014 such a lean year?
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Exactly what I was thinking meow! Look how many babies there were last year, why is 2014 such a lean year?
Thank you, wonderful ladies and especially to Ozstar for my BA!!
All good here, though she's a bit on the small side and my boobs are a bit on the bigger side and I'm getting a little crunched...
I'll knock up a birth story eventually, but long story short is that we had time for the second midwife to get here and she was quite awesome. I never got to meet her in the end before the birth and she had a way of saying exactly what I needed to hear at the right time :) I was in and out of the water to speed up contractions, but was happy to slow things down when they backed off a bit, and when she came it was so quick that my perineum preparations have been a little unnecessary! Better to have them and not need them, though...
Anyhow, it does get quiet before the next one, here, doesn't it? Plenty of build up time ;)
Can't wait to read your birth stpry SJ x
Eeekkk 2nd from the top, that seems crazy lol.
I have a question what sort of things do I need to get together for post birth? I know there has been talk about arnica but what else and how do I make up these things?
Ozstar I buy some postnatal herbs from blissful herbs in Melbourne. Then just make them up like a tea and put it on pads of in a squeeze bottle to use when you use the toilet.
Awesome thanks Bella. I have ordered some herbs from her for a herbal bath for bub and I so I will also do what you suggested :)
Clary sage essential oil to encourage the late contractions, as well as to help the uterus contract when helping the placenta come out! And geranium oil, if nothing else.
Last time I used arnica pillules, which turn out to be homoepathic, so I'm not sure about their efficacy. Panadeine is my 'herbal' tincture of choice this time! After pains are killing me!
I think I might have to look up a lactation consultant, too - she's having trouble grabbing my whole nipple and I have a ridge :/ I'm never going to have smooth breastfeeding starts, am I?? I'm not going back for another to find out!
Oh SJ I'm sorry you are having a rough start to breast feeding :(
Oh the after pains, I was going to ask if anyone had a natural solution to those. Boy oh boy did I hit the Panadol after DS and dd3! It's hard to get my head around that I've never needed drugs to get through birth but those after pains rip me in two. Hugs and hot packs for you SJ
Where's the fun in smooth starts, hey SJ ;) I feel your pain though, lovely. I do hope that it is very short lived though and you can get in your breastfeeding groove :hug: Cant wait to read all about it xx
Congrats, SJ and enjoy your babymoon! Hope bfing improves soon.
Looking forward to reading the longer version of your birth story when you get around to it.
I hope the BFing settles down soon and I think a LC is a great idea. I had a hell time establishing BFing with my first two and I'm preparing for the same again. It really sucks but at least you know you've worked through it before and you can do it again xx
SJ my 2nd LO didn't latch properly to start with either. She basically just held onto the nipple with her lips. In fact I don't think she sucked for the first ten months, she literally just held on and gulped because I had such a massive let down. My Mw saw me and just laughed at how she latched. Told me not to show new mothers ;) Are you in pain from the way she is feeding?
The pain is lessening, except on the ridges that are a little blistered, so I expect that will settle soon. My milk is coming in today and she started gulping, so I hope she can relax her grip and her jaw so that it widens up a little. The mw and I think it might be that not only was she small for dates, but not really 39 weeks, either, which could explain the latch issue. She had a thick coating of vernix all over her, to support our theory, as well as just not opening her mouth wide enough. She'll catch up and we're not too worried about it anymore. It's NOTHING on the damage DS gave me, with nipple vasospasm chucked in for good measure!
Tegam, you are so right - I'm swearing like a trooper and popping the Panadeine for these after pains! I'm taking raspberry leaf tea again and DP is out at the health food shop sourcing some tissue salts recommended by another mw colleague of my mw's. I'm going to massage in my postnatal oil blend, some of my magnesium oil blend AND whatever DP brings home to see if I can get off the tablets. I'd very much like to do a number two at this stage and the panadeine is not helping my case much!
My mw and I were discussing baby blues and that I didn't get them with DD1 and doesn't look like they're looming for this one - we seem to think, anecdotally, that HB circumvents the baby blues - what do you ladies think? I definitely got them with DS, who was a perfect birth centre birth. Staff check ups, hospy furniture, visiting hours etc...all stuff I didn't have to deal with for the last two.
Anyway, it would be interesting to read from you who have had both or only homebirths :)
I didn't get baby blues at all this time. I think I did slightly with DS (homebirth). I certainly did with DD, but was dealing with a traumatic birth.
MASSIVE congratulations SJ!!! what lovely news! What a pain in the bum (or nipple to be exact!) about the BF issues. I wonder if the very quick entry has something to do with it? I know that my DD2 was a shocker with attachment and in the end an osteo really helped. my second stage with her was roughly 6 minutes and she came out well and awesome but a bit scrunched.
Oz: are you thinking of popping placenta pills? If so, then i guess find someone (if you havent already!) now :) I also picked up a pack of over the counter voltaren for the afterpains. It worked a treat. I also swear by my calendula tincture for any swelling grazing etc that might happen in the perineum area etc. You can get those from your local health shop or naturopath. if you are up for it, also ask a naturopath about a postnatal pack. I was always a bit worried about developing PND as i had it really bad after DD1 (birth trauma in hossy unfortunately), so she got me together a whizz bang pack of disgusting tasting herbs to take after bubs was born. it was fantastic and i HIGHLY recommend doing it as the burst of energy that those things gave was fabulous.
SJ: no PND for either of my HB babies! BUT, the high that i got from DD2 (which lasted almost 2 years lol) didnt happen this last time. i had a really rough start though with hospital admission 5 weeks PP due to a PPH and my energy was just shot to pieces. but even so, and even with a kid that had some neurological issues and all the stress related, i managed to avoid the PND bullet. which i am thankful for as it is truly the toughest gig to get through. even the memory of it all these years later still can stop me in my tracks and gives me cold chills. it is just so awful.
You guys are right! where are all the March and April babies to fill our calendar?! quiet year...maybe Abbott becoming minister for women and PM turned us all off :ROFL:
Hmmmm... Kind of avoided the blues after DD1's planned c/s, but only because I was so unwell with the spinal fluid leak that having that fixed made me feel much better day three. Hardly a great start! After DD2's HB I was just so ecstatic there was no chance of any low. For DD3 I wasn't great day three, but that's because I got dehydrated and DP had a meltdown that I was dealing with. No post-birth high because of the shock of her arrival too.
Nothing hormonal with any of them that I could tell.
Love your question SJ about the baby blues. I'm wondering can I throw in the mix how/ if the baby blues effected anyone who ended up transferring too?
Terrible day 5 blues with dd1. I was an emotional wreak, but totally agree with was the hospital noise that made me a tired mess, my milk didnt come in until i was home either. Nothing with the other three (either discharged from hospital within 2hrs of birth or Homebirth).
I had the baby blues bad on day 3 with DS1 (em c/s) and nothing with DS2 (homebirth)
I've been slack in the catching up, but a huge Congratulations, SJ.
I had baby blues with both babies, the birth centre and the home birth. I found the early newborn and hellish breastfeeding issues pretty much just as bad both times.
Third time lucky meow?
That's the plan! My health and nutrition is at a whole new place now so I'm hoping this will be the time I get through it better. Doing placenta encapsulation too :)
also there is not the big threat of a massive move OS this time :) I was totally in awe of you guys packing up and making such a monumental life changing move with a small boy and a newborn! this time you guys are more settled and have your routines and are just in a cool place with the boys IYKWIM. All I can say is: have that baby and move to the couch and dont move for weeks hahahahaha. that's what i did this time and it was lovely to just focus on bubs for awhile and not have the stress of anything else around me.
I did that completely for about 3 weeks last time but this time I'm thinking 8 weeks might be good ;)
there are some great articles on nourishing the mother about. i wish that i had of read some before i rested PP with DD3.
I always have such great plans to rest PP but I always feel so blooming better when I'm suddenly not pregnant anymore that I find it impossible to rest! DH and I did a full Coles shop on the way home from hospital with our first, I went to playgroup with DD2 when she was 20hrs old, I striped and made my own bed straight after DS was born and ducked to the shops the next day to buy him some blue cloths and did school pickup when DD3 was 15hrs old. Crazy thinking of it now but honestly I'm euphoric once I get the kid out. I think I just find the last few weeks of pregnancy very hard. So I'm changing my game plan, I'm going to use up all my help and support in the few weeks before birth, stop trying to be a hero wonder women in the latter stages of this pregnancy :) it's a plan...
Sounds wonderful!! I felt like so tired I could barely move and then I felt like my insides were going to fall out whenever I was upright. I went to the shops for a very quick trip about a week PP after the second baby- just needed some new PJs from Sussan and being upright for that long almost killed me!
Internet connection has been a shocker this week, so sorry for my absence and no birth story yet!
Great responses to my question :)
My milk has come in and it's a bit of struggle street at the moment - I've expressed and that has made a teeny difference to comfort levels and I think I'd rather stay home until it settles a bit! Part of this babymoon is to stay put. I also think I bruised my coccyx and it's making most positions difficult to maintain and walking doesn't help. Aside from the painful tug in my groin. The afterpains are gonesies, thank goodness! I think they were masking the coccyx situation, though. I'm using comfrey paste on that area in desperation. So, I'm glad I planned to stay at home for at least two weeks (with a possible exception of catching up with my surf sisters on Friday, if I am up for it), cos this is where I want to be! That and the car is nowhere clean enough to put a baby seat into...
Maternal nurse is coming tomorrow.
I'll start working on the birth story when it's more comfortable to sit up :)
I was a bit like 'insides might come out' for a few days after DD2 but for DD3 I felt so good physically that I went back to normal activity pretty much straight away. For both I was out and about as soon as possible - I'm not much for lying around. After the c/s with DD1 it was a bit different, but I was able to drive after two weeks and resumed normal activity. It's kinda hard to stay couch-bound when you're the only adult around during the day!
I've quite come to terms with looking after myself despite my inclinations to be doing far more vigorous activity since this pelvic instability really kicked in! I almost let it become depression when I couldn't surf anymore and I had to stop going into the paddocks. I figure my time will come again and while the kids have school and kinder I'll just sit tight until DP has to resume his full load at work and I have to go back to kinder runs :) I did too much too soon with the other two and I'm soaking this one right up. No-one's cooked a meal in this house since last Sunday and I'm taking up offers of help much more readily this time than either of the other two times. It's clear I won't be on my horse in 5 weeks' time and if I rush things with the household stuff then that lead time will become longer. I'm definitely opting for 'sitting around' with this one, and definitely at peace with it for the bigger picture ;) Plus, she's definitely my last planned baby and I'm gonna savour her.
Sounds just wonderful SJ enjoy
Almost forgot - I've typed it here first, her name is L iberty T eresa R ose :)
Gorgeous name SJ! love love it.
Lovely SJ. What are your other children's names?
Hey SJ just saw your belly buddies/babies thread. Just wanted to say that you can talk as much as you like in this thread about your beautiful girl. Not the same as a buddy thread but hopefully better :)
Gorgeous name SJ!
Beautiful name! We're narrowing in on R.ose for a middle name :)
Lady-bug- are you planning another HB? You would be due around the same time as me!
Love ya, Tegam :hug: For various reasons I think this is where I fit best :)
The other kids are O scar and T allarah, so I had to come up with something with significance and intention for this one, or she'd get lost in the colour of the other names!
We had the maternal nurse over yesterday and she came with some assumptions about homebirthers, which was interesting, though not confronting - she was very nice, actually. She thought I may have been railroaded to use the service, as we aren't on their records for the other kids, so I explained that we moved and had kind of flown under the council radar after leaving our other MCHN service. She quickly asked if we immunised, as if bracing herself and went a bit quiet when I said we did. I really liked her and the co-sleeping thing was a non-issue! When she arrived I had DD on the chamber pot, so we talked about that a bit, too.
We still haven't been anywhere, even though DP seemed keen to send me off to DD1's ballet...but he didn't get here in time for me to have a shower and he went instead. That was lucky, because one of the siblings there had a drippy cold! I think he sees why I'm reluctant to get 'out and about' so soon. That and as much as he gets up early to milk cows, I'm getting up every couple of hours for a feed and change (the changing he used to do with the others, but that was well before the milking days). Safer for him to come back from the farm to do things with DD1 than for me to drive around in a haze with two of our children!
We still haven't cooked a meal and I received a beautiful package in the post this morning filled with containers of homemade biscuits - I pinch myself that I have such a gorgeous spread of friends and well-wishers!
Are there blessingways being planned by our next installments?
Yeah another hb Meow. Different house this time so will feel a bit different.
SJ, I love your dds name! And I am so pleased to hear that you are being looked after with meals etc. my blessingway is planned for in two weeks time. I have a henna artist coming before hand to do my belly, and she will stay to do hands and feet of anyone who is interested. Other than that, the usual ceremonies I suppose.
I'm 34 weeks now. Had a Mw appointment this morning. It was lovely. I had a good moan about my back. I'm really doing it tough with my back atm. I saw chiro and massage last week and osteo yesterday. I have ended up needing to take strong pain killers to not be in agony with it. Yesterday I took 4x panadiene forte. It isn't ideal. I am hoping that it will settle soon, but I don't have high hopes. Fingers crossed tho.
Baby is direct op atm. My Mw did a little rebozo today to help him move, just in case that is what is causing my back pain. We aren't worried about him being op if that makes sense. We both know he is likely to turn in labour, but I do wonder as does she if it is causing me to have such a sore back. Anyway, it didn't really work. I am spending time today on all fours, to see if he will turn a little more..... Could really do without the pain.