Babies Born September 2007 #2

[petachristy]

Just a quick hello ladies!! Don't have time/energy to catch-up on all the chitter-chatter etc - but will endevour to get to know you all when I have time.

I had my little princess on 29th September, she wasn't due until 11th October - so I have been playing in the October belly buddies thread...

29 September 2007 Petachristy's Daughter is born! - BellyBelly Forums ~ Pregnancy, Birth & Baby

For pictures of my princess click on the link in my signature.

Hope everyone is doing well! We are having some breastfeeding and settling issues - but are getting there!!

[AnyDream]

Queenie, if the 12D is right for the cup size, then try a 10DD or 10E - I'm pretty sure the way it works is the cup size decreases a notch each time the strap size goes up (ie I usually fit into a 16D or an 18C) - KWIM - ? They should've told you that at the shop!!

Katie, look on the Lovable website, they have a maternity section with 2 types of mat camis - both have a shelf bra and feeding clips, room for a preggy tummy (good for me as mine has not yet shrunk LOL) - I have ordered them and will let you know what they're like when they arrive.

I will check out the Bonds tops when I'm next at Big W - tho not holding out hope as I'm in a size 18 ATM and they are like hens teeth to find the larger sizes in regular shops (usually stop at 16s).

Jazmum, Elisabeth gets Missy Lissie, Squeaky, Panda Girl, and sometimes, when the moment warrants, Miss Squirty Bum! LOL

SupaB - hope Tia settled right down for you - it's hard when you're getting "unexplained crying" - I just cycle thru the things that usually work until one of them finally works - extra feed - burping - wrap and pat- tummy massage or a colic hold -sling time - warm bath - usually with a few extra feeds in there as well. Eventually something works! It's really normal for any routine you may have established to vary from week to week - it doesn't mean you won't ever get that routine back!

Arte - yay on moving back "home" again - I love NZ and understand better than any one how valuable it is when you can be close to family.

Pregpan - I wouldn't be too worried about the change in poo consistency as it's pretty normal for it vary - unless he seems unwell in other ways. Wind pain is not necc an indicator of that! Elisabeth sleeps in with us and will until she's about 5-6 months old (I imagine). DH & I are both sound sleepers so it's better for us to have her close where we CAN hear her!

Hi Peta and welcome to the thread - Congratulations on Kaylee's birth! Hope the BFing and settling all clicks into place soon - it's early days yet and you will be surprised how quickly it gets much better!

Well took E up to get weighed yesterday (4 weeks old already!) and she weighed just over 4.5kg - smack on the percentile line from her birth weight! The nurse came running out as DH was putting her on the scales and said "You don't need to weigh her - just look at the child - nothing wrong with her!" LOL which was a nice lil confidence booster as I have worried about a) whether her sleepiness might be affecting her growth and b) I have been religiously following a one-boob feeding routine (had oversupply issues with DD1 which improved when we started one-boob only feeding) so wasn't sure if that was ok. It's funny cos she doesn't seem any bigger to me than she was when she was born...!

[reneenay]

Pregpan - Ohhh I just love the name Noah!!!!!! I have decided that if we have a boy next time around I am calling him Fletcher (Fletch for short). DH picked Rory so its only fair haha. GOD im already talking about the next time hahah...I really should wait for the memory of THIS labour to fade first.
We had Rory in our room for the first 2 weeks while Dwayne was on holiday. But since he has been back at work I have had Rory in his Nursery. I dont hear him gurgle etc in his sleep and im not waiting for him to cry like I was when he was in our room. Rory is going 4 hourly on the dot. He is fed at 8:00pm, 12:00 and then again at 4:00am. He gets unsettled at 5:30am when Dwayne goes to work (its like he bloody knows when he leaves) so I pop him into bed with me and he sleeps until 8:00am (9:00pm if Im lucky).

He has been a bit of a grumpy bum today Just got him off to sleep so I am going to try have my breakfast which will now double as lunch!!

Will jump back on later to catch up.

[*noni*e*]

Dp went back to work today lol but hes home now, he found out that because of all his time off during the end of the preg and the two weeks he took off when she was born they were going to fire him so he decided to leave... places like that can do what they want now... anyway he called his old job agency that got him that job and they said they can find him something else within a week or two which is good coz he hated that job anyway and it means i will have him at home a little more lol.. it was hard seeing him go this morning i managed to get some washing and cleaning done before he got home when Asha was asleep though so i am just taking it as a practice run.. as well as now instead of him staying up the last two nights i have done all the night feeds so its good to be getting used to doing that.. i must say its much easier with the formula ready to be made on the bedside table and the bottle warmer lol i feel like i am cheating but idk how ppl did without them haha...
pregpan - Asha sleeps in her tetra bed on my side of the bed (dp is a heavy sleeper) my bedside table is right next to the bed too and then a sideboard so the tetra bed is in between me and the bedside table so it can't fall off the bed..
Arte - where in nz are your family? Asha was concieved on our holiday to christchurch hehe beautiful place can't wait to go back..
jazmum - your very diciplined to only have chocolate every once and a while... lucky i am ff coz i can't go a day without it
supab - sorry to hear youve been having a bad time Asha gets like that too sometimes think its a wind problem shes forever getting hiccups and getting cranky at them lol... with the bleeding a similar thing happened to me and then i passed a clot and it went back to being light but it does still vary in heaviness day to day.. if you are worried though give the birth unit a call...
welcome peta
md - glad everythings going well with E... i really must get Asha weighed though because she is ff she was up above her birth weight in a week lol but she is a bit of a guts too!!!
renee - lol @you talking about the next one already!!! glad things are going well with you and rory every 4hrs on the dot what a good boy!!!

[Ozstar]

Had Logan weighed today and he has put on 230g this week making his weight 4.1kg. He has put on just shy of one kg since birth.

Noni lucky you having DP home for a little while longer, shame it isnt under better circumstances. Good on him for leaving his job if he is unhappy though.

Renee I keep talking about the next one too its freaking my DH out a little I think. I keep saying I am going to put Logan in his nursery so he doesnt keep me up all night with his grunting and chatting.

MD I am off to check out the loveable website as soon as I have finished here. I seen some tops in Target today, the ones in the bra section were not long enough and they dont have my bra size. I seen one in the maternity section which was much better, had the drop down and a shelf bra but they only had size 18.

Welcome Peta your litle princess is adorable. I hope the breastfeeding gets better for you, its hard at the start isnt it.

Pregpan I hope Noah is ok, if your worried I would take him to the Dr. Sounds like a nice afternoon having cake with your DH.

Arte I hope you dont have type 2 diabetes, good luck loosing the weight I hope its not to hard. I hope you get to head home to NZ soon, I have been talking to my DH about Logan not getting to grow up with all of his cousins etc (he only has one at the moment) it makes me sad.

Supab how are things going with Tia now? I agree with Sherie about giving her to DH for 5 mins and having a break. I did this when we were havng trouble with Logan refusing the breast. I was getting so frustrated so I would put him in his bassinett and ask DH to watch him. Then I would go outside and either cry or breathe deeply. Also if it is hot she may be a little thirsty and need a feed outside of your routine, I know Logan has been drinking every two hours or so durring the day.

[Cally]

Gosh, some of the bubs are growing so much - 1kg since birth, that's great Katie. We're almost up to the month mark and have only just reached birth weight again!

Managed another public outing today - a cafe to catch up with some friends who were passing through. Their bub is 8 months older and it was amazing to see how much more grown up she is! Also managed my first public feed - DH didn't even notice so I must have done it well! Was wearing one of the Bonds mat singlets and a matching colour Tshirt, so there was hardly any skin on display. I like the Bonds singlets, although a bit tricky getting them on sometimes over the sensitive nipples!!

Had another good sleep last night. 6pm, 11:30, 6am feeds. So feeling pretty human today. Will be nice if she keeps this up. Definitely need to start wearing a bra or something to bed though. Have been using it as a chance to air them out, but having to change pj tops every day due to leakage is getting a bit annoying!

SupaB - My scar still feels a bit numb, I think it takes a while for all those nerves to knit back together.

DD still sleeps in our room. She is in the bassinet as part of the pram so we can just wheel her around. Not sure when we will move her out to the other room, it is at the opposite end of the house, so a long way away.

Arte - fingers crossed you don't have diabetes.

[MamaPan]

hi everyone
i am back from DH work - it was good, I have never felt so much like 'the wife' before though LOL!! I had to bite my tongue a few times as I got used to lots of ppl trying to touch Noah!!!
Renee - LOL at you already talking about number 2, I have been too which is just bizarre... Do you know how long you want to wait in between? I am not sure, but I guess my clock is ticking a little faster than yours LOL!
MD thanks for the tips on the mat camis, I am also looking for some - though my size at the moment is so bizarre I dont know how i will get one to fit (10F - even the woman in the shop thinks I better apply to playboy LOL). I had to order feeding bras in!!! I hope my BBs shrink again soon when the supply settles - or do you think it will stay this way!!!???? Queenie - my tip on the bras - keep the larger ones, my BBs hardly chgd in preg and then whoa mama a few days after the birth!
WTG everyone on the weight gain, i think i will take Noah tomorrow to be weighed. I will mention the poo situation to the nurse too and see what she says.
Cally - impressive with your feeding in public - I have done it quite a bit but I am pretty unco and I am sure everyone gets agood look at the BBs and at my flabby tummy! Good idea to match a feeding topwith your normal one.
Noni - good that DP will be home a bit more for a few more weeks, that will make things easier. I hope he gets anew job soon.
OK I need some advice - I have a wedding to go to on Sunday - HELP!! what do I wear? I dont think it will be too formal but my mat clothes too big and baggy and my other clothes - well I am scared to try them on!!!! Anyone in similar situation (or been there done that with prior bubs) HELP ME!!!
Supa - how are you today?

[*noni*e*]

pregpan - i havnt had to go anywhere special yet but i am having the same trouble with clothes.. i dnt know if my old clothes will ever fit again either i mean theres a few things that fit again but it seems my hips might have got a bit wider or something coz my tummy looks like it is almost back to normal just jelly like and gross lol... so i am either wearing dps t shirts which are huge, mat clothes which some of them can be adjusted smaller and some just look obviously like mat clothes and pjs lol... i almost all the time wear one of two outfits when i go out and that just consists of pants and a singlet lol have to go to luncg with family this saturday too eeek lol...
what are you going to do?? i kinda wanna buy new clothes but worry if i do it now i wont fit in them in a little while (although that could be wishful thinking on my part) but idk how long i can wear the same 2 or 3 things over and over lol!!!

[Trillian]

Hi everyone and welcome to Pete and Kaylee (such a pretty name BTW)!

I have had a busy busy day today. I took Alister to his first clinic visit and he is doing really well - stacking on the weight and generally doing really well. The MCHN was a wee bit concerned about his fontanelles, as they are smaller than they should be, but Erin was like this too so I'm not concerned. How has everyone been going on the Edinburgh (PND) test? I hope you've all been passing with flying colours.

I will be back tomorrow for personals.

[Artechim]

What is the PND test? When do we do that?

My no-sleep wonder boy has decided that 1 month is old enough to drop his morning sleep. Yesterday he was up from 8 am to 6pm with only a few short naps. He used to sleep from 8-11am and I could catch up on some sleep. He is up at 8 again today.

[ele_ven27]

Hi Ladies,

Welcome to Peta and her sweet little Kaylee...look forward to sharing your journey here.

Queenie...Marydean was right...if you go down a bra size, go up a cup size to get the same fit. or Vice versa if you need to go bigger around the back.

SupaB...hope things have settled down for you. I know what it's like, as i'm sure most of us do. It's frustrating to keep going through the list and nothing seems to help them settle. Sometimes there really is nothing you can do except support them as they let it out. It may be a combination of things, such as wind, plus a 'busy' day for them, plus picking up on your stress, tiredness and frustration, which all perpetuates the crying cycle for them (and us mums!). Taking a quick break does wonders for your sanity and is often enough just to refresh you and you can come back being more open to helping your little one. There is a technique called Touch Relaxation that can be really helpful to calm baby down and support them through their crying. Lay baby down so that you can get quite close to her, so a change table or bed is usually easiest. Making eye contact and maintaining a quiet, calm composure, lay your hand over her chest/tummy area (you can cover/hold their hands as well if they are holding them in tight to their chest) and gently speak to her in low, soothing tones - tell her that you are here for her, that you understand how she is feeling and that you love her - lots of positive feedback/reinforcement/support conversation. Even singing a soft nursery rhyme or song in amongst it will do. The main thing is to a keep calm, relaxed, smiling face and provide loving touch. Project all your positive thoughts and energy to her through your voice and actions. She will kick and scream and turn red in the face for a while, but often after a few minutes they start to calm down as they realise how supported they are and start to imitate your calmness. You can also move straight into some massage over their tummy, just through their clothes is fine, which will help if the issue was predominantly wind. Once you've spent a few minutes doing this you should be right to pick her back up, cuddle her, wrap/feed/rock or do whatever you feel is needed at this point. It may not work smoothly the first time you do this....but if you continue to try it on a regular basis, your baby will learn that this is how to be relaxed and self-regulate her emotions. It's also a good tool to use during other times of stress, say if they hurt themselves, or while getting immunisations. I did this technique a lot with Broni, and her immunisations always went really well. I'd talk to her while the dr was getting the needles ready, tell her she is about to feel some pain but mummy is right here holding her, and that i love her and that the pain won't last very long. She cried when the needle went in, but then promptly stopped as he took it out and looked straight up into my face. I smiled, gave her a hug, a kiss and praised her. It happened like that every single time she got vaccinated.

As for sleeping arrangements, i've always had my babies sleep in their own cot right from birth, and in their own room. I used to use a monitor, but after a few weeks i decided i didn;t need it as i could hear when she woke for a feed. I found that because i could hear every snuffle and squeak she made, i never slept properly! I sometimes will lay in our bed to feed but once she's asleep, i lay her back in her bed. On occasions though, if she's a bit restless during the day, i will lay her in our bed to sleep, as our smell seems to comfort her and she sleeps much better.

All is going well with my PND tests so far....i'm feeling really good about things at the moment, not having any concerns or problems coping. In fact, i find i'm much calmer this time around and that my partner is the one not coping so well when Jasmin is sooking or if Broni is whingey.....worse if they're both going off at the same time!! lol The irony of me telling him to calm down is hilarious!!
I hope everyone else is going well with it too.

Jasmin's name mostly just gets shortened to Jaz or Jazzy.....and she gets all sorts of pet names, like poppit, sweetpea, possum, littles....whatever term of endearment comes out at the time

Well...i spose i better get myself organised for the day. We're off to pick up my eldest daughter from her cousins place where she's been holidaying for a few days. They live about 40mins away, so its a decent little road trip for us. Its meant to be about 30degrees here today, a bit warm, so if we can get out and about before it gets too hot, that'll be good.

Hope everyone has a great day....catch up again soon,

Cheerio

[ele_ven27]

PND test is for Post Natal Depression. There are some questionaires around that either your MCHN or Dr should go through with you at regular intervals (often at same time as bub is having their check up) to assess whether you are showing signs/symptoms of developing PND or at risk of it. You can google a common one called Edinburgh PND test and check it for yourself. The Blue Books used to have little questions pages throughout it too.....haven't looked in the new one to see if they still do....must go do that....

[Trillian]

Morning all! Feeling a bit bleary eyed today, I was up late doing washing because we finally had enough water to do it (I had been stockpiling dirty clothes for a week as we didnt' have enough house water to wash it all until Dh went and got some yesterday) and then Alister woke at 1.30 and didn't go back to sleep until after 3, then was back up again at 6am. He is dozing now on my bed but I don't have a hope of getting a snooze myself today. Plus DH is back on nightshift tonight. At least with Dh at work I can put Alister in bed with me.

11, I'm pleased that you've been going well on the tests, it's a bit daunting though to have to think, 'gee, do I really feel like that?' when you do them. Once Alister is too big for the bassinette we will put him in a cot in with Lindsay. I will still be able to hear him from our room. I have never worried about monitors for that reason too.

Arte, don't worry too much about the test, it's only a series of questions and it's all multiple choice anyway, so you don't have to write anything down at all. And it only relates to the current past week - not the whole time. Bugger about your fasting levels. I know with my Mum she had GD really bad, and it cleared up after my brother was born, but it was back as type 1 before he was 1yo. Don't let that scare you though, my Mum didn't exactly heed the Dr's advice about giving up smoking and looking after her health better (still doesn't *sigh*) Plus she was 40 by then too. Maybe your body just needs more time to adjust.

Re clothes - If I had to go out somewhere 'good' I would have nothing to wear at all right now and I am loathe to buy new clothes kwim? I still wear a lot of mat clothes too (the ones that don't really look like mat clothes)

Nicknames - I call Alister either "Little Mate" (Lindsay is Mate) or Bullfrog, cause when he sits up his double chin really stands out and he does look like a bullfrog on a rock LOL.

ETA - this is a question you'll find on the test;

In the past week I have been able to laugh and see the funny side of things:
As much as I always could
Not quite so much now
Definitely not so much now
Not at all

[Queenie]

Sherie YAY on finally having enough water... I grew up on a small farm with no town water and have no idea how my mum did it!!!

Renee Rory is just gorgeous - I have to figure out how to see everyone else's babies now!!

MD & 1127 - 10E??? bring it on!! I sometimes wonder whether the same cup-size theory could be applied to butt cheeks and undies/jeans but that would just be TOO depressing.

Thought I had a show yesterday - but it was only the dodgy guy with a microphone warming up the crowd first LOL!! a piddly bit of pink mucus and after doing an Ella (DIY internal ) I couldn't find any more. Cx lurking somewhere up there. The mornings are now heralded by a series of slightly painful and pretty intense (i.e. rock-hard) contractions - but are they painful because of the full bladder/bowel situation at that time?? Sore lower back too but I must admit it's preferable to the killer rib pain! And I can see why my ribs have been so damn sore - my belly pushes out and around them now as if it's given up on trying to make them move! DH admitted he's now spending every day at work waiting for a summoning phone call. I am actually at the stage where I am hoping it's going to be closer to the due date rather than sooner as there is still stuff I want to do... like finish the painting, sleep and have baths and sew the cot quilt - sound familiar MD? Blessing in disguise it ain't done before the baby shower, though, because it would give away the gender! I have already packed away all the weeny clothes and hidden the gender specific stuff at the bottom in case anyone does a nosy parker and opens the drawers... tee hee hee!!!

Re PND: did anyone see the thing on the news last night? Glad to hear all is going well so far 1127. Terrific news!! I've now got a support network in case of fallout after the birth (have a history of depression, yuk poo grr); I find that knowing the resources are there to be activated makes such a difference. As long as I can recognise I need them!! I think the endorphins are definitely kicking in (lalalalala-brain) but still have moments of anxiety - eg currently obsessed with sleep, not only present but future!

hope everyone's having a relatively poo/vom-free morning - and that everyone is infected with maternal bliss.

[spring_ag]

Katie, glad to hear that your issue with flying has been sorted out

Sherie, I like the way you’re describing it … sitting on rose thorns LOL I had to be on antibiotics and painkiller in the first two weeks, now it’s better but I dreaded thinking about having sex … how long did you wait last time?
William’s also cooing and smiling now … babies are so amazing, aren’t they
With baby making, I think I will agree with you. Although W is still my first baby, I felt sad of not being pregnant. I still had the linea nigra on my tummy, everytime I look at it, feel a bit melancholic … it reminds me of being pregnant, reminds me of all those kicking and squirming

Marydean, I had the same experience with W’s height, when they measure him in the clinic (less than 2 weeks) an increase of 2.5 cm. I think they do the measurement differently, just like Sherie said
Good to hear that your pelvis’ getting better.

Pregpan, which electric pump do you use, is it good? I just bought Medela Swing yesterday, was initially ambivalent between that and Avent
I went to the new mothers group the other day. I expected 4-5 people to show but there were 13 babies in there (two of them are twins). So cute to see that many babies in one room
Apparently W is the youngest, the oldest being 16 weeks. The average age in my group is 10-12 weeks, so hopefully this is the case in your group too (if you can only join in next month)

Eleven, thanks for the tips on massaging to get rid of the wind, will try that … I envy you, 7 hours of sleep … that’s really great!

Noni, Wow, three change of clothes!
Havent tried the shower myself, maybe I should give it a go considering everyone’s loving it! Hope you and DP are managing the circumstances well, at least a bit of extra days of help for you …

Artechim, thank you for compiling the September birth list for us! It’s nice to hear you’re spending some time with your mum and Will’s doing well. Hope everything goes well with your plan to move back

Cally, hope the lumps goes away. You’re doing great btw, with Katie’s weight gain. That usually makes me feel that our effort (of BF, coping with the pain, etc) has been rewarded.

Supa, hugs to you, how’re you feeling today. With bleeding, I had similar experience. The bleeding has subsided in the first week, but getting bright red again in the second week, and again in the third week. I passed blood clots as well (the size of my forefinger), I contacted my OB and he said that if the heavy bleeding & blood clots continues for several days … that’s the time I need to be worried. But if you’re concerned, definitely call your midwife! Are you doing more work or more tired than usual?

Welcome to Peta and Kaylee

Just went to the GP yesterday, LC pointed out that I had a blogged milk duct on my nipple which needed to be removed by the GP … I think that’s why W kept pulling off that side of the breast the other day.

In the last several days, I have been experiencing some terrible pain on my breasts (deep, sharp pain … like having hundreds of needles inside). Actually they suspected W had thrush but then was a bit unsure since I didn’t have any symptoms … so we discontinued the medication after 10 days or so. Now that I have the pain (and what a pain it is! I couldn’t sleep during the night), we both need to be on medication. I really hope the pain will go away shortly!

[ella79]

hi ladies!!

well, this is the first moment i've had to myself since Abigail arrived...

things started off going really well - good labour and birth, good first few days in hospital, even left a day early, then as soon as i got home things slowly started going downhill... i am having terrible difficulties breastfeeding. my nipples are now in such a state that i couldn't bring myself to feed abigail at all last night - it's SOO painful - much worse than the drug-free labour!! my nipples are all cracked, scabby, bleeding and just a plain disaster zone!! on monday i asked to see one of the hospital's lacation consultants and they said that the first day they could fit me in was tuesday (as in 8 days later)... so i'm booked in there for next tues, but at this rate she'll be on formula by then... i went to the breastfeeding association headquarters (just around the corner from me) yesterday afternoon and they have referred me to a private lacation consultant. she only consults on fridays though, and i need to make my way into the city to see her - will call shortly and see if she can fit me in tomorrow... after expressing milk and bottle feeding through the night i tried abigail on my boob again this morning and she appeared to attach much better than usual and although it was still excruciating, i was able to persevere for a good 15mins and didn't feel like snatching her off and throwing her against the wall, so hopefully i'm making progress!! poor little thing... she is such a good baby and i am beginning to resent her because she is obsessed with my boobs!! i just want to give them a rest!!

my DH went back to work today which was upsetting. we haven't had a single day at home together yet. my sister stayed with us the first two days we were home and then the day she left my PIL arrived and just left this morning. it was actually good to have my sis here (was when my BF issues started and she took me to the chemist and helped me choose a breast pump, etc to get me through the night) but i've found the last few days REALLY difficult. the in-laws just wanted to stay home. the TV was on all the time, and every time i put Abigail down to sleep i'd turn my back and she'd be awake again and in one of their arms!! they just wouldn't leave her be!! i bit my tongue and tried not to show my frustration - they were only here for a few days and were clearly smitten by her, but it made for a difficult few days for me. i think that's also one of the reasons i've had so much trouble feeding - they were sitting on the couch watching me for the last two days so i just tried to shove my boob into her mouth quickly before they could see it rather than concentrating properly to make sure that her attachment was spot on...
oh dear, this has been a big whingey post... did any of you ladies have trouble with your nipples? how did you resolve them?
i spent the whole night crying last night, and if i don't get this sorted soon i can see that she'll end up on formula which i really don't want...

queenie - congrats on your pink crowd-warmer - hopefully the show isn't too far away!! glad to hear that you're participating in the DIY cervical exams - if you do them regularly you will start to feel things changing when labour is close!

[AnyDream]

Pregpan which shop did you go to that ordered the bras in? I've only had poor experiences with Canberra underwear stores so I'm waiting with bated breath for a recommendation! Re the wedding - just shop hun, don't look at the sizes just pick something nice that you feel good in now - one decent outfit will get you thru several occasions until you are back into your old wardrobe. BTW I spoke to a couple of ACT friends about ages of bubs in their new mums groups and it's usually anywhere from 2 to 5 months. Will delay going until Nov myself.

Re the feeding in public - DH keeps leaving the bunny rug at home (!) so I've decided to dispense with attempts to huddle and hide under it - only makes me three times more unco. Realised (with searing self honesty - ouch) that I'm not so bothered that ppl *might* see my nipples, but rather that they might see my nipples and think "yuck what ugly boosies"...! I've always thought little pert pink nipples were the standard of boob beauty, and unfortunately mine are large, flat, brown and quite the opposite. So yep, it's all about VANITY and hitherto unrecognised BODY HANGUPS! In a month or two we will be attaching more quickly and easily so it's won't be as much of an issue...just surprised after all this time that it's a problem...

Cally, sounds like you're doing excellently with the feeding and getting back up to birth weight is FANTASTIC!

Arte, the PND test they do is called the Edinburgh scale where they rate you for things like crying, fatigue, etc. There are ten questions and you get a risk factor score. Usually done at 6 week checkup/MCH visit. If you think you might be having PND, google the PANDSI website - they have a list of symptoms followed by some tips on how to get help. If you're feeling low, don't wait for it to get worse, you need to do something NOW. xxx

Noni, I think you're smart not cheating having all the feeding stuff ready to go next to the bed!

11 - love your description of touch relaxation, I've never thought of it as a technique but intuitively done it esp when DD1 was very little.

Sherie - Sheee-it on not having enough housewater to do the washing! There I was complaining cos the washing machine was broken for 24 hrs - I promise to count my blessings every time I turn the tap on today!

Hi Queenie - yep to much more pain when bowel/bladder is full - makes for especially excruciating morning get ups! Confession time - cot quilt not yet sewn - ok cos E not yet in cot AND also dear friend sent us a gorgeeeeous patchwork number which she made out of all the scrap fabrics I'd commented on when we were sifting thru her scrap box (!)

Agnes - re blocked duct - is it a big white spot in your nipple?...I have this and believe it's the dreaded white spot, however am completely in denial as a friend told me they need to be lanced...what did your dr do? Might the blockage account for the deep pain?

ETA Ella - big big hugs hun cos it sounds like you're in the thick of difficult days. IKWYM about wanting to snatch the baby off - I soooo hope the LC sees you tomorrow and gives you some good tips - and that you start noticing the improvement straight away. I've also noticed that the attachment is much easier if the breast is not as full and I often detach and reattach after about a minute after first let down (messy but it's much comfier after doing this). The best thing tho is to take your time and really concentrate on your technique - often it's one or two little things you need to do based on how your baby feeds and what your BBs are like. eg, I have flat nipples and have to hold them a certain way and keep holding for a few seconds after E attaches (gives her a chance the suck more of the areola in) & this is what your LC will help you with. I agree having your ILs there would be very daunting. Also, a light dab of lansinoh after each feed (on the nipple only not areola) and keep those boosies well aired. HTH - IT DOES GET EASIER!!

Hi to everyone else - hope you're having a ball in bubbie land!!

[Astrolady]

New thread time ladies

Love