Sloane - I am glad you've got your bfing probs out of the way.
Miss Eva is still feeding for hours on end during the night. I think some of the sucking atm is comfort sucking too. I have decided to wake her every 2.5/3hours for feeding and unfortunately I have introduced the dummy to try and settle her to sleep. It seems that she'll sleep on me whilst sucking but once I put her to bed she screams her little heart out. I didn't want to give the dummy but at this point I need more than a couple of hours of sleep per night. On the bright side Eva has gained 50gs in 2 days.
Our precious little man was born on 07/07 - 1 day before his due date by emer caes.
6lb5oz - 45cm long... mum and dad are very much in love.
Traumatic birth, which I wont go into detail about just yet, as I havent had a chance to de-brief yet.. but I am hanging in there. It has been a very long week.
BF is going well after a rocky start but we are now feeding well and has had good weight gain, after far too much weight loss the first three days.
We seem to have a nice mix of boys and girls, first time and experience mums in this thread
Zac was born 30 June at 12.56 pm (one day before due date). Weight 3.81 kg, 51.5 cm long and HC 36cm. Labour was induced and wasn't pleasant, and he was eventually born by 'emergency' c section, for which I was extremely grateful! (not an emergency in the sense that the world was going to end otherwise, although that was starting to look like a good alternative to me )
we're still experiencing BF problems - hospital comped him from birth due to my gestational diabetes, and in our ignorance we relied on the comping and thought my milk wasn't coming in (why didn't anyone tell me that the demand needed to be there for the supply to come??) End result is we are BF plus comping and it is doing my head in. Have been working with an LC and have a strategy to build up my supply, so fingers crossed
And now I will sound like a complete idiot, but I would love to hear from others just what it's like to come home with a new baby and only rely on BF - what's normal? I've gotten so used to filling him up on formula that I panic as soon as he cries or if he doesn't go straight to sleep. The LC thinks that he is probably getting too much formula as he stacked on the weight once we left hospital, and I am worried that I am creating a sumo baby!
It's a bit sad, but I kinda want somebody to come and stay with me and tell me what to do, what's normal, what I need to worry about etc... so grateful for these forums as I don't know many people with children and I'm not especially close to my family (geographically and emotionally).
Enough of the 'poor me' - you can tell it's the end of the day and my sleep tank is almost empty can't you?!
lovelycate - I'm a second time mum and I want someone to come live with us for a while and tell me what to do, what is normal etc...
Don't feel alone and certainly don't feel stupid!
I can't BF so I can't help but just wanted to let you know we had our own feeding problems to deal with even on formula. We discovered after a few days home that she couldn't tolerate cows milk formula (don't even ask! She should have been put on soy formula from day one but the hospital was completely uninterested in helping us once they heard I wasn't BFing..) so after changing to a soy formula we then discovered other feeding issues that the projectile vomitting, reflux and dry reaching were hiding. It turned out she wasn't attaching to the teats on the bottles properly so we had to go buy one each of different kind of bottle till we found one she could take. Turns out she has to have the Mam Ultivent as it has a wide flat teat.
She is now feeding well and just have to work on the sleeping side of things...
It never ends..
So I am not going to apologise for the whinge - we are all sleep deprived and understanding new mums - right? RIGHT!
Anyway - looking forward to getting to know you all better and being there to support one another...
Sleep, feeding, settling and happy vibes to all.
Oh yeah - lovelycate - I meant to ask, if you don't mind, why you needed the c-section?
I was induced also but for extended spurious labour supposedly. What it means is I was in labour with 5 min contractions for a week and a half but failed to dilate...
I was in labour for 6 and a 1/2 hrs with 10mins of pushing included.
Hang in there lovelycate, comping is hard work. I did it with DD1 but no one told me I needed to demand feed to get my supply up. We crashed and went full formula at 4 weeks as I didn't ask for help or ask enough questions. Great to hear that you have a LC that should make a huge difference.
Bec - that is unfair about the hospital and you not BFing - but glad to hear that you have found a bottle and formula that is suiting DD. And yes we are all totally sleep deprived and allowed to winge, complain and gripe in general!
As for us, Grace has been BF since birth, and since the tonge tie was fixed feeding has been better. I'm also getting feeds down from 1.5 hrs to about 40-45 mins total, which means I get more sleep! She doesn't settle well at night, only if she is in bed with mum and dad, but does during the day in her bouncer - go figure!
We had our midwife come and check us today, Grace is nearly back to birth weight - up 220gms in 6 days - yay for the BFing! She has also grown 2.5 cm and her general health is really good. It is such a relief as like lovelycate was saying - how do we know we are getting it right????
I'm also coming to terms with caning my VBAC and asking for a c-section after going into labour naturally, but I'll put it all in my birth story soon.
Hope everyone is getting some sleep and enjoying their new bundles!
ryatha - thats the sleeping issues we face too... Teaghan will sleep in bed with us at night really well but won't sleep in her bassinette. However she will sleep in her rocker through the day really well!
I'm just expressing at the moment and thought I would try and do a quick post, so sorry for no personals but typing with one hand is a little tricky
It's good to hear that everyone seems to be doing so well. We're also starting to feel a bit more on top of things, but I must admit our visit with the MCHN today has left me a little bit flat... We saw here for the first time on Monday, where according to her scales Ashley had only put on 10 grams since we left hospital on saturday. She left me feeling absolutely miserable and like a bit of a failure (I'm sure the hormones were playing their part too though). After not being able to birth my baby the last thing that I want to confront is the possibility that my body may not be up to feeding him either...
Anyway, we had an appointment on Tuesday with the LC at the hospital. When they weighed Ash (again with an empty stomach) on the same scales that his birth and discharge weights were taken, it showed that he had actually put on 60 grams since his discharge (3.5 days earlier). The LC reassured me that there was nothing to worry about and that while it was a little bit below the benchmark 25 grams a day every baby was different. So I left there feeling much much better about everything.
So today we went to see the MCHN for another weigh in and I talked her through the weights that the hospital had taken, of which she was quite dismissive... Anyway, she weighed him herself and he had put on 40 grams since Monday (2.5 days). Rather than being encouraging and telling me that it was a big improvement, but that we would need to keep working at it etc, she instead told me that it was still not enough and that we should be concerned because they need to be putting on 25 grams a day etc.
Now I get that it is her job to do that and that she needs to keep us on our toes etc, but when you are dealing with a first time mother who really wanted a natural labour, but had to be induced and then ended up with an emergency C section 12 hours later I think you need to be a bit more sensitive to their feelings and encouraging. I again left the appointment feeling really discouraged and disappointed in body. Luckily I have a wonderful husband who reminded me of everything the LC said, how well we are doing and that based on the hospital weights and her weights it looks like Ashley is putting on about 20 grams a day.
TBH I really don't want to go back to see her. I know it is silly, but I'm almost tempted to feed Ash before the appointment next week so that he is heavier. I've been really careful about making sure he has an empty tummy etc so that we get the most accurate figures, but when seeing her leaves me feeling so down I wonder if it is better for Ash and I to fudge things just a little... (probably not )
Anyway, that's me unloading for today, thanks so much for listening. Hope all is well with everyone else and I will be back with personals soon. xoxo
Miss excited - if you arn't comfortable with your MCHN then find another...
When I had my first I saw 4 different MCHN's before I found one I was comfortable with and happy with...
Don't let her spoil the first weeks for you - they are hard enough without someone so discouraging.
The fact he is gaining weight despite the figures is what counts - it sounds as though you are doing everything you can and you should be proud of that!
Hi Miss E - I agree with Miss Bec - get another MCHN. Mine actually made a point of explaining that I didn't have to keep seeing her if I didn't feel comfortable with her, which was very good of her I think.
I've got kind of the reverse situation in a way - Zac has been stacking on the weight, and my LC is suggesting that I've been overfeeding him (since we're still working on building up my supply and he is being comped), but the MCHN yesterday said that his weight gain is 'really good' plus he has grown 3 cm since birth so obviously he needs it. It's so frustrating to have people try to apply some sort of rule to what your baby is doing - we all know that each little one is completely unique and will do things differently to every other baby. As if we're not dealing with enough feelings of our own without the 'professionals' saying/implying that we're inadequate!
I keep reminding myself that they must see some people who are just truly unsuitable to be parents, so maybe they're a bit jaded...
MissE - Change your MCN. A gain is a gain hon and no 2 babies put on weight at the same rate. If you are struggling with your birth experience I would seek some advice from the hospital, maybe a councelor. You don't need the extra burden of feeling let down atm. I never knew you had to weigh bub on an empty stomach..You learn some thing new every day. Good luck and hugs. You are doing a great job.
I will come back soon!!! I am trying to find time to post but there is not much atm.
Just wondering if i could still be apart of this fabulous group....as you know Blake was a june baby but was due 3rd July...here is his details
Blake Allan
15th June 09
15.22pm
6lb7oz (2.940g)
33.5cm head
49cm long
Hes now coming 5weeks old...breast feed...weighing in at 3.6kgs...52cm long and 35cm head...
Hes been in and out of hospital with jaundice...and has had his first cold....but happy to say hes a good baby and slowly getting into a good routine...well a ok one for the moment
Chrissy of course you can be part of our group, must say we've missed you! Glad to hear Blake is doing well. I know how stressful it can be with the jaundice, Ash had it in hospital, but it must be hard when it keeps coming and going. But by the sounds of his weight he's doing well though despite the jaundice
Chrissy - would love to have you here! Glad to hear that breast feeding is going well and Blake is putting on weight. Poor thing with a cold, hope he got over it really quickly.
LF - we're doing MCN as well. No sposies since we came home from hossy just washing everyday which is pretty easy, but the tumble dryer has been getting a work out cause it keeps raining here in SA - which I am happy about but my nappies need sun! I put a BBH fitted nappy and use a cover at the 11pm feed and then don't change her at the next feed. Seems to be working well so far
ME - good luck with the MCHN
Pregagainpan - hope the naming went well - Grace also does the same thing with feeds over night, lets hope this stays the same or the sleeps get longer!
Tinsel - how exciting to find a pair of non maternity pants that fit! I fit into my trackies but I don't think they count... How has the dummy gone? Has it interfered with the BFing? I was thinking of getting one for grace for the same reason...
SS - glad to hear that you are able to express enough for Hayley, even if she isn't getting it from the source, she is still getting the EBM. Hope that the bug was a one off and it has gone away.
Lovelycate - great to hear that your little one is stacking on the weight.
Ok, I think someone is hungry - I just can't believe I was able to be on here so long before I was interrupted!
well i have finally got a chance to post something in here.
Antone Jack was born on the 13th of july 11 days over weighing 10 pound at 5.41pm he is now a week old. he has gone to feeding every 30 min at night before my milk came to feeding every 3-4 hours since my milk came
My "bug" seemed to be just a once off thing thankfully...who knows what/how/why!
Midwife came to visit this morning, and we are now officially discharged from hospital! Hayley now weighs 3.51 kg, so not quite 200g over her birth weight. The midwife was happy with that, considering she has put on about 100g over the weekend. little fatty!! We have had to up her feeds as she seemed to always be hungry, particularly at night and won't settle.
Saturday night she slept beautifully but then we paid for it last night..lol. I feel like we're starting to get into some form of routine, although I still need to fit in some daytime naps...the time just seems to fly and before I know it it's time for her next feed again.
She won't b'feed...have tried a few times and she just doesn't open her mouth wide enough or poke her tongue out enough then gets upset that it's not working so all she does is cry and make everything worse...nothing worse than a screaming baby who is trying to feed but won't/can't and I have milk dripping everywhere! Makes for a soggy mess...so I think I'll just give up on trying to b'feed and just express as much as I can for her and top up with formula as required.
SS_storm - I had massive problems with bfing DD1 due to a tied tongue and her not being able to open her mouth wide enough to latch. Hugs sweets, I know how stressful it can be.
Gald to hear all the bubs are putting on weight.
I took Eva to the doctors today and she is back to birth weight. I am happy with that and so is the doctor. Eva is a dream through out the day but she is still a little unsettled during the early hours of the morning and late at night. I have taken to putting her in bed with me just so I can get some sleep. Her feed times are getting shorter thankfully, but she still likes to cluster feed from time to time. We had a really bad windy, spewy and pooey day but that seems to have passed thankfully.
SS - we also had problems with a tounge tie - grace could suck but not get her mouth on enough or tounge out to get really big sucks. But the paed checked it and said it would fix itself eventually - but it wasn't helping the BFing - so he snipped it! Grace didn't even flinch when he did it and then I put her back on the breast straight away and immediately there was a huge difference in her feeding...
BekZ glad to hear that Eva is back to birth weight.
Glad to hear everyone else seems to be doing well with BFing as well!
)
so grateful for these forums as I don't know many people with children and I'm not especially close to my family (geographically and emotionally).
She has also grown 2.5 cm and her general health is really good. It is such a relief as like lovelycate was saying - how do we know we are getting it right????
I put a BBH fitted nappy and use a cover at the 11pm feed and then don't change her at the next feed. Seems to be working well so far 
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