- 2015 JUNE BUGS - Join Us!

[NDH]

By the way, for our FTMs: if you're wanting to breastfeed, please make sure you know what to expect, especially the first few weeks. So many times you read stories of women who couldn't breastfeed, because they didn't have enough support and didn't know what's normal and what isn't and how to fix it if something was wrong. There's a few different phone numbers in every country, that you can call 24/7 for advice, la leche league is pretty international I think, then in the UK we have the NCT, and I think there may be an NHS one, too...and there'll be equivalents in other countries. HVs and midwives can also put you in touch with lactation consultants, and it's a good idea to ask for a meeting with one before and just after your baby is born. ANYWAY...

Thanks for the heads up! My sister wanted to BF but was doing it all wrong and ended up with really bad bruises and sores on her breasts. She wasn't shown properly how to bf at the hospital. Her baby was always always hungry and I don't think she could keep up at the beginning so she changed to bottle. She felt like a failure poor girl. She had emergency c-section and was looking really ill after the birth, she also got mastitis as well. I think her health was also important so it was for the best she moved to the bottle but I think it would have been nice for her to have the correct support in the first place.

I want to breastfeed. My goal would be to at least try for 6 months but we'll see.

Thats sad its a very common story unfortunately. Its also really hard to find the balance between supporting a woman wanting to breastfeed but struggling and coming across as pushy so even lots of breastfeeding moms just dont offer any support to their friends either for fear of being seen as the latter.

 

[treeroot]

Congrats for the newcomers!

Great news on getting scans done or booking them in, I'll be happier when I have a date as well.

I'm definitely finding I have pregnancy on the brain....all the time. It feels a little obsessive but maybe that's because I was on vacation last week. I'm sure I'll have more then enough to keep me busy at work.
I'm a bit nervous actually because it's just starting the busiest time of the year for me, the next two months is going to be a lot of field work and likely overtime. I hope I don't have a lot of pregnancy symptoms that inhibit this. And if I do...ugh, it's going to be a long two months. I'll have to make an extra conscience effort to take care of myself.

 

[_Anya_]

I have just found out I am pregnant and ff says dd of June 16th. Ourt 1st wedding anniversary is the 21st so very excited

Congrats, 30mummyof1!

 

[_Anya_]

I found out that I am pregnant on Sept 30th and just passed my expected due AF which was on Thursday. My due date is June 10th according to the app. It's quite good to know there is a group like this All the best to all the mommy's to be!

Congrats! Welcome to the group!

 

[poysenivye]

Congrats new bumps!! It's so awesome to have so many people to share this journey with. So far this morning I have mild cramping...and a little but nauseated. Everytime I stand up I cramp up too for about 3 seconds. Like a hardcore Charlie horse. Oh! And the doc switched my yeast infection meds, finally. I'm happy to report, (hoping not to jinx myself) no spotting since yesterday evening. Hooray!!!

 

[30mummyof1]

I really like this write up of the benefits of breastfeeding as it doesn't come across (that I can tell) as being judgmental towards those who didn't breastfeed for long, but just shows the positive effects from breastfeeding (from a few days until 18+ months)

It only touches on the benefits to babies though and doesn't even go into the benefits for mom (reduced risk of breast and ovarian and uterine cancers, reduced risk of osteoporosis, etc)

Personally, breastfeeding for a year was a no brainer for me as we simply can't afford formula. Learning about the benefits of breastfeeding over formula solidified my decision. I had no plans to breastfeed beyond a year, but decided just to let them self wean when theyre ready (currently feeding eldest for two minutes twice a day and youngest semi on-demand but I have been limiting her a bit lately)

I can't fathom how low income people can afford formula, and yet lowest earners have the lowest breastfeeding rates

Welcome newcomers. Congrats 30- I saw your ticker in WAGs journal - how awesome wouldn't it be if she joins us here?

Good luck to everyone waiting on scans and betas to alleviate your worries.
I'm a compulsive worrier myself but with pregnancy I learned that worry really does nothing but cause stress and affect your ability to enjoy being pregnant and bond with your baby it was hard at first to stop worrying, but I would just tell myself "today I am pregnant and after awhile that's all that mattered

yes hope she will joining us soon, chart looks good.
I think thats the best way to look at it too

 

[kit603]

Yay! I'm glad your spotting stopped.. fingers crossed it stays that way.

I hadn't had any spotting for about 36 hours and then this afternoon I got some sudden sharp cramps and then when I went to the toilet about half an hour later I had some very pink/red spotting when I wiped. It carried on for about an hour and was heavy enough to spot onto a panty liner slightly but now it seems to have stopped again Fingers crossed it stays away this time! x

 

[NDH]

Oh on the subject of having proper education and support, however you intend to give birth, I advise birth education/preparation classes (not through a hospital). At the very least educate yourselves online. Labour is called Labour for a reason, and you wouldn't just show up to run a marathon without preparing for it.

If you want a natural birth, I cannot more highly advise getting a doula (seriously, theyre amazing)

If you dont want a natural birth thats totally your decision (I'm a natural birth advocate, but more importantly I'm an advocate of informed birth choice ) but I still suggest reading up on the evidence based practices surrounding your chosen birth type to ensure the best possible outcomes.

So many women take a backseat in their pregnancy and birth, expecting the experts to know what is best, but many drs dont practice evidence based care and just continue doing things the way they've always done them, even with.

Learn your rights when it comes to pregnancy and birth. Find a practitioner whose practice lines up with your desires, and dont be afraid to change practitioners at any stage if you see any red flags - even at full term! If you dont know what kind of birth you hope to have, look up birth plan templates that have yes/no tick boxes for heaps of options, and then read up on each of those options. For example, active labour, episiotomies, methods of induction, delayed cord clamping, skin to skin, gentle cesarean and seeding with vaginal flora. Some you really might not care about and others you'll discover you feel really strongly about one way or another.

Sorry for the long essay, it's just a subject I'm really passionate about . birth matters (check out the documentary microbirth if youre interested in how a baby is born can affect the whole rest of their life) and PTSD from birth trauma is on the rise and education is one way to help reduce it.

 

[poysenivye]

Congrats new bumps!! It's so awesome to have so many people to share this journey with. So far this morning I have mild cramping...and a little but nauseated. Everytime I stand up I cramp up too for about 3 seconds. Like a hardcore Charlie horse. Oh! And the doc switched my yeast infection meds, finally. I'm happy to report, (hoping not to jinx myself) no spotting since yesterday evening. Hooray!!!

Jinxed myself. Dang it!! Well, I guess I can't for everything internally to be healed in less than half a day. :/

 

[kit603]

Oh no Hope it stops quickly x

 

[30mummyof1]

I totally agree NDH, I did a hypnobirthing course when pregnant with Thomas which was so beneficial and taught me loads. I was able to have 2 natural drug free births, Harry's being a water birth too.
I would love a home birth next time but i will have to look into and probably fight for it as i had a pph after having Harry.

 

[poysenivye]

Oh no Hope it stops quickly x

Thanks Kit. I have more watery discharge now, less pink. But still there. Hopefully after the last treatment all will be well. My hubby has been gone since we conceived. We would like to practice again. Haha.

 

[Nikoru0111]

Oh on the subject of having proper education and support, however you intend to give birth, I advise birth education/preparation classes (not through a hospital). At the very least educate yourselves online. Labour is called Labour for a reason, and you wouldn't just show up to run a marathon without preparing for it.

If you want a natural birth, I cannot more highly advise getting a doula (seriously, theyre amazing)

If you dont want a natural birth thats totally your decision (I'm a natural birth advocate, but more importantly I'm an advocate of informed birth choice ) but I still suggest reading up on the evidence based practices surrounding your chosen birth type to ensure the best possible outcomes.

So many women take a backseat in their pregnancy and birth, expecting the experts to know what is best, but many drs dont practice evidence based care and just continue doing things the way they've always done them, even with.

Learn your rights when it comes to pregnancy and birth. Find a practitioner whose practice lines up with your desires, and dont be afraid to change practitioners at any stage if you see any red flags - even at full term! If you dont know what kind of birth you hope to have, look up birth plan templates that have yes/no tick boxes for heaps of options, and then read up on each of those options. For example, active labour, episiotomies, methods of induction, delayed cord clamping, skin to skin, gentle cesarean and seeding with vaginal flora. Some you really might not care about and others you'll discover you feel really strongly about one way or another.

Sorry for the long essay, it's just a subject I'm really passionate about . birth matters (check out the documentary microbirth if youre interested in how a baby is born can affect the whole rest of their life) and PTSD from birth trauma is on the rise and education is one way to help reduce it.

Thank you so much for your advice! It really helps and I really think it is important to know what you want too. My sister had researched a lot if things but not the birth. She just expected to go to hospital to be there a few hours and come out with a baby. The lady giving birth in the room next to her had to be rushed for a c-section too and lost the baby. My sister hadn't thought of what to ask and what to say when they decided to induce her (In retrospect she doesn't think they needed to meddle).

Anyway that taught me that I needed to know exactly what I wanted/didn't want when the time came. Allowing me to make informed choices rather than just go along with what the medical professionals decide is best.

In Japan usually you book a day to come in, then come to the hospital on that day and they induce you! I don't want any if that, I'd prefer a natural birth as much as possible. Apparently it is also very common to do episotomies and I also don't want that.

I think looking at some birth plan templates will help me immensely! Thanks!

 

[poysenivye]

Kit, are you feeling any better??

My birthing experiences have never gone to plan, but I guess that's part of the excitement to a certain degree.

 

[kit603]

Kit, are you feeling any better??

My birthing experiences have never gone to plan, but I guess that's part of the excitement to a certain degree.

I seem to be having less spotting again now - it's now only when I wipe and it's only a tiny bit. Also, it's more pink than red now but I'm not sure if that's just because I'm also getting more watery/creamy discharge again and it's mixing in and watering it down some.

 

[poysenivye]

So, last night, my nanny vomits all over the kids bathroom. I bring her some towels and disinfectant spray while trying not to throw up myself. I felt bad for her, though was more concerned about my toddler and kiddos. Then at the store today, my 9 year old throws up all over the meat aisle. A stomach bug...because a UTI, and yeast infection weren't enough. My poor kiddos. What a day...

 

[kit603]

Oh no Just what you needed Maybe you won't catch it? xx (We can hope!)

 

[oceania]

Good luck for your scan, radiance!!

I'm slowly but surely getting more symptoms now. Boobs are sore, more like a dull pain, but it feels exactly like it did when I was breastfeeding and they were getting a bit engorged.
By the way, for our FTMs: if you're wanting to breastfeed, please make sure you know what to expect, especially the first few weeks. So many times you read stories of women who couldn't breastfeed, because they didn't have enough support and didn't know what's normal and what isn't and how to fix it if something was wrong. There's a few different phone numbers in every country, that you can call 24/7 for advice, la leche league is pretty international I think, then in the UK we have the NCT, and I think there may be an NHS one, too...and there'll be equivalents in other countries. HVs and midwives can also put you in touch with lactation consultants, and it's a good idea to ask for a meeting with one before and just after your baby is born. ANYWAY...

I'm feeling really emotional lately, too. I almost cried last night because netflix didn't have a film I wanted to watch. Stupid netflix. I've also gone off my food a bit, not quite nauseous, just no appetite...which again is a good thing because I tend to overeat under normal circumstances. Right now I'm tucked up in bed with a cup of coffee, enjoying some time to myself before my 2 year old demands my attention again.

Hope everyone is well!

Hi, I just wanted to bring out another perspective to this - I have insufficient glandular tissue and I will not be able to breastfeed and it's not the end of the world. It's also not that rare, I have several friends with the same condition. No matter how you feed your child, whether you choose to breastfeed or to formula feed (or in some cases you don't have a choice like mine) your baby will be FINE and LOVED. I will enjoy the positive aspects, such as DH being able to be more hands-on from the very beginning I am also trying to find out ways I can make complaints/sue the hospital, because here all the government hospitals follow something called a baby friendly policy and I don't know how they will treat me but I've heard some horror stories and I will have none of it.

 

[Snufkin]

I don't think I implied that bottle fed babies are somehow not loved. Also, insufficient glandular tissue isn't *that* common, and it doesn't automatically and completely rule out breastfeeding, either. I'm just saying that women who want to breastfeed need all the information and support they can get. I'm sure we agree on that.

 

[weewdy]

Ladies have any of you not told your oh yet. He knows theres a chance i am as i am late but he doesnt know ive had a bfp, i wanted to wait until my test got darker. Any suggestions for a good way to tell him?