Femmes Fetales - (PAL) Holding onto Hope 9 months and on...

[kizzyt]

Haha imp I wasn't sure we would bymut we took
G with us to a friends house who have a little girl and we had Chinese food and some drinks and all made it to midnight, even Georgina

My parents had her overnight for us last night so we could get a good nights sleep and my mum gave me a couple of her herbal sleeping tabs and I slept 10pm til 8.30!! Woohoo!! Me and oh also had some bd action so I am very happy this morning! Haha! Mum has just text to say all is ok and not to come get her yet so we ate having a nice chill, I'm even going to read my book for a while whilst Neil is playing football on the lap top thank god for my parents!!

Hope everyone else has had a good start to 2012!! Xxx

 

[grandbleu]

Sparkle - So happy AA stuck around for 2012! Hope she keeps baking and so happy your are safe and sound back at your home.

Kizzy - You sound much better now after your new years celebration but I totally understand where you are coming from. Don't worry we're not breaking any DTD records over here - only once since birth - oh my! Also re: baby - they change their schedules all the time in my opinion...I think it will be a bit later before we can predict what their "real" schedule is...I just roll with whatever he does...sometimes he sleeps lots sometimes not at all but I just have no expectation whatsoever and that takes the pressure off.

I'm impressed by all who made it to midnight - We were in bed at 9pm -ish just about the same time as Indigo goes

 

[neffie]

Kizzy - Glad to hear that you got a great night's rest, and also managed some lovin time in there. Great way to start the New Year! Hope Georgina's colic is better.

Sparkle - Looks like AA is listening to her Femmes Fetales aunties. Continue staying put in mummy's tummy AA...

to everyone else. Hope you all had a fab New Years. We made it to midnight, but I missed out on the ball dropping as well. I was getting Coco's room ready.

AFM, I'm full term today, woop woop!!!! Another milestone crossed, and one less thing to worry about. It's definitely getting down to the wire now....only 3 weeks to go! Hospital bags are packed and ready to go!

 

[lilrojo]

Wow Neffie Happy 37 weeks and full term to you.. 5 more weeks for me on wednesday.. not long though.. happy to hear though that your pretty much all set for your little girl to come.. Not long..

Sparkle so happy to hear aa is staying put.. a while longer at least..

Kizzy happy to hear you sounding more upbeat and that you got some fun time with your oh.. and a good nights sleep..

AFM not much going on thinking on all i need to get done soon.. My dd has been a bit under the weather so hope she feels better soon.. not sure if its teething or a cold or both.. ugh.. so just relaxing today.. also lacking the energy to do a lot right now.. feel like nesting and cleaning but want to procrastinate lol..

Hope your all well.. cant believe next month i will have my baby.. where has time gone.. lol 32 weeks on wednesday..

 

[IMPPEARL]

Grand glad I'm not the only one who missed midnight! Lol

Kizzy. My new year started much the same. We ordered Chinese and went to a friends. However lo has been sick. She was puking the entire contents of her tummy and her poops have been green water. You'd think that they can't fit a lot ion them. However let me tell you they can fit more then you'd think in there. Needless to say by 9 she got really fussy so we went home and watched a movie. I fell asleep about 11:30. Oh well ... I think she starting to feel a little better now. She has a cough though and is still a little suckey only wants mommy.

 

[Amberyll23]

We made it to midnight...but just barely!!!

Home safe and sound from Baltimore. I promise to catch up properly with you all tomorrow, I am exhausted (plus, the Hag decided to show on New Years Eve--wth--I thought since I was nursing she was supposed to stay away?! It is awful! Heavy, heavy, heavy, just like back when I was a teenager bleh! No fair!) Sorry if tmi!!!

Really quick---

Sparkle--so happy AA is going to be a 2012 baby!!

Neffie--Happy term hun!!!

Right, rest for tomorrow, have to head to bed so I am somewhat coherent for work tomorrow. Love to you all! xx

 

[shelleney]

HAPPY NEW YEAR LADIES!

Bean - sorry you seem to be struggling at the moment. I hope your breast pain has eased, and the antibiotics are working for you. also, sorry to hear Nate is still struggling with his testicle. I hope things get sorted for him soon. Take care.

SamB - thankyou for sharing your birth story. It was a fascinating read! im glad to hear you avoided the C-Section (only just!) but as long as Jessica arrived safe and sound, thats all that matters. also, your pics of her are lovely - i especially love the one of her in her pretty dress!

Lil - sorry to hear you had a bug and some spotting last week. Glad to hear they have both cleared up now though. Happy 32 weeks for tomorrow - ooh, not long no!

Neffie - Happy 37 weeks! Full term - woohoo!! sounds like things are going really well with Coco. she's a decent weight already and head down - how exciting!!

Kizzy - aww, Hun. sorry to hear you were struggling physcially and emotionally last week. Freya doesnt have any sort of routine at all. im just trying to go with the flow, and play everything by ear. I hope you can relax and enjoy Georgina over the next few weeks until she hopefully settles into a routine. also, dont worry about yours and DHs lack of sex. we didnt have sex til 7 weeks after the birth, then we didnt do it again until NYE (10 weeks after the birth) I think thats pretty normal when you have a new baby. Glad to hear you Mum is helping you out, so that you get some rest and couple time.

Sparkle - woohoo! so glad to hear that AA will be a 2012 like she was supposed to be! Happy 35 weeks!! Well done Apple Alice!!

Imp - sorry to hear Alia is poorly right now. i hope she feels better soon. bless her.

Grand - how are you and Indigo? hope you are both well.

Amber - glad you have returned home safely from Baltimore. hope you all had a wonderful time there! sorry to hear the witch caught you. she got me too, and i was stuck with her all over Christmas - for 10 whole days!! i didnt think i would get one either, as i am breastfeeding? perhaps its a side effect of the Depo injection im on? anyways, looking forward to hearing from you when you have time to catch up.

Hi to anyone ive missed!

xx

 

[grandbleu]

Ugh! Seriously I hate the new BnB format sometimes - why do they think I would be interested in meeting young Asian ladies??? - I so hate ads especially ones that are so not relevant on a baby site?

Anyways that's the least of my worries, right?

Neffie - Oh my gosh - so soon! You are so super prepared...I've been impressed how you've gotten so much done along the way. Can't wait to hear about our 1st 2012 baby!

Sparkle - How's AA doing??? Still baking I hope.

Amber and Shell - Oh dear the old hag! Who invited her to the New Year's party? Apparently BFeeding isn't full proof...I think I had mine at 6 weeks but it was so light I'm not sure.

Amber - Impressed you made it to midnight. Are you working at the office or home now? Do you express?

Imp -Oh your poor wee daughter - I think sick babies are just so sad because they can't take many meds to help them out - I bet she's loving your cuddles. Hope she's on the mend.

Lil - wow you're progressing fast now...hope your other LO is feeling better...totally understand procrastination...I was the queen of that

Hi to ALL!

AFM: Been a bit down recently as BFeeding is still quite painful especially at night - I went to Leche League meetings and saw a certified lactation consultant and apparently there's nothing I can do to make it better...it's really frustrating as I dread each feed and he feeds a lot. I'm trying my hardest but it makes me sad I can't enjoy or bond during our feeds like you are supposed to - I even resent him sometimes which I know is just awful the poor thing it's not his fault. I think my mom leaving and OH back at work I'm feeling overwhelmed again.

 

[Amberyll23]

Hey ladies! I thought I would be able to post sooner, but getting back into a routine after the holidays is proving to be a bit more trying than I thought! I hope you are all doing well and I can't wait to see who our first 2012 baby will be!!!

Kizzy--Glad you had such a wonderful first xmas with G. Sorry to hear that you were struggling with her sleep/feeding--I hope things have improved--it could have just been the holidays, I know Grace was totally thrown off her routine because of all the holiday travelling, visiting, etc. and we are still trying to get back to normal! Glad you were able to enjoy the New Years and were able to DTD!! I have to admit, DH and I have only DTD once since having Grace. If the hag had not shown up, we may have tried again over New Years but there will be time for that later---I agree with Bean, I think in most cases our guys are just waiting to hear from us that it is ok--they are worried about our physical recovery at first, then they see us exhausting ourselves with the babes, so they tread lightly!

Lil--Happy 32 weeks!! I hope your DD is feeling better and you have found the time to relax after your busy holiday plans. Time to start resting up for the little one's arrival!!

Sparkle--thinking of you and AA and hoping all is well!

Neffie--You are in countdown status girl! I hope things are going well and that you too are getting the rest you need before CoCo's arrival!!

Imp--oh hun, I hope little Alia is feeling better. Poor little dear. I will never forget Grace's first cold--it is so hard when they are sick as there is so little we can do on the medicine side of things, but Mommy TLC is part of what helps the most, and I am sure you are giving her lots of that!

Shell--you did it again, you made a nice big post but then didn't update us on you! How are you and Freya doing? How was her first holidays?

Grand-- Sorry to hear the BFing is still painful. Have you tried the lanolin creams? They really have been my savior, especially for the left breast. Also, now that he is a little older, have you considered pumping during the day and giving him the milk by bottle at night (I admit, I did this with Grace from the beginning as it gave my breasts a break for a few hours at night when I needed it, and it really helped). I have also been expressing and breastfeeding since she was a couple of weeks old and training her on the bottle of expressed milk (as she goes to daycare next month), and she has had zero nipple confusion. In fact, she clearly knows the difference between the nipples and has a special little facial expression she makes when she wants the breast over the bottle.

Thinking of you hun, and don't feel bad about your feelings, I think we all get them from time to time. Sometimes I get that way when Grace refuses to nap/relax, and wants held 24/7--which is our biggest trial with her. I just try to remind myself that she just wants her mommy's love and someday she will be an independent little lady and I will be wishing she wanted me like she does now!

AFM: I have to admit, I am glad that I am not the only one who had the hag show up on her. I have read countless books and articles that say that breastfeeding women don't normally get AF in the first six months of breastfeeding---so I was all out of sorts and frustrated!! But apparently some ladies do jump right back into their cycles, even if BFing, so apparently some of us are among the unlucky ones!! Although she was heavy, she seems to be staying as long as she normally did before (5-7) days, so I will just have to mark the calendar so she doesn't sneak up on me again!!

We had a wonderful holiday season with Grace, and she seemed to adapt well to all the different places we stayed (friends/family/etc.). I fell asleep watching a movie with DH and our friends on New Years Eve, but woke up around 11, so was able to ring in the New Years with them all (Grace slept through it!).

Right now I am selfishly hoping that January goes by slowly as this is my last month home with Grace. She starts daycare in February, and I am not looking forward to being apart from her! I've been expressing more and working her with the bottle more to get her prepared, but I am having a hard time cutting back the nursing and we are still cosleeping at night, so she is definitely not used to sleeping in a crib/cradle yet. I do have her finally in love with her swing and she sleeps there, but we can't take that with us to daycare!

So, I have a busy/stressful month ahead. Bleh!

 

[Beanwood]

Hi all

Amber - oh hun. Sorry your af came. I hope that you can get the bottle feeding and athe sleeping sorted so that you can enjoy this month. XX

Grand - I understand where you are coming from. It is so hard to enjoy BF when it hurts so much. I am on antibiotics still for brest infection. I agree with Amber aswell - give the lanisoh a go - I have some and had forgotten - thanks for the reminder Amber.

Shell _ oh no to the AF.

Imp - How is little alia.

Neffie - congrats on full term.

Lil Hun how are you?

Kizzy - Sounds like you had a good new year.

Hope I have not missed anyone. Am sorry if I have.

Am Off to get kids from sch will update on Nate later. He was weighed today. XX

 

[grandbleu]

Thanks Bean and Amber - I do have Lavinosoh (Spelling!?) and used it the first couple weeks when I had cracked nipples and it worked great but now the pain is not scabs/cracking but just a general soreness because Indy's "suction" is very strong apparently and when he's not sucking strong he lets go his latch a little and sort of "chews" in between let downs...the only thing I can do is unlatch him but he just starts "chewing" again until the milk comes in - I can't just tell him to suck unfortunately (although I do actually ) and he cries if I take him off before he's "done". I guess I'm just complaining really... but thanks for understanding

Amber - I better start training Indy as well since I go back in 2 months...better start expressing - do you use a special bottle and how much do you give her per bottle feed?

Bean - Can't wait to hear about little Nate!

 

[lilrojo]

32 week appt went well.. bp was 110/80.. weight was 155lbs, gained about 18-20 lbs.. babys hb was good in the 130s-140, head was down wrapped up around the left side.. feet on the right.. makes sense.. lol next appt is in 2 weeks so on the 18th.. then 36 weeks is the group b strep test and an internal, sweep at 38 weeks if i want, and possible induction at 39 depending on what all happens.. Baby will def be here before my due date though..

 

[grandbleu]

Excellent appointment Lil - Why do they want to induce at 39 weeks? just curious

 

[kizzyt]

Big hugs Grand, I can totally relate and I SO admire you for carrying on feeding yourself (and all you other ladies who do it too) as I couldnt cope with that feeling after just five days and was dreading each feed, I decided for me it was more important to be happy as that would reflect in her and once I went to bottle feeding I was much more satisfied. I am not saying you should do that at all, its just what worked for me, like Amber said perhaps you could try a little expressing just to give yourself a break and not to feel so down about it all, lots of love to you.

Amber, I dont blame you wanting Jan to go slowly you must be sad going back to work, are you going to be in the office full time? I hope you enjoy your last month home with baby Grace xx

afm, Georgie had her second set of jabs this morning, poor thing had fallen asleep 5 mins before so a short sharp jab in the leg was a bit of a rude awakening! she was ok but has been a little unsettled since and is beyond tired but not letting herself sleep so i have given her a drop of calpol and am feeding her and hoping that will send her off for a couple of hours. I am getting her weighed tomorrow for the first time in 5 weeks, i reckon shes over a stone now, she will be 14 weeks saturday, madness!!

hope everyone is doing well xx

 

[grandbleu]

Thanks Kizzy! I totally understand why ladies give up BFeeding and would never judge anyone because man it can really hurt! I will definitely start expressing to give my boobs a break - I think it's a really good idea from you and Amber. Now to find a bottle...

PS. I hate jab appointments glad Georgie did well...Indy was a stone on December 15th so he's definitely over a stone we've got little chunksters! I love big cheeks so I'm happy.

 

[kizzyt]

Nothing better than big chubby round cheeks Is Indy fully into 3-6 month clothes now? G has started in some of hers and growing out of 0-3's fast!! x

Re bottles I cant recommend Dr Brown's enough!

 

[Amberyll23]

Bean-- can't wait to hear your update on nate, hope he is well!!!

lil--great appointment!! you are doing fabulously!! Keeping my fx'd that you have a smooth and easy induction!!

kizzy--poor G, I hope she is feeling better after her jabs. I am not looking forward to Grace's next set, the last ones had me crying more than her! On weight--we surely do have a healthy, chubby bunch! Grace was in the 80th percentile for weight (she has been all along) when she was weighed last--but she is chubby cheeked and healthy, and her doc said not to worry, she is doing great!

Grand--glad you are using the cream, I swear by mine. Sounds like Indy is a strong little boy! On expressing--most pumps (electric and hand-held) come with an attachment that can also serve as a bottle; however, I usually empty Grace's into a regular bottle (since regular bottles are generally made to protect the baby from inhaling air pockets, etc.). I use 4 oz Avent bottles with her right now, but don't fill them, I usually keep each bottle at about 3 oz right now, which is about 80 ml--and it usually takes her 2 feeds to get through that. I think other popular bottle brands for expressed milk are Tommee Tippee and Dr. Something (can't remember the name offhand). All are supposed to be very good. Don't spend extra $ on special breast milk bottles, the regular good brands work just fine.

You will find that you will have different amounts of milk coming out depending on the time of day that you express. For example, I am usually able to fill 3 4 oz bottles in the morning, but only get enough for 2 bottles filled to 3 oz throughout the day (nursing, waiting 2 hours, expressing, waiting to 2 hours, nursing, etc.) So I recommend that you find out what time of day gives you the best supply, and then you can fill up a couple bottles and store them in the fridge. Or, you can do what I do--right before bed, I express enough for 1 4oz bottle and take that to bed with us at night, and that is what I give her at her 3/4 am feed---it works fabulously. Oftentimes she doesnt get through it all, it just depends on how hungry she is.

During the day, if we give her a bottle, it is usually a 4 oz filled up to the 3 oz mark. She gets close to finishing at times, but that seems to be her limit right now (the good thing about breast milk is you can leave the bottle sitting for up to 6 hours, so we can always go back and have her finish it later)

OH--one thing you do need to pay attention to is the nipples for the bottles. Avent has different nipples for slow and fast flow. I still have Grace on the 1's which are the slower flow, and we are probably going to up her to 2s this weekend, which are still not extremely fast. The 3s I have been told are not recommended for breast milk. Here in the states, all their 4 oz bottles are sold with the 1s, so you should be good.

Hope that info helps!! sorry for the length!

 

[neffie]

Shell - I'm with Amber. Where's your update? Hope you and Freya are doing well. Sorry to hear that the hag showed her ugly face over the holidays...

Grand - Sorry to hear that BFing is still giving you the blues. Don't beat yourself over it though...you should give yourself a pat on the back for still keeping up with it after all the pain. Keep using the lansinoh cream...you never know, it might give some unexpected relief. You might also want to try some gel cooling pads. Lansinoh makes those as well. You just pop them in the freezer, and put them on to relieve the pain. Hope you feel better soon!

Amber - Glad you enjoyed the holidays, with the exception of the making an appearance. I can imagine how you're feeling about leaving Grace at daycare. Coco's not even here yet, and I'm already thinking about when I'll have to go back to work. 3 months is just not long enough! It's great that you've already got her into the bottle feeding routine though, and that she's picked up the difference between breast & bottle. Why aren't you allowed to take in your swing at the daycare center by the way? Is it the portability issue, or will they not allow it? I have a question for you on expressing as well. How long after her birth did you first start expressing? I plan to exclusively BF in the beginning, but I don't want to wait too long before OH can participate in a feeding.

Bean - Hope Nate is doing going & all went well with the weight check & appointment!

Lil - Glad to hear that all went well with your appt! I too am curious why they have offered you an early induction option.

Kizzy - Hope Georgina settles down soon. I can imagine being poked just after waking up... Hope the weight check tomorrow goes well. Wow, almost 14 weeks already, that's crazy!

Hope everyone else is doing well.

AFM, had my appointment today and all seems to be on track (knock on wood!). No checking of the cervix at this or the next appointment. They said that you still can't predict what will happen between appointments, and it might only just irritate things down there further more. All made sense to me, especially since I did bleed a bit after my internal last week. Coco is still head down, and they said that the chances are pretty high that she will remain that way until delivery. I sure hope so! Strep B test was negative, so that's one less thing to worry about.

It's getting down to the wire now, but honestly I'm hoping that she comes closer to her due date. My in-laws will be coming into town for the delivery and staying with us for a while. As crazy as it may sound, I'm really looking forward to having them here...i absolutely ADORE them...they are like my second set of parents and I feel very fortunate to have that kind of a relationship with them. Anyhoo, so it would be nice if Coco waits until Grandma & Grandpa get here. On the flip side, I'll be working right up until the time I go into labor, so on that front I'm not that keen on her coming super late. I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that if I do go past my due date, I go into labor naturally because I'd rather not be induced. I did ask them about their take on inductions, and they don't like to do those until you're at the end of 41 weeks, so that was good to know. Hopefully it won't come down to that, and Coco will come close to when she's due.

 

[Beanwood]

Lil - same question as Grand??

Kizzy - poor little georgie being woken to a jab. Bless her.
They grow so quickly out of their clothes don't they its amazing.

Grand - you are not complaining. It is very hard and when it hurts it is no fun. My boobs
are very tender all over. If one of the elder ones accidently stick an elbow in them I practically scream. My nipples are sore also. I find that I have such a strong flow he is practically gasping as the milk goes down. Then he seems to get really lazy and just have his mouth open at the end of my nipple. I think that him not latching on properly may have caused some soreness. It is hard I think that it is definetly a good idea to be able to do both bottle and breast.

Nate weighs 9 lb 10 oz. Am very pleased.

Also his groin was swollen again so the HV said to take him back to the docs. The docs are now saying that the testicle is in an unusual place as it is left of the sac. So they have referred him. He has an appointment on 3rd Feb. He also said that if I see the bigger lump again then take him straight to hospital incase it is a hernia. So atleast we are getting it sorted.

 

[kizzyt]

poor Nate honey but as hard as it is to see them have to go through stuff at such an early age its so much better now before they are aware or will remember xxxx