Home Birthers & Hopefuls!

[chuck]

lovely bump hayley!

I miss my bumps something awful.

 

[Linzi]

One of my friends said exactly the same thing about the pain being worse than childbirth. She said she tried for weeks and got to the point where she tried expressing instead and it just ended up coming out all blood It must be so hard

Back to the midwfie tomorrow for my 39 week appointment!! I still haven't had my homebirth pack arrive though, midwife said she ordered it 3 weeks ago & it's still not arrived. Tried chasing it up today but the midwives office was closed (2.20pm!) so hopefully might get it tomorrow

Was just saying in my other thread that I feel like Im right on the verge of labour, Ive got all the signs there is just no intensity... contracting a lot but not regularly and it doesn't get painful. I've had a few days trying everything to get it going, then a few days just not worrying about it & chilling out but nothing seems to be happening. I wouldn't be bothered Im just worried not about their 'progression' rules in labour. i don't want them to dictate to me when I have to transfer, but at the same time I don't know when the time comes to transfer so I am not putting baby at risk iykwim?

Seems like such a silly thing to worry about after Seth's birth was so quick & straight forward but I don't remember any of this from last time!

xx

 

[MandaAnda]

Oh, Chuck. It sounds like thrush to me as well. We had thrush at one point, and it was so bad that I would dread him waking and wanting a feed. During the feed, my toes would curl and I'd just will him to hurry and finish. It felt like shards of glass being pulled through my nipple. It only dawned on me what it was when I saw the tale-tell satellite spots on his bum that he must have thrush on his bottom and, oooooooh, that must be why I'm in agony! I basically rang up the GP, told him what it was and asked for treatment for us both.

Zara, that book rocks, doesn't it?! I can't wait to be pregnant again, and I'll then have the perfect excuse to re-read it!

 

[Mervs Mum]

If lacerated nipples arent reason enough to snip a tie goodness knows what is! Large weight gain is consistent with TT too because mums end up feeding so much they appear to be no problems with BFing....*sigh* it's not all about the latch! PB who checked their tongues? BF peer supporter/ MW/ counsellor? It needs to be a IBLC Lactation Consultant and a decent one! I know the NHS tell women (like chuck) 'oh it's not significant enough to snip' to keep costs down yet because they don't women are stopping BFing left and right sneaky posterior Tongue tie needs ruling out really.....

 

[cranberry987]

it seriously worries me how much we arent told about things.... why not just say oh there might be a posterior tongue tie but the nhs dont treat it, then we could pop along and make a private appt, or make an informed decision about what we want to do whether it be carry on bf and understand why its hard or stop bf.

Someone the other day said to me my MW just tells me all the options and makes me make my own decision. Id LOVE it if that happened!

 

[PeanutBean]

It was a mw who checked Indigo, don't remember for Byron. I found this https://www.aap.org/breastfeeding/files/pdf/bbm-8-27 Newsletter.pdf. It's very interesting. I gave Indigo a check over and can't see a tie and she has good movement all round her mouth and over her gums. We've no history of Tongue tie in either family that I know of. Byron certainly has excellent Tongue movement, I was marveling just yesterday at how far he can stick his Tongue out (he gets that from his dad). Both babies had excellent milk transfer, draining a boob in 5-10 mins and gaining weight in an average manner. No mega feeding (except when ill or growth spurts), no frustration or whinginess from feeding (except occasionally last thing at night when my milk is lowest). They both were/are able to latch properly when they want just often don't. I'm only occasionally sore, usually tying in with growth spurts and the cluster feeding. With Indigo I bled at the beginning because I couldn't sit to feed. It is literally impossible for me to get a decent latch lying down as the baby can't be angled far enough back to get a good bite. I would have to detach a boob for it to be possible Interestingly they prefer different holds. With Byron I was only taught cross cradle (another reason we struggled at first) and it was only when I read about other holds on Bnb and looked them up on LLL I think that I was able to try cradle which he far preferred. Annoyingly (because it's less discreet) Indigo prefers cross cradle.

Anyway. I don't think she has Tongue tie but that link will be useful for anyone wondering if their's does.

 

[indigo_fairy]

.

 

[cranberry987]

i told dh he would have to support me with the bf and not let me give up easily. he said why, baby will just eat wont it.

 

[moomin_troll]

i dont think many women give up easily at all. because its seen to be so natural i was heart broken when i gave up and it still really effects me.

but like others have said the pain was worse then labour when i was trying to feed.

hoping for a more positive experience this time

 

[cranberry987]

oh im v likely to, i give up everything easily! i didnt mean to suggest you did tho, sorry, i wasnt v sensitive there.

 

[moomin_troll]

oh im v likely to, i give up everything easily! i didnt mean to suggest you did tho, sorry, i wasnt v sensitive there.

i wasnt offended at all by ur post. but ive met very few women who have given up just because, so i wouldnt assume u will before uve tried it. atleast ur willing to try it

 

[Blah11]

I had my MW checkup today Everything was great, BP fine, NAD in urine, fundal height was a week and a half behind but it was the same with amelie so im disregarding that being any significance - hopefully il have another smallish baby! Anyway she's coming to my house on Sunday 21st of August to discuss the homebirth with me and OH

 

[cranberry987]

great news

 

[chuck]

If lacerated nipples arent reason enough to snip a tie goodness knows what is! Large weight gain is consistent with TT too because mums end up feeding so much they appear to be no problems with BFing....*sigh* it's not all about the latch! PB who checked their tongues? BF peer supporter/ MW/ counsellor? It needs to be a IBLC Lactation Consultant and a decent one! I know the NHS tell women (like chuck) 'oh it's not significant enough to snip' to keep costs down yet because they don't women are stopping BFing left and right sneaky posterior Tongue tie needs ruling out really.....

The MW/LC at Canterbury BC held Dewi when I transferred back there after the EMCS so Dewi wasn't even 3 days old and I was cracked and bleeding - she took one look at him asked if he had stuck hi tongue out at all and said he was tongue tied.

Effing hell I feel so ridiculous that it could have been something as simple as thrush that would have been treatable and I could have managed to BF for longer. It was difficult with Dewi as I knew I was going back to work FT when he was only 4 months it seemed like a lot of really hard work to get through the problems I was having only to have to change everything again when I got to work.

 

[SyllyPoohBear]

I always tell my friends that want to breastfeed to give it alteast 3 weeks. It is very hard for some and lots of sores and pains... But they had a much higher success right back in the day of breastfeeding. Why? because people didn't have any other option. Not saying ANY of you gave up to soon or that you did something wrong but it's amazing to me how many women don't get breastfeeding support. It is SO key to breastfeeding!

Ps. women with large breast or with inverted/small nipples they make special nipple covers (nipple shields) to help they are GREAT for cracked and sore nipples too. (My mom the midwife) says that wearing them prior to birth can help pull the nipple out which makes it easier to breastfeed. There is a spoiler here for all women who may have this problem. It IS fixable in many cases and will tremendously help breastfeeding.

Spoiler

Breast shells. Breast shells, also referred to as milk cups, breast cups, or breast shields, take advantage of the natural elasticity of the skin during pregnancy by applying gentle, but constant pressure to the areola in an effort to break the adhesions under the skin that prevent the nipple from protruding. The shells are worn inside the bra, which may need to be one size larger than normal to accomodate the shell. Ideally, shells should be worn starting in the third trimester of pregnancy for a few hours each day. As the mother becomes comfortable wearing the shells, she can gradually increase the amount of time she wears them during the day. After the baby is born, these same shells can be worn about 30 minutes prior to each feeding to help draw out the nipple even more. They should NOT be worn at night and any milk collected in them should NOT be saved.

Hoffman Technique. Doing this technique several times a day may help loosen the adhesions at the base of the nipple. To employ this technique: place a thumb on each side of the base of the nipple - directly at the base of the nipple, not at the edge of the areola. Push in firmly against your breast tissue while at the same time pulling your thumbs away from each other. By doing this you will be stretching out the nipple and loosening the tightness at the base which will make the nipple move up and outward. This exercise should be repeated 5 times a day, moving the thumbs in a clockwise fashion around the nipple. It can be used during pregnancy and after baby begins breastfeeding.

Breastpump. After birth, the use of an effective breastpump can be helpful at drawing out a flat or inverted nipple immediately before breastfeeding to make latch-on easier for the baby. It also can be used at other times following delivery to help further break the adhesions under the skin by pulling the nipple out uniformly from the center.

Evert-it Nipple Enhancer. Available through La Leche League, this device helps to draw out the nipple by providing uniform suction similar to that obtained with a breastpump.

Nipple stimulation. After birth, if the nipple can be grasped, a mother can roll her nipple between her thumb and index finger for a minute or two and then quickly touch the nipple with a moist, cold cloth or ice wrapped in cloth (avoid prolonged use of ice as it can inhibit the letdown reflex and numb the nipple too much).

Pulling back on the breast tissue at latch-on. As you support your breast for latch-on with thumb on top and four fingers underneath and way back against the chest wall, pull slightly back on the breast tissue toward the chest wall to help the nipple protrude.

Nipple shield. ONLY TO BE USED AS A LAST RESORT, the nipple shield is a flexible nipple made out of silicone that is placed over the mother's nipple during feedings so that latch-on is possible for the baby. To prevent the baby from becoming too addicted to nursing with the shield, it should be removed as soon as the baby is latched-on and nursing well. The length of time during the feeding that the shield is used should also be steadily decreased. Possible problems associated with the use of nipples shields include a drop in the mother's milk supply and insufficient transfer of milk to the baby. Because of these possible risks, it is strongly recommended that you only use a nipple shield under the direct supervision of a lactation expert such as as a lactation consultant or La Leche League leader. It should be noted, however, that even with the possible risks of using a nipple shield, as long as the mother is aware of what to watch for, breastfeeding with a nipple shield is much more preferable to not breastfeeding!

Oh now that I have read this article I think it's actually a breast shell that my mom was taking about.

PS. And it's not just about the tongue either sometimes babies can have to high of an arch in the mouth that also makes it difficult to breastfeed.

PSS. lol ALSO Le Leche League is a GREAT place for support in Breastfeeding. I am pretty sure they even have a hot-line.

 

[cranberry987]

chuck, dont be so hard on yourself. i think it says more about the level/quality of support you got from the health visitor (or whoever deals with these things) really rather than anything you could have done. we cant know everything about every issue.

also, it could have been anything else, you just dont know. and even if it was thrush, might still have been just as hard.

x

 

[chuck]

I know, I just still feel like I failed at a lot of things you know?

It's going to take a long while to stop feeling that way.

 

[Mervs Mum]

You didnt fail a lot of things IMHO chuck. I think you were failed by others quite a bit though

 

[cranberry987]

Yeah I understand. Things smart for a while whatever the reason. Is there any kinda post birth debriefing thing you can do? You know like birth art but for post labour (I know it's not rly labour but you know what I mean)? Doing something brutally honest and filled with all your emotion might help. Always helps me to write things down then it's like they're out of my head and bit by bit it gets easier.

 

[chuck]

I did a birth afterthoughts and had counselling with a fully counselling trained ex midwife, it helped me through the early days pp with dewi but some things will take time to fade and im ok with that.

I joined up with a bunch of Mums and their kiddos today to let the little ones run around in a field an done of the mums is 31 weeks pg now and wanted to use canterbury BC but tis closed with no prospects of being open again any time soon and she was asking me a bit about HB and I think she may have been swayed to go with it.

She had a picture perfect 5 hour labour last time, perfect pregnancy this time and is happy with the transfer time for canterbury to hospital so she's going to think about it and ask her MW more seriously about it at next appt! bwahahahaha i'm spreading nutter-itis where ever I go!