March Mamas 2012 Baby Group (Closed Group)

[lauraclili]

It's such a cruel thing. Hopefully you're right about the false positives and the CVS will take this level of worry away. If they get the opposite result then I hope they can make a decision they can be at peace with, whatever it is.

One of my friends had a baby with DS after getting a 1/38000 result to NT screening and bloods. You just can't tell.

 

[lauraclili]

Well, if ear I may have to have a little sob and woe is me post.

Since I've been so ill, I've not really eaten and didn't drink anything for nearly three days. Since being in hospital I've been on IV antibiotics and fluids but I haven't been making any milk.

I was told they would check all the drugs I was on against breastfeeding guidelines to check they were ok and ive been putting A on for a jolly good suck to keep the idea going even if there's only a little milk. I found out this morning that the antibiotic ive been on is contraindicated with Bfing and I've fed A throughout. They do t seem worried but I really hope I haven't harmed her in any way.

I just don't know, with so little food (it works out as less than 150 calories in four days) and being so dehydrated if I will be able to carry on Bfing and I'm absolutely devastated. I think I'd be able to get me head around it if id made a conscious choice but I feel like its been taken away from me instead.

I had a bit of a breakdown about it in front of one of the nurses earlier and she spoke to a lactation consultant for me who suggested more fluids and a high calorie diet as well as lots and lots of pumping. As a result. I've forced myself to have a slice of buttered toast and two slices of cheese and I'm going to have a biscuit as soon as my next set of painkillers kick in. That's all made me feel sick but its worth it if I get my milk back.

I'm going to run out of frozen stock tomorrow too so unless a load more milk turns up tomorrow then it seems my girly never having had formula will have to change. It makes me want to cry just thinking about it but I can't think of an alternative and I've worked so hard to keep this going the way I have. Sometimes life is cruel in subtle ways that don't really matter.

I'm sorry, I'm just feeling really down in the dumps about it because I haven't been able to increase my stocks after the last time I was in hospital because that buggered up my ability to pump. Unfair!

 

[lozza1uk]

Laura fingers crossed your supply magically picks up. Really hope you feel better soon. Can you pump when you're out more often than A Feds to try and compensate? I don't know how many days it takes supply to adjust but 3 days doesn't seem too long?
MsC : massive for your brother and SIL too, life is cruel sometimes. Really hope the cvs results come back clear.

Silly - every 2 hours?? Blimey, that's frequent. How do you ever get anything done or fit in meal times?! Have you tried stretching her out by distracting her at all? Does she snack every 2 hours or actually take a full feed? Glad your nights are getting better though!

Wt - with 5-8 poos a day for the last 3 days it seems the blueberries are already through and out. I'm seeing food 3-24 hours after ingestion which seems fast!!

 

[Blue_bird]

Bloomin heck Laura..... not been on f/b much in the last few days so may have missed some of your issues - sounds like you are having a hard time of it..... It's great that you have the support of the nurses - but you also need to make sure that you are good too! Have the hospital said how long they expect the drugs to be in your body.... and therefore how long A will need to be on formula for? Not at all ideal for you, I know - but fingers crossed it is soon!!

MsCrow..... You have taken me rigggggghhhhht back to my 12 week scan. I just remember my o/h sat waiting for the doc - looking at the chart on the wall that shows the higher your age V higher possible issues.... and both of us were over 35. Although I appreciate that the measurements are given for all the right reasons, I have also seen the upset and torment that so many family's go through when they are given this number...... I know of a three people who had been given a very high NT measurement - whilst I was either pregnant or since, and all of them had healthy weight, healthy babies. I agree with Laura, in just hoping that they are at peace with that ever decision that they come to!
Also fully with you on the weight gain issues..... I got M weighed a few weeks ago, and he was 22lb8oz.... yeah i know a chunk and a half..... but I don't think he's a chunk - until I see him against other 7/8 month olds..... (actually saying that I saw a friend of my mums last week, and her little boy is nearly 4 and is only 25lb.... maybe M has even surpassed that now? I appreciate that this is a one off - but at swimming there are babies 5/16 months old - and he is on par with them.... ekkkk) we are pretty much on three meals a day now (apart form wednesday as swimming lessons are right slap bang in the middle of sleep time / lunch time) and between 2/3 bottles a day. I do appreciate that they have growth spurts - but i'm sure m's have been since he was 3 weeks old.... mmmmmm

Lozza - good luck with the CC.... hopefully your oh is on board too! Are you sure you are going to know how to sleep all through the night? I don't know how long these things take to work - but soon would be good!! Hope Z realises there will be a list of people when he is a teenager who wants to sleep all day - who will be partying with mum - and therefore disrupting his sleep.... And 40 blueberries....... wooosh -you will possibly be able to count them in his nappy..... just saying..
Emera - did you get your pains looked into?

Seriously need to get my head out of this sinking sand and look for childcare...... everyone is sooooooooo organised and I'm just..... not HUMPH!
xx

 

[citymouse]

Sorry, Laura, I hope everything gets sorted. Even if your supply goes down a little, surely you can bring it back up? I feel like I've seen references to "relactating" around. Maybe something like that would work for you. Don't worry about the formula. I used to try and try to keep a stash of bm, but with all G's allergy stuff I was never sure if I had pumped on a good day or a bad day. Finally I decided to just give her formula when she can't nurse... very freeing!

Bit of a blue day here, as well. Just feeling overwhelmed. My little sis (our nanny) broke up with her boyfriend and she's a bit of a wreck, not being very reliable. DH's little sis, who's 28 and lives like a nomad on money from their parents (!!!) is staying with us, and every little thing she does bugs me. I think it's the way she acts as though it's her house, too--unpacking boxes and stuff like that--but then she does guest-y things, too, like not wash her dishes. Earlier today I had my sister sleeping on the couch while I took the baby to feed her, and DH's sister sitting in a chair next to her, looking like she owned the place. WTF is wrong with little sisters?

G has been awful about napping lately... she'll fall asleep while I'm feeding her and then stay down for all of ten minutes before waking up crying and crawling around the crib moaning, "Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma! Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma!"

There's no food in the house and I'm hungry and I wanted to go to Target today because I literally have one pair of pants (trousers) that fit me.

AND we have to fly halfway across the country to spend the weekend with my in-laws while staying in a skeezy little motel, because that's the only place there is to stay. JOY.

 

[waula]

MsC my bestie had a 1:5 chance of DS and had amniocentesis done and all clear. I'm hoping and praying the CVS is kind and conclusive. They've had too much pain already. And I think E is just flipping perfect. Chunky? No. Just perfect. No more weigh ins for a while please. Feeds? Five here. Although whilst he's been ill its been mini tiny screamy feeds all day/night. There is no right or wrong - just your way. Xxx
Laura - you are totally in the wars hun - please don't panic or make any snap decisions - you and A will be just fine - just get yourself better, that's got to be the priority. You've done a phenomenal job so far and irrespective of the method of you feeding A will not change that I promise. Big hugs. X
Lozza - I can't get over 40 blueberries lol!!
Bluebird - M is also just perfect. Fact.
Citymouse you have some interesting siblings!! And I think you've the patience and kindness of a saint. I'll be honest, you've not sold this whole trip away thing to me - can they not come to you??!
X

 

[MsCrow]

Oh Laura, my heart broke for you when I read this last night but I was on my phone and couldn't reply as I wanted to. I totally understand your worries and upset. I don't know if you remember but I was in hospital in May with pancreatitis, it really was very serious, they gave me a 50% chance, and though the doctors were all in a flurry around me all I could do was focus on the fact I couldn't breastfeed E and what it was doing to my supply. By the end of the week I was seriously distressed that it was putting an end to feeding her as I was watching what I could pump and it was decreasing. I came back from one investigative surgery and just broke down because I was too drugged to get my nightshirt off and pump. To start with I was broken about her having formula so early when I was determined to exclusively breastfeed. On is take heart that A is older and beyond the magical six months I think you probably hold dear.

Second and most importantly you can increase your supply and maintain it but for this you need some full support from the doctors and I'm glad to see you have had the lactation consultant come and see you. During your time in you need to pump as regularly as possible, every two hours if you can and do it even if you get very little milk out. Please try and keep your fluids up, the IV will help. It's less about food and more about fluids. If you can manage some porridge and herbal teas, all the better.

Third, can you have access to A as much as possible? Can she come in and feed, snuggle a couple of times a day? You should have unhindered access to each other whilst in. Don't sweat it about the antibios, but the doctors do need to consult more fully with the lactation consultant about putting you on more appropriate antibios and painkillers that won't hinder your supply or ability to feed.

Forth, focus on getting out and spending a few days in bed with her doing lots of skin to skin and feeding on demand. This might seem a small thing but will do wonders for the release of prolactin that will help to increase your supply again.

I'm so sorry. I know how distressed you are feeling. It doesn't have to be the end of breastfeeding, focus on this and try, if you can, to remove the stress in your head as this will only impact on your supply. Big (((hugs))) to you.

Thanks for your kind and thoughtful comments lads, I'll respond, just running out to a meeting.

 

[wondertwins]

Ms.C- That's so scary and cruel. The tests are really double-edged. Having some reassurance is nice, but the false positive and the false negatives create a lot of anguish too. It's great that they have you and Mr.Crow in their support network no matter what.

Laura- You never need to apologize for having a ME post. That's what we're here for. It sounds like you're really dehydrated. Hopefully a massive influx of fluids will cause your milk to pick right back up.

Mouse- When are you going to be visiting your MIL? That's in my neck of the woods, no? Oh, and color me hugely jealous of the ma ma ma ma ma ma. Even if she doesn't fully understand what she's saying. All I get is "IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" and "da da da da da da."

EDIT TO ADD:

Almost forgot.... Bluebird, DS1 was 20 lbs. at 6 months. I don't recall his weight at 8 months, but the doctor was never worried about him, and I never really thought of him as a chunk. He was just solid. His baby chub looked like all baby chub. Adorable. He slimmed down considerably at 15-18 months, but he was still at the top of the charts. And he has never been a chubby kid. He's just tall.

 

[crowned]

Ah, Laura, I'm in almost the same situation. I'm on heavy medication with codeine for my kidney stone, and codeine is not safe for bfing babies, so A has been on formula for the last three days. I also feel like bfing has been stolen from me, and I wasn't able to choose to switch to ff on my own time. I'm terrified she'll forget how to nurse. The first day she kept rooting at my chest, but has completely stopped that now. She didn't love the bottle at first, but takes to it like a duck to water now. I'm thankful she's eating well, but will be so very sad if this is the end of our bfing experience. I wanted to bf until she was a year or more. I have to have the medication or I'll be in agony, and it has to be out of my system for at least 48 hours before she can bf again. It's so sad.

I have been able to pump, though I have to dump what I have pumped due to the meds. I really hope your supply picks up quickly and you're able to resume nursing as before. If it helps, there are mamas who even nurse their adopted babies by stimulating milk production, so if you get her to latch on frequently, your supply should pick up again quite quickly. xxxx

 

[mitchnorm]

Sorry if i dont remwmber everything i.wanted to.say...been.at work last couple of days and just catching up

Mscrow...so sorry about your sil...fingers crossed thd cvs comes back.clear. My bro.and sil went through exsctly the same thing...its a tough decision to make, very personal. I hope they dont have to go there

Crowned/laura...sorry about not being.well.and the effect it has had on bd'ing for you....hope you both.get back.to.full strength.very soon and continue on.your bd'ing joueney..big hugs x x

Mouse....yeah hello!!!!!!! Sorry about the siblings...you are very kind, i would be going crazy by now. Hugs x x

Cant remember everything else...oh.yeah chunky babies and weight gain...i.have minor panic about this. M came into.the world on 9th percentile (but 91st for height) but has chunked up very quickly....doubling birth weight by 12 weeks on just bf'ing then tripled by 6 months ish....she seems alot bigger than.friends babies who.were born 3lbs heavier at biryh!!! She has caught.up.and some!!! She has started levelling ofg now and when.they get on the mobe it will definately.start to.slow up again.i.hope....miss my teeny baby!!! Getting M weighed next week was 18lb 15 at last weigh in around 6 1/2 months i.think. Chunk!!!!! I.just keep pointing out how tall she is ha ha x x

 

[wouldluvabub]

First time I have logged onto b&b for ages! On my phone so can not respond as I'd like.

Ms.c so so sorry for your bro and sil, my sis and her partner had been trying 3 1/2 years. She finally got preg and they got through all the 12 week tests. At 20weeks they found out he had a cleft. Obviously ment much further testing in that time they were told that because of the cleft it was highly likely he would have further issues.. It broke my heart because I had this perfect newborn baby which was all they desperately wanted. I felt like I couldn't talk about how perfectly beautiful I though he was because we all knew their baby was not 'perfect' (of course he is perfect to us, but you understand what I mean!) it was just the biggest slap in the face. She had finally come to terms with my pregnancy in time to meet her nephew and feel good about everything again and then.. BAM.. I know a cleft is something that's treatable unlike downs. But at the end of the day this baby has to undergo many surgeries and lots ok painful recovery time. He will have surgeries throughout his life.. It's not just an easy fix!! It's so horrible!! I watched my sister and her man go through a really similar thing and its hard.. All you can do is be there!!

All you other ladies I'm really thinking of you all!! Big hug!! I just can't reply properly on my phone and I need to get to sleep!!

 

[lozza1uk]

Crowned - sorry for all the pain you're in, hopefully A will remember and latch back on straight away. It's not like newborn days when they can get confused I'm sure

Our night was better so I'm pleased we wimped out of the cc! He did 7-1 (needed his back rubbing to settle him at about 8 and 10.45 but didn't need to come out of the cot so it was ok. I decided to feed at 1, fell asleep then woke up and almost dropped him at half 2, then he stayed asleep with me til 5.45, fed him again from the side that hadn't been used since 7pm and he had a good feed then slept til 7.15. I think he might have dozed off again ifi hadn't have shouted to N that he was awake, oops!

He's still doing massive poos everytime he feeds though Spoke to a GP yesterday who said feeding might irritate his gut so makes him go again, but not to stop feeding, just wait it out! I'm going through nappies like crazy!

 

[waula]

Lozza that sounds like a MUCH better night no?? I mean, totally not sleeping through but waaaaay better. 7-1 is an awesome stretch. I'm dead impressed with the whole back rubbing thing working. Maybe this is the start of a new thing.

 

[lozza1uk]

Lozza that sounds like a MUCH better night no?? I mean, totally not sleeping through but waaaaay better. 7-1 is an awesome stretch. I'm dead impressed with the whole back rubbing thing working. Maybe this is the start of a new thing.

Hope so, I'd take that as a good night!

 

[emera35]

Lozza, back rubbing works really well for us too. Not always, but if she's going to re-settle, back rubbing does it every time. If she's not, then nothing works!

MsC, really sorry to hear about the less than good results for your bro and sil The NT results can be notoriously vague and inaccurate though, so i really hope the next set of tests are more encouraging in their results. Its exactly why i turned down most of the testing available. Apart from the 20 week scan, i didn't have any testing done. x

 

[lozza1uk]

Well, he's just lasted nearly 5 hours with only one back required. Tried again but although I settled him it only lasted until I sneaked out and got back into bed. When i went back in he was sat up so I'm feeding, boo. Worse thing is he's clearly pooed at some point, I think when I fed him to sleep at 7 - question is when do I change him??? Given that I'm currently feeding him back to sleep. Bugger.

 

[waula]

Lol. Now?! Another good 5 hour stint though! is that not actually Sttn theoretically??!

 

[waula]

Ps I've got mega blocked ducts. Ouch. So I'm going bra less tonight. And will try not to sleep on my tummy

 

[lozza1uk]

I think they class it as sttn if the 5 hour stretch is between 12& 6? 4 and 3/4 hours waking just before midnight probably doesn't count. And when at 1.30 you're still trying to get him back to sleep I definitely don't think it counts! But at least I've changed the nappy, he's had 3oz of water, finally some more calpol, and after all that and promising myself I wouldnt feed again til 5 am, I'm feeding am hour after the last feed if he poos again I might lose the plot!

Ouch to blocked ducts although I have to admit I love it when they pop and you can spray continuous milk for a minute or more!!

 

[citymouse]

Lol about the popping, Lozza. That reminds me of being in the shower and noticing a stream of milk flying out randomly. Sorry about Z's poos... hope he gets to feeling better!

Crowned and Laura, huge hugs to you both, for your own sakes and for your worries about your babies. Hope you're both able to continue to bf successfully for as long as you want to. And hope you're both feeling well again soon!

Thanks for all the sympathy. It was just a rough day for some reason when I posted that. I'm feeling much better. We made the trip today (for DH's grandpa's 90th birthday party) and G did great all day! From the 3 hour flight to the 1.5 hour drive to hanging out in various places with relatives and going to bed in a strange hotel room (this place isn't skeezy after all... it's not totally high end but it's very nicely kept and clean... even if our room has a big pink hot tub in the center of it! ).

She was so cute crawling around at DH's grandpa's house, it was like she was putting on a show of being extra cute because she knew it meant a lot to him, and he loved it. He's such a sweet old man; they still have our Christmas cards from several years ago on display because they have photos... but they're photos of us with the dog. Whoops! Time to send a picture of G, I guess.

And his wife, whom he married after DH's grandma passed away, is hilarious... she chatters and chatters endlessly and has zero short term memory. So she kept saying to SIL, "How old are you?" and when SIL would answer, she would say, "28? And still not married?" She did this multiple times. Also, when I said hello to her, I told her DH and I had just had our ten-year anniversary, then I went to sit down on the other side of the room. And she looked at me and said, "And who are you, his girlfriend?" Yes, he brought his wife of ten years and his girlfriend.

WT, don't be jealous of the ma ma ma action... it means I have zero emotional leverage anymore.