'Older Mums' buddies thread!

[maybebaby3]

WHOOP WHOOP - just got back from the scan and all is fabulous both had all there bits in the right place and they did all the anomaly bits there and then too so that was a bonus.

AND we found out - ITS TWO BOYS hehehehehehehehe double blue bump for us - wow

how exciting - twins! congrats!

 

[Meerkat]

Vicky - Wowee 2 boys how fantastic! Congratulations hon thats fab news A house full of testosterone for you then!!!


Thanks Marleys, I'll have a look and see which electric ones I can afford. Let me know how you get on with your new one when you get it!

 

[Csunshine013]

WHOOP WHOOP - just got back from the scan and all is fabulous both had all there bits in the right place and they did all the anomaly bits there and then too so that was a bonus.

AND we found out - ITS TWO BOYS hehehehehehehehe double blue bump for us - wow

Oh how wonderful now you can really buy in bulk LOL!

I was just thinking about you and came over to check on the scan results and WHAM BLUE!!! How fun! Are they identical or fraternal?

 

[soon2b6]

Thats great news Vicky, 2 little boys. I hope their fraternal though, identical boys, that spells TROUBLE in my opinion,LOL.

 

[avabear73]

Wow there's been a lot happening in here! I keep reading but never seem to have time to reply, but Finlay is sleeping just now so I'll take my chance ....

soonie - love the comment by your Mum about being offered a section! I've had similar comments, about how I haven't "given birth", come on people, it's not like I'm "too posh to push"! Anyway, how's Holly doing?

franny - thanks for the growing vibes, got another weigh in today, will see how he's doing. Must say that his growth spurt last week has boosted my milk supply tenfold, I'm amazed! Am taking the opportunity to build up my "stash"

deej23 and maybebaby3 - congrats on your pregnancies and welcome to our little corner of BnB

Meerkat - glad to hear you've started buying stuff. Be warned though, now you've started .... it took me a while to have the confidence in the pregnancy to start buying stuff, but then once I began I couldn't stop - and still haven't! I hate shopping for me, but for Finlay I seem to have no self control whatsoever .... Speaking of pumps ... I have the medela swing, it's pretty good. I haven't tried a manual one though, but I am thinking about it (to have in my bag incase I need to express when I'm out and about, now that my milk production is up!).

Marleys - LOL at the emails. It takes a while to go through all those sites, eh? I signed up for a bunch of them, seemed like a good idea at the time! And CONGRATS on the test results! Seems like we just keep getting better and better news about Andrew -long may it continue! As for wandering the corridors looking for a pump - I had the best midwife ... she would come in at 3am with a pump on a trolley - I'd express, label the bottle, press the buzzer, she'd come back, take the bottle (or syringe, in the beginning) and pump away - clean it all up and take the milk to the NNU. She was a total star. All I had to do was wake up, express, ring a buzzer and go back to sleep. The last night I was there she wasn't on and the MW said "do you want woken at 3 to express?" I said yes and at 3am she opened the door to my room (I had a room to myself, since I didn't have Finlay with me) and said "it's 3am", closed the door and left ... it was such a shock to have to get up, prepare the pump, express, label, clean the pump, put it back, put the milk in the fridge ... the first midwife had totally spoiled me!!!!

ellie - if you've got any doubts, just call the hospital. Not sure if you recall but I went in a couple of times with reduced movement, the last time being the Sunday before Finlay was born. They hooked me up and it showed a deceleration, and they would have given me a scan but it was a holiday weekend. 4 days later they discovered my fluid had gone and when he was born 3 days later, he had been tangled up in the cord (thankfully just his body) - poor little mite could barely move, which explains why I wasn't feeling any movement. Like Marleys said, his heartbeat was fine (until they started inducing me, or the cord tightened) so that wouldn't have shown anything up. Not telling you to scare you, but more to say to follow your instincts. Remember there are people at the hospital whose job is solely to help women with problems in pregnancy - don't be afraid to give them a call if you feel you need to. And if you come across someone who makes you feel like you're overreacting, ignore them. You are the Mum, so even if you were overreacting (which you're not), you're allowed!

Oh and as for falling asleep when LO arrives... if you're breastfeeding apparently you release a hormone which helps you get back to sleep after a feed (according to the BF counsellor in the hospital) - so if you're not knackered anyway, the hormone will send you off LOL. I've never had any bother (and I used to when I was pregnant) ... head down and I'm out. LOL.

polaris - good luck on the job front And enjoy the naps, every pregnant woman has the right to nap as much as she wants! I really enjoyed my naps towards the end, and now they are a thing of the past ... I lie down thinking Finlay will be sleeping for a while, and he wakes up 10 minutes later

Vicky - congrats about the scan! That must be a huge relief. And wow twin boys - you are going to have so much fun!

Gol - how's it going?


We've got a weigh in this morning, will update you all later ... our little man is piling on the weight now, his little legs and his face are filling out ... getting cuter by the day. Forgot to say he's been giving us huge smiles for the last couple of weeks, so adorable!! Oh and is making some cracking noises, just so so cute

 

[polaris]

Vicky - congratulations on your scan results, I'm so pleased that it all went well for you. Two little boys, wow!!

 

[maybebaby3]

agh am extremely tired. i 4got how knackering this stage of pregnancy was!!!

 

[avabear73]

maybebaby - I thought 1st tri was the worst for that, way worse than 3rd ... I was beyond exhausted all the time. Bet you are run ragged with 2 little ones as well!


Well it's a record ladies ... Finlay was weighed today and our little boy is now a whopping 7lb 15oz - for anyone who is counting (me!!) he has put on an amazing 11 1/2oz this week. Couple of weeks and hopefully he'll have doubled his birthweight - not bad for a breastfed baby!!

 

[franny_k]

Ava - Finlay sounds fantastic! I love reading all the news about the LOs it really cheers me up and makes me feel excited about mine coming, albeit in five months!

Work is tough at the moment although all the classes I teach are adorable (could be my hormones!) I think because work is making me tired and I feel that all I'm doing is working or sleeping, it's put a bit of a strain between me and OH. We're bickering a bit and I'm short of patience. But we end up having a cuddle and realising that this is (hopefully) just a stage to get through - I mean wait until the LO comes along!

Vicky - so exciting to hear about your double blue bump! And great news about the results too. I've heard nothing about my triple bloods test and it was taken on August 28th so I'm hoping that no news is good news. I was told that they tend to get in touch with you within two weeks so a few days to go! It's really playing on my mind.

Am off for a nap and a nibble before attacking housework. OH out tonight so have house to myself- PEACE!

Speak soon ladies xx

 

[Marleysgirl]

As for wandering the corridors looking for a pump - I had the best midwife ... she would come in at 3am with a pump on a trolley - I'd express, label the bottle, press the buzzer, she'd come back, take the bottle (or syringe, in the beginning) and pump away - clean it all up and take the milk to the NNU. She was a total star. All I had to do was wake up, express, ring a buzzer and go back to sleep. The last night I was there she wasn't on and the MW said "do you want woken at 3 to express?" I said yes and at 3am she opened the door to my room (I had a room to myself, since I didn't have Finlay with me) and said "it's 3am", closed the door and left ... it was such a shock to have to get up, prepare the pump, express, label, clean the pump, put it back, put the milk in the fridge ... the first midwife had totally spoiled me!!!!

You jammy devil. At 10pm I had to get up, find a pump, express, label the bottle, wash horns etc & put in steriliser, return pump to BF room, and put bottle in fridge. At 11pm I'd just be falling asleep and they'd wake me for obs and painkillers. At 2am, I'd wake myself to express again, except generally I'd have to get a MW to find a pump as other mums hadn't returned them. At 6am, I did the same again. At 8am, my attempt at snoozing in would be disturbed by breakfast. So at 8:30 I'd give up, collect all my milk bottles from the fridge and go down to SCBU and see baby

On the plus side, all the short walks to find pumps were good as post-c/s physio

 

[soon2b6]

That was jammy!!!! When Micheal was in SCBU I had to do the "leg work" too.
Im glad Finlay is gaining weight so well, that is very good going, Holly is gaining a little weight but is yet to make up her birth weight which is a bit of a concern, she is being weighed tomorrow and if their is still insignificant improvement I will be buying some fenugreek and omega oils, they're supposed to be good for milk, fenugreek increases supply and omega oils make the milk richer, hopefully it wont come to that, I've never had a problem before with my other 4 bf babes Other than that she is doing well and had the requisite number of wet and dirty nappies, lol. It must be wonderful to see his little smiles, it really changes things doesnt it, I cant wait till Holly smiles, she looks so serious all the time at the moment (although I mustn't wish this special time away!!!)
Franny - Hopefully you will benefit from the extra 2nd tri energy soon, working with small children must be very tiring, I know my own children can be mind bending with their constant questions etc.

 

[franny_k]

Thanks soonie- I don't work with the little ones though I work in a secondary (11-18).I actually think they're not as tiring as the younger ones just annoying. I've got a cute little year 7 form who I adore but they can be hard work as they're quite needy. Having said that the move from primary to secondary must be nerveracking for the poor things so I really don't mind. I had a nice night to myself tonight. Watched a film, ate pasta (serious cravings!) had a bath and am about to read my book in bed. Hope I'm bouncing off the walls tomorrow!

 

[avabear73]

Marleys and soonie - I know, how jammy! Another thing was that although MWs are meant to be "hands-off" now, the ones I had were all willing to help me with the expressing. I had trouble getting started and one of the MWs physically did the LHS for me to get me started, which was great but then I couldn't manage the right (totally useless, me) so the second MW (the 3am one) did the same on the RHS to get me off and running. If she hadn't, I would have totally given up. Finlay and I owe her (and the other MW) a lot. She did say that many women were uncomfortable with someone doing it for them but I was just glad of the help! I knew I'd never manage it on my own. I've been lucky with all my MW - the community mw, AAU midwives, ward midwives and labour ward MW. All been great - even the students have been fab!

Oh I bought a manual pump today (I already have the medela swing) - I wanted it for chucking in my bag because since Finlay's growth spurt last week, my production has dramatically increased so I'm expressing a lot as well to maintain it. It's the medela harmony and it seems decent, it's designed for occasional use though so not sure how it would be for frequent use.

The fenugreek does work, just makes you smell like maple syrup LOL. Hopefully you won't need it though. I also took milk thistle and something else I can't remember - I stopped because I think it was overkill and Finlay's nappies took a turn for the worse so just incase the supplements were the culprit, I stopped. Just for the record, the nappies haven't improved

franny - your night sounds lovely and relaxing.

 

[soon2b6]

Very pleased!! She has gained 3 oz in 4 days she is now just above the 50th percentile on the chart and seems to be gaining weight appropriately!!!!! She both peed and pood everywhere, so they didnt have to ask me the weeing and pooing questions,LOL. She now weighs 4kg exactly which they tell me is 8lb 13 oz. I wont bother with the supplements at this point now, and Im not sure I want to smell like maple syrup, lol.
When I was in hospital I had a mw who wanted to help me with the BF but I hated it, she was very rough and had the "my way or the highway" attitude, she insisted I tried to bf rugby ball style (where baby is tucked under your arm) and kept trying to physically stuff my nipple into Hollys mouth with her fingers, Holly was screaming so in the end I just politely but firmly said thank you but I would call her if I needed her help, she was trying to help but Holly was so distressed and it wasnt working.

 

[Marleysgirl]

My Medela Mini breastpump turned up today from eBay, so I've just given that a try (sitting in SCBU) ... it's noisy, but it's as effective as my hand-pump, so I'm going to continue using it for as long as possible. I know they're only meant for occasional light use but, hey, the worst that'll happen is that the motor will give up! It's actually less bulky to carry around than my Avent hand-pump, as the Medela fits onto the storage bottles they supply in SCBU (whereas I had to carry and decant from an Avent feeding bottle). I'll keep the hand-pump in reserve.

Andrew has put on another half-ounce, so is now 1lb 14oz; they're increasing his feed to 7ml/hr to try and get him to put on more weight. Tests today have shown slight anaemia again, so he's having another blood top-up, which should improve his Hg levels and also reduce the number of desats he's having while off Cpap.

 

[avabear73]

soonie - ugh your mw sounds a bit overbearing. I tried the rugby ball hold as well, but Finlay hated it - it seems he just likes a cuddle as a little bonus of BF LOL, and wasn't impressed at being held at my side! So good about Holly's weight gain, must be a relief. I have a conversion chart in my favourites (from g to lb/oz), here's the link:

Chart

Marleys - glad to hear Andrew's putting on weight. He's doing really well with the feeds, for a while Finlay was on 3ml every other hour! Our NNU had an expressing room with the big medela and ameda pumps - does yours have that too? It was seriously handy, they supplied the sterilising kit, bottles - the lot. We just had to provide the boobs! LOL! How's your wound? All healed up now?

 

[Marleysgirl]

Marleys - glad to hear Andrew's putting on weight. He's doing really well with the feeds, for a while Finlay was on 3ml every other hour! Our NNU had an expressing room with the big medela and ameda pumps - does yours have that too? It was seriously handy, they supplied the sterilising kit, bottles - the lot. We just had to provide the boobs! LOL! How's your wound? All healed up now?

Our NICU has two B/F rooms, each with three Medela pumps, they issue you with personal kit when you start out and you have to keep hold of it. The bottles they use fit directly onto the Medela horns (so I bring a load home to use with the Mini). I don't use their double pumps now that I'm only visiting though, as (1) I've only got a single pump at home so boobies are used to taking it in turns, and (2) I'm too lazy to take in both of my horns & airpipes! Doesn't bother me that it takes twice as long to express as it could whilst I'm there, as I do it sat by Andrew's incubator.

My wound is looking healthier, it's sealed on one side now but still gaping on t'other, leaking less now. I finally had a sensible Comm Midwife, who observed that the constant change of midwives (a different one each visit) means that none of them have a point of reference with the wound to say whether it's improving! So she's put in a request for a return visit from one who's seen me before. She also said she'd seen worse, and believed it could heal without intervention.

 

[avabear73]

That's good news about your MW, with a bit of luck she'll be the one who comes back. And if she thinks it could heal naturally, even better. Did she give you any idea how long it might take to heal?

With all that expressing you must be building up a healthy stash for when he's ready! Doing it by his incubator probably helps your production too, I remember when I was on the ward I just had 2 photos to look at to help things along. Are the bottles the sterifeed ones with purple lids? We took a few with us along with the rest of my stash, and use them at home. Very handy!

 

[suri mum]

Can I join in? I'm 38 and 8w1d with my 6th! As you can imagine not much chance to rest for me with 5 others to look after, but hubby is being very sweet and taking over as much as he can.

I live in a developing country in South America. I'm British (from North Wales!) and my hubby is American. Three of mine were born in the US, one in the UK and 1 here. This one will be orn int he US or the UK - haven't decided yet.

I have to travel to Miami to get all my 12 week tests and scans and bloodwork etc. Is it okay to admit than I am more than a little excited about a few days alone in a hotel room with lots of shopping thrown in??!!

Congrats to everyone! I've been trying to read all your stories. Better get off my bum now and make dinner.

 

[polaris]

Hi Surimum,
congratulations and welcome! Wow that's mad that you have so far to go for your scan but yes it is exciting that you will get a holiday/shopping trip thrown in, LOL. You must have your hands full with 5, what are their ages?