*~*~* The Decemberists! *~*~*

[anneliese]

Anneliese that's huge that you saw the heartbeat!! Chances are VERY good that you will have a healthy pregnancy now. So excited for you!

Is it really? I don't know the statistics that well, but I'll always welcome some reassuring ones lol

 

[seaweed eater]

I remember reading that the MC rate is 5% after HB has been detected.

 

[gaiagirl]

I know the rate of miscarriage is much lower after a HB, but I think the BIG drop is after hearing it on a Doppler...just because it means the baby has grown enough to be detectable by Doppler.

You'll be fine though anneliese! Everything is going to go just beautifully

 

[Pusscat]

Anneliese - that's great that the appointment went well We all know how you feel about reaching 12 weeks though. The worry does start to lessen once you reach that mile stone. Then it comes back towards the end!

Han - sounds like the bed rest is working so keep it up!!

The health visitor trip went well. Emilia now weighs 9lb and is still on track on the growth chart - yay! We were both poorly the past couple of days, I had stomach pains and could hardly eat anything. Then I think Emilia had the same the day after me as she cried most of the day. It was a miserable couple of days. But she's slept most of today and we're both feeling better.

I've bought some dummies but will only be using them as a last resort! She was sucking on my finger to get to sleep yesterday because she was so agitated. But she hasn't needed it at all today so hope the dummies don't get much use!

 

[smawfl]

Hi Ladies!

Pusscat - I'm pleased with the expressing so far. I think it's probably best to wait until BF is properly established. I was the same with the dummy. I didn't want her to have one but I was finding she was often wanting the breast just to comfort so persevered with the dummy as she wouldn't take it at first.
That's lovely you're having coo conversations Well done on the weight gain! Glad you're both feeling better.

Seaweed - I agree, it's nice our LO's are doing similar things! How is he getting on with the bottle?
Pumping is going well. I've got the Medela Swing and really rate it. Only takes about 5-10 mins to get 2.5-3oz which I think is pretty good. I've been pumping every other day, while DH gives A the bottle. He loves it and it's nice he can get involved with the feeding too.

Anneliese - so lovely you got to hear the heartbeat and so early on!! Amazing Would love to see the scan pic, even if it is a blob

AFM, all going well here. DH has the day off tomorrow so we have a nice long weekend together.

How are you getting on with loosing baby weight? I think I've sprung back quite quickly which I'm pleased with. I put on about 3 stone all together and have about 1 stone still to go. I've not been dieting so I think the BF is working at shifting the lbs!

Hope you're all had a nice weekend!

 

[gaiagirl]

Hanyou - how is everything going? I hope you are feeling better and possibly back at work if that is what you want...or resting at home! Either way, please dont be too hard on yourself. Pregnancy and childbirth seem to be so full of unplanned and unforseen circumstances and you have done an amazing job growing that little human so far...

So glad everything is going so well for you ladies with newborns! Hard to believe they are over a month...I think we need a new birth story soon Down the the final week countdown...although preparing myself for 2 more weeks...

We have our checklist done, the room we plan to birth in at home is almost totally set up, baby`s room is done, carseat base installed. Just have to pack a hospital bag (in case we have to transfer) and make a playlist for the birth!

Also wanted to share a photo DH and I took last week!

 

[smawfl]

Gaia i love the photo!!!

Can't believe you've only got 1 (to 3) weeks to go!! I think yours may be the next birth story...

 

[gaiagirl]

Considering that Nov 1 is my LMP due date, I think he will be here by Nov 8. BUT yes...I know it could be much longer...

 

[HanyouMama]

Hanyou - how is everything going? I hope you are feeling better and possibly back at work if that is what you want...or resting at home! Either way, please dont be too hard on yourself. Pregnancy and childbirth seem to be so full of unplanned and unforseen circumstances and you have done an amazing job growing that little human so far...

So glad everything is going so well for you ladies with newborns! Hard to believe they are over a month...I think we need a new birth story soon Down the the final week countdown...although preparing myself for 2 more weeks...

We have our checklist done, the room we plan to birth in at home is almost totally set up, baby`s room is done, carseat base installed. Just have to pack a hospital bag (in case we have to transfer) and make a playlist for the birth!

Also wanted to share a photo DH and I took last week!

Things I guess could be going okay, just hate not knowing what is going on with my body and all these new pains. I keep getting cramping and stuff when I sit or stand for too long and it takes a long time to go away. I dont think I will be able to go back to work, but I find out tomorrow at my appointment.

It is so crazy that you are so close! I cant wait to hear how everything goes!

 

[MrsMils]

Hello ladies - its Shh here. Admin blocked me the day before I was going into hospital. Apparently you can't have two accounts? I didn't read the rules, I think I explained when I first joined this thread that I wanted to be anonymous as I'm 'real life' friends with people on here and didn't want them to know I was pregnant, I just never switched back. Anyway, grumpy e-mail sent but ho hum, never mind! I'm SO sorry I haven't been in touch, I've only had phone access most of the time and can't use the search on it so couldn't access thread (as it wasn't in my subscribed threads).

Anyway, so much great news from everyone, I'll have a proper read through later and catch up but wanted to quickly get on and update you all as I know you're probably wondering what on earth has happened to me!

I had a little girl on the 25th Sept, by planned section. The build up with the diabetes was horrible with the steroid injections, being stuck on a drip and then a glucose/insulin pump for two days, being tested every hour for 48 hours, so no sleep at all... Birth was lovely, just what I wanted from the section that I was so worried about having. She weighed 7lbs12, so much heavier than expected, with an Apgar of 9 and 9, skin to skin on the operating table and then fed really well in recovery. She continues to feed well, so no special care, but lots and lots of constant testing of her blood, her levels were pretty good and so we were allowed to go home after 48 hours. She's a very clingy baby, I didn't get a second of sleep with her in the hospital - so 4 nights without any AT ALL in total, I was SO pleased to get home so DH could hold her for a bit.

Section recovery has been fine, a bad back hindered it a bit but I've been driving for a week and functioning nearly as normal, looking forward to doing some exercise. She is doing really well, continued on the 75th centile and generally a very contented baby. The nights are worse with her than with DD1, she takes a LONG time to settle.

If anyone wants a name, give me a PM! I'll try and put a picture on a reply too.

Hope you are all well, I'll catch up on all the goings on tonight when I'm inevitable up for hours!! xx

 

[Pusscat]

Woo, congratulations shh! What a nice surprise to come on here and see your birth announcement! The birth sounds like an incredibly long and tiring experience, but glad the section went well and you have recovered well. I'll pm you for the name and pic! It must be very hard work having a clingy baby plus another child to look after. How is your other LO coping?

Han - how was the appt?

Gaia - love the seasonal photo!

Smawfl - I am amazed at how effective bf has been in helping me loose the baby weight. My tummy shrunk at an incredible rate! I was really surprised. I didn't weigh myself when I was pregnant so don't know how much I've lost, I just know I'm pretty happy with my body as it is now. Still got extra tummy skin which I think is going to be more tricky to shift. I've got my 6 week check at the end of this week and after that I'll be able to start some proper exercise. I'll be interested to find out if I've had any separation in my tummy muscles. Hope not!

Emilia rolled on to her side for the first time yesterday! She's on the move already! The smiles and giggles are getting more regular. She's becoming a lot more interactive and I'm really enjoying it. Yes, tiny babies are cute, but I prefer them when they become a bit more aware. I feel like I'm finally emerging from those early newborn days. Things are feeling more normal, I feel like I'm getting back to the real world. And with a new little lady with me, which makes the world a whole lot better

 

[HanyouMama]

Han - how was the appt?


Emilia rolled on to her side for the first time yesterday! She's on the move already! The smiles and giggles are getting more regular. She's becoming a lot more interactive and I'm really enjoying it. Yes, tiny babies are cute, but I prefer them when they become a bit more aware. I feel like I'm finally emerging from those early newborn days. Things are feeling more normal, I feel like I'm getting back to the real world. And with a new little lady with me, which makes the world a whole lot better

The appointment went alright. He said to expect the cramping, but to keep an eye on it and dont over do anything. I also asked about work and he said if I feel that I can work, then try to, but if I don't think that I can or should then don't. DH and I talked about it and he says if I want to try I can, but he would prefer that I don't as to not risk anything. He says my job is just too hot and has too much standing in it. Its kind of sweet how he worries

That is so great that she is on the move more! I bet it is really exciting! Glad to hear that BF is going well and that its really helping with the weight loss. Im hoping my boy will take to it well.

 

[smawfl]

Shh - massive congratulations! So good to hear from you! Your little lady was born the same day as mine!!

Pusscat - Let us know how you get on at the 6 week check. What sort of thing do they check? I've got mine in a couple of weeks. A will be 7 weeks!
How lovely Emilia has rolled! We are getting loads more smiles too, it's gorgeous and I agree, the interactive stage is lovely!!

Hanyou - make sure you take it easy!

I fed in public for the first time yesterday! Felt very relieved to get it out of the way, but I think I was more concerned with making sure A fed well rather than being embarrassed about showing any flesh!

My Babe Au Lait cover arrived today, looking forward to testing it out!

 

[gaiagirl]

Congrats Shh! So glad to hear from you and hear all is well

 

[seaweed eater]

Happy LMP due date, Gaia! Still hanging in there? I love that photo with the pumpkin...adorable.

HM, you are getting so close too! How are you feeling? Hope you are taking it easy! Your DH sounds sweet.

Shh, congratulations on your girl it sounds like she is doing great but has put you through a lot! It must be so interesting to see the personality differences. I feel like I have heard from many people recently that their second child was more spirited!

Smawfl, it sounds like things are going great! I still have about a third of the weight to lose, and I'm a lot thicker around the middle than before. I have continued losing weight slowly since delivery though, so I think it's on its way off. I'm not that worried about it, and I can wear most of my pre-pregnancy clothes, which is great.

Pusscat, I cannot believe Emilia rolled already I'm so not ready for them to be on the move yet! I absolutely love the smiles and cooing though. Very glad to hear you are feeling better and more normal I am feeling better rested and like I've figured things out somewhat more, although I know the six week growth spurt/regression is right around the corner and I'm sure everything will be different once that hits.

Speaking of the six week growth spurt, has anyone experienced that yet? Or noticed any difference in their LO? Last night I felt like we were approaching six weeks when Munchkin and I went to hang out with my friends and he was super cranky and cried on and off for nearly an hour. I know we've had it easy with him so far, but I can only remember once when he's done that before. Poor guy! They are going through so many changes right now, I can only imagine how frustrating and exhausting it must feel to them sometimes.

Other than that I've been enjoying being out and about more with him...we've both gotten more comfortable with the carrier so it's been easy to take him out for walks, grocery shopping, etc. We've also been going to some local parent-baby groups and classes, which has been really fun.

Smawfl, pumping has actually been a challenge for me...it turns out that Munchkin is, to quote the lactation consultant I spoke with today, something of a bottomless pit. We actually don't know how much he eats per feeding since he has never been satisfied with bottle feeds, but it is more than 5 oz! The problem is that 6 oz is close to 3 pumping sessions for me (Smawfl, I've read that 0.5-2 oz is the average for moms who also BF, so 2.5-3 is fabulous! I get 2-2.5 now but it took a while to build up) so it's just time consuming to pump enough. But supposedly it is all ok and not cause for concern. He's grown pretty quickly so he seems to just be a really good eater. Which is wonderful, but I never figured it would take so long to figure out expressing and bottle feeding.

Technically my mat leave is over next week my supervisors have agreed to be flexible, but I am planning to start going back to 1-2 meetings a week and maybe do some work from home. Assuming, of course, we can figure out how to feed Munchkin enough. November is going to be quite a month...DH will be extra busy the next two weeks and will be away for three days next weekend and the following week his parents are coming to visit. And the six week growth spurt will happen somewhere in there too! It will be challenging. I know we can handle it, though.

 

[smawfl]

Will reply fully later as I'm on my phone but just to dat Seaweed we are currently going through the 6week growth spurt!! A went from feeding nicely every 3.5 to 4 hours to feeding every 1 to 2 hours! It's hard,my boobs feel constantly empty! Hoping it is better today and only lasted a couple if days!

 

[Pusscat]

I think we may be experiencing the growth spurt too. Although it's not been a sudden change, she's just be feeding a bit more regularly than the previous week or so. Yesterday afternoon it was every hour. But then today she has slept loads. Maybe recovering from the growth yesterday? No major crankiness though so if this is her growth spurt it's not too bad. Hope the feeding dies down a bit for you smawfl. I was very sore after yesterday's continual feeding, I had to take some paracetamol it was so bad.

Seaweed - oh wow, can't believe you're having to think about work already Sounds like you can have a bit of a gradual return though so that will help things. Do you have help planned for when DH is away? Mine's going away for 3 days in 3 weeks time. I've arranged to have my mum come and stay for a couple of days. I'd be fine on my own in the day but I wouldn't want to do the whole night on my own as well.

Smawfl - well done on BF in public Glad you've got that first time out of the way. The 6 week check went well, Emilia passed all the tests! She checked her heart, hips, tummy, asked about her hearing and if she's smiling, checked her reflex when she thinks she's being dropped. Think that's mostly all. She also asked about contraception and I said I wanted to go on the mini pill. We haven't tried anything since the baby so maybe at the weekend I might be brave enough!

Han - as smawfl says, make sure you rest up and don't make yourself keep going just because you feel you should. Listen to your DH!

 

[HanyouMama]

Hey Ladies, thanks for the support
I am doing well, still just resting. I am been kind of been putting off talking to my boss for the past couple of days trying to decide what to do. My husband and I talked a little bit more about it and he said I could try going back for just little short shifts, maybe like 3 hours for just maybe 2 or so shifts a week if my boss can do it. I only want to try this so that I dont use up all my maternity leave in case my boy decides he wants to stay in there for a while longer. But if I cant handle it, he would like me to just go on leave.
I have to say, im kind of liking this at home wife thing. I like making my husband dinner and cleaning the house. Im hoping that if it is doable that I can stay home with baby after he is born and I can just finish off school and take care of baby.

How is every one else doing today?

 

[gaiagirl]

Doing ok, feeling a bit blah today...almost like when you're about to come down with a cold! I REEEAAALLY hope that's not the case, but all the Halloween chocolate probably wasn't good for the immune system so it is possible. Ugh labour with a cold would be brutal!

I love being off work, been off since 35.5 weeks and its so awesome. I get a year leave here so wasn't too worried about early leave, but I definitely have to go back next Oct/Nov already kind of sad thinking about that.

Seaweed I shouldn't even complain hey, I am so sorry you have to already deal with that!

 

[HanyouMama]

Gotta love those blah days I had some of that this morning. I hope you get feeling better Gaia.
I get 90 days of leave, so its quite a bit, but i still want to use as much of that time with baby as I can. Im still hoping that I may not even have to go back to work if i dont need to. It would just be more cost effective for me to stay home and take care of baby.