Less than a fortnight to go until c-section...

[Esther.R]

On the final straight now....c-section is scheduled for the 16th Sept

Anyone any special self-suffientish tips for newborns? Already have a stash of cloth nappies and reuseable wipes ready (Beth only went into cloth at 6 months so have been out getting some more small nappies).

Its not going to be a teeny one though....growth scan reckons 10.5-11lb......

[Shirley]

Blimey that's come around quickly... and blimey again.... 10.5 - 11lb - skip the small sized stuff cos you likely won't need it. My J was 9lb 11oz and they'd got a wee hat to put on him so that he didn't get cold... it didn't fit!

September is a lovely time of the year to have a baby!

I guess the main thing is to take any offers of help from friends and neighbours. If someone wants to help you tidy up then let them - how old is your little girl? Is she excited by the prospect of a baby brother or sister? My eldest was a wee bit put out when my middle son arrived because everyone came in and made more a fuss of the new baby than her - previously she was always the centre of attention. (She certainly wasn't left out but to her I guess she had to share attention from now on)

[KellyB]

Well for a start all the best people are born on the 16th of Sept hee hee (I'll be 34 ouch).

Forget fancy clothes for the first few months let other people buy that as presents just get babygros it's far more comfy for them anyway. Don't be afraid to take presents back and swap them for bigger clothes later on they get sooo much that is all tiny and have a huge wardrobe full or get far too many teddies too. I just said she'd out grown whatever I have take back already lol sounds mean BUT it really is a waste having loads of tiny clothes. For the first 2 weeks get some eco disposables now I know that's against selfsufficientness BUT it will give you a break and while you have those nasty first nappies disposies are easier you'll only need 1 packet unless you are lucky and have hubby home who can wash for you. I was on my own after the first day it was lovely lol ooo how selfish am I?

You know all this already I am sure you have done it all before it will all come flooding back you wait. Good luck and I hope all goes well

[Clara]

I can't think of anything more to add other than TITTIES! Breastfeeding has to be the ultimate in SSishness, perhaps second only to making other human beings in your tummy in the first place!

Good luck, what a whopper! Cx

[MrsD'ville mkII]

Hi there, how exciting to be on the home strait!

Have you had a c-sec before? I only ask as the recovery time can mean one or two little tips come in handy. I had a c-sec with DD and really didn't want to be going up and down stairs continually so I had a changing station downstairs as well as up. I know it's hard with a young one already but try to get set up before you go to hospital - get your BF chair and cushion etc sorted out so you can just flop into it and don't have to start looking for things. Some people swear by a stash of DVDs ready to go to while away the hours you'll spend with your LO plugged in! Plenty of arnica for your wound and eNORmous pants so the elastic sits above your scar, not on it. And don't walk round town five days after having your LO - not my smartest move.

Before DD was born I had a major cook-in and filled the freezer with easy to reheat meals such as soup, shepherds pie, lasagne, bolognaise sauce etc. You do need to eat well when you're bf but with two smalls time and energy will be lacking. Re washing naps, I'm going for a large quantity of naps so that I don't have to wash constantly. This baby will be child no 4 for us so you can imagine how much washing I already do! Good to hear you're going for clothes and reusable wipes I used to put a muslin under DD's head in her cot so if she possetted I just had to change the muslin rather than the whole sheet.

This isn't particularly a SS tip, but prior to DD's birth I tied up every loose end I could, whether it be banking or work or getting birthday cards and presents ready to roll ahead of time. I just did in advance absolutely everything I could. I didn't know I was born as at the time really as neither skid lived with us and DH has always worked from home since we've been together so I had it extremely easy! It's, um, going to be a bit different this time!

Good luck

[mrsflibble]

DON'T SIGN UP TO BOUNTY OR EMMA'S DIARY!!! they will hunt you down like a dawg and try to give you loadsa useless crap in a non recyclable plastic bag.

if you have already, I suggest putting a recycling bin by your front door.

[barefootlinzi]

not really ish but my tip for new mamas is learn to breastfeed lying down!! then you can rest and sleep while baby feeds, and i have been told that it helps mamas recovering from c sections as baby doesnt press on the wound. we decided to co-sleep with ollie (and still do - he is 14 months) and it was the best decision we made as he is a champion breastfeeder and this meant he could get all the milk he needed and i could get all the sleep i needed!!
not everyone wants to co-sleep, its a bit contraversial.

[citizentwiglet]

Don't bother buying any pram/crib sheets....use pillowcases instead. They are ace because they're just the right size, and the mattress fits snugly inside them so you don't need to worry about them coming untucked and wrapped around babs.

Remember that visitors have hands too, and are MORE than capable of making YOU a cup of tea. And they can often vacuum, too. Do NOT feel you have to wait on them!

Be kind to yourself - don't try to be superwoman. So what if the floor needs mopping? And listen to your heart, and your motherly instinct, and not what other people THINK you should be doing for the best. If you need to use disposables, or formula, or whatever DON'T feel guilty about it if you think it is for the best. Happy mums makes happy babies!!!

I've got the big day in my diary now - I shall be thinking about you and sending you good vibes!!

[Esther.R]

Thanks - lots of tips!

This is my second planned section (forgot to mention that bit) and practicalities should be far easier this time as we are in a single storey croft house instead of a first floor maisonette as we were with Beth! However I now have a toddler (she will be three in December) to run about after...Arnica is a good tip - I found the bruising the main problem last time but didn't think to use arnica, did you use arnica cream or tablets?

I am a little anxious about the breastfeeding as I have already been told that the hospital will want to monitor its glucose levels for 24hrs as it is such a big baby (despite the fact I passed my glucose tolerance test with flying colours and all the family have big babies, even Beth was 9lb 9!) and apparently in order to do that they will want to supplement with formula. I had problems feeding Beth as my milk never came in properly (I now know this was due to an undiagnosed underactive thyriod) and again the hospital talked me into supplementing with formula and so bfing never really got a chance. I am determined to feed this one myself so have been quizzing the midwives here (who are all on my side in this) about how best to get around this issue and establish feeding properly even if they insist on supplementing initially (apparently they have been known to be very militant on this and refuse to discharge you unless you agree to it ).

As I live on Shetland where they don't do planned sections I will be flying down to Aberdeen on the 14th so will be 250 miles from home my husband is coming with me (he is taking his full 2wks paternity leave) and Beth is staying with grandparents. General plan from midwives seems to be to get do whatever Aberdeen want, get discharged asap and get back to Shetland where we can concentrate on getting the feeding sorted out.

Beth is highly overexcited at the prospect of a new baby brother or sister - she is a very maternal child and loves dolls and babies - have no idea where she got that from as I am not the most maternal person and hated dolls when I was little! Will be interesting to see how she reacts when it arrives though. At the moment she is full of plans of what she will do with it and how she will help and keeps getting very stressed that we don't have everything we need for it (in fact we do but all bar the hospital bag stuff is sorted but still packed away).

[Annpan]

I would go with your midwife on getting home being the best thing to do, chances are you'll be much more successful at breastfeeding if you are relaxed and in your own home.Being home is better in general anyway.

I won't go into my probs with breastfeeding again here (I have gone over it several times in this forum already) but please don't beat yourself up if it will not work. There are many medical reasons for it not to work and you don't need the stress of forcing yourself, an LO.

Having said all this, it sounds VERY odd to me that the hospital want to formula feed. I would personally kick up a fuss about it, breast milk is a miracle and I don't believe for one minute that any formula could possibly be better than it, at anything*.



*Other than getting a baby to sleep for ages, but that is so much more difficult for a LO to digest.

[citizentwiglet]

I wonder if they have to base the tests on consumption of a certain amount of liquid or something...and you only have the colostrum for a few days, don't you? Maybe they are so in need of beds they can't have you waiting for 'proper' milk to come through, so give formula instead so they can run the tests quickly. Mind you, surely the levels of glucose etc would be different between formula milk and breastmilk, dependent on mum's diet? Oh, I dunno! Stab in the dark

I must say, my hospital are VERY pro-breastfeeding. To the point of making you feel like a complete cretin if it doesn't come as easily as it 'should'. Asking for a bottle is tantamount to asking for some implements to remove your own brain.

[Esther.R]

I wonder if they have to base the tests on consumption of a certain amount of liquid or something...and you only have the colostrum for a few days, don't you? Maybe they are so in need of beds they can't have you waiting for 'proper' milk to come through, so give formula instead so they can run the tests quickly. Mind you, surely the levels of glucose etc would be different between formula milk and breastmilk, dependent on mum's diet? Oh, I dunno! Stab in the dark

Sounds logical to me, but I will certainly be asking for an explanation when they do it, after all if they want to do this I want to know why! I also plan to ask whether I have to give the formula in a bottle or whether I can feed it from a cup or syringe to avoid confusion as I'm sure they wouldn't be able to object to that considering the NHS policy on breastfeeding. They are apparently very short of beds and also are not allowed to discharge until feeding is sorted, which of course is quicker with bottle feeding than breastfeeding However I think I may have found a shortcut on that one - apparently if feeding is all they are hesitating over I can ask to be discharged into the hospital on Shetland until feeding is sorted out. I have been finding all the loopholes (aided and abetted by my midwives who are very good) Aberdeen also say you cannot fly until 5 days after your section...but Lerwick say you can fly three days afterwards, and the airline says you can fly anytime so long as you have a Drs note - so if I get my discharge ahead of the five days I just have to phone up and book via Shetland rather than Aberdeen patient travel office

[circlecross]

everyone has said most of it - but, don't let your 3 yr old jump on you. It does take the wind out of your sails, and however tempting, don't pick them up. It also hurts. Don't feel bad if you can't do everything you used to be able to do. They say 6 weeks for a reason. Then some. BF lying down - yes. If you have to resort to some dispicables, don't worry, we won't tell. And eat what you want, when you want. I only shifted the baby lard after stopped bf (1 year), but I needed the energy, and watch out for things like mastitis, as you may find you have no time to express if you are very prolific, like me, (used to donate it when lived in London, coz it just kept coming!) Get everyone to help, but if you feel you need to just DO something, then tell people to take the children AWAY, so you can do it (even if you then just have a sit down with arms free!)

Look after yourself, most importantly. If mum is tired, ill or unhappy, then something needs to change! Good luck!

And I second whoever it was...what a whopper!

[Vammadopper]

Good luck congrats and everything !

There is only 20 months between my two boys, and we were concerned how DS1 would cope with the new arrival - used the age old tactic of bribery and got a teddy that DS2 had 'brought home' with him from the hospital, went down a treat !

MIL thought I was mad, but I also bought a newborn doll ( DS1 was mummys little helper from an early age!) so that when I changed/bathed/dressed He could do the same with he's 'baby'

Lasted about 3 days before it got left in the toy box but 'cos we'd 'played babies' together he saw it as a bonding thing beetween us rather than mum spending all her time with baby.

Just don't leave the doll naked on the floor in the lounge over night, it totally freaked hubby out 6am when doing the usual sleep walk to the kettle - I can still hear the screams now

After a couple of days I had no problems BF DS1, though at about 8 weeks he got topped up with a bottle but still had the majority as BF ( despite being told that if I started on the bottle he's not want the breast) I eventually had to stop at 8 months cos he grew teeth and after 2 really good bites I couldn't relax enough) However DS2 was a nightmare would never settle and ended up with 2 days BF 3 daysbottle and would flatly refuse the other!!! I had to stop eventually as I was either too 'empty' or too 'full'

So I guess what Im trying to say is you never know how it'll be each time as the little darlings are so diffrerent!

HTH

[Esther.R]

Thanks.

Beth adores dolls so we have two new dolls for her - one boy and one girl - and she will get whatever gender this baby is and then the other one can be her birthday present in December. Have bought/acquired/made the basics for it (and both dollies despite being immaculate were second-hand, goes against the grain to pay extortionate prices for new ones) - incl a couple of dolly sized cloth nappies etc. It is at my mum's house (where she is staying while we are away) at the moment and will be the 'present from the baby' when we come home.

At the moment we are still manically trying to get the house ready - a house renovation and a baby are not a good combination! Still a million and one things to do, this afternoon a mini digger is arriving as this weekend we have 6 tons of hardcore to collect and lay in the yard ready for the horses to come home this winter just in case they need to be off their summer grazing in late Sept/early Oct (depends on the weather). So that'll be a busy weekend! Have friends and family coming to help too so it should be fun really.

Today's job is to finish clearing the bedroom (which is still a work in progress and only became a bedroom a week ago) and then paint it....plus tidy up the kitchen and living room which have suffered rather in all the chaos..then we have the living room floor to paint as well, but thats not for today!

I think I'll be having the baby for a rest! But what to get all this stuff done now so that we can relax when baby is here rather than my husband having to spend all his paternity leave on DIY and leaving me with baby and Beth.