h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thanks 3 of 8!

I don't see how you cvould stay long in community midwifery if you weren't really keyed up in the right way.

My local team have a very good reputation within the wider region, and the stats show that the mothers in this area have more home births, less interventions, etc etc - I *am* lucky

Speaking to the more sympathetic staff, uncluding one friend who works at the new hospital but was (a) off with stress last week and (b) out of the country - what timing! The pressures of having moved to a not brilliant new building just a month ago, combined with a dreadful new shift pattern, is making things different. This is obviously a management issue - dreadful phrase - as well as a staff attitude thing. But there is simply no excuse if so much of the purpose of their work is failing. Humph.

Still - given the speed of this labour, I'lkl have to look at a homebirth myself for next time!


Big milestone that I'd love you all to share with me: day 11 yesterday, and she has exceeded her birth weight!!!!!

Yay!

This puts her on a level with the expected weight gain for a full term baby, means that we're getting the feeding right and that we are coping!

to the staff who thought we wouldn't be able to do it!

Hurrah for Elspeth, Cloviscat and Lipsbury!

Yay! It's such a relief isn't it? Now that she's got the knack, there'll be no stopping her Well done Elspeth

Just wanted to give yo all an update:

We were happily going along witht he exressing and cup feeding, with the occasional try at the breast, but not pushing it. Then in the middle of lastweek, I got badly engorged for the first time. I think I went too far in trying to counteract it, because by Firday night/Saturday, I was producing less than half the milk I had been - barely enough to keep feeding her, and I was naturally worried that it was going to drop below even that.

i phoned the on-call midwife - a stranger that shift who helpfully (not) said "Well you'll just have to give her formula" - jeez - if I'd known it was that easy, why was I flogging myself with a breastpump??? Nontheless, she arranged for a midwife to come out and see me on the Sunday, and i just gritted my teeth to get us that far.

The midwife who came was a stranger too, but at least one who knew my case. Her solution was to kick start the breastfeeding once and for all, s the best was to feed the child and stimulate the milk at the sam time, and blow e if the child didn't latch on and go for it properly for the first time!

So from Sunday lunchtime we have left the Cup behind, and I'm getting used to the way that 'other mothers' do it - without the confidence that knowing how many mls your baby has taken can give you. Today was baby clinic dasy,when I take her to be weighed, and I was naturally worried that it *wasn't* working that she'd be getting all ill like she did in the hospital, but guess what?

7lb 9oz!!!!!

That's a weekly gain of:

12oz!!!!!!!

Shall I say that again?

12oz!!!!!!!!

Even the health visitor was surprised! Do I feel smug or what?

PHththththtphphppppp! to the peole in hospital who said I couldn't do it.

Bought a bottle of on the way home.

Hey there Cloviskitten

Here you go Not too much mind

That's great news You must feel so much better about a lot of things now I'm so pleased to hear that you've managed to get on with breast feeding now, you and baby can take advantage of that extra closeness

And I'm really pleased that the weight is comming up It makes me think of them when they get a little older, and they're all chubby digits

Take care and have fun!

Brilliant, brilliant She's a growing girl that one

I know what you mean about not knowing how much is going in, but there's the proof: 12oz! You are completely justified in feeling smug, having had a similar experience I know how much work you've put in

(Did that not helpful midwife really say 'give her formula'? Does she know what you've been through? Outrageous!)

Anna