MSE Parents Club Part 3

My_Fathers_Daughter · 6 June 2009 at 11:21PM

Weezl - about packing. My method is similar to Sami's - but I start at the feet and work up...shoes - check, socks - check, trousers...etc

For baby for 4 days (3 nights) I packed:

6 sleepsuits
7 outfits
7 vests
1 jacket
1 sleeping bag
1 blanket
1 cot sheet
6 muslins
2 bibs
1 pack of nappies (a big pack - about 70 lol!)
1 pack swim nappies
New pack of wipes
New pack of nappy sacks
Changing mat (Benjamin likes to lie on his…so more as a place to put him for a while than to change him on IYSWIM)
Inflatable cushion – this is a kind of wedge that Benjamin lies on – he loves it because it lifts him up a bit so he can see around – highly recommended!
Roll-about rug – this is actually a big fleece blanket that I throw on the floor when I put Benjamin down – I wanted him to have things that he was familiar with
Carry cot from Pram – plus pram wheels (thankfully he is still small enough to sleep in this)
Change bag inc sun-cream
2 toys – small dangly animals with bells
1 comforter – an elephant head attached to a little blanket body!
Microwave steriliser and 2 bottles - just in case!
Breastpump
2 cartons formula and scissors
Calpol
Infacol
Gripe Water & Spoons
Baby wash and talc
Baby Monitor
Carseat & fleece blanket

I think the main thing for me was about having a safe and familiar place to put Benjamin down...although there is 3 of us to keep an eye on him sometimes he needs to be left 'alone', for example when we are eating. So his cushion, his rug and his change mat were important to me (he gets impatient after 15 mins anywhere!) - if baby likes it then a bouncy chair would do the trick.

Hope this helps, I am sure you can add/subtract as needed.

I have probably forgot stuff anyway!

Edit - I should probably say I always over-pack! I am a cautious kinda girl!!

feelinggood_2 · 6 June 2009 at 11:22PM

Bit of an update with the milk situation. After deciding on Thursday that I would wind down the expressing, I'm getting more milk than ever. Been expressing just to be comfortable, yet getting more than usual. Not quite enough to keep up with DS, who decided to have 1100ml today! Think the lack of stress at deciding that I can stop has helped things. Plan is to express 5 times a day or so, just so I'm comfortable. Whatever I get is great, but I won't fret. Will top up with formula the rest of the time. Just off to give DS even more milk, then off to bed. I'm worried he will end up gaining a lot of weight on formula, he is growing massively already!

MrsTinks · 6 June 2009 at 11:24PM

Interesting... I've been doing both boob and EBM from very early on (pretty much as soon as we got home from hospital...) and not found it a huge problem... Roo does tend to gulp from bottles so we're off on a bottle buying mission tomorrow - I have the Tommy Tippee CTN ones - both normal and anti colic but she ends up gulping it and either wearing it or trying to inhale the milk so we're going to find some Avent I think... they've been recommended by paedeatric nurse so gonna give them a go

My problem is that when Roo latches on to me it's still really painful and especially if she starts dropping off and then starts awake - if she does that the nipple has started sliding out her mouth and she chomps down HARD just as it's slipping out and you have to peel me off the ceiling! Then they hurt for the next 12 hours or so and expressing is the only way to give them a break... *sigh*

feely how you doing today?

elle - glad Rhys is doing better

I know someone else asked but where abouts ish are you? at 2 weeks and a day old I'm expressing more than enough for Roo...

Otherwise see if there is a milk bank near you - at least then if you DO struggle expressing enough you can still get him BM if need be

My_Fathers_Daughter · 6 June 2009 at 11:30PM

Feelie - Benjamin has the odd bottle of formula, when I need a break or when I am trying to build up a store of breastmilk. It is hard to think about it as 'good' stuff when everything in me says breast is best but at the same time I know that I need to do what is best for ME and MY family. In the early days then FF babies need to take more formula than they would need breastmilk, I don't think it is the same at 6 weeks +

Ultimately, Toby needs a happy mommy, that is MUCH more important! Keep doing what you can but try to go with the flow.

Take care, xxx

My_Fathers_Daughter · 6 June 2009 at 11:33PM

Just so you know what I am talking about (and because it gives me another opportunity to show off my son

) this is the cushion I was talking about:

3onitsway · 6 June 2009 at 11:50PM

My_Fathers_Daughter wrote: »

Just so you know what I am talking about (and because it gives me another opportunity to show off my son ) this is the cushion I was talking about:

He's gorgeous! I love his socks, are they trumpettes? We have tons of admiring comments about Violets trumpettes!

Violet has had both bottles of EBM and formula - and she doesn't seem to be bothered what it is as long as its food! We had a night out last night - the most gorgeous Mexican restaurant in Liverpool. Mum sat, and gave Violet a bottle when she woke around 12.30, just before we got home. I woke up this morning at 9 with the most humongous boobies! They really hurt!

FEELIE- do you think that because you'd decided to go to formula, you've relaxed a bit, therefore the relaxed state of your body has made more breast milk! I've found that if i'm having a bad day, i can't express as much! I thought it was just me - but maybe not!

MIL's - Mine is lovely - but brings a ton of sweets round for the older two every week! The older two aren't hers!, so because she's bringing presents for baby every week, she feels she should bring the older two somethin - but up to now, thats been huge bags of sweets, every week!

elle_gee · 7 June 2009 at 1:41AM

scruffy, don't worry, I did giggle when I saw your comment

Hope you're okay and got things sorted quickly with the police xx

Re: donor milk, there isn't a milk bank too close, probably about 90mins drive from here. I'm going to ask about the possibility though when I next see the nurses cos I have noticed donor milk in the EBM fridge so they must be able to get it. Funny how they've never mentioned the possibility to me before now and went straight for formula and just giving me a hard time about it!

Thank you again everyone

Feelie, glad to hear things are getting a little easier. Take care of yourself too xx

elle_gee · 7 June 2009 at 2:55AM

(sorry, shamelessly copied post from the Preg Thread..

)

Righty, couldn't get back to sleep so I've been to see Rhys and the nurses. Nurses were chatty enough, but Rhys is zonked out, finally looking calm and peaceful so he wasn't up for much of a chat!

Asked the nurses about donor milk... Apparently it costs (the hospital, not us) about £100 per litre so it's reserved for the neediest of cases and those who can't tolerate formula (which Rhys doesn't seem to, based on a few feeds). The nurse tonight was surprised noone had mentioned it to us yet instead of just going straight for the formula, and one of the doctors had mentioned it tonight to the nurses (asked why I was so against it - not knowing that we hadn't been asked!) so they will bring it up again in the ward round in the morning and see what they can do.

The nearest milk bank is Huddersfield but our hospital tend to get it from Chester, don't know why. It comes frozen by the litre, split into 50ml bottles. It is possible for them to get it cos I've seen some in the fridge about a week ago. Fingers crossed they will get a litre or two for us as a backup and it will take the stress off me plus give me time for the new things I'm doing to take effect and hopefully I can then get my own supply back up..

I did ask about direct doning, but it all has to be from a registered milk bank where the donors are screened and the milk is then screened and pasterurised and labelled up in traceable batches so if there's a problem with the donor in the future they can track down the babies who received milk from that donor etc.

ETA: This think this must be the milk banks the nurse was talking about. Info here for anyone wanting to know about becoming a donor

Savvy_Sue · 7 June 2009 at 3:07AM

elle_gee wrote: »

I did ask about direct doning, but it all has to be from a registered milk bank where the donors are screened and the milk is then screened and pasterurised and labelled up in traceable batches so if there's a problem with the donor in the future they can track down the babies who received milk from that donor etc.

I did wonder if that would be the case. Of course that wouldn't stop you coming to a friendly arrangement with a friend once you're home if you wanted to.

Mind you I guess for many of us it would have to be someone you knew really well: my friend knew (as well as anyone can!) that I didn't drink or do drugs or unsafe sex, and never had.

weezl74 · 7 June 2009 at 7:20AM

My_Fathers_Daughter wrote: »

...
Infacol
Gripe Water & Spoons
....

MFD thanks for the list :T:T:T:T so helpful, you have saved me wracking my fuddled brain and getting in a mood with DH! Also we seem to have invited my brother and his new girlfriend, who I've never met away with us too. I'm excited to meet her, but it'll be the first time away with Fergie and I kinda like to make my c0ck ups in private IYSWIM? So with your list I should look super organised

quick tip if anyone is giving gripe water on a spoon, as fergie sometimes seemed to more inhale it off the spoon and cough a bit, so I used to use an empty infa col bottle... 5 full pipettes of gripe water is the same as the recommended 5ml dose. Probably you all know that already but it might save someone some faffing around!

MSE Parents Club Part 3

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