The Great 'What you wish you'd known when you had a baby' Hunt 2012

Mandymeow

My baby was born 14 weeks premature in June, so I have been able to ignore a lot of peoples 'advice' as most of it doesnt apply to our situation! I have missed out on the midwife visits, but now baby is home from hospital and the health visitor comes every week Im finding it very helpful.

I have had to express milk with a breast pump since birth, and when he came home my supply had gone down a lot. The nurses at the hospital suggested getting my GP to prescribe Domperidone (Motilium) it is for tummy problems but lactation is a side effect. My GP was reluctant to prescribe it as its not licensed for turning you into a milk machine, so the nurse from hospital rang her and gave her an earful... and now I have enough milk to stop me worrying baby won't get enough, and I can still express enough for Daddy to do night feeds at the weeekend.

So if you are expressing and/or breastfeeding and worried about your milk supply, it may be worth asking your midwife/health visitor to recommend to your GP to prescribe it. Not all GPs know about it. Obviously it is best to try everything else first - breast massage, relaxing (like thats easy!!), hot flannels on your boobs etc.

I found most baby wipes to be so full of chemicals and didnt want to use them on baby's delicate bum.. I found Water Wipes by DermaH20 to be the best thing to use - no chemicals, no nappy rash. Buy a bulk box on amazon and they dont work out too much more expensive. I cant recommend them enough!!!!

barbiedoll

Mandymeow wrote: »

So if you are expressing and/or breastfeeding and worried about your milk supply, it may be worth asking your midwife/health visitor to recommend to your GP to prescribe it. Not all GPs know about it. Obviously it is best to try everything else first - breast massage, relaxing (like thats easy!!), hot flannels on your boobs etc.

You can buy domperidone (Motilium) over the counter at a pharmacy but DON'T self-medicate without speaking to GP, midwife or HV first!

rev229

The kitchen sick is a great plce to bath a baby, no bending over. Put the changing mat on the drainer with a warm towel. So much easier! I never used a baby bathad 2 big babies who loved being bathed in the kitchen sink!! Also buy a insulated travel mug, that way at least the hot drink stays hot when yu get tied up with baby.

Angelfeathers

Another one here for cloth nappies. Shaped nappies are just as easy as disposables, and far nicer for baby and the environment, not to mention incredibly cute! Also, poo gets shaken out into the toilet rather than going into landfill. Plus you can make great savings, unless you get caught by all the gorgeous expensive ones, of course... Also use cloth wipes - you'd be amazed how well a cloth and bit of water works - why do people think they need loads of chemicals???

Also second the cabbages on sore breasts. I had to give up breastfeeding after an awful, endless week of trying, and one savoy cabbage saw me through the really painful time after I stopped.

Always have a muslin or two with you. You can use them for anything: bibs, blankets, sunshades, wiping up mess, changing mats etc. and once baby's grown up you can use them instead of kitchen roll to clean up and wipe your hands in the kitchen!

I also agree with babygrows not clothes, and growbags not blankets. Sooo much easier.

And please, please do take advantage of any offered help!

Juststayingafloat

I always tell people to get a dimmer switch or lamp with a very low wattage bulb in the room the baby is sleeping in for when you need to change nappies in the middle of the night, which you need to do at times in the early days. We could set our bedroom light so there was just enough light to see by, and not enough to be shocking to the eyes or wake dad up.

Also I found a good nursing chair invaluable, my back was aching from trying to feed my eldest in bed, it helped to have better back support and somewhere to rest my arm.

If your getting sore from breast feeding try a different position for a bit can allow you to keep going and give the sore area a chance to recover.

The sleeping bags people mention are great and do help but when they get a bit older and move around more I found walk-in-sleepers (fleecy sleepsuits) which you wear over the ordinary sleepsuit better. My boys were very mobile and would wake themselves up from twisting the sleeping bag up from moving around.

Avoid
NCT
baby forums
And health visitors in their 50's that haven't had children themselves and have to refer to index cards to give you advise!

JimmyTheWig

Juststayingafloat wrote: »

We could set our bedroom light so there was just enough light to see by, and not enough to be shocking to the eyes or wake dad up.

If mum's doing the night-time feeding then dad should be doing the night-time changing, imo!

Juststayingafloat

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

If mum's doing the night-time feeding then dad should be doing the night-time changing, imo!

Why would you both get up, one to change the nappy and one to do the feed? I just did the change then the feed then back to bed.

JimmyTheWig

Juststayingafloat wrote: »

Why would you both get up, one to change the nappy and one to do the feed? I just did the change then the feed then back to bed.

Fair enough. I was thinking of a nappy change after feeding. Was always my job to take the baby back to their crib after my wife had fed them in bed. In which case I'd change a nappy then.

Though thinking back, I think it was my job to get the baby, too. So I would have been the one up and changing the nappy, then snoozed while she was feeding.
With our first I stayed awake with her during night feeds as moral support. With our others I slept through them so I could be up at 6am with the others.

Raksha

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

Fair enough. I was thinking of a nappy change after feeding. Was always my job to take the baby back to their crib after my wife had fed them in bed. In which case I'd change a nappy then.

Though thinking back, I think it was my job to get the baby, too. So I would have been the one up and changing the nappy, then snoozed while she was feeding.
With our first I stayed awake with her during night feeds as moral support. With our others I slept through them so I could be up at 6am with the others.

What my OH and I did was work it around what suited our personalities - I'm an early bird, always have been, and he can survive on just a few hours. I used to go to bed early (around 9) and he'd do the late feed then bring the baby to bed, I'd then do the night feed and the early morning one having already had a good 6 hours or so.

Also learn how to relax - I spent many hours tossing and turning after my first son was born.I realised doing that wasn't helping - if they needed me, they were well equipped to let me know and I'd serve the family better by getting sleep instead of staying awake 'just in case' . So I practised relaxation and sleep came very quickly, I was much better for it and I'm sure I was a better, happier Mum.

Frogletina

building_with_lego wrote: »

How to breastfeed lying down. It would have made the first few weeks MUCH easier with DD; by the time DS came along I had it down to a fine art and meant we all got more rest.

I was breastfeeding lying down with my first baby while I was still in hospital at the age of 17. She was brought to me whenever she woke up in the night, though it was my responsibility to take her back to the nursery afterwards.