Burning the midnight oil together

@Bronz I'm sure you can get them at most pharmacies, but I've def seen them at dischem with the gripe and colic stuff.

@Girly are you giving K reuteri drops? There was a study done in Italy that showed it helped with colic. I used them with James and think it also helped. A probiotic is always good anyway, especially given ks medical background.

I'm sorry you all feel a bit cheated about your births, but just think about how healthy your babies are. Unfortunately SA obstreticians all seem to be heading to managed births:( I remember going for a checkup with my midwife on my EDD and her saying I was 1cm but not to get excited because it could still be a while. My friend who was due 2 weeks after me went for a checkup with her gynae(my back up gynae too actually) and she was also 1cm sohe toldher that labour was immenent and that she could go home and just have to come back later or stay and induce then. Obviously when you are so fed up in the end stage of pregnancy you know what you would choose:( she landed up having a csectionand getting pnd but I remember crying because I just wanted my baby to come already and why wouldn't my midwife just induce...it wasn't fair that angela had her baby before me blah blah.(I went into labour the following morning and James was born at 8)

@Bronz & Yaz

I did feel very cheated at the end. I did trust him to do what's best for my baby and I. He know I wanted natural, but at every consult he reminded me that even though everything looks set for natural, in the end he will always do what's safest. I was crestfallen when he told me that my chances of natural birth I'd diminishing as her head had not engaged and that I shoulld prepare myself for a c section. I cried all the way home in the car. A week later he gave the best news ever, that she is now lying in the perfect position for natural birth and he would induce me that Monday. I went into hospital that Saturday as I suspected my waters were leaking. They kept me overnight for observation and induced me the next morning. He confirmed the next morning after my contractions started that I'd give birth by 21h00 that evening. I was devastated when he told me later that after that I would not be able to give birth naturally. I was also petrified of a c section.

He also said the same thing to me afterwards, "see that was'nt so bad after all". The lady next to me was also so disappointed as he told her that she had to have a c section because her BP was too high and baby had not grown in a week and he said the same thing to her afterwards in my presence.

So it would seem that he very pro managed births!

BTW my pumpkin has not slept the entire day! Going to be a loooong night I'm guessing

Bronz, I completely understand how you feel. After my birth he said to me: well, if I were you I would definitely consider an epidural next time around. You wouldn't have torn with an epidural (I only had three stitches). Ja, right! I didn't like that at all! I was very determined to go all natural as he tried to bully me all the time from about week 30 and I wanted to show him so badly it's possible. In the end he didn't allow me to wait for active labour to start at home but wanted me to check in the same evening. According to him I was already 3 cm dilated but when the midwife checked me at CTMC I was only 1-2 cm!? So I have definitely lost some trust in him and really not sure if I'm gonna stay with him for the next pregnancy. He's a nice man and very experienced doctor, but he's way to quick with the knife and like you said always rushed.

Nikki, do you also feel he induced you to early?

Claudia: I think I might be making a bad habit in the sense G likes to sleep on the boob. So will wake up and search for the nipple and if he cant find it he complains. I think if I put him back into bed after a feed he would he better. His sleep is so out of whack at the mo. And i know he can sleep through. I will look at getting lactose tomorrow, from any pharmacy?

Yaz: Yes, I am very disappointed that it ended that way. I trusted him to check that I was fully ready for an induction. I could have waited about a week before G would have had to come out, as hubby was going to the states and I had to go to joburg. In my follow up he said to me see a c section wasn't so bad- said in a told you so tone. He is a good doctor, but I just felt he is a bit clinical and rushed all the time. I moved gynaes as I wanted to give birth at CT medi clinic and not Chris Barnard. (I dont know what he said about you doing all natural, but he told me I should not count on it. So he had everything prepped for epi. Felt that undermined what I asked of him.) Will go VBAC next time with out a doubt.

Edited to add. In the situation I do agree a C-section was needed but it should never have gotten to that point.

This is the Dr. Gaertner thread lol! Bronz, were you disappointed your birth ended in a c-section? Quite frankly, I think he and his colleagues often induce too early that's why there are so many "emergency c-sections". I don't like this at all, seriously considering a midwife for our second. I am not a fan of this whole "managed birth" movement.

After my last post Lilly was still awake for another hour, but I woke DH to take over, I just couldn't anymore. Maybe it's the full moon that's making our girls sleep badly? Really hope tonight is going to be better for all of us!

Claudia, I work in a state hospital, too, on a paediatric HIV ward - dreading going back to work as I can imagine it must be so much more difficult now that I have a little one on my own! Especially with all the heartbreaking cases one finds in the public health sector

Vash, I'm lucky, Lilly never feeds longer than 5-8 minutes, she's a very efficient little sucker lol. Her 3 minute feeds are usually very wild ones (tugging and pulling on my poor nipples, ouch) - don't know why she does that. Anyway, my boobs get SO full after those episodes, it's ridiculous. I sometimes wake up in the morning with rocks in my bra lol!

Patty, enjoy your trip!

Happy National Braai Day to everyone! Wish I could have a nice cold Hunter's later...ah well. x

@Bronz he will a lot better than previous gynae! They induced me at 5am contractions started at 8h00. He said I should deliver my baby at 21h00 that evening. got extremely intense and painful contractions at 10h00, however her head (which is quite big relatively speaking) was not dropping any further down the birth canal. They monitored me until 16h00 that afternoon at which point he said her head doesn't look like it will drop so best to have a C section

@ Bronz, why do you think you are doing something wrong? James also went through that at about 4 months so I've decided it must be a stage they go through. Dont think they can have nightmenres, but my sister once laughed that she thinks they wake up crying because they dream that theyve run out of milk
Maybe his tummy doesnt like the new formula ( I said this to another mommy before, try givin lactase drops before the milk feed to help digest the cows milk?)

I worked a bit this morning. There are a few really sick babies in hospital at the moment. Now that I have my own I find it quit heart renching to see babies attahced to tubes etc. There is a toddler in who drank dog dip! I cant believe how careful you have to be. Hubby is out cycling now. He is training for the Amashova in 2 weeks time (PMB to Durbs), then we need to go shopping for baby clothes before I go back to work and see the babies again. We have so much winter clothes for James, but no summer stuff, and given that we've been hitting temps of 30 plus I think we need to get some:)
It is sooooo windy today, just wish we would get some rain. On the plus side at least the nappies on the wash line are going to dry quickly:)