Feb-May 2011 Mommies

Hey Kimika
Just wanted to add to your very interesting post!! My widwife basically said exactly what you have posted, but she did add that babies are clever ....... and if it is really hot and they are thirsty/ dehydrated they will drink more the foremilk and indicate that they want to switch breast early if this is the case. So inlight of sky high temps lately. Perhaps Rueben is thirsty!

Take Care
L xx

hi ladies

well I can finally walk! The pain is still quite bad though and I am still struggling to sleep as every time I move, it hurts. But very happy I can be more mobile.
Anje thanks for the tips on what to do. On Sunday I literally sat with ice on it for about 6 hours!!!! and in between had the baths.
The swelling has not reduced at all which concerns me...ice helps to reduce the pain but does nothing for their size
really really wish it would just go away. it's making me fear going into labour!

Kimika - Karin's baby weighed 3.48kg and was 50cm long

Rakker - we will definitely arrange a meeting when i come there. i will only be in JHB for about 4 days though and then spend about 7 days in CT. so once i have dates, we'll start planning. are you on facebook? Wow you are definitely heading for a big baby again!! and good on you for feeling so positive about a natural birth still!

Ameera I am so glad you came to join us How is your LG doing? have you thought of names yet?

oh no I cant scroll down any further and I've forgotten what everyone else wrote...sorry!

Thats a great weight so far Anje! Cant wait for your update on Friday

Hi Ladies,

I miss your chats. Just quickly want to say hi and congrats to Karin, Kiara is beautiful !!!

I did not catch up but Meags read about your haemorrhoids yesterday and there is not much the drs can do for you, my dr gave me anusol and the pharmacy gave me anugesic, it doesn’t help much. Try a warm zits bath every 2 hours and straight afterwards put ice on for 15 minutes. Both relieved some discomfort for me, but the ice really helped for the swelling. A donut cushion helps as well. It got better after about 1.5 weeks. Good luck, it is horrible.

AFM: A friend of mine visited last week Friday and wanted to take some maternity photos (she is practising on friends and family to start her own business) and it came out not to bad. But we didn’t trust her enough, so we were very glad we booked a shoot with Joli on Saturday. My husband loved the shoot with Joli and we will recommend her to all our friends and family. Tx Joli !! We cannot wait for the photos and the newborn shoot.

L was a bit quiet the last couple of days, but today very active again. Not sure if I mentioned that she is about 2.8 – 2.9 kg’s and our next appointment is on Friday at 13h00.

Enjoy your day ladies, I will be on maternity leave from Friday and will probably be able to catch up at home next week.

Wow Kimika, thanks for that interesting post!

Guess we're all going to be poo watching pretty soon! LOL

Interesting bit of info re the poo:

What's the normal color of a breastfed baby's bowel movement?


Expert Answers
Susan Condon, lactation consultant
That depends on how old your baby is. In the first few days of life, your baby's stool should be dark green to black. This means your baby is passing meconium, a tarry substance made up of all her bowels have accumulated during nine months in the womb.

Colostrum, the "first milk," helps your baby pass these stools. The sooner you put your baby to the breast, the quicker colostrum gets into her system. Colostrum acts like a laxative and helps push the meconium out of your baby's bowels. Your baby will have these stools until your milk comes in — so the sooner and more frequently you breastfeed, the quicker the meconium clears from her system.

Since meconium buildup can cause jaundice, it's important to breastfeed at least ten to 12 times in 24 hours to clear it out of your baby's system. You should be concerned if your baby has meconium stools for longer than three days. If your baby sleeps a lot, you should pump and hand- or finger-feed the colostrum to your baby to get her digestive tract working properly.

After the colostrum phase, your milk changes and bowel movements become brown in color, less sticky, and easier to wipe off the skin. As your milk becomes more plentiful, the stools finally transition from yellow-green to yellow. Nursing your baby frequently causes the stools to change color more quickly. Plus, the more you nurse, the quicker your milk changes from colostrum to mature milk. Once the stools turn yellow and have a seedy quality, they should stay that way as long as your baby is exclusively breastfed.

When your baby has a bowel movement, look for stools that are loose in texture, with the consistency of pea soup. You may even notice small cottage cheese-type curds. The odor should be mild and not unpleasant. If you notice a succession of watery green stools, your baby may be consuming more foremilk than hindmilk. If you make sure she finishes nursing on the first breast before switching, she'll get more of the high-calorie hindmilk and produce a more yellowish stool as a result.

A watery stool also could indicate a sensitivity to a certain food you're eating or medication you're taking. A good first step for determining whether that's the case is to eliminate all dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt from your diet for at least three weeks. If the bowel movements change, you'll know it was the dairy. Add dairy back slowly to your diet, starting with the hardest cheeses. If your baby's stools turn watery again, you'll have to find other sources of calcium and protein for your diet.

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So what I suspected might even be true.. I think he is drinking too much of the watery foremilk and doesnt finish the breast's richer milk (because he falls asleep!!!) hehe..

Most interesting thing here is the bit re the regular feedings and passing the meconium faster.. didnt know that it caused jaundice! So feeding regularly, as in every 2hrs can prevent it! I was told in hospital to feed every 2hrs for not longer than 10mins per breast to prevent jaundice but didnt understand why

Claire, shoo thats hectic! I couldnt understand the reason why natural would cost more than c-sec. An extra day in hospital along with theatre costs makes a difference? Maybe she meant the gynae charges more? Maybe because she actually spends more time with natural delivery than she would c-sec, plus the call out at all strange time of day. She is fine, few scratches and scabs on the face. But they are still eyeballing each other. grrr

Where can I get one of those shocker thingies that one buy's for self defence?

Hi Amy!! I remember you yes Welcome to our group!! How fantastic that you are having another little baba soon!! Im so happy for you. Go check on page 1 and Ill add your details to our list. xxx

Joli, well atleast you are spared of losing your temper today.. maybe tomorrow? It will work out quite well if she can go swim while you gym. Hope it goes better today then. Maybe the poo just differs because of what you eat? hmm..

Oh and let us know what you think of those nappies.

RAkker.... I also know you can do it! hehe.. Wow how fantastic that everyone is having these plump little angels!! I just cant wait for all of them to be born.. we need to have a meet girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meags, do you know what Karins baba weighed?