Due in March/April/May 2013 Roll call!

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Originally Posted by Shellbelle

Okay, 3m, I couldn't find Dawson's Creek, so I am curled up in bed watching Felicity. ;)

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Oh my word, had to jump in and say I LOVE FELICITY....my dh bought me the whole series when I graduated with my master's in 2005 and I swear I've watched the whole series through like once a year since then.....for some reason I have never gotten tired of that show or the characters....it's so strange it's like an escape back to college days, except that's strange for me to say bc I worked full time all through school and commuted to a smaller university...nothing like the Felicity characters at UNY. I guess it's like a nice escape from my own drama in life and being a part of someone else's....any of you ladies that are overly preoccupied with our current condition and details....I prescribe a Felicity marathon...you may temporarily stop worrying about your own life and start flipping out with Felicity about all her issues....Ben or Noel? ....Noel or Ben?.................:giggle:

Dr 3girls, I will fill that prescription immediately. ;) I was just thinking today about how much I used to envy Felicity for taking such a brave step by going to New York. She had her whole life in front of her, and could be whatever she wanted. <Sigh.> It always makes me wish I was in college again so I could go off to some big city for an adventure. ;) It first aired when I was getting my masters, and it still takes me back to that time in my life.

I see a lot of marathons in my future! All seven seasons of Supernatural and watching my fave CW shows online. May even get reacquainted with my ps3..

Who kept looking for Dawson's creek? I saw it was on Netflix today lol

I guess I have some shows to watch! I haven't seen any of the ones you ladies talk about lol!!

Welcome TT! And good luck tomorrow Rosie!!

NC, I love your plan ;) I'm not sure if I want to look into microsort or something in the future (although I doubt we could afford it) or just try again naturally. And my mom already begged me to wait until this one is at least 2 to try again lol. We live so far away its hard for her to get time to come up for the birth. But she's done it every time thankfully. And I don't know how breast feeding will go this time... DS1 was allergic to my milk and it got to the point where his body was eating away at his muscles and bones bc he was pretty much starved to death. It makes me cry every time I think about how skinny and frail he was. I didn't have a clue what was wrong, and didn't want to give up breast feeding and it took so long for him to get a diagnosis, but as soon as he did, he was put on Nutramigen (stinky, expensive formula!) He immediately took to it and started gaining weight. Then comes DS2 who wasn't allergic, but ended up failure to thrive as well. He couldn't get enough calories from my milk no matter what I tried. So I breast fed him until 11 months but just got tired of him being so small. He had fallen off the chart and his own growth pattern months before, so his ped, who is very pro- breast milk, prescribed him preemie high calorie formula. Now he's gaining well also. So DH and I have agreed if there are any problems this time, I won't let the baby suffer through it like the other 2 did.

Just wanted to wish you luck for 2day Rosie, I'm sure you will hear the news u want!!! Think pink think pink!!! Xxx

Good luck today Rosie, got my fingers crossed for you! x

I had major problems bf too with both my sons, over here 95% of women bf so I felt like a complete freak and was absolutely devastated :(

Both time I had them on the boob within minutes of giving birth, I fed on demand, I continuously asked for help while I was in hospital (you stay in for 3 to 4 days over here) to try and make sure I was doing it properly and even tried an electric breastpump in between feeds. Both times by day 3 the boys had lost more than 10% of their body weight and I was told I needed to give some formula to keep them healthy. They use a cup over here so they don't confuse them, so the baby basically laps the milk. Both times my boobs didn't change size hardly at all and my milk just didn't come in. I've got books, a dvd all sorts to try and help.

This time part of me doesn't want to go through the sadness again and I am partly tempted to just bottle feed from the start, but I am really hoping that my body will have got to grips with what to do this time and my milk will come in so I can successfully breastfeed this time.

I so wish bf was easy for me! Any advice is very welcome Suregena xx

Good luck today Rosie xxx

TT, I've seen all seasons of Supernatural since the beginning, and let me tell you, I love the man eye candy on that show! The two brothers are hot, hot, hotties!!

Good luck on scan, Rosie, can't wait to hear your news!

it's 4:39 am here and I'm up because baby is like wide awake now...she's become a nite owl in the last few nites.... /sigh hehe

Good luck Rosie xx

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Originally Posted by spinningmadly

@surgena - when too engorged its hard for baby to latch and I always suggest hand expressing or reverse pressure softening to help soften up the breast, just enough for baby to be able to latch.

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Yes, I know! Believe me, I spent a lot of time in those pre-days where the milk had not regulated hand expressing, either in the bath or into a breastpad pre-feeding. My boobs were seriously huge!

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Originally Posted by Shellbelle

Too many docs here tell moms "you tried but you just can't do it... Here, have a box of similac."

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Family do that as well, too, though! It's madness! Husbands, the mother's mother, aunts, friends, etc. Support is SO crucial in breastfeeding. So, so crucial. My mother and my husband both knew I did not want them to ever say that to me, ever... that we would persevere and get through it, even if I felt like I couldn't... I needed their voices to keep encouraging me.

Even if the mother is sobbing and at her wit's end, the *last* thing to ever do is tell her to "take a break and give formula, just this once..."
It's all it takes to create a spiral away from a successful breastfeeding. And when doctor's say/do those things, they are in a position of trust/power and a lot of people will follow what they say without finding another way.

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Originally Posted by mrshonyez

I guess I have some shows to watch! I haven't seen any of the ones you ladies talk about lol!!

Welcome TT! And good luck tomorrow Rosie!!

NC, I love your plan ;) I'm not sure if I want to look into microsort or something in the future (although I doubt we could afford it) or just try again naturally. And my mom already begged me to wait until this one is at least 2 to try again lol. We live so far away its hard for her to get time to come up for the birth. But she's done it every time thankfully. And I don't know how breast feeding will go this time... DS1 was allergic to my milk and it got to the point where his body was eating away at his muscles and bones bc he was pretty much starved to death. It makes me cry every time I think about how skinny and frail he was. I didn't have a clue what was wrong, and didn't want to give up breast feeding and it took so long for him to get a diagnosis, but as soon as he did, he was put on Nutramigen (stinky, expensive formula!) He immediately took to it and started gaining weight. Then comes DS2 who wasn't allergic, but ended up failure to thrive as well. He couldn't get enough calories from my milk no matter what I tried. So I breast fed him until 11 months but just got tired of him being so small. He had fallen off the chart and his own growth pattern months before, so his ped, who is very pro- breast milk, prescribed him preemie high calorie formula. Now he's gaining well also. So DH and I have agreed if there are any problems this time, I won't let the baby suffer through it like the other 2 did.

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Allergic to your breastmilk? From what I understand, that's not really possible (though doctor's have told mother's that often.) What can be the cause is the baby can have extreme sensitivity or allergy to things you eat, but that can be hard to pinpoint. So it isn't *your milk* per se, it's likely other things.

Also, I know in the UK they do it, but do they use 1 chart for weight gain in infants there or are there two? Here there is a growth/weight chart for formula fed infants and another one for breastfed infants, because both will grow/gain completely differently. The UK used to use a standard formula-fed infant one for all infants but then that made breastfed infants seem to be slow gainers and smaller so they went back and looked into it. For all I know, in the US it's likely possible they're still using a very general chart that may not correspond accurately for breastfed baby weight gain and growth.


Your milk will always make the right calories for your baby. The calories adjust constantly - they're never the same. Breastfed babies will not gain as fast nor as much as formula fed.

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Originally Posted by mummypink

I had major problems bf too with both my sons, over here 95% of women bf so I felt like a complete freak and was absolutely devastated :(

Both time I had them on the boob within minutes of giving birth, I fed on demand, I continuously asked for help while I was in hospital (you stay in for 3 to 4 days over here) to try and make sure I was doing it properly and even tried an electric breastpump in between feeds. Both times by day 3 the boys had lost more than 10% of their body weight and I was told I needed to give some formula to keep them healthy. They use a cup over here so they don't confuse them, so the baby basically laps the milk. Both times my boobs didn't change size hardly at all and my milk just didn't come in. I've got books, a dvd all sorts to try and help.

This time part of me doesn't want to go through the sadness again and I am partly tempted to just bottle feed from the start, but I am really hoping that my body will have got to grips with what to do this time and my milk will come in so I can successfully breastfeed this time.

I so wish bf was easy for me! Any advice is very welcome Suregena xx

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Did you feed as long as the baby required, even if it was for an hour? My son seriously would feed an hour sometimes... and I just let him. I suppose I lucked out because (my midwives were surprised), he didn't lose any weight at all... he only ever gained. He did have a syringe of my hand expressed milk once (oh, those early latching learning times!) but that was it.

Another suggestion for women having trouble with weight gain but that still want to breastfeed... a great thing to use is an SNS... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supplem...nursing_system) because you can feed your child whatever - formula, breast milk, but the baby is still "feeding at your breast" so you breasts will always be stimulated... and hopefully it can lead to you not needing to use it and the baby able to feed from you directly. The stimulation is what helps get the milk going and in the early days, even though you are WHOA WHOA tired, feeding nonstop and being near your baby at all times is the best thing to do.

Did any of you use soothers from the get go, as well? That can cause latching issues, just like early introduction of a bottle, as well. Breastfeeding gets stimulation when it is used as a soother and for food. You can introduce a soother once breastfeeding is going well and firmly established, but it is probably best to not use it in the beginning... especially if you have a history of struggling with breastfeeding in the past. *Anything* that could get in the way of the baby's constant, round the clock access to the breast should be discouraged if possible. For some women, a dummy/pacifier/soother or early bottle introduction/pumping won't affect them at all... and for others, it can sometimes make breastfeeding that much harder to get going.

I was part of a breastfeeding group before I gave birth and I read about it heavily. I read about common concerns I'm reading here in breastfeeding communities and in articles, so they were always in my head when I began on my breastfeeding journey... and it helped me always find a way to correct what was seeming not right. I credit the immersing of myself in it to helping me carry on so successfully.

I need to STOP reading about symptoms going away. Ugh. :( I feel almost normal today, for the most part... it's freaking me out. Not that my symptoms have been that awful to begin with. :/

The midwife is coming over to my house tomorrow because two of the blood samples they took last week were rejected and they have to do it again, so I guess I'm just going to let them know I'm nervous. I know I won't get an ultrasound (it's only a couple weeks until I'm 12 weeks... just waiting for an appointment for that) but maybe they can tell me I'm most likely fine. :/ I have this horrible fear of the 12 week scan showing bad stuff... like a missed miscarriage. I cannot shake this paranoia!

Suregena, I completely understand the paranoia! I won't feel comfortable until I hear the hb in two weeks. I'm just refusing to look things up on google, because I know that whatever I find will make the fear worse.

I hope you feel more reassured after your visit!

Thanks for the support ladies, I am really hoping I am wrong in thinking I will hear blue today. Will update later in the afternoon.

Good morning, ladies! I've been more a lurker than a poster since I've been on this site, but it's still been a great help for me. So I'm gonna jump in today...need some emotional support from some gals that understand! Struggling with whether or not to find out the gender these days; I had no intention of doing so, until I made the mistake of trying the Intelligender test yesterday...it said a very clear "boy" result, which has bummed me out far more than it should have.
Now, I'm tempted to take a "brief peek" at our 12 week NT scan in two weeks of the nub, just to get a general idea, without anyone saying anything to me. That way, if there's a clear nub, I can absorb the news without being directly "told". My DH thinks I'm crazy. Sigh. I will be blessed with a healthy baby of either gender. :)

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Originally Posted by Rosie85

Thanks for the support ladies, I am really hoping I am wrong in thinking I will hear blue today. Will update later in the afternoon.

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Hugs! At least it's only a few more hours!

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Originally Posted by suregena

Did you feed as long as the baby required, even if it was for an hour? My son seriously would feed an hour sometimes... and I just let him. I suppose I lucked out because (my midwives were surprised), he didn't lose any weight at all... he only ever gained. He did have a syringe of my hand expressed milk once (oh, those early latching learning times!) but that was it.

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Yep, with ds1 it was really hard as he was a very sleepy baby and not interested so I was having to put him to the boob every hour and strip him down to just his nappy to try and get him more alert to feed. I used the electric pump inbetween too to try and stimulate my supply more. My milk never came in properly. With ds2 he would feed for an hour or more, have half an hour break and feed for an hour again. I went with it for 6 weeks but he was never swallowing or making any noises that suggested he was actually getting any milk and when I tried to express there was hardly anything. Again I never got an increase in boob size, or a feeling of fullness as some women describe it when their milk came in. As both of them were quite small losing 10% of their body weight was quite a big deal and I didn't really want them to lose anymore. I don't think the bottle is given to babies so readily over here because they just expect you to be able to bf, but I was literally buzzing for a midwife every feed to ask if I was doing it right, if the position was ok etc and everyone said there shouldn't be a problem but there clearly was.

I'm thinking about taking a supplement this time to see if it helps but I'm not sure if there is anything safe to take during pregnancy, or if any of it actually works? Have you heard of anything you can recommend? x

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Originally Posted by Turning the page

Good morning, ladies! I've been more a lurker than a poster since I've been on this site, but it's still been a great help for me. So I'm gonna jump in today...need some emotional support from some gals that understand! Struggling with whether or not to find out the gender these days; I had no intention of doing so, until I made the mistake of trying the Intelligender test yesterday...it said a very clear "boy" result, which has bummed me out far more than it should have.
Now, I'm tempted to take a "brief peek" at our 12 week NT scan in two weeks of the nub, just to get a general idea, without anyone saying anything to me. That way, if there's a clear nub, I can absorb the news without being directly "told". My DH thinks I'm crazy. Sigh. I will be blessed with a healthy baby of either gender. :)

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Welcome to GD hon, please don't go off that silly intelligender test.. It's mostly been wrong as in giving women the opposite of what they are carrying more often than not. It's just not accurate..don't let it ruin your pregnancy. Even Pink Or Blue has been very wrong lately for women and that test is supposed to be high 90s accuracy rate. If you get your 12 week scan shot we would be happy to determine what we think, but don't feel absolutely obligated to get it.

Relax. Just enjoy your pregnancy! :)

Thinking of u Rosie xx

Mummy I'm sure raspberry leaf tablets can be used to help with milk supply, I always start taking them from 35wks to help me whilst in Labour and I also take them after the birth for milk supply and to help everything return to normal in there :) I've never had a problem with milk supply other then having far to much, I look like dolly parton the 1st few days lol I have to express to get baby on to feed...I'm thinking this time about donating some of my milk as I just have so much! Ds1 I fed for 6mths but constantly had mastitis so stopped wiv ds2 I fed him for over a yr! I think its a personal Choice to bf and I think no one should feel pressured or made to feel bad if feeding doesn't work out :)

I took raspberry leaf tablets from 36 weeks with both my last pregnancies but I didn't realise it helped with milk supply, maybe I should keep taking it this time see if it helps! I also took pregnacare vitamins with the added stuff for breastfeeding.

I totally agree that there shouldn't be any pressure put on anyone to bf but it is really hard if you want to and have problems. Especially over here where it is just assumed you will bf, I felt embarrassed taking a bottle out of my bag to feed them if we were out anywhere.

This time my boobs do seem to have got bigger, not massively and one has grown more than the other :worry: but I'm hoping that is a good sign that I'll have more success this time. xx

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Originally Posted by mummypink

Yep, with ds1 it was really hard as he was a very sleepy baby and not interested so I was having to put him to the boob every hour and strip him down to just his nappy to try and get him more alert to feed. I used the electric pump inbetween too to try and stimulate my supply more. My milk never came in properly. With ds2 he would feed for an hour or more, have half an hour break and feed for an hour again. I went with it for 6 weeks but he was never swallowing or making any noises that suggested he was actually getting any milk and when I tried to express there was hardly anything. Again I never got an increase in boob size, or a feeling of fullness as some women describe it when their milk came in. As both of them were quite small losing 10% of their body weight was quite a big deal and I didn't really want them to lose anymore. I don't think the bottle is given to babies so readily over here because they just expect you to be able to bf, but I was literally buzzing for a midwife every feed to ask if I was doing it right, if the position was ok etc and everyone said there shouldn't be a problem but there clearly was.

I'm thinking about taking a supplement this time to see if it helps but I'm not sure if there is anything safe to take during pregnancy, or if any of it actually works? Have you heard of anything you can recommend? x

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Good recommendations here: http://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastf..._galactagogue/

http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supp...es/low-supply/

Thanks Suregena xx

Well, all you can do is try. But it's good to read about all the issues and how to go about resolving them beforehand, to have them in your mind, when the babe is born.

Rosie, think pink!!!

I took alfalfa while pregnant to help with supply since I was still nursing it is safe.
Fenugreek is NOT safe while pregnant but can help a lot with supply after you give birth as long as you are still frequently putting baby to the breast. Did you try any skin to skin? That helps a lot with supply as well.

And yes 10% here too in the US would warrant supplements. Most hospitals won't let you leave if baby has lost that much without supplementing. But the goal is to keep that from happening since supplementing itself is a slippery slope.
Surgena- maybe the midwife could use a doppler since she's coming today?

She's coming tomorrow - she's only coming to get some blood samples so likely won't be bringing that. I do have my own little cheap doppler thing I used for reassurance with my son, but I only ever tried when I was like 15 weeks with him. I'm only 10 weeks on Monday - think I should get it out and try it? I would have thought it'd be too difficult to find this early.

I don't know. If it wont scare you to not find it because I would be too optimistic to find it then. My Mw tried with one Doppler , still a pricey one. Then went and grabbed the $1000 one and that's the one that picked it up for me.
I tried my own but I couldn't find it. Obviously mine is no where near that expensive.
But if you will freak out if you don't I wouldn't bother .

Can you ask her to bring the doppler?
My midwife is my good friend so I am lucky in that sense

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Originally Posted by suregena

Allergic to your breastmilk? From what I understand, that's not really possible (though doctor's have told mother's that often.) What can be the cause is the baby can have extreme sensitivity or allergy to things you eat, but that can be hard to pinpoint. So it isn't *your milk* per se, it's likely other things.

Also, I know in the UK they do it, but do they use 1 chart for weight gain in infants there or are there two? Here there is a growth/weight chart for formula fed infants and another one for breastfed infants, because both will grow/gain completely differently. The UK used to use a standard formula-fed infant one for all infants but then that made breastfed infants seem to be slow gainers and smaller so they went back and looked into it. For all I know, in the US it's likely possible they're still using a very general chart that may not correspond accurately for breastfed baby weight gain and growth.

Your milk will always make the right calories for your baby. The calories adjust constantly - they're never the same. Breastfed babies will not gain as fast nor as much as formula fed.

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Well they said it was a milk protein and soy allergy. He was 8 lbs 3 oz when he was born, and was only 9 lbs at 4 months old. His poo was green and pure liquid. It was awful. I think you're right about one general chart here. The ped wasn't too worried about DS2 being below 0%, but what worried him was that he fell way off his own curve and his height dropped down too. I was taking fenugreek and even pumping after he ate but he just wouldn't gain. I just don't know why my babies have so many issues! He was born with a collapsed lung and on oxygen for a couple of weeks, so he had a rough start to life anyways. I'm getting nervous about this labor too bc they said it was from him being born so fast. My labors are really short, and both times there has been a complication. First time was me, second time was him. Scary stuff! Hopefully this one ends up going smoothly!

Also it depends on the midwife I think. I have a couple and the nurse midwife who has access to the u/s said she usually can't that early. But the Homebirth/birth center midwives (which is who found it) seemed to be more skilled early. I think just because they don't have u/s to fall back on

He wasn't allergic to your milk... Rather Wha was in it. But an elimination diet for you is what would have helped. Like no dairy and no soy .

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Originally Posted by mrshonyez

Well they said it was a milk protein and soy allergy. He was 8 lbs 3 oz when he was born, and was only 9 lbs at 4 months old. His poo was green and pure liquid. It was awful. I think you're right about one general chart here. The ped wasn't too worried about DS2 being below 0%, but what worried him was that he fell way off his own curve and his height dropped down too. I was taking fenugreek and even pumping after he ate but he just wouldn't gain. I just don't know why my babies have so many issues! He was born with a collapsed lung and on oxygen for a couple of weeks, so he had a rough start to life anyways. I'm getting nervous about this labor too bc they said it was from him being born so fast. My labors are really short, and both times there has been a complication. First time was me, second time was him. Scary stuff! Hopefully this one ends up going smoothly!

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Oh, my. :( It sounds like the milk protein wasn't YOUR milk (I mean, that really just doesn't happen - not literally, anyway) but protein from elsewhere, i.e. milk protein from your diet. What we eat goes into our breastmilk.

Well I can only hope you have a smoother experience this time! Sometimes birth complications on either end can affect things, too. This bringing life into the world business - it's tricky! I really hope everything goes smoothly this time, truly.

Thanks for all the fab tips lovely ladies, I will definitely get some supps in for when the baby arrives so I can give it my absolute best this time.

I did have plenty of skin to skin contact, the only other thing I can think of that may have messed things up was they put me on a drip both times to speed labour up. My labours were actually pretty quick with both but with ds1 I was pushing for nearly an hour and they were worried he may start to get distressed so put me on a drip to increase the intensity of my contractions to get him out. With ds2 as Group B strep had been picked up during my pregnancy I had antibiotics during labour and they put me on a drip to increase contractions too to speed things up (even though from my contractions starting to giving birth to him it was only about two and a half hours!!). I didn't have any pain relief but I do wonder whether they stuff they use to induce you could interfere with your milk supply?

Hope you're back with lots of pink news soon Rosie xxx

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Originally Posted by spinningmadly

Also it depends on the midwife I think. I have a couple and the nurse midwife who has access to the u/s said she usually can't that early. But the Homebirth/birth center midwives (which is who found it) seemed to be more skilled early. I think just because they don't have u/s to fall back on

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I remember with my son, I think it was my 16 week visit and she only just clocked they hadn't tried to listen to the heartbeat (but I had listened to it before them on my own)... so I don't think it's typical they wait that long, they just realized they hadn't.

I'll ask her about when I can hear it tomorrow and see what she says!
It's far too late at night to call her now. I don't yet have a 'named' midwife... have only seen one. The one who called me today, I believe, is one that I saw the most with my last pregnancy. I think, anyway... if my memory is correct by her name. I hope she is, because she's aweeeesommmmeeeee.

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Originally Posted by mummypink

Thanks for all the fab tips lovely ladies, I will definitely get some supps in for when the baby arrives so I can give it my absolute best this time.

I did have plenty of skin to skin contact, the only other thing I can think of that may have messed things up was they put me on a drip both times to speed labour up. My labours were actually pretty quick with both but with ds1 I was pushing for nearly an hour and they were worried he may start to get distressed so put me on a drip to increase the intensity of my contractions to get him out. With ds2 as Group B strep had been picked up during my pregnancy I had antibiotics during labour and they put me on a drip to increase contractions too to speed things up (even though from my contractions starting to giving birth to him it was only about two and a half hours!!). I didn't have any pain relief but I do wonder whether they stuff they use to induce you could interfere with your milk supply?

Hope you're back with lots of pink news soon Rosie xxx

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Hey, anything is possible, truly. Maybe, since you obviously had no pain relief, if you can get away without using drips this time, etc, it can help?

They don't even CHECK for the group B strep in the UK.... as far as I know? Maybe they do in a sneaky way but I've never heard of it done here (unlike I hear all the time in the US. Same thing with the eye drops - they are not done here... and routine glucose check thing, they don't really do either unless possibly if there is a confirmed history of it)

I was looking through my notes earlier and I've been pretty much checked as risk-free for everything so that means they'll be pretty hands off and not do much 'checking' of anything outside of a couple/few routine blood tests.