Breast is Best

Well I know you've all probably heard it all before but breast really is best! I wasn't totally sure if I was going to be able to do it at first but I knew in my heart I really wanted to try.  After naturally giving birth to him, I was given my perfect little bundle all naked and bloody and asked what I wanted to do, straight away I said breastfeed so they helped me put him on and straight away he started feeding.  I couldn't believe it! It was so amazing! Here he was our perfect little boy so alert and healthy and feeding straight away. :o)

First feed

Breastfeeding wasn't such smooth sailing, for the first couple of days Dex wasn't feeding properly as I had never been shown at the hospital and he was full of mucus from the birth. He wasn't interested in feeding as he felt full from the mucus so he lost quite a bit of weight in the first couple of days. :o(
It can be really quite tough and painful at first but you really need to have the will power to push yourself to carry on, I still think back and say to Martin how proud of myself I am that we did persevere and make it through.  I feel I gave my son the best start there is and created the most amazing bond between us, but I couldn't of done it with out the help of Martin and my local midwifery care assistant Bev Bilton, part of 'Medway Breastfeeding Network'.  Bev was amazing! I couldn't of thanked her enough for all that she did as I really think I would of given up if it wasn't for her, but with her daily and constant support on the phone or in person, and with creams and guards, Me and Dex pulled through it! We got him feeding properly and regularly and got past the painful part (including blood blisters, ouch!) which I have also got to mention the god send that is 'Lansinoh Lanolin Cream' best magic healing cream ever!

Dex was now feeding regularly every couple of hours, morning and night, I loved having him in my arms watching him feed and also having that spare hand free to be able to do any other tasks, like texting or changing the channel, lol.  When Martin went back to work it was quite a sad time for me and Dex as we loved having him around.  Martin works long hours and we both wanted Martin to be able to have a bit more time with Dexter, Martin only got home at 6 and Dex would go to bed at half 6 which only I could do to breastfeed him.  So we decided to make the big decision of Daddy giving a formula bottle feed when going to bed so that they could have that nice time together, and also I got a bit of Mummy time, to watch my 'Hollyoaks'.  We did find that Dex started to sleep through better at night with this too, which was nice as, with being an awful sleeper anyway, I was finally able to get a few hours sleep before he would wake up for his next feed.

I went along to a Medway Breastfeeding Network drop-in with Hayley and Tamsin when Dex was about 6 or 7 months'ish, they were both lovely and very helpful and spoke through some concerns I had at the time.
I continued to breastfeed Dex up until he was 10 months old, so only just recently stopped.  I wanted to breastfeed him up till a year but unfortunately I was put on some medication that I could not breastfeed on for a week.  So I felt this was probably the best opportunity to stop and start introducing beakers of cows milk before nap times instead.  He took to it like he has always done it and loves the fact he can do it himself and come back to it after a little play.  Luckily he's never been a fussy one anyway and always loved his milk or food where ever it came from... its just me that misses it.

My story is also available to read on abettermedway/breastfeedingstories

Still happily breastfed at 9 months :o)

xXx <3 xXx

The Growing of a Tiny Pickle

I wanted to start by telling you about the beginnings of the Pickle Pants Adventures before he had even arrived...so here we go, here's my first post...

Friday the 10th of December 2010 was when Martin and I discovered the most amazing news we had ever learnt... After 2 years of trying I was finally pregnant and growing our very own tiny little Pickle!  We was absolutely ecstatic! The tears were flowing, the jumps were getting higher and the smiles were getting bigger by the second.  We couldn't believe the news and was in happy shock for weeks, with massive smiles on our faces and no one else knowing why, think most parents would agree it is the hardest secret to keep! We told our families on Christmas day when our growing Pickle was around 10 weeks, probably the most amazing gift we could of given, they were all happy for us and as excited as we were.

8 Week Scan. Size of a Raspberry.

From the very beginning of our pregnancy we used the 'What to Expect when Expecting' books, phone apps and website, by the lovely Heidi Murkoff. These where all very useful in every way! We was able to look up any symptoms I was having and see what stage and development our little Pickle was at week by week, it was also fun to name him by the fruit or vegetable size they would relate him too. :o)  I would highly recommend!

In the beginning my little Pickle was kind to me and gave me lovely big boobs and didn't give me any morning sickness. Yay! :o)
But unfortunately as we moved on in the pregnancy I did suffer with sciatica and SPD quite early from around 3 months, I would have good and bad days but most of the time I was in a lot of pain and struggled to work, move or even sit.  Despite working hard for 10 years for my nursery, my colleagues/friends were very unsupportive and disbelieved me, and as part of the management team they turned their backs on me and disregarded me, so as well as being in a lot of pain I was also in a lot of distress and upset.  With all this stress, pain and upset I decided that I did not want to put my tiny Pickle's life at risk so decided to go on maternity leave early and leave work only half way through my pregnancy.

12 Week Scan. The Size of a Plum.

Leaving work early was the best decision I had ever made! I was away from the unpleasant people that were causing me such misery, and was able to rest and relax the SPD and sciatica.  As my Pickle grew and I got bigger the sciatica eased off and the SPD did seem to lesson a little, but think this was probably due to the amount of resting I was now able to do being at home.

22 Week Scan. Size and weight of a 1lb bag of sugar.

At our 22 week scan we decided to find out if we was growing a pink or blue Pickle...We would of been happy with either a boy or a girl, and had chosen names for both, but we were so happy and excited to see, as it was very clear, that we was having a boy!  I burst into tears! which I think worried the doctors but I reassured them that they were happy tears, very happy tears! We now knew that on the 9th of August we was due to meet our little Dexter. :o)  <3

Me and Bex 8 months pregnant

Despite the back pain and heartburn, I loved being pregnant! It was such an amazing and overwhelming experience that I cant wait to go through again! (fingers crossed).  When growing up I always knew I wanted to be a mummy, I was always the little girl walking around in my mummy's heels and jewellery pushing a pram with a dolly in, so to finally become a mummy it really was a life long dream come true.  I was also very lucky to experience my pregnancy alongside a best friend, Bex, she was due to have her little girl, Mia, a week before we was due to expect Dex, was such a strange coincidence! but so exciting and nice to have someone to talk to about it all and who was going through the same thing, and especially lovely that it was a best friend. :o)

The Arrival of a Tiny Pickle

Excited because my waters had broken

On Sunday the 7th of August my waters broke at 3am without any sign or pains, just a 'pop' as I sat up and a confused me thinking I had wet myself. We went to the hospital in the morning to be checked out but was sent home to come back the next day or when I got heavy contractions.  I finally started getting contractions that Sunday evening, which came on pretty thick and fast in the next few hours.  After a few trips in the night to and from the hospital they finally said I could stay Monday morning as my waters had been broken for over 24 hours.  I had hoped to have a water birth and my calming music playing and only gas and air, but that all changed when I was told I wasn't aloud a water birth because of my waters being broken causing risk of infection... also because of how much pain it really is! For ages my contractions were one after the other but I was not dilating enough and very slowly... so think I ended up having pretty much every drug relief that was on offer in the end! lol.

After 24 hours of contractions I was told I was finally 10cms dilated and that I could start pushing! It was all very quick and painful, and I remember saying to Martin that I couldn't do it.  But at 8.30pm on Monday the 8th of August our little Dexter Logan was born naturally at 8lb 4oz in weight and 53cm in length.  He was so beautiful, healthy, alert and just absolutely perfect in every way. :o) We fell in love instantly! <3

xXx <3 xXx