Mums Running Club

Mitchie Moo, nothing is cheap nursery-wise round our way either.  Had my mum not volunteered to have Kit two days per week, the nursery we were planning on putting him in would have worked out at £560ish a month for two days per week.  A session (either morning or afternoon) is about £35 and all the local nurseries specify a minimum of 4 sessions per week otherwise they won't accept the child.  SO expensive.  It was a lovely nursery and all the children seemed very happy and stimulated, but at 7 months I'm glad that he's with family as I know hubby and my mum will follow his routine and feed him when I want him fed etc.  At nursery he just wouldn't have that one-to-one attention.  I do want him to go to a playgroup or nursery when he's a bit older as I think it's important for developing social skills.

Thanks for encouragement on the running front.  I'll persevere with building the endurance but am surprised at how long it's taking.  It's not the stamina - lungs and heart are fine! - but my legs seem to get really stiff even towards the end of an 8-mile run and are quite tight and sore afterwards ... of course, I ought to be stretching but somehow just never seem to find/make the time!  Had planned to run at lunchtime from work yesterday, then ended up having to go to a meeting so ran 4.5 miles when I got home, after bathing Kit and putting him to bed.  Neither lunchtimes nor evenings are ideal but as hubby says, I'll make it work if I want it enough.  By the time I've got changed and then showered afterwards a lunch hour is almost too short for a decent run - if it's only 3 or 4 miles then I may as well do that in the evening.  Think I might end up running home from work once a week when I need to fit in a longer run.  It's about 12 miles but I could also take the Tube part of the way and run the rest if I wanted to something a bit shorter.  I just need to decide whether or not I really want to do the marathon because at the moment I'm still unsure I'm 100% committed to finding a way of doing the training.

I would start the training Minks, see how it works and whether you are still enjoying it before you decide whether to do it, you can defer. I would pick some 10ks to aim for before xmas give yourself a goal, and take it from there. I sometimes have to get up at 6am to get my run in when hubbie is leaving early and its too dark here now to run a long way at night. I am also not sure how I will manage to fit marathon training in, also just the energy required, these two exhaust me now, but like you may start to build some miles and see how I go. You could always do a half in the spring and go for an autumn marathon for a change. Your hubbie is right if you want it you will find a way!

I have signed up for home start Hetty to help with swimming. Am fine now the boys are crawling at most things now except swimming they won't let you in, so have to at weekends with hubbie which is so busy. Hence we are going privately next year, its about £50 each for a 12 week course, which isn't too bad.

I think that's probably the way I'm going to go, Mitchie Moo.  Start the training and see how it goes.  I think I'll draw up a bit of a schedule to take me from now until Christmas so I can get the long run up to at least 15 miles by then.  Running in the morning isn't really an option for me unless I do it on the days I'm at home, but even then I need to be showered, dressed and ready by 7am if hubby's going to work.  On days I am at work I'm up at 6:15am anyway and am not prepared to get up any earlier than that to go for a run!

As you say, it's not just fitting the training in around everything else, it's the amount of energy you use being a mum!  At least when I'm at work I get to sit down for most of the day - when I'm at home my bum barely touches a chair from the beginning of the day to the end!

Oh crumbs...  The doctor thinks I've got Plantar Faciitis (or however you spell it!)  know there was an article in RW a couple of weeks ago but does anyone have any practical experience with this?  It started whilst I was pregnant, more an ache in the arches of my feet but last night I started with some stabbing pains in my heel...  Could put paid to any running for a while.

Thanks for the inof CM, a friend goes to Spytty quite regularly on a Monday with her little boy and baby so we could well meet some day!

Hetty - hope you get some help, that sounds like a good idea -have you tried local teaching colleges too?  You may get someone keen if the college doesn't turn anyone up.  I know UWE run a teaching course.

MInks - think MM is right, start training and see how you feel.

 Feeling happy today as found out how I stand about going part time and keeping my management allowance and I'm in a very favourable position, relief!

better go, I have a happy, chatty, chappy to see!

Hello everyone - another graduate of the pregnancy thread here! Thought it was about time I stopped lurking there and came here now John-Paul is coming up to 3 weeks old. Nice to see so many familiar forumites (and some not-so-familiar too!).

This will only be a teeny post as I fear that I may get a JP alarm before too much longer...but he's with Daddy having his bottle. I have started expressing in the mornings when I have LOADS of milk, and then Ben gives it to him in the evening. The problem was that from about 6 pm, he was wanting to be fed every hour or even every 45 mins, but wouldn't stay on for longer than 5 mins. Turns out that my milk supply was really low in the evening. But now I've started expressing, it's increased, and we're both much happier! I was well and truly pooped before!!! And he was weighed today and he's back to his birth weight (a truly horrifying 10lbs 6 and a half oz - don't believe anything you read about runners having lighter babies!!!).

 JT - that sounds horrid. Have asked Ben about it (physio) and he said it usually goes away on its own. Also rest it, but keep moving (maybe walking if running hurts). And you could try looking at the shoes you're wearing (not just running shoes, but everyday footwear) - a physio could look at you when you were running and then perhaps try some orthoses. Hope this helps!

Right, off to sort out a little pong...

Thanks Tatty and good to see you again!  Was wondering when you'd make an appearance.  I had my trainers assessed a few weeks ago and I have started to over pronate again so they changed those.  As for my other shoes - I'm wandering round in a truly knackered pair of Tevas at the moment so wonder if that is aggrevating the problem.  The rest of my shoes don't fit properly (I've grown a size and a half during pregnancy) (and neither do they probably) so I'm guessing investing in a pair of shoes that fit may be part of the problem.

Question:  Did they possibly remove my brain when I had my section as I seem to have no common sense left?!

mmmm think they got mine too, or could just be sleep deprivation!

My feet have grown, or rather spread too... none of my "nice" shoes fit now and its definately time for some new trainers.  Odd bits have me have expanded, had to buy a new coat as my back is much broader, must be where my ribs expanded.  Tjose babies have got a lot to answer for!

Congrats Tatty...wow what a whopper.  Milla is only 10 10 now at 3 months!  I had the same prob with evening milk and a bottle worked wonders!

Evening all

I'm a another graduate of the Pregnant Runners Forum whose been lurking around this forum waiting to transfer over!

Megan was born by emergency c-section on 3rd October weighing 8lbs 3oz. She has already managed to scare the holy crap out of her parents by having a dusky episode on her first night home from hospital and we ended up back there 4 hours after we left. However, all seems OK and we were discharged again today - so its a bit of a nervous night for DH and I.

Any other mums on here who have struggled to bond with their baby having had a section. I'm finding it very difficult to make the connection that Megan is mine and I actually gave birth to her (albeit in a surgical procedure) and wondered if this is more common amongst those that deliver by section?

Have started breastfeeding - but am not enjoying the experience at all. Infact last night Megan fed every hour and wouldn't sleep at all. I was quite demented by it all and just feel that bottles might help us gain a bit more control over her feeding. Any advice welcome from those who had a really tough start with breastfeeding and how they took it forward (be it by going to bottles, or by keeping on at the breastfeeding).

Anyway, looking forward to chatting with some familiar graduates of the PR forum and also with a lot of new folk who seem to have very sensible advice.

Righto, am off to try and grab a few hours kip before madam wakes up again looking for food!!

Welcome to Tatty and Monkey Runner!  Tatty, agree that it's rubbish about runners having lighter babies - I'm tiny and mine was 8lb 4oz!  He's now 7 months and 17lb 4oz - how time flies!

Monkey Runner, I wouldn't say I didn't bond with Kit but I did find it hard to connect him with me as I also had an emergency C-section.  After 4 hours in labour it was discovered that he was undiagnosed breech, and although not in any distress they advised that a 'normal' birth was out of the question, especially given my small size.

I'm sure I read somewhere that it takes longer for your milk to come in after having a C-section.  I too found breastfeeding extremely difficult and didn't enjoy the experience at all.  The staff in hospital were very patient and helpful, but kept positioning Kit on the breast for me rather than helping me to do it on my own, which was no use once I was discharged.  Initially Kit would latch on but not suck, and while in hospital I had to express colostrum and feed it to him via a syringe so he received some nourishment.  When he did get the hang of sucking he would suck really hard and it hurt.  I tried to continue with the breastfeeding but just didn't seem to produce much milk, especially in the evening, and after a week we switched completely to formula.  At the time I felt guilty but in retrospect it was absolutely the right decision - he immediately thrived and had regained his birthweight within a week.  He was much happier, and because he was happy I was happy - plus I got some much-needed sleep as hubby took his turn with the feeding, which helped enormously.  It's very difficult to look at a situation objectively when you're physically and emotionally exhausted.

Don't underestimate how long it might take to recover from your C-section either.  I assumed I could just carry on as normal and failed to do as I was told as far as getting adequate rest was concerned.  Although I recovered quickly (which I put down to being so fit) in hindsight I should have taken things easier as by the end of every day I would be shaking, cold and unable to eat much.  I never napped during the day while Kit was asleep - instead I tried to keep on top of housework and emails and stuff.  Which of course I regret now - should have taken the opportunity to rest while I still could!

Hi MR - good to hear from you and I echo a lot of what Minks says, especially about the resting.  I had the same with being cold and shaking at the end of several days so it's obviously a side effect.  I find it a bit difficult to comment on the bonding thing.  I did found it took a while to realise he was my baby but I put that down to him being whisked off to special care and not seeing him for three hours and then for only twenty minutes.  I then only saw him for a few hours in total for the next three days.  It does come though, don't worry.  For some people it's not a thunderbolt and is just a gradual process. 

I've been succesful with breastfeeding but Ted has been VERY sicky.  I've been to see the local breastfeeding counsellor who was fantastic.  She sees people on Mondays and Fridays mainly here.  It's well worth finding out it there is someone who can help you.  It's a big initiative in Wales, obviously don't know about Edinburgh.

I do recommend considering a bottle for the last feed.  I've done it since Ted was five days old and had no problems with the teat/nipple confusion you hear about.  (In fact no-one I know who has used a bottle from early days has).  Your milk supply will go up if you keep feeding Megan but it is hard going in the early days.  It took about five to six days for my milk supply to come in, not helped by scbu giving him a bottle if I was more than a couple of minutes late, so we had to really battle to keep going.  At the end of the day though if breastfeeding isn't for you, it's not for you.  My sister really enjoys feeding herself and the bond it gives.  I enjoy it but not in the same way.  Think it's because I find it less hassle and the fact I can feed straight away without having to heat a bottle up in the middle of the night.  That said, it is worth sticking with it if that's what you want to do, but don't feel bullied by health professionals who are trying to keep their statistics up!

Oh and a quick ps - just remember that although labour didn't go to plan, you have a healthy baby and that you will be right as rain before you know it x  and ignore the people who ask if you feel let down by the fact that you didn't have a 'natural' delivery!

Would concur with that, Janie.  I never felt let down that I didn't have a 'natural' delivery, although in a perverse way I was glad I'd had the experience of 4 hours or so of contractions so I knew what it was like.  I was just grateful in the end that I live in a society in which alternative forms of delivery are an option: Kit was a big baby relative to my size with a large head circumference and in breech presentation.  I shudder to think what might have happened had a Caesarean delivery not been available to me.

And because he was delivered by C-section he's always had the most perfectly shaped head!  Hubby says my scar, which has faded loads, looks like a smile  and we both think of it as Kit's escape hatch!

Goodness things move on fast on here. Welcome to Tatty and MR, I remember MR but not Tatty. My memory of birth and after is fading very quickly, but I had a very different experience to most as was in hospiatl for 3 weeks after the boys were born as Harry had testicular torsion and then after an operation to remove his testicle he got septicaemia, all very stressful. On the plus side though I gave birth naturally, but with epidural, and I had loads of help in hospital mainly cos they were tube fed to start with and they wouldn't let you go home until they were feeding as couldn't risk them losing weight being so small. I bonded pretty well with them but found the first 2 days hard going as J was in SCUBU as had low blood sugar and was just under 2kg, H was just over. So I bonded well with him straight away. I think cos I couldn't feed them immediately I found it hard, sticking milk down a tube after expressing felt odd.

Take everyones advice and rest. Again i was lucky that in hospital I couldn't do house work and didn't have to cook, although food was grim (hubbie brought me in meals!!). I think he was more stressed and tired than me in those 3 weeks rushing around and coming into hospital and trying to work as well. When we got home I slept when they slept. If you can nap in the afternoon this sometimes helps with that awful early evening feed. Although I joined the one bottle of formula club at 8 weeks after a horrendous few days from that horrid 6-8 week growth spurt, only time I cried and cried and couldn't cope. Breast feeding is hard and I think it takes the babies a good 4-5 weeks to settle into it. After that it really does get easier as everyone tells you. We also had no nipple confusion. We gave them a bottle of expressed milk from 2-3 weeks at 10pm and I went to bed! I think H prefered boob and was most upset when I gave up at 6 months, but J wasn't bothered either way as long as he got fed!!

Gosh, MM, didn't realise Harry had had to have a testicle removed - poor little mite.  I really feel for mums whose babies have to have surgery at such a young age, or are whisked off to special care.  I was only in hospital for 2.5 days - I don't think I really appreciated that a C-section is essentially major abdominal surgery and coming out of hospital so soon afterwards was physically much harder than I expected.  My hubby also brought me meals in as the food was utterly revolting (and I generally eat anything).

I remember being completely ravenous the morning after Kit was born.  I'd last eaten at 1:00pm on the day of his birth and he was delivered at 9:44pm.  I wasn't allowed anything to eat or drink once the decision to deliver him by C-section had been taken.  A midwife eventually came round at about 8am the next morning and offered me ONE SLICE of white bread with margarine - not even any jam!  She said that was all that was left in the kitchen.  You need to eat properly to recover so was very grateful to hubby for cooking meals and bringing them in.  He even turned up early each morning with muesli and fresh milk for me!

Funny how your memory of the birth does fade.  All I really remember is it taking ages to get me to theatre once they'd decided to operate; the anaesthetist being unable to get the epidural in for several attempts (ouch), and hearing Kit cry as he was lifted out - then seeing him for the first time

Afternoon!

Well, not popped in for what feels like ages and of course, I will simply never catch up! Welcome in TB and MR and congratulations on your new arrivals, lovely to hear you are all well You'll find lots of advice and support on here as the weeks fly by.

My excuse for not coming in? Our internet was caput for two weeks (!!) and husband's computer was broken so he was on mine (still is, can't shift him back over now!) and then we were away last week in Venice. It went really well, I really enjoyed myself and Hector was such a little star - if you want to float around feeling like a godess who has the most beautiful baby in the world, then go to Italy, they adore babies and mummies and we were approached by smiling faces at all times...a few people even wanted to take our photo, weird!

I've also had a reccurrence of the food poisoning type thing I had a few weeks back so feel well and truly rough, have had a test sent off so we'll see if it's something that needs treating. Fingers crossed it's not, don't want to have to take anti-biotics whilst breast feeding (any experience anyone?).

Janie - Re: PF. I've not had it badly, just the odd twinge, but I know it's a tight tendon, so responds well to massage and stretching (rolling your heel on a golf ball is meant to help of you can stand the pain!) I know that Evil Pixie on the forum has it on and off, so she might have some advice. Hope you get rid of it soon, it sounds so uncomfortable.

Minks - am I picking up that you are now back at work? I hope it's going ok for you and not too much of a challenge/upset.

Hugs to all and sorry to be so rubbish at keeping up!

A xxx

TB and MR Confratulations to you both.  Hope everything went well last night MR.  You and your baby need time to bond.  You might have been together for nine months but you didn't really get to know each other!  It is such a life changing event that hormones / emotions / practicalities can leave you quite drained.  Most important is caring for Megan (meeting needs), bonding will happen with time.

As for breastfeeding (I had a c section and still b'feed) it takes a while to get used to it - it is sore, tiring but this goes..... For me I had to make the most of it by sitting down in a room by myself and just staring at James.  It was a time to clear my head.  However, you have tried it and we are lucky enough that if it does not suit you can use formula. 

Evening again

Thansk for all the helpful advice... reading back though the posts the advice and general support is fab. JT, what do you mean by last feed? Megain currently feeds about 9.30pm - take it you mean this one as a bottle feed? Something to try I guess - have decided to give breastfeeding another few days (prob till Megan 2 weeks old) and see how we get on.

Midwife is coming in to weigh Megan tomorrow, so will be interested to see if she is actually putting on weight as we go through phases where she is feeding every hour, then we'll get a 4-5 hour sleep, then back to feeding every hour again. Although today she has had a very upset tummy and bum and seems to have been in a lot of pain getting rid of wind and basically producing liquid nappies with alarming regularity! However, was out briefly to pick up my prescrption (now have a urine infection on top of everything else) and spied Infacol in the chemist - supposed to settle windy/colicky babies and can be used from brith. We gave her some before 5.00pm feed and I'm going to have to go wake her now for her next feed, so its obviously settled her.

Minks, agree with you entirely. I am seriously considering formula to give us a bit more certainity over things and to share the load with husband. But of course everyone assumes I am just tired and emotional from the birth and our trip to neonatal and can't hack persevering with breastfeeding. They may partly be right, but if formula restores my confidence and sanity surely this is better for both Megan and me. She is bound to be picking up on the fact that I'm not particularly "at one" with breastfeeding!!

Right, better go - I hear a small person demanding suppper.... thanks again for all the advice, tips and support.

MR v quickly as usual - there is a drop in breastfeeding clinic over at Simpsons on a Tuesday afternoon.  I went once and although I wasn't over enamoured by it I think my problems were just too minor for them really to care.  I have to admit too that ever since going there the b/f has massively improved.  I found that it was far easier to express and feed Louise with a syringe when it was colostrum then when milk came in I also found it easier to express and give a bottle sometimes to give my poor nipples a break.   I now have nipples of steel but still express 3x a day - morning, 8.30pm and 11pm and I always have 6 bottles of expressed milk in fridge.  One prob we had was that my boobs got so full that they were rock solid and Louise couldn't get a latch on!!  Re infacol I have been told by HV that you have to use it before every single feed or else it's pointless - just to warn you!  Louise still struggles to pass wind and squirms and moans for up to an hour trying to get it through.  We have a monumental poop between 5 and 6pm which I now anticipate and change her nappy about half 4!!

sorry not to mention the rest of you but have skimmed v fast!  And agree nurseries are BLOODY expensive!

Glad someone else has the monumental poop EF!  Ours is after the second feed of the day, but over the last few days we have had a few more, starting to wonder if its my milk changing or maybe Ted feeding better.

MR - The whole b/f thing is such an emotional issue.  I know a number of people who have been told by their mw that it's better to have an emotionally happy mummy than a stressed one trying to bf.  The last feed for us is as we go to bed.  We wake Ted up at around 10.30pm to try and boost him up a bit, he usually goes to about 5.30am now. 

AP - hope you're ok, I had salmonella from India when I was 19 and it lasted 10weeks, it's so horrible trying to get through it (and doing the samples !).  Must admit I fancy Italy myself, Hector is getting to be very well travelled and welcome back!  And thanks for the advice re PF, it's not too painful yet so that's worth a try,

Minks - I had a similar experience with food.  I went into hospital at 5am, had the section at 12.49pm and didn't get given food till 7pm that night!!!  It was then stale sandwiches on cheap nasty bread and a banana which I strongly suspect was the midwife's tea!  (I never saw any fruit again in the hospital any rate!) and the food was VILE.  Was really glad when I got to SCBU as  I had access to a small kitchen which had a microwave at any rate, better than the processed slop i was getting in the hospital!

Yes Minks. All very stressful. Operations on one week olds never easy to cope with. But he is a little tough fighter bless him. Harry also had tachycardia when he was born, so we've had visits to endocrine and cardiac clinics since he was born. Discharged from them both now though. He is producing high amounts of testostrone from his one remaining testicle bless him! Just have to think about prosthetic later on.

Can't believe they are one next week! Have had to pull out of race today as got yet another cold from the boys. Am beginning to wonder whether there is any point in aiming for races. Yesterday I was going to do it, then last night my cold moved on a level and am now very snotty with sore throat. I never used to get ill. A small downside of babies I guess. Am rather fed I have to say. Going to try and find another half in the next month as am pretty fit (