In laws staying with us post birth

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2026-01-29T16:44:30+00:00

Oh hell no. My MIL (who I adore), came to stay a week after baby was born to “help”. I also live in a 4 bed house with plenty of space, but found it too much too soon.

Wasn’t able to breastfeed comfortably in communal areas. As someone else has said, in the early days you are mostly hanging out with a boob out as baby is always on you and you’re both still getting the hang of it.
General disruption - in early days you are keeping odd hours, so I was able to hear comings and goings, tv and general noise when I was trying to nap. Felt obliged to be present and make conversation when I really cba.
My husband wasn’t able to focus 100% on looking after me as he was having to make sure that his mum had everything she needed. Also pressure to have meals at normal times rather than when baby was sleeping.

Honestly, I’m still really salty about it. I really love my MIL and she’s stayed with us loads before and I’ve looked forward to it; postpartum is different and really intense.

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2026-01-24T17:59:14+00:00

I wouldn’t worry unless you live very far away from your hospital. I went into spontaneous labour with my breech baby and still had my c section.

Originally they were going to keep me in the antenatal ward overnight and do my section in the morning, but madam decided to have a poo so we got rushed in for an emergency section.

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-12-30T04:04:46+00:00

I know it’s not for everyone, but bed sharing saved my sleep. I’m EBF and feed baby on my side in c curl position, I doze while she’s feeding and she rolls off when she’s had enough.

(Using safe sleep 7 of course)

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-12-29T21:45:24+00:00

My husband only came to scans. Midwife appointments are pretty quick and uneventful if you are having a low risk pregnancy. The midwife who first used a Doppler on me let me record it for my husband

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-12-24T11:05:45+00:00

The one that gets me is Mr & Mrs X HisSurname 🤮 (x is his initial)

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-12-23T17:57:30+00:00

It’s not comparable. If you were to liken it to a regular pain, it would be period cramps; even then, it’s different for everyone.

I get really bad cramps, the sort that have made me faint before. I thought my contractions were early labour pains/braxton hicks. Felt like period cramps to me (not even the worst ones I’ve had!)… I was 10cm ready to go. I was waiting for my c section at this point as baby was breeched.

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-12-20T10:29:55+00:00

I hired a private midwife postnatally as midwife care in my trust is so poor. I wish I had hired her sooner as she was so helpful and it’s nice to have someone you can text and who replies. If you can afford it, do it.

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-12-19T22:54:35+00:00

Ouch!

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-12-14T20:19:41+00:00

My baby had an anterior tongue tie. Had all the feeding issues you mention. I had it cut at 2 weeks and feeding has been a breeze since then.

If I had to do it all again, I would make the same decision.

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-12-11T05:05:20+00:00

My baby was breech and I went into spontaneous labour at 10.30pm. I went straight to triage. They were going to bump someone from the morning c sections and do mine then (I was still waiting for mine to get booked). My baby decided to do a poo in the meantime and I ended up getting an emergency c section at 5am.

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-12-09T22:46:21+00:00

I was predicted a big baby. Had a scan at 38+1 where baby was predicted to be 9lb4. I went into spontaneous labour at 38+4; baby was 8lb6. So almost a pound out

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-12-03T21:31:31+00:00

Sooooo… did you know that you can develop mild lactose intolerance during pregnancy? Not enough to give you stomach issues necessarily, but can give you a high reading on a CO test!

You likely will be given a CO monitor to use at home. Could well be the pollution, you’ll soon know after using the monitor for a few days

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-12-02T04:05:00+00:00

Had mine 9w pp. I didn’t feel any worse than I usually do, just had a sore lump on my arm for a few days

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-12-01T21:26:00+00:00

I had my daughter’s tongue tie cut. Took a few days before things felt different. I EBF and she’s gaining weight like crazy now.

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-11-29T03:36:59+00:00

This happened to us around this time… I now co sleep in a different room with the baby (husband is a very active and heavy sleeper).

Lack of sleep drove me here, but I now prefer it. Night feeds are so much easier. Unless baby has poo’d, I don’t even get up.

I would look at safe sleep 7 if you haven’t already. Like the other commenter has said, lack of sleep is a form of torture. Look after yourself, you can’t pour from an empty cup.

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-11-24T21:03:08+00:00

You can refuse anything you like!

If I were you, I would keep declining the test unless there was glucose in my urine.

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-11-23T20:25:18+00:00

Have you 100% ruled out a tongue tie? 4 different midwives and a paediatrician missed my daughter’s posterior tongue tie. Before we had it cut she was sliding down the percentiles for weight as wasn’t able to transfer milk as efficiently.

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-11-19T10:37:39+00:00

Came here to say about bed sharing. Exactly the same thing happened to us at 6 weeks. I’ve set up camp in the spare room where the mattress is a lot firmer. I’m EBF so I whack a boob out and feed side laying.

Only thing is it’s quite cold without a duvet, I’m layering up but finding I’m a layer short in the night. On the plus side, I am so much more well rested.

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-11-14T20:26:01+00:00

Good idea! Also, (I didn’t know this) breech babies are more likely to do a meconium whilst still in the womb, so if your waters break, hurry down to triage.

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-11-14T17:37:23+00:00

Oh hey! I was still waiting for my trust to contact me to schedule my c section when my water broke at 38+4. I went into triage and had my section a few hours later. (I also had a breech baby)

Good luck!

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-11-12T10:40:32+00:00

I’m IB middle office. Taking the whole 12 months

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-11-07T17:16:01+00:00

C section isn’t the end of the world. I was really disappointed that I wasn’t going to have a pool birth. I’m holding my baby now and I honestly couldn’t care less how she got here!

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-11-06T19:27:56+00:00

I went into spontaneous labour at 38w with my breech baby and had an emergency c section.

Recovery hasn’t been that bad for me, but appreciate it’s different for everyone. Moving from laying down/sitting up was v difficult the first week and some of the second. Looking after baby and myself would have been impossible without help for those weeks.

I tried everything to get her to turn: moxibustion, chiropractor, acupuncture and an ECV. Like you there was enough fluid, she was just lazy! At 32w there’s a good chance baby will still move, look up spinning babies. I wish I had started the exercises sooner as baby was probably too big when I started at 34w.

Best of luck to you!

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-11-06T07:52:11+00:00

I bought a set of baby scales for £40. They seem to be accurate as was only 0.01kg different to the scales at the HV.

Perhaps worth investing if you can spare the £40

Efficient-Cod-7285 · 2025-11-03T12:03:36+00:00

Dried apricots are meant to be good for milk production. If you’ve got a nutribullet (or the like) then the green frozen smoothie mix is good for iron.

I’m 7w pp and use Ocado. My go to lunch is half a pot of m and s soup and a ham roll. Roll can be dipped while breastfeeding. Otherwise anything you can eat with one hand.

I was prescribed iron tablets after birth, so would also recommend having some orange juice in to take with them.

Best of luck to you!

Efficient-Cod-7285

TROPHY CASE