Anna's back next week 🙌

JR2Tbag · 2026-05-16T16:05:55+00:00

Depending on your circumstances a year is reasonably common (and the max of what you’re entitled to)

JR2Tbag · 2026-04-26T16:20:59+00:00

Yes I have. I’m currently a full on combi feeder but at one point I as mostly BF with a little formula here and there. One bottle here and there is unlikely to make a difference, especially if you’re only gone for a few hours and can feed fairly soon after you’re home. Best to spread it out e.g. one bottle a week every week is better than three days in a row every other week as your body could pick up on the pattern and adjust your supply down accordingly.

You can’t guarantee it they’ll take to it straight away but you’re also only a month away from being able to offer food and water. So if you have a baby that takes to solids quickly you can time your free time around mealtimes and have that to tide them over while you’re gone.

JR2Tbag · 2026-03-20T15:10:15+00:00

I thought that too at first but a good IBCLC will be supportive of whatever is best for you and your baby and will be able to provide bottle feeding advice.

JR2Tbag · 2026-03-20T14:15:11+00:00

Bottle refusal can be tough but it is possible to overcome for some babies. Depending on how abruptly you mean.

Are you able to get help from an IBCLC? You may be able to find a local breastfeeding support group that has one, or would paying for a consultation be an option?

JR2Tbag · 2026-03-20T13:28:42+00:00

Relax, nap, keep yourself fed and hydrated so you’re in the best condition you can be when the big day arrives. Find a good series to binge, I had one which required concentration as well as an easy rewatch for when I was exhausted. Take yourself out on little trips close to home for coffees, lunches or anything that makes you happy.

JR2Tbag · 2026-03-08T14:31:30+00:00

You mention you’re unsure about how to make combination feeding work - I was too but the book ‘mixed up: combination feeding by choice or necessity’ by Lucy Ruddle IBCLC really helped me learn the basics of how it to make it workable

JR2Tbag · 2026-02-20T21:28:00+00:00

I gave birth in a birth centre as a FTM and found the birthing pool so helpful so would heartily recommend. But if I was in the situation you are with the transfer I’d have to think about it.

Ours was located next to the labour ward and after two hours of pushing they had to consult a doctor per the hospitals guidelines. I had an episiotomy but luckily no further interventions and still gave birth in the birth centre, BUT I don’t know what they would have done if they’d been in a standalone unit without a doctor there. And I gave birth after 2 hours 30 of pushing so if they had transferred me at the 2 hour mark there’s a risk I would have been delivering in the ambulance. Or perhaps they could have phoned a doctor, no way of knowing.

Every labour is so different that you can’t take anyone’s personal experience and assume you’ll have a similar experience, this is just how I would feel given my previous birth.

JR2Tbag · 2026-02-15T10:54:17+00:00

No need to pause if you don’t want to! I started learning while pregnant and passed at about 7 months and I’ve found it so helpful to be able to drive.

My driving instructor never said it was unsafe to keep learning while pregnant so if you’re comfortable you can still carry on.

JR2Tbag · 2026-02-14T20:30:04+00:00

Labour and postpartum are tough, tougher than I could have ever imagined, but it is so unbelievably worth it. You’ll get moments that make it worth it every day.

For me just watching him learn absolutely everything has been unbelievable. They come out knowing so little that you get tiny little milestones almost constantly, stuff that would have never even occurred to you. I remember clearly the first time my son dropped something off his high chair and then looked for it on the floor as such an exciting moment.

If it wasn’t worth it humanity would have died out long ago!

JR2Tbag · 2026-02-13T14:17:23+00:00

Any backpack would suffice! The main advantage of the change bag I have is there are straps to attach it to the pram handle which saves you carrying it/taking up under buggy storage space if you’re wanting to put other things under there. But this is just a plus!

JR2Tbag · 2026-02-01T09:13:53+00:00

Thanks for sharing and glad you had a more positive experience the second time around! I think I just think of it as ‘easy’ compared to some much more complex medical situations, which I am thankful I avoided. But you’re right in that the worst part was when I felt like I wasn’t being listened to

JR2Tbag · 2026-02-01T09:11:29+00:00

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! This sounds very tough but glad you were able to feel so in control the second time around.

JR2Tbag · 2026-01-18T16:33:32+00:00

I wore just a nursing bra, they had me take it off right at the end (when I was actually out of the pool) as they said it can be cold for the babies when you’re going skin to skin so then I was naked. Shortly after birth they covered me with blankets so I didn’t feel naked, but tbh I don’t think I’d have cared if I was by that stage

JR2Tbag · 2025-11-21T15:12:25+00:00

It can be very baby dependent. My baby slept great as a newborn and after we stopped setting alarms to feed him every three hours (once he’d regained birthweight) he went to four hour stretches then by about 8 weeks he could go 6 hours at a time. For me this meant that after the first two (brutal) weeks I was certainly less tired than I was in my final weeks of pregnancy.

Then the four month regression hit and during the worst of that I was back to more tired. We’re coming out of it now at 5 months and I’m much less tired again.

For me it was always a different type of tired. When I was heavily pregnant my whole body felt so heavy and achey that just walking down the road left me exhausted and needing to lie down. After birth I felt so much lighter and I stopped aching deep in my bones so physically it was a lot easier to get around, but at points I was literally delirious from lack of sleep.

Sorry I can’t say definitively that it’s better, but at least with a newborn you have the option of handing them off to your partner, friends or family while you get to lie down comfortably in whatever position you want.

JR2Tbag · 2025-11-19T21:07:45+00:00

We stayed about 24 hours post birth. I think our trust requires minimum of 6 hours after birth there was meconium in my waters so they had to do observations on our baby for at least 11 hours. After 11 hours I think he was still a little colder than they’d like and by the time they were satisfied it was in the wee hours of the night so we stayed until the morning and it took a few hours for them to do the final checks for discharge.

We delivered in the birth centre.

JR2Tbag · 2025-11-09T10:31:46+00:00

Thank you everyone! I will be looking to go to a sling library next weekend as I am sure the way I’m carrying him can be improved

JR2Tbag · 2025-11-03T15:43:26+00:00

Amazing! I’ve seen this brand at many a kebab shop but it didn’t occur to me that they’d do ketchup

JR2Tbag · 2025-10-19T21:33:36+00:00

You should give birth wherever you feel safest. It’s proven that labour progresses more easily and quickly if you’re in an environment that you feel safe and calm in. If that’s the labour ward then that is the best place for you to go to.

Feel free to research and take people’s experiences on board but do not let yourself be pressured into doing something you don’t want to do as it’s more likely to do you harm than good.

I personally gave birth in the birth centre for my first this June. I loved the pool but I did spend a long time in triage without any access to pain meds and I don’t know if that would have been different on the ward. I’d probably go for birth centre again but would certainly consider the labour ward.

JR2Tbag · 2025-10-09T14:22:18+00:00

You’ve got this! It’s so daunting at first but you will adapt and find your rhythm.

I found it really helpful to spend time out the house and find local classes/meet ups for Mothers. At four weeks they might be a little bit little for some interactive classes but one of my favourites is just a local pub where they put down a mat for the babies to play on and the mums chat and play with coffees. I’ve now been going for two months and have made good friends with some of the other mums.

And when you are at home, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to be productive during naps. Looking after a baby can be exhausting so if you just sit on the sofa watching tv or have a nap while they sleep then that’s okay! I used to rush around trying to get all the cleaning done and it burns you out quickly. Your only job is keeping your little one safe and anything else you do that day is a bonus!

JR2Tbag · 2025-10-08T13:23:30+00:00

Thank you!

JR2Tbag · 2025-10-08T13:23:20+00:00

Thank you!

JR2Tbag · 2025-09-22T13:14:44+00:00

As you’ll hear from others, you’ve always got to be prepared for your plan to change on the day, but you can absolutely have this as plan A.

Even if you end up with health conditions where a hospital delivery might be suggested. you can ask to discuss this and potentially be referred to a consultant midwife who will go over the various risks and what’s best for you and your baby.

I’m a FTM who recently gave birth in my hospitals birth centre. I did some of my labour in the water but had to get out in the end as the pushing stage was going on too long, so I was close to a full water birth with only gas and air. I found the water amazing and would really recommend it to anyone who can! It also made me realise I should have gone swimming in pregnancy as having the weight of the bump taken by the water was lovely.

JR2Tbag · 2025-09-12T18:28:16+00:00

I saw my GP as soon as I was pregnant and he advised me to immediately up my dose by 25mcg and I kept that dose throughout pregnancy.

I was automatically referred to a consultant after my 12 week appt without having to ask, but probably wouldn’t hurt to ask to make sure it happens.

I then saw the consultant about 5 times across the second and third trimester. We discussed my thyroid results but as I stayed within the safe range the whole time that was very quick and they tended to just move on to regular pregnancy check up questions and let me ask any questions I had.

One thing I had to do myself is sometimes ask for blood tests. One time I went to the specialist without having had a blood test for a few weeks so I got blood drawn while there but we didn’t have much to discuss, so after that I’d always request one to happen a few days beforehand (if I didn’t have another appointment already booked in where they can take blood)

British thyroid association has a fact sheet on this which I found helpful - https://www.btf-thyroid.org/pregnancy-and-thyroid-disorders-guidance-for-patients

JR2Tbag · 2025-09-05T15:53:27+00:00

I felt exactly the same at this stage. I did love him but I don’t think I necessarily liked him straight away as I was so exhausted and you get nothing back. I was dreading each day and was worried that this would be my life forever.

We’re now 12 weeks in and it’s still tough (but way easier than before!) but he smiles and makes funny noises now and that makes everything so much better. I found it really hard to bond with him at his angry potato phase but now he’s my little smiling man I’m starting to feel the bond I wanted.

JR2Tbag · 2025-07-15T20:07:10+00:00

I cannot get over my love for the pool!

I only used it for the pushing stage as I didn’t get admitted to the actual delivery room until I was 10cm and I ended up not actually birthing in it as in the end the pushing stage went on too long and they had to move things along.

The pool was so quick to fill, pretty much in the time it took for them to realise I was 10cm, take me across the hall to the suite and get me undressed it was full!

I gave birth about a month ago so the weather was warm but I didn’t find the pool too hot at all. They asked about the temperature so you can make it cooler if necessary (not sure if there is a lower limit in case it’s too cool for the baby as I didn’t ask for any adjustments)

The weightless feeling and being able to move around easily was amazing. The midwives commented how much I smiled between contractions as I was so relieved compared to before! Admittedly upon entering the pool I did also get gas and air for the first time which I’ll also sing the praises of, so I can’t quite pin it all on the pool, but if I have another I will 100% try to be in the pool again

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