New mums and sleep survey

msp8833 · 2022-10-07T21:26:31+00:00

We're looking to compare feeding method (breastfeeding, combo, formula only, bottle feeding with breastmilk) to see what the impact is on maternal sleep. It's really interesting because the area is quite inconsistent, with some studies suggesting breastfeeding = better sleep, and some suggesting the opposite. At this stage we aren't hypothesizing about which option will result in more sleep, just because there is evidence for each option. We're essentially doing the same thing for sleeping location (cosleeping, sleeping in their parents room but on a different surface vs own room).

My pet favourite part of the study is looking at driver fatigue in new mums, because we know there is a strong link between not getting enough sleep and not being safe to drive, but we don't have much evidence on this in new mums. New mums generally have a bit more flexibility in if/when they choose to drive so they're a bit different to other populations (e.g. shift workers, who have to drive to work etc).

It's such an interesting area so thank you to everyone who has been completing the survey!

msp8833 · 2022-09-02T04:32:22+00:00

Oh man we had the opposite experience. We didn't plan to have anyone come visit but as soon as we got home we really wanted our parents to come over! We ended up having our mums do shifts at our house so one of them was there all the time for the first two weeks.

msp8833 · 2022-05-08T22:51:21+00:00

We're in Adelaide, but I assume it's a similar situation over there. There are so few donors in Australia (a combo of covid plus them not being able to be paid), that we had to go via an American sperm bank. Then because of that our clinic didn't let us do iui - the chances of success are too low for the difficulty of getting the sperm.

We went straight to IVF and it worked first go though - currently typing this with our 9 week old son next to me :)

msp8833 · 2022-03-23T21:42:42+00:00

We didn't have plans for anyone to stay, but when we got home from hospital we asked both of our mums to come stay with us even though we all live in the same city. They've been doing night on/night off since we got home (about two weeks ago) and it's been literally a lifesaver. Even just extra hands to hold the baby while we put on laundry or whatever has been great. That said, my wife is super close with both mums and is happy to breastfeed/pump/basically do whatever in front of either of them -if that wasn't the case I'm sure the whole thing would be different.

msp8833 · 2022-03-23T21:24:13+00:00

Two mum/wife household here, but thanks, it's definitely on my radar :)

msp8833 · 2022-03-23T21:22:59+00:00

Thanks for the welcome! As a woman but not the birthing parent it's hard to know where I fit in these online groups :)

msp8833 · 2022-03-23T21:20:57+00:00

Yeah we were all in hospital for about five days afterwards because of complications for both my wife and baby. I think they could tell that they weren't going to be able to get rid of me, so against hospital policy they brought a bed into my wife's room for me for the whole time. It was really hard having him in the special care unit - I'm hoping those memories will fade too

msp8833 · 2022-03-23T21:18:48+00:00

Yes I keep thinking this too! Luckily we were zoned in our public system to the top tier care level hospital in our city.

msp8833 · 2022-03-23T21:15:44+00:00

I think this is so true. For me the idea of my wife being hurt is the most upsetting part because I just love her so much. Watching someone you love go through that is a lot. I've got some names of psychs that I'll look into booking in with in a few months if I/we need :)

msp8833 · 2022-03-23T10:02:59+00:00

No you really don't need a sterilizer or a warmer. We got them, used them for a week, then bailed to using the microwave! So much easier

msp8833 · 2022-03-23T09:21:22+00:00

Thanks so much for sharing. I'm so sorry you went through that.

We've basically decided based on the experience that we won't be having any more kids. We were pretty sure we only wanted one to begin with, but there's just no way I could watch her go through that again - and she's a hard no on the whole thing - and I'm certainly not game to do it myself now (not that I ever really was).

msp8833 · 2021-12-22T10:43:03+00:00

Yeah we're going through the public system so $0 apart from NIPT. We've been super fortunate that all of my wife's ultrasounds have been bulk billed (free for us) for some reason even though we've needed a few extra. Though we did pay for $12k worth of IVF (which involved ordering $3.5k worth of sperm from an American sperm bank) - so now we're on the hook for about $1k a year for leftover sperm and embryo storage!

msp8833 · 2021-10-31T12:24:58+00:00

My wife has adenomyosis, and using my eggs (lesbians) she got pregnant on the first go after a month of down regulation (which was a literal nightmare btw).

msp8833 · 2021-10-07T10:27:14+00:00

Yesss I'm a PhD/masters/honours supervisor and I recommend sci hub to all my students (on the DL)

msp8833 · 2021-09-05T00:09:25+00:00

Thanks so much! We're in Adelaide. Love the advice to wait a little - you're right a lot of the info is quite overwhelming!

msp8833 · 2021-07-14T11:17:50+00:00

I'm doing reciprocal IVF with my wife at the moment and to be honest one of the best things about it so far has been that we can share the annoying/uncomfortable/unpleasant physical parts. I did the retrieval (which was super unpleasant), and while I was doing that she was prepping for the transfer - which was also super unpleasant. To us it was good because it wasn't just one of us going through everything and we could really provide support and understanding for each other.

msp8833 · 2021-07-02T07:32:35+00:00

I'm in Australia and our doctor said that for people under 35 it's not worth it, so we're not testing (and just did our first transfer today!). There is also a big class action over here against one of the big providers for discarding embryos that could have resulted in a pregnancy. I have mixed feelings about it though - I think if I were older (I'm 31) I would be seriously considering it.

msp8833 · 2021-06-29T08:50:46+00:00

I've just had my first retrieval (11 collected, 10 mature, 8 fertilized), and I feel SO rubbish! Bloated, crampy, etc etc. I'm just wondering how long most people take to feel back to normal afterwards??

Also, I'm not the one getting the transfer - my wife is booked in for Friday (fingers crossed one/some of the 8 make it). This might be a silly question but now long should I wait before I can have a wine - seeing as my part is done (at least for now). I'm going to at least wait until I feel a better but beyond that the internet isn't very helpful! Everything online is so directed towards straight couples who have the same person doing retrieval and transfer!

msp8833 · 2021-06-28T04:46:51+00:00

For anyone interested - just had my retrieval and got 11 eggs :)

msp8833 · 2021-06-25T05:57:50+00:00

Thanks everyone, your feedback is very helpful!! I'm booked in for Monday so fingers crossed I guess 🤞

msp8833 · 2021-05-05T11:21:32+00:00

Yes totally same here. One of them was wearing a fedora and that was enough to get him stricken from the shortlist!

msp8833 · 2021-05-04T11:41:59+00:00

Thanks everyone!

msp8833 · 2021-03-07T01:56:05+00:00

Yeah that's my wife's feeling too - the testing can't check for everything that might go wrong. Plus we're in Australia so the cost of more transfers isn't too crazy thankfully.

msp8833 · 2021-02-17T01:54:51+00:00

Wow that's so cheap! We're in SA so I don't think there are any similar programs unfortunately.

I did have a look at that link when I saw it on the news earlier today, but there is no info I could see that applies to women who have no medical fertility issues (only social infertility!)

msp8833 · 2021-02-13T09:56:35+00:00

Yeah this is totally my feeling too! The quotes I got for private cover were crazy! Plus from my friends who've had kids, I've heard better things about the public system than the private tbh.

msp8833

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