Dear Mummy bear,

Great to see you on this board now we're both on the other side as it were. I was sorry to hear about your blood pressure difficulties at the end of the pregnancy and emergency caesarian, but it's lovely to see that Rebecca is doing well.

Joseph was born five days early and unfortunately was also born by emergency caesarian as they discovered he was too high up to come out. I've yet to discover what really happened when I go back to the RMC clinic as they wouldn't let me read my notes (I suspect someone had written something uncomplimentary about my big tummy in them!)

Anyway, in the deep dark recesses of my mind (totally turned to mush since the birth of Joseph) I remember you saying you used cloth nappies. I have just started using a local nappy service, which I am happy with, but Joseph is not. He gets very upset as soon
as he has wet his nappy and the soaked cloth feels very stiff and uncomfortable. We are also suffering from 'poohnamis' poo leaking out of the top of the back of the nappy, necessitating complete clothes changes. We had none of these problems with paper nappies, which I'd prefer not to use. But I don't want him to be miserable and the environmental benefits of cloth nappies are lost if we have to change and wash several vests and sleepsuits every day. We fold the nappy at the front then fold in three lengthways and fan it out at the back to catch any poohs, but this seems to make it very bulky at the front and still insufficient at the back.

Any tips from an old hand would be really appreciated.

hugs

sweetgingercat and Joseph

Hi,

Good choice on joining the world of cloth nappies. I am a bit of an addict at the moment.

With Samuel I used very simple terries squares and they worked fine for me then, other than I was forever changing him. This time I am using fitted and pocket nappies (below are some pics of Rebecca's) and they are brilliant at keeping her bum soft and dry.The fitted ones all tend to have a fleece insert or booster, which draws the wetness away from her bum and through to the actual nappy or in the case of pocket ones, the inner nappy is made of fleece type and so the wetness soaks through to the insert. They both work pretty well, but I think I prefer pocket ones as they are not so bulky.

I hope that helps and I m sorry you had to have a C-section too. How's your recovery been? Mine has been very slow and I would only say that I have only 99.9% felt like myself for a couple of weeks, which has been very frustrating. I still struggle a bit with how the pregnancy went when I know I shouldn't dwell, but it was quite traumatic and having Rebecca in special care was very hard when we should have been at home bonding.

Anyway, good to be on the right side at last.

Love,

Whoops, forgot to post the link;

Hi Nicola,

Thanks for all the info on cloth nappies. I think that really helped. We have tried some more with the cloth squares and have decided they are not for our little Joe. So we've decided to go back to disposables for the moment and wait until he's a little older before trying out some fitted/pocket nappies which everyone says are much better.

There's so much available on the market, it can be quite confusing.

My c section recovery was odd, to say the least. First of all they stapled my stomach. That was terrible. I think I was allergic to the metal in the staples and it really hurt. Then when they came out, five days later, I got these terrible pains on one side. It was like someone was sticking a knife in me and I couldn't move at all, or trust myself to move. I lay in agony thinking I had somehow torn them open inside and expecting to see blood gushing at any moment. I rang the hospital and they told me to get to A and E, but to be frank, I couldn't even get off the bed. So I lay there until the pain subsided, moved and went back to sleep. It happened again the following night and after a bit of frantic internet research I realise it was 'stitching pains'. I wish they'd tell you about this at the time. Since then it has been okay, but I've been a bit naughty in lifting things and overdoing it but it's all okay now.

You did have a hard time at the end, didn't you. I remember reading your messages and wondering how I'd feel if I had to leave my son at home and go into hospital to try to reduce blood pressure. No wonder you felt unhappy. And I can't imagine what it must have been like leaving Rebecca there when you went home. I remember feeling terribly guilty because for about half an hour after the birth I didn't hold Joe - I felt too confused and my arms were so weak and somehow numb that I was afraid I'd drop him. So he was in his cot on his own and I felt so bad about it - until my sister told me I'd have a far more significant role to play and more responsibilities later on in his life - which is true. And he doesn't remember it, and neither will Rebecca, will she? Just we will - taking on the motherly guilt! Well done for getting through it, not dwelling on it too much and congratulations and hugs for the future.

hugs

sweetgingercat and Joseph