Home
        

Starting EC on the maternity ward

by Stormy, (mum to Ivor, five days old)

Just wanted to let you know that our son, Ivor, arrived safely on Friday
at the maternity unit. We were allowed home on Monday night. Ivor was lying
diagonally in the womb so we had a planned section (and a three week hospital
stay for me prior to the birth - there were concerns about cord prolapse). It's
so wonderful to be back home.

As for the EC, we've made what I suppose you would call a sleepy start with it.
I took my tiny potty to the hospital, but didn't have the confidence to use it
for the first couple of nights. It worried me, being a first time mother, that
the staff would see me doing something different and either tell me off or think
I was a fool and laugh behind my back. But Ivor had a terrible night on his
second night. He was full of wind and wouldn't settle at all, and at the same
time my milk was starting to come in and driving him insane, the feeds I could
give him not yet satisfying enough.

Anyway, the following morning my parents came in and I was in tears, but with
them there it gave me the confidence to try out the potty. I hadn't really even
discussed it with them beforehand, so they looked at me like I was bonkers at
first. But I was just explaining the idea of EC, with Ivor's bum over the potty,
when suddenly he did a big poo! And a pee. After that my dad said you could see
the relief on Ivor's face, and he suckled immediately. So they were sold then
and there.

We're not worrying at all about misses right now. I just offer the potty when
his nappy is off, or if he's fussing and not feeding well. We have caught about
3 poos and lots of pees. My husband was encouraging him to pee in the pot by
blowing on his winkie yesterday, and ended up with a huge arc of pee in his face
too. Very funny!

So that's what we're doing right now. When I get used to being a mum and Carl
is used to being a dad, and when we settle into this new life, I think we'll try
some nappy free time and go from there.

In the meantime, Ivor is just a joy. I'm so in love with him.