Nov 2010, energy levels are low, but only one trimester to go!

[hmmSleep]

Here's the new discussion thread!

Stats thread here

Congratulations, on your little boy nomoremagnolia!

It's so exciting that babies are already arriving!!

Mwhaha, laughing hard at umf.

Yes, this thing, sex, how does that go again?

Congrats nomore so exciting!

At work today, in the office. My body and the baby is like "What are you doing to me?"

Congratulations nomoremagnolia. Sounds like it was hard work but I hope you're enjoying your baby now.

Thinking of mumcha & hmm as well.

For anyone who hasn't died of boredom from our leak saga and is still feigning polite interest, the plumber came this morning and found the leak between kitchen and toilet. So now we have water in the kitchen (and theoretically the bathroom when shower and sink get installed) and will have to flush the loo with a bucket in the meantime. A bit of a relief, I can cope with that, and we'll have the new piping installed ASAP once the insurance companies have stopped arguing

Fenouille sounds like progress!

Congrats nomore This thread is definately hotting up now!!

Fenouille does this mean there is light at the end of the tunnel? Hope so - you don't need stress like that at the mo!

Things are hotting up aren't they? My UK due date is Thursday, in France it's the 28th. I'm glad not to be the first, although hmm's news gave me a bit of a as we were due around the same.

balijay & umf there is light at the end of the pipeline indeed :) Having had 4 days of very intermittent water it's unbelievably exciting to just be able to switch the tap on. I've moved the watering can into the loo to flush!

Congratulations Nomoremagnolia Sounds like you've had a marathon labour (v. similar to my first) enjoy your new son and do tell us more when you're ready.

Saw the midwife again today. I'm measuring 42 weeks at 36+3. All is good though and she is still betting (a 1p bet!!) that the baby will be early. My next appointment is on my 40th birthday in 2 weeks!

I am at 37 weeks and we're just about ready to go

moses basket set up - check
Babasling dug out of cupboard - check
all stuff for baby bought - check
baby clothes washed and folded - check
nursery ready - almost check

So feeling positive about that, but my body seems to want to give up at the last hurdle, back hurts all the time, feel tired but cannot sleep and (tmi alert) today I have the runs :(.

I really hope this one isn't nearly 2 weeks late like his big brother

Congratulations nomoremagnolia!!

One of ours dogs just caught a hare in the garden so I was chasing it round like a lunatic. Feeling very tender now! Best have a quiet sit down I think!

He was 6lb 12oz and is called Billy. He's fast asleep right now in my arms :) Is he the first or has anyone else had their baby yet? Sorry I'm not up to speed with the thread.

get ready for a rah session...

midwife came to my home at the weekend to sort out having a home birth, she didn't bring the birth kit, and only brought half of one of the forms, so had another appt today for her to finish that form, and for usual checks.

had crappy appointment, wee was fine, blood pressure ok, heartbeat ok, but that's about it....she said that i should have been referred to have a diabetes test done at 28 weeks at the hospital which i didn't get told to do, and she was pushing for me to have it still this Friday, even though 37 weeks this Saturday. She said if someone has gestational diabetes it can mean they have a big baby and might need inducing or a caesarian, but there is nothing to suggest i've got it, I feel fine and there has never been any sugar in my wee and bump has been measuring fine for the dates. So i see no point in having the test this late in the day especially as it involves going without food, and involves needles and a horrid tasting drink that will probably make me throw up.

She also said that she has spoken to another midwife about me having a home birth, and she now wants me to see a consultant before they say they are happy with it happening. She had made an appointment for next week, but that is after 37 weeks which leaves us in limbo Sat/Sun and also means she might not bring the birth box this week like she had said she would...so she is calling the day assessment unit to see if anyone can see me this week...as she said this should have been done by now.....the issue seems to be my BMI as it was high at the beginning and as they don't take pregnancy gain into account, when she calculated my BMI today it is obviously higher now than it was at the start, even though i've only gained 24lb which isn't a bad gain. Apparently a raised BMI can also result in a bigger baby. She said the consultant would want to look at my notes, and that they would probably want to do a growth scan...she said this should have been sorted out weeks ago....so i've said that i'm not happy to do the diabetes test but will see a consultant, but have asked if they can see me this week and can they just do a growth scan this week whilst i'm there so that it's all sorted once and for all. But she doesn't know what they can do so i have got to wait for her to call me back.

She also seemed unsure of the baby's position like every other time she has tried to feel it and then said she thinks he is back to back because of movement on the left hand side and she said that must be limbs moving, and also limbs on the right hand side.....which goes against what the other midwife said last week (who said he was in a perfect position). She doesn't think he is engaged and she insinuated that he should be by now and that they should be starting to question why he isn't engaged.....even though i have read that lots of babies don't engage until labour starts....she said that most first babies are engaged by now - but i've read that it's usually 37 weeks where this happens and that even so, not all babies engage then.

So, if he decides to come between now and Friday, can't have a home birth.

If he comes Sat or Sun, we haven't been approved for a home birth and haven't got a birth kit here as yet and she doesn't know where we stand.

If he comes after Monday (assuming Consultant can't see me before then) then it's anyone's guess as to what will happen/where/how...she kept saying they are supportive of home births and would love it for me to have one, but that if the consultant isn't happy for any reason then it would mean going against their advice (but she said this is fine if i still want a home birth) but that if the baby does turn out to be big then they would recommend induction and this can't happen at home...and if head is too big for pelvis then would mean a caesarian :(

At no point has it been suggested that he is big, and none of the measurements suggest an issue....all stems from the forms she had to fill in for home birth which flagged up that she didn't have me sent for diabetes test and that my BMI is higher......

ended up crying at the doctors, and now feel v crappy and home alone waiting for the phone to ring...

anyone else had anything like this happen? just want a stress free time from now and then a home birth when baby is ready....and feel like she has just crapped on me from a great height :(

PS congrats to nomoremagnolia and re being first, someone said the other day they'd had their baby, but never heard of them and they weren't on our stats thread so technically i'd say you are the first of the births we were expecting! (the only other ones that might have beaten you were hmmmsleep or mumcha but they've not announced anything yet)

Loooopy Sorry to hear of your dilemma(s). Sounds like your midwife is a bit of a silly cow tbh! My midwife hasn't even spoke to me about plans for the birth yet and I won't see her next till 38 weeks. I didn't know you had to have been given permission? To be honest I'm having little one at home no matter what unless there is some medical reason why I cannot and no midwife is going to deny me that! I think it should be up to you where you give birth, so sod the lot of them! Sorry for rant on your behalf

Was just reading back through posts and found umf very funny indeed. Although DP and I still have a very active sex life I have to admit it is a lot more difficult to negotiate bump. I can still get my legs behind my ears though Pidgin but then I am double jointed

Looopy, that does all sound a bit strange. How high is your bmi if you don't mind saying?
I had my homebirth appt yesterday and no mention of the diabetes test at all. My bmi was 27 at beginning of pregnancy and I've put on about 30lb now, but I wasn't weighed or asked how much I've put on at all. They just left the pack behind (I'm 35+3) and said see you at 37 weeks! So I really don't understand why you're having such difficulties. I guess your midwife is not so pro-homebirth as she says..
I think the best thing you can do for now is get it in your head that you're going to hospital for now and if that changes once you've jumped through the hoops then all good.

Congrats to nomore.Great name! Sounds like you had a bit of a slog and await the full story. The important bit is that you have a beautiful baby boy though. Well done!

looooopy gosh I understand why you feel so frustrated. Was this the first time you saw this particular MW? If so, could you try to see your normal community MW to talk it through with her? Having no knowledge of home births, I can't offer any advice, but I do hope you manage to get the birth you want.

harmonyb am impressed that you are still managing any action!! Other than the lack of energy, I've always had a "thing" that whilst pg, there was someone else in the room - silly I know! But with two heads down there, I can't get my head round sex at the moment at all.

Miserable day here. Just picked DS1 up from school. I'd normally take him to the local park for a run around but its raining, so he's playing Mario Tennis on the Wii whilst I MN.

Mumcha hope your labour is progressing now, if not read some of these. here They'll take your mind off things at very least! [hgrin]

OMG loopy that is unbelievable!
Honestly? She just sounds really, totally, incompetent.
I am really rather angry on your behalf.
I am incredibly surprised that they are suggesting you need intervention simply because you may have a big baby- big babies are born at home ALL the time (and have been for centuries, and across the world, without any intervention like inducement/ c section) so even if it is big it is no reason to not have a home birth. Our bodies provide us with the ability to get babies out, full stop, 95% of the time.

Re engagement, I am 36+5 and haven't had any mention of the baby being engaged at all.

Re home birth - I was speaking with my midwife last night and she basically said that "no one can force you to go any where"- the hospital is legally bound to provide you with a midwife if you chose to give birth at home.

It sounds like you have had a totally straight forward pregnancy, meaning you should have a totally straightforward birth. But it sounds as if this lady was just a bit freaked out by home birth idea (maybe your hospital is behind it more in theory than in practice) and decided to share that freak out.

I can't imagine that a consultant would be any more supportive of home birth either. Can you try and get an appointment with your normal midwife, rather than a consultant? This would probably put your mind at ease?

Also, I would raise it on the homebirth yahoo group too- health.groups.yahoo.com/group/homebirthUK/ they would be full of advice and experience

Yay nomoremagnolia congratulations. I'm expecting a Billy too so totally approve of the name!

Looopy that all sounds a bit weird - surely if your bump has been measuring fine and no sugar in wee throughout, there's not too much chance of gestational diabetes anyway. Crap of them to start loading all this onto you now.

Obsessively checking every half hour for news from mumcha and hmmsleep or anyone else making progress!

Looopy that sucks. I've gathered (www.homebirth.org.uk, probably) that sometimes they do rather string you along, then in the last weeks start coming up with problems, possibly because they have staffing issues.

My midwife has been a bit odd about homebirth lately too. Last appt she said she thought baby v big (which is fair enough, he does feel big) and that wouldn't book me for a homebirth yet and would send me for a growth scan. I had that and it was fine. So I left a message for her saying that since no medical contra-indication had arisen, I'd like the homebirth confirmed now. I wonder if I hadn't been forthright enough before, and she wasn't sure about my commitment to homebirth. Had message today to say she's bringing the kit on Sat. Hoping that's ok and she really is agreeing to it. If there's a problem, I'd like to know so can get my head around going to the MLU.

Beware - the mini-GTT which she wants you to do has a very high false positive rate. If you get a positive, you then have to do a full test. Which would delay you further. Surely at this point if you have no signs of GD then a growth scan is far more rational? Here they do a scan at 36 weeks for homebirthers anyway, to make sure no surprise breeches.

Anyway, I'm feeling your pain on this. Very much want to know where I should start visualizing the birth now. I mean, I know it's very unpredictable, but at least a starting point.

lulastic thanks, i was v upset earlier, post eating naughty stuff i am now moving towards the angry stage.... very glad to hear you haven't engaged either. Re seeing my "regular midwife" well this midwife is the one i've seen the most - had 3 appts with 3 other ones, and 4 with this one. She said i am low risk apart from having a raised BMI - but there is nothing i can do about that now - i have tried to eat relatively sensibly throughout and have put on 24lb so far - and she didn't say this would be an issue on Saturday when she agreed to a home birth!

umf yes it sucks, at no point has anyone said baby is big or bigger than he should be - even now she hasn't actually said he is big - just that its a higher risk of a big baby if have a raised BMI and that IF you have gestational diabetes, then that is also likely to result in a bigger baby - but no indication that i have got diabetes so this shouldn't be an issue!!!

Don't get scans as standard here for home births unless they think a baby is breech, and as he's not been breech, i've not had a scan since 20 weeks.

Have told her i'm not doing the diabetes test. Now got an appt with a consultant tomorrow and think they are doing a growth scan whilst i am there but all sounded vague so not sure!

Just wondering, if the consultant doesn't think there is an issue tomorrow, can i insist on a growth scan to put my mind at rest and to shut up the midwife? Really upset me today and i am barely sleeping as it is, without worrying about the possibility of having to have an induction or a CS. This is meant to be a relaxing, stress-free time, only started maternity leave on Monday, and now more stressed than i've ever been :(

Congratulations magnolia, I love the name.

Loopy I can't imagine how angry I would be getting that treatment at this stage, I had a meltdown at 28 weeks over similar issues, I think you are right to refuse the gtt and I would say to the consultant you are happy to listen to their advice if it's based on hard evidence and not nationwide statistics. End of the day it's up to you where you give birth but obviously you want their support and you need some trust going on.

FWIW I reckon if the consultant doesn't think there's an issue, then that should clear you for HB without further faffing. Ask directly "So you agree that nothing has arisen in this pregnancy which indicate against a homebirth?"

BMI is a crap excuse. Big baby not a good one either, unless they actually establish that you have a small pelvis and baby is really big.

On the BMI front, I was 29/30 when got pg and no-one has mentioned it. Have gained 12/13kg. There'd have to be a proper policy on not letting high BMI mothers homebirth, not just vague bleating from midwife, and even then it's actually up to you.

Good luck tomorrow.

oh wow another baby! congrats magnolia

loopy midwife just sounds like she is being an arse, i would ask to see a diff one tbh. good luck with your consultant appointment.

re the gtt they wanted me to have it as i have big babies, last one 10lb 13oz but as i had him in an hour in the birth pool and it all went smoothly i have said NO, i have had no signs of diabeties at all, bump measure fine for dates and midwives think the baby feels a reasonably size but not huge. if i had any indications then i would have the test but three midwives have said they dont think i have it at all, i just have large babies, dp is 6ft and all the madboys are big.

other than feeling knackered all fine here, tho have had lots of braxton hicks and the other evening and the next day i had loads of them and lots of pre labour signs like a good clear out tmi i know baby is head down and very low but as i am only 35wks i want her to wait a bit so i can get home birth, chances are she will be late as all the boys were but we shall see!

good luck mumcha, sending positive labour vibes your way xxx

fennouille glad the plumbing is getting sorted! :)

Congrats nomore and fingers crossed for good news from hmmsleep and mumcha - anyone else feeling any twinges/being induced?

Looopy- I'm shocked that they're suddenly throwing obstacles in your path at this late stage- I hope your appt with the consultant tomorrow can clear things up and if there are any concerns at all, then asking for a growth scan seems sensible?
Also, I don't think I'm engaged yet at all (37+4 with DC2) and MW doesn't seem concerned about that- I think DD only properly engaged on the night I went into labour anyway!

I've spent a lot of today up a ladder trying to finish the painting/DIY that needs doing, but can hopefully move onto 'real' nesting soon... as well as stressing out about my driving test!
P.S. I'm also with umf on the sex front- DH completely goes off the boil while I'm pregnant, so I think I've almost forgotten how baby got there in the first place!

Oh bookworm I'm glad I'm not the only one who's DH has gone off the boil on the whole sex front! He's as loving and cuddly as ever which is lovely but just doesn't seem interested in the rest at the mo!! Must be honest, it is a pretty hard task as I'm sure you all know, and especially now at 38 weeks I'm not really sure how much I could be bothered..... but at first I got a bit worried It was me!!! :) not sure pregnancy hormones helped my feelings either!! Hey ho, not long left and all will be back to normal :)

Also big grin at harmony!! very impressed with the whole legs behind ears thing!! :)

Hope things don't get anymore complicated loopy and your able to get a definite answer regarding home birth soon! Don't think the MWs userstand how important this time of our lives is sometimes!!