Due SEPTEMBER thread 14 - here we go ...

[franch]

I am NOT superstitious but ..... couldn't bear the thread that took us into September to be #13 !!!

Ooh Franch! That's not exactly NO news now! I find it odd how you can have 10-min contractions but yet not feel them... is it just the bump tightens every 10 mins, but there's no pain? Perhaps it's the acupuncture working its' magic?! Fingers crossed for you

PiccadillyCircus - Happy Birthday (I think) as yesterday was last day in your 20's??!!! your a youngester! Have a good day!!

Haven't had a chance to catch up on all the recent posts yet - but just a quick announcement that baby Stella was born on Sunday 4th Sept (2 days early just like her sister) weighing in at 7lbs 3oz. Had a waterbirth with gas & air, which I can highly recommend to anyone - she was born about an hour and a half after we arrived at the hospital (so lucky we did't leave going in any later...)
Have only just got home, as she has been suffering with early jaundice (apparently due to me being rhesus negative, despite having loads of anti-d shots etc.) - and had to spend a couple of days in an incubator having phototherapy.
All seems well now, and it's lovely to be home !

CONGRATULATIONS Tallbird!! I am hoping for a waterbirth too, if baby ever decides she's ready to put in an appearance

Edie Madeleine arrived last night at 22h29 weighing in at 3.3kg.
After last post pains really took off and was having strong contractions every 3 min and went to hosp. Disappointed to find I was only 1cm dilated and sent home. 2 hours later i was getting seriously painful contractions every 2 min and needed pain relief so went back. After 5 hours of serious labour I was told I was only 2-3cm and that the pain was only going to get worse. Midwife suggested a shower, I opted for an epidural. What bliss. Things suddenly sped up and my waters broke and I dilated really fast. Babies heartrate was dropiing so told I had to push through the epidural block - which was easier than i thought it would be and our beautiful little girl came into the world unaided. She didnt cry for what seemed like an age causing major panic for dh and I but was breathing and is very healthy and beautiful.
I am amazed at how good I feel - even the stiches in my tear dont hurt. Would have been home early this am but paeds were held up.

Cant wait to hear of all other arrivals. Will catch up with posts soon, going to stare at our beautiful daughter. Brie, pate and bubbly for tea!!

Congratulations to Boompi and Tallbird
Lovely names all round!
Hearing your news has definitely lifted my spirits. I AM going to have this baby, I AM I AM I AM!!!!!!

Congratualtions Tallbird and Boompi . 2 more girls to balance things out a bit. Lovely names too. (Aaaahh - I remember my epidural with fondness Boompi)
Please can I be next?

Congratulations Boompi & Tallbird, 2 more girls, that's great news! Love both the names.

CONGRATULATIONS TALLBIRD AND BOOMPI! Lots of little girls now? How's the girl/boy tally looking now? Can't remember who's had what.

I just got back from the GP who told me that, contrary to the advice of 3 different midwives, she can't prescribe pethidine for my homebirth. The midwives are supposed to do it. Pretty sure that's bollocks as 3 different midwives told me the same thing. GP tried to call the birthing centre and the labour ward AND the midwife and couldn't get through to anyone at all! (That's a good sign for the future!)

Has anyone else managed to get pethidine for their home birth?

Yay Boompi! So pleased for you!! Love the name as well... I remember you saying you liked Edie when we all met up for lunch one time It's lovely. Aah... now when will it be my turn?!!

CONGRATULATIONS Tallbird and Boompi!!! Boompi, thanks for the email - Edie is just gorgeous

Contractions pretty strong and frequent now - they've been going on all day - still not painful though. LadyL - I think I'm just a bit stupid about distinguishing mild contractions from baby thrashing about - got the idea now though with the help of the monitor, esp since they're stronger. Fingers crossed ....

Katts - the Birthing Centre (you're still UCH, yes?) is impossible to get through to sometimes. When we had our false alarm on Sat night it was 2 hours after our first call that someone got back to us - we eventually got them by leaving a message with the Labour Ward, but they took forever to phone back. Great huh?

Franch - hope you don't think I was implying you were stupid!!... I just find it hard to monitor when my tummy goes tight. I know it does, but if I had to time it I don't think I'd be able to... Keeping everything crossed for you that I can Franch (which isn't a lot in the present condition) that you have the fab homebirth that you so want. Doesn't sound like your baby will be long!

TALLBIRD AND BOOMPI - fantastic news!!!! and girls are now in the lead!! - lovely names. it's the news we needed, I think many of us wondering if we will ever have our babies - but of course we will and before too long

Lady L - when the hospital machine picked up my early contractions its measures them as a percentage - when I went 10 days ago the most I reached was 20% - on Monday some were as high as 37/40% - the lady in the bed next to me was getting over 50% but said she could barely feel them. The mv said they do not 'hurt' until they hit 70/80 - and in established labour all contractions will hit 100%. When you get a contraction in most cases the baby will wriggle too - so it's difficult to tell its a contraction.

CONGRATULATIONS BOOMPI AND TALLBIRD!!!
The girls are coming in thick and fast now - after all it is a woman's perrogative to take her time.
Gosh Franch, this little one's really making you wait! Thank goodness the contractions aren't painful.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PiccadillyCircus. Welcome to the 30's! Hoping that you are having a lovely day with your sister and too busy to post and not gone in to labour just yet!

Katts - I've got pethidine for my home birth. Wrote a prescription request to GP who then called me that night to ask about the request and then wrote a prescription which I picked up the next day. The pharmacist didn't have it in the right doses, so he phoned the GP who changed the prescription and dropped it herself into the chemist so I was able to collect the following day. The only concerns were: if I don't use it, how will it be disposed of (i.e. need a witness to returning it to chemist or GP) and making sure the midwife would bring an antidote with her for the labour in case the baby is sleepy.

Thanks Pooka, I knew I wasn't imagining that it was normal for GPs to write the pethidine prescription. Really pisses me off I made the appointment a week ago with the GP because they had nothing sooner and having been ringing every morning to see if an earlier appointment came available - all for nothing. Am I supposed to wait another week for another appointment? I won't be pregnant by the time they get it all sorted out.

Oh no LadyL, don't worry I didn't think you were implying I was stupid! It's reassuring that I'm not the only one who can't pin these things down. It was only the machine that helped me identify the contractions.

Now trying to decide whether to send DD to mum and dad's tonight or not - mum's about to leave so it would be silly to get her to come back for her in the middle of the night if things do kick off, but I've had so many false starts I think I will just keep her here. Beginning to feel like the boy who cried wolf.

Katts - I have to say that my (lovely lovely) GP didn't seem to do this very often - she was actually asking me about the protocol, how much of a dose the midwife wanted etc.

Congratulations to Tallbird and Boompi And a huge welcome to Stella and Enid Madeleine.

Sounds like you will be next Franch so heres wishing you good luck hope you get the birth you want.

Not sure which I am more fed up with now, being pregnant or being asked if i have had the baby yet by phone/email/text and even more ridiculous face to face if you can't tell by looking at me you need a white stick!!

I am having trouble working out if some of these are mild contractions or baby having a wriggle. It was all so much easier for me last time the first thing I knew about being in labour was that my waters went and I got confined to hospital for the durration. Know exactly what you mean about the boy who cried wolf Franch am begining to wonder if this baby will ever come out to play.

Have been to mums for tea tonight and managed to walk for 15 mins at 2mph at a slight incline on her treadmill (following midwifes advice for long walks) Am now sitting here with small alcoholic tipple and hoping that I will be able to sleep ok tonight.

Hope everyone has a good night see you all in the morning.

Ooooh - how exciting - more babies. Welcome baby Stella and baby Edie. And congratulations to the mummies. I'm very jealous thinking of Boompi eatin gher pate and brie and knocking back the bubbly.

I had my tooth extracted today and the dentist said "You do realise this could induce you?" and I thought "Yes please" My SIL was lookig after DD and then my mum came over so it would have been perfect timing in that respect.

No such joy though. Oh well, my due date is tomorrow so I'm not yet there officially.

At least, with the horrid tooth out, I can now focus my attention on getting a baby out.

Good night - sleep very very well - hope I do not find myself posting in the wee small hours of the morning - unless of course its - off the hospital news - but that's me crying wolf agin too!!

Congratulations Boompi and Tallbird - Fantastic news . Lovely names too.
So shattered today as first day on own with the two of them, am about to crash into bed - good night all and hope that we have some more good news tomorrow, fingers crossed to all those who are about to drop / are late / fed up xx ((hugs))

Not wanting to jinx myself.....but. think things are finally starting to happen. Have had fairly regular, mildly painful contractions since 2am. Only really sore - i.e. breathing through them - when lying down. Fine when standing/walking.
Now last time, this initial stage went on for about 2 days (aaargh). The advantage now is that I'm not sitting at the door with my bag packed, but am preparing instead to do everything as normal today with dh going off to work (10mins drive), taking dd to her gym class, and to play it by ear. We shall see, but I'm more confident that when I have my sweep tomorrow am, that will really kick things off as that is exactly what happened last time as the midwife took pity on me and dh as we kept turning up at the hospital! So.....fingers crossed.