December 2010: Our Christmas Babies are growing but our energy levels are slowing!

[WhatWillSantaBring]

With thanks to the provider of the snappy title (it wasn't me - I think it was Strix)

Link to Stats thread (I hope)

Here

Strix, Spatone is amazingly just water that comes from a natural spring somewhere in Wales, which is naturally very high in iron. It comes in little sachets and you drink it with OJ. I'm not sure of what Floradix is exactly. I buy my Spatone at Boots and some big supermarkets stock it too - it's in a white and orange box. Oh, it says in the leaflet that Holland and Barrett does stock it. It doesn't make you constipated. Under normal circumstances 1 sachet is equivalent to your daily requirements, but you take 2 a day when you're pregnant - I take one in the morning and one in the evening.

Thank you both! This is very helpful. I am going to see if I can leave work a bit early and procure some of this - maybe I'll get both and see which one I can bare the taste of. Actually, I'm so tired and breathless I don't care if it tastes like okra (yuck).

"Floradix is a nutritious food supplement, which provides organic iron, extracts of carefully selected herbs, delicious fruits, vitamins, specially cultured yeast and ocean kelp.
In addition, it contains extracts of wheat germ and rose hips."

I think it has more iron in than spatone which kind of swung me on that, especially as they were talking about iron injections...

Oh and apparently you can now buy it in tablet form, learn something new every day!

Bah jealous of you all with your spatone and floradix - had to be prescribed super dooper dose of iron by gp months ago - take it 4 days a week as cannot tolerate it continually, also have to take it with orange juice which goes down really well after being sick in the morning!

MrsS I was prescribed that too but refuse to take it, hence the floradix. The one from the dr doesn't work any better anyway as far as I know. Did you try taking the natural ones? Like I said before, my iron levels are pretty low too and this helps, 8.6 at last blood test.

congratulations lavita beautiful names. So glad they are home with you now, hope you are coping well. Imagining double BFing, one under each arm :) it's an odd thing.

Back from our first parentcraft lessons, we had some errands on the way home. A small room filled with 25 couples when they were only expecting 10, as classes are once a month, and I didn't realise that many people just turn up and squeeze in. They had to get a list of names and dates and took the top 10 closest to Due day. Luckily I was 2nd on the list. Phew, I was really worried as DH's work is bonkers and he would be super pissed. There were couples trying to squeeze in at 16 weeks! Told to come back another time. Though I did feel a little sorry for the 30 weekers who have to come back for classes christmas week, which is probably why they all came along. It was mixed bag. One dad2be fell asleep, another fainted twice, and there were no films or pictures just a chat really. A teenager who had been forced to attend by her mum, was a bit grotty and 'whatever, I'm having an epidural as soon as I can' she spent the whole session texting. it was just labour talk, nothing new for me, but she did answer a few questions I had on practices of MW in our area. A few other M2B were relieved that I asked those questions. We all scarpered at the end, why they put the car park so far from the maternity unit, was beyond me. I could also see why this MW led unit wasn't so popular, it didn't look like it had been re-decorated since the 80's the walls were grubby, the floor tired and holey and the bathroom suites were peach and sage green. :) The MW led unit at the end of our road is older, but has been revamped recently and is all shiney and white and clean and sterile and also very very popular with Bath, Bristol and the local area to come out to. No choice but RUH Bath for me as I'm high risk, even though I am not anymore. DH was proud of his research skills, he contributed and the other D2B looked at him in awe. He got brownie points for that. M&S Brownie to be exact!

Congratulations Lavita glad you're all doing well. I can't wait to meet my LO.

I've just found out our MLU has closed until the new unit opens at the hospital in January. Really dissapointed as I was determined to go there this time after being kept in overnight with DS to wait for his blood group when I could have been home had I gone to the MLU. Oh well nothing I can do I suppose.

Has anyone heard any news from OWO?

STrix, it's the salmonella/toxoplasmosis risks (can't remember whihc one) from undercooked meat that has made dp ban me from steak.

I keep telling him that medium will be just fine & in a restaurant (and probably most supermarkets I would imagine) it's all been frozen so has killed all the nasties in it anyway. But he's a first timer and has read a fair bit and doesn't want to risk a thing.

He won't let me weed the garden (OK, not exactly wanting/very able to get on my hands and knees to weed atm), but in summer I had to leave all the weeding to him just in case a cat had pooed there! We smelt cat poo in the back garden one time and I wasn't allowed out there until he had found it and cleared it!

I get told off for moving things etc and any little niggle I get he's googling. It's very lovely that he worries and just wants to make sure that me and baby are just fine but I WANT STEAK!!!

Have been snoopiong on OWO's thread. Looks like it has slowed down, but there is a nice recipe for yummy Mississippi Mud Pie. (mmmmmmmmm... GOOD!)

Come over to my place. I will share and promise not to tell.

And, to be honest, I know he means well... but he is just a tad over the neurotic line.

Oooh, steak. I wonder if I have time to get some before I pick up DD. Yes, if I leave RIGHT NOW.

heh kellestar your DH sounds like mine, he knew all the answers at NCT classes and the other men were going 'wow, how did you know that?"

Floradix is the nuts. I quite like the taste. Wonder if I can get it on prescription?

I had a scary start to the day. Tiny hardly moved at all yesterday, nothing during the night either, so I slept through in same position - this never happens anymore, normally I wake up at 2am, 3.30am, 4.15am, and am wide awake by 5am every day. So at 6am I woke up, felt nothing, got scared, drank 2 glasses of cold lychee juice which usually really gets him going, and still nothing. No movements whatsoever. Lay there for 30 minutes, prodding him, talking to him. Still nothing at all.

Decided to go to hospital. Packed bag. Mentally preparing myself for a stillborn baby at 35/36 weeks and wishing I had gone in yesterday after all.
Got in cab.
He wakes up and starts wriggling in the cab, which is about to set off.

So we paid the cabbie a fiver and got out and DH went to work.

Later on the MW came and the little bugger has gone back to back and breech, which just goes to show what happens when I take my eye off the ball and go 48 hours without using the beanbag.

The upside is that I now get a scan next week, normally in my area you only get a 12 week and a 20 week one. this will be to check position, and also get an idea of size.

He is quite a chunker already, I think he is going to be long. DH is 6'3 with broad shoulders and a big head and very long legs.

Gulp

Spent the afternoon in Primark buying cheap black sheets, towels and plastic shower curtains for the HB. They have a staggering array of soft snuggly pyjamas in jolly patterns and colours for a fiver, if anyone fancies buying some post-birth loungewear. They also have adult babygros, but let's not go there. {biscuit]

OWO is still pregnant. :)

cheryl follow these simple instructions for perfick steak. go out to car, drive to ferry, come over the water to our house aim for about half nine tonight!!

The mud cake recipe is mine and I will say tastes great

miffster glad you are ok now - must have been scary for you!

C&G I tried other supplements before and they didn't help with haemaglobin levels hence the tablets from the GP which have worked for me as my Hb was 11.2 last week suppose we are all different.

Think I need to find DH a real job, I have only been home a few days and we are already arguing over who is going to do the ironing and tidying - he has got so used to being in control domestically he's not used to me being home!! I feel guilty sat here with my feet up and using the netbook to MN all day I know it will be different after LO is born but I am kind of glad I didn't book maternity leave sooner

Blimey miffster that sounds very scary, what a little trickster waiting for the taxi to start up before jigging about! He must have been quiet as he was worn out after flipping over to breach, still time to flip him back though :)

Lavita huge congratulations!! Hooray! Love the names too and how fab you are already settling in back at home. :o :o When you have a moment, you must let us have your birth story too.

miffster what a scare, sounds horrible. Hopefully baby will move back again for you.

I am still on the pregaday iron tablets which are bunging me up at times. However, the spatone didn't seem to be enough as my levels were going down. Hoping my levels are fine at my next blood test.

Hope OWO is ok, must go and catch up on her thread.

Congratulations Lavita the names are beautiful and you sound so happy!

I have had an unexpected stay in hospital after a bleed. It was quite scary. I was not at home and suddenly felt a lot of fluid coming out. I went to the loo and there was blood and clear liquid. I thought my waters had gone and started getting panicky. I went to the hospital and was calmed down by the most lovely midwife. The bleeding stopped fairly soon and I had an internal exam (not nearly as bad as I thought) and my cervix was firmly closed. But they said I ought to stay in for monitoring.

Anyway, it seems it was just one of those things. I had several CTGs over the two days and it was really reassuring to hear the baby and see his movements. Also showed my BHs clearly every 10 mins or so.

Back home now and am feeling very tired and a bit emotional about the whole thing. If anything I feel less prepared for labour and birth now even though I had been feeling quite calm about it all. Perhaps it is the realisation that I panicked so easily when I thought it might all be starting early at 34 wks. I think I reverted to little girl mode and just wanted to be looked after, rather than being strong and in control.

Got lots of helpful advice from other women on the ward though and witnessed a woman in early labour who was using breathing techniques effectively. She was transferred to the delivery area after a couple of hours.

I'm going to slow down now and wind down my work over the next two weeks or so.

On a positive note I went to an excellent breastfeeding group this morning for pregnant women and new mums and got to watch some newborns feeding. It was so helpful and run by two brilliant midwives. There was one woman there with her mum, and her mum got quite upset because she'd been talked out of BF by her MIL and she said how disappointed and sad she was that she'd never had that experience. The suprising thing was how noisy the babies were, guzzling away!

I know what you mean miffster my LO has done that about 3 times this pg - gone from viciously beating me up most of the day and night and then randomly refusing to move or do anything for 24 hours. It's just a taster of the worry to come. Once they're here everything seems to cause some level of anxiety!

Thanks for the spatone/floradix suggestions. Last pg I was on prescribed iron tablets for about the last 10 weeks, so I was quite suprised I haven't seemed to need them this time round (I've got a bit of a history of low iron levels).

chloesbaby hope you are feeling a bit better, try and rest a little otherwise all 3 of us from down here will be in at the same time!! Glad you had a good bf class - good to get support early.

Thanks MrsS I am resting at home now. Just feel so tired. Hopefully I won't bump into you or Cheryl in the labour ward just yet!

No but there is nice costa coffee with yummy hot chocolate in the foyer!

miffster you poor thing. What a worry. So glad everything is fine and it was just LO being a pickle.
chloesbaby how awful but great that you had the reassurance of being monitored, and great that you are winding down at work. I am sure once you have some time and rest you'll feel more prepared for everything.

miffster, chloesbaby hope you both feeling okay after your scares. Sounds like a cheeky one you've got there miffster but must have been a horrible experience.

I am feeling better after a day in bed - think it's really a sign I need to take it easier. Big meeting tomorrow morning but after that only 4 days left at work!

Off to check owo's other thread now...

Oh blimey Miffster and chloesbaby I hope you are both ok after your scares?

Just got back from the NCT class, Via late night Tesco, and am a bit worried that my NCT leader reads Mumsnet as she asked a lot of questions about how we thought the breastfeeding session went. DH kept looking pointedly at me while I tried to make innocent eye-contact in a smiley way. Though I don't think any of the comments I made on here were that bad, I just wanted to understand why the NCT approach it the way they do.

We have just one 6 hour session on Sunday now, which will apparently touch on relationships again so hopefully DH and I will get on! I joined the NCT today, mostly out of guilt as every other couple is apparently a member and I don't want to be left out. I feel a bit like I don't fit in properly to be honest.

Bad news yesterday, my sister had a scan and they were unable to find a heartbeat. I am so gutted for her and feel useless. Having been through it myself I know how easy it is for people to say and do the wrong thing. Sometimes life is just so unfair.