End of Jan babies, come out, come out where ever you are!!!

[Pootle78]

New thread here for those final few weeks (fingers crossed!)

Rock, it is never too early for lunch. We had an early lunch as DP was due to phone his boss for a chat.

C'mon babybubba - someone has to appear on their due date.

LadyBuzz, Kali is just lovely. And your boys are very cute too.

Have just been for a swim and coffee, then had my haircut so I'm all prepared for my due date.

DP has now been asked to work a few hours whilst on paternity leave, jeez, it's beginning to feel like they are taking the p*ss a bit.

Oh katie unless your DP works from home, encourage him to say no to working a few hours. Once he gets into the office, something will come up and keep him there!

Well hospital called this morning to say they'd booked induction for Thursday and would arrange for CMW to visit me Tuesday to do sweep. Don't mind about doing sweep early (40+7) but not happy about induction. Will see what happens Tuesday cos if cervix not ready for sweep then I can't see any point forcing induction. Given that I've not done antenatal classes and that no one has bothered explaining to me what's involved in an induction, I think I will play dumb on Tuesday unless it's my named MW. After all, no one has even told me I have to go to hospital for the induction I will get my home birth.
Admittedly DP gave me a funny look when I said I might not do induction but he's not the one going to be strapped to a bed writhing in agony during contractions.

Poor Dp Rock - but your tea of pizza sounds loively and i hope by working all day, it'll distract DP.

I'm waiting for lunch (don't gasp!) - turkey drummers, a hash brown and beans - ok - a kiddies tea kind of lunch - but the beans count asone of the 5 a day.

And i think you've done good job cutting back a tiny bit on sugar rock

Not sure about your DP's firm running - but like the sound of being all prepped for birth.

Also love the oddness of m/w giving you internal at home travis - we'll need to keep fingers crossed that yours comes soon.

And where's pootle - do we dare think she's had hers?

Thanks for the tips crysty - it made intersesting re3adin - and made me not fel bad for bunking of my antenatal class yesterday

Good news on the def induction date gallic - but would be nice if he/she can hurrah up and come out naturally without induction hassle. And rooting for the homebirth!

Well - DH is due to land at 13.30! hurrah! And then legs crossed til weds fternoon! ha ha!

right - off to eat turkey drummers in memory of Bernard Matthews

gallic I was talking to a doula yesterday who said a friend of hers went to 43+5 and refused induction all the way, and went on to have a home birth. she went in to the hospital daily towards the end for a bit of monitoring, BP check etc.

They can't force you to have one unless there's a risk to you or the baby, i.e placenta deteriorating, fetal distress.

I wouldn't want an induction if I can avoid it, but I guess I'll take one day at a time and see how I feel.

and yes, where is pootle ?

Since last night (and throughout the night), i've had intermittent clenching sensations low in my pelvis. Still continuing now, especially when I go wandering about for awhile.

Really trying not to jinx it, but maybe i'm slowly starting...

Cupcakes, I'm very excited that your DH is nearly in the country. :)

Earth calling Pootle - please report your whereabouts. I was beginning to think we should have a roll-call every morning to check on everyone!

Sounds exciting Crysty, hope it is that start of something.

Gallic, DP does work from home, or he's out of the country. I had thought he was grounded till March but that's now changed in that they want him in Brussels in mid-Feb. I dunno, it's not like we know when this baby is going to appear but it'll appear when it's ready, not to fit in with blooming meetings. Grrrrrr

Oooh crysty fingers crossed eh. And if they don't stop when you lie down/walk around then that's def not braxtons is it? so that's a good sign. how exciting.

meant to ask crysty - do you have a birthing partner or are you going Solo? Ooh - would be nice if Hans Solo could help - but then i'd get distracted.

Drummers wolfed down, as you can tell!

Love the idea of a roll-call running - and I know that Zippy, Flora et al are busy with their new babies.... but i'd love them to pop in too!

And running know how you feel about the whole DH thingy it kind of puts your on tenterhooks with the whole abroad thing. Mid-feb does seem a bit soon to be going, but works work, i spose

And that's really interesting about the 43+5. God i'd be having kittens if i haven't had the baby since then - that would be 23rd Feb for me! Ha ha - that's mad!

No, still clinging to 1st Feb. Wouldn't it be lovely if the baby does as it's told!

flora, Zippy, Mimou and other "graduates" meant to ask - did you have too much stuff in your hospital bags? not enough or just right????

Well sweep #3 out of the way. #4 booked for Monday - honestly, it's more action than my poor fandangle's seen in a long time!! :o Also booked in to see consultant next Weds, though I should have seen them this week but nobody organised it
Another sesh of complementary therapy this evening (gone 7pm ), but this time even nicer as it won't be with a sweep too, so just pampering and a bit of severe stabbing on my reflexology points.

gallic you don't have to be induced if you don't want to. They talked to me about a half-induction (where they will break my waters but not give me the hormone) but said they wouldn't do it yet because my (lovely) cervix only scored 3, and they want it to score 7 before they'll induce. Naughty cervix, clearly not been studying hard enough!!

pootle are you huffing and puffing somewhere? we're thinking of you!

Poor you with your DH's work RunningK - if he gets called in to work during paternity leave, he needs to make sure he gets extra hours later...

Well done travis for putting your foot down about DSS. Makes sense to me.

crystyll your description of active birth etc is really good and helpful.

Surprised about the home birth at 43+5 crystylline. There's some anecdotal evidence that my local hospital won't support a home birth after 42 weeks and they can be funny about providing a MW if you call in the night. They often claim they don't have enough midwives and that the mother must come to the hospital for delivery.

I figure my approach will lay the fault with the hospital and make them more likely to support me. In all fairness my named CMW is great and very supportive. It's just the hospital midwives who treat information like a state secret.

I hope your baby is on it's way.

DP is vacuuming at last. I asked him to do it at the weekend or maybe Monday but this is kind of the first opportunity he's had. I just fight with the vacuum cleaner and end up kicking it around the flat. . He's doing an amazing job though and has spent 15 minutes clearing rubbish from between the kitchen floorboards. When he does clean he is SO much more thorough than I am!

DP has got the Good Beer Guide down to select a pub for lunch tomorrow, so baby better not appear before Sunday!

I'm off to raid my tin of chocs, I think there's a Thorntons bar in there demanding my attention.

Ooh and where's salt today.

Roll-call definitely a good idea for us nosy bints concerned MNers :)

fab about your DP being here cupcakes v. exciting!

I have a few lovely friends who've volunteered for birthing duty! poor sods! and hoping my mum and dad will make it here in time, but they live about 200 miles away. otherwise, i may well phone the doula i met as she was brilliant! very firm, but calming and knowledgeable - essentially all i'd want.

My MW is a complete star though, with about 25-30 yrs experience, so would feel v. confident with her around. hope she's on shift when i do go in.

glad the active birth stuff makes sense - forgot to say there was a great exercise we did for breathing, which goes something like this:

take a deep breath in and hold/pick up ice cubes in your hands.

As you breath out, make a low "ohh" sound. Keep exhaling through the sound and try and do it slowly and for as long as is comfortable.

Repeat, but this time time it so you exhale for 30-40 seconds - you can take a top up breath or two and exhale those as well.

the ice cubes are supposed to simulate the kind of pain you'd expect with a contraction, so you can get an idea of your pain threshold with them. the breathing gives you a focus and the noise does too.

I found it a very good way of focusing and controlling my breathing.

running work can be meanies, can't they! hope it's not tons of work and he can get back to spending time with you and bump/baby soon.

and excellent re: hoovering DP gallic - can i buy one of these useful home helps?

bubba good luck with the sweep. i think you should chastise your cervix for it's poor scores. it would never pass it SATS would it?

I'd love some reflexology right now! wonderfully calming. if this isn't it, then I am going to phoning the local health centre and go tomorrow if i can.

and travis huzzah for the compromise. well done for putting your footdown.

still all uncomfy down below and baby is squirming around - alien baby def back again!

poor little love, hope he's not trying to sleep with all this going on.

God I'm so behind the rest of you, I haven't even tried to do any breathing practice and didn't get offered any classes this time round. DP won't have a clue what to expect bless him.

Think I'm just going to take a fly by the seat of my pants approach, move around as much as I can and breathe and concentrate through as many of the contractions as I can. I haven't bothered with a TENS this time round because last time it just really irritated me.

After a slow start today, baby is now wriggling around nicely, so I'm not worried about his movement at the moment which is a relief!

I'm still hungry constantly and can't stop eating! I'm having an apple in an attempt to be good, but it's still got sugar in it even if it's not chocolate. Dammit!

It must be really hard to limit sugar intake as even starchy foods convert to sugar. not long now rock.

Just called a hotel in Cardiff to make a booking for August and they were so helpful. It was really impressive. Must remember to let the guy's manager know.

Hi all - just woken from a nanna nap, really tired after my shopping trip earlier. Bought some stuff for DSS as a gift from his sister, really aware that it's going to be weird for him having a sister after 10 years of being an only. Also she will live with us, whereas we see him every other weekend. Hopefully it will work out although any advice to smooth the waters much appreciated. Anyone else got a drooling problem in their sleep - last night was awful and I think it may even have been stomach acid (gross I know)! I am now ingesting gaviscon at a rate of a bottle every 3 days (the advance formula no less!!!) Really want the baby to come out now as I never want to taste the vile gloopy mint/aniseed filth again.
Why you going to hotel in Cardiff Gallic? Holiday or function?

Poor you rock - even when you're trying hard to be good that damn sugar creeps up on you!

cupcakes That's great news about your DP being here and very nearly with you!

bubba the day is still young! sending lots of thoughts to baby bubba!

crysty That sounds a lot like the stuff that I was told in antenatal that made me feel more positive- just hope I can remember it when things actually start!

running Sorry to hear DH has to work but pleased to hear that baby held off for you to have your hair done!

I've had quite a busy day baby wise! Phoned MW when I woke up as I was still worried about lack of movements and they said to go straight down to hospital for monitoring. When I walked into building had my first kick of the day (would normally have had LOADS by then!). They put me straight on monitor and baby started to move around a little bit- still less than I'm used to but lots of movements by the end of the monitoring so they were pleased with the trace. They weren't pleased with my blood pressure though nor with the protein in my pee (the lovely MW there gave me a tray thingy to pee in instead of a bottle- I could have kssed her!) Then they took bloods too just to rule out pre eclampsia. I've just phoned and the bloods seems ok -one thing is on the max for ok but ok none the less. MW still coming tomrw so she has to phone then to check on protein and take it from there! Came home and went to sleep and that's how I'm only now catching up on here-phew!

x post travis I too am drooling like mad in my sleep. Not during the day though, just the night when DH is there too!

ami hope everything is ok. glad you went in to be checked though; it's so easy to think it's nothing, when actually you need the support.

good that MW is visiting tomorrow as well.

still wandering about here and cleaning random things; picking up bits of tat that have been lying around for ages!

sadly not doing my to do list though!

i am so easily distracted

AFternoon all. I've had a bit of an energetic day compared to usual. Ventured into town to meet friend for lunch and then did a bit of shopping. Bought myself a nice cardy (fashionable as opposed to granny) from Warehouse and then some picture hooks so finally my calendars are up round the house. Love DIY. Wonder if DH will notice when he gets home.

I am currently drinking raspberry tea, bouncing on my ball and waiting to eat some fresh pineapple. Due date is tomorrow but I want the baby TODAY!! I just can't wait any longer. Bouncy bouncy bouncy COME ON BABY!!!!!!!!!
cupcakes you must be well excited about DH arriving today. NOthing like a bit of distance to get the passion flowing
Wishing your cervix to reach that 7 bubba xx

Glad baby is moving ok AmI and I'm sure everything else will be ok. Good luck with MW tomorrow.

Travis DP and his mate have a photography exhibition in Cardiff during August so we're going down for a week or two but accommodation tends to be Saturday to Saturday so we've booked a hotel for the bank holiday weekend. I won a voucher for a free night in this hotel last year so it was a bit of a bargain price.

Sounds like you've had a lovely day salt. I'm sure baby arriving would top it off with an amazing sense of achievement.

I feel like I'm going to be pregnant forever today. there's just no signs at all :(

Glad you've had a good day salt though I'd started telling DH I thought you'd gone into labour.

Still conspicuous absence from pootle though!! very exciting! (and not at ALL jealous)

Booked myself a free introduction to the sanctuary spa in richmond for Monday for new mums/mums to be - a freeby organised by MN! :)

gallic no signs here either :( Although mine has decided to don high heels today, and kicking me sorely!

Aaah - so there's salt....

bubba your sweep schedule sounds hectic - when do you fit the chocolate in?

Dh is in london. hurrah! I bet it goes VERY slow til he gets to devon....

I have heart burn. poo.

and High chair is out of stock - and not going to get anymore. POO!

Yeah - i reckon pootle's popped... i bet most of you are

Oooh lucky you gallic i LOVE cardiff - my bro lives there and it's fab!

Love your plan for nice pub lunch running

ignoring anyone who said anythign about housework - my mum said my bedroom needs tidying and made me feel 14 again!

crysty are you still having the period pain like pains?

And rock - have a trawl through my other post - and have a look at the You Tube videos to refresh breathing... it made me feel a lot calmer about everything.

Pleased a few others are drolling at night! i went for a nap this afternoon and woke up thinking i was in the ocean my pillow was so wet

Poor you AmI - what a day! Pleased baby is OK - and worth getting it all checked out. What does protein in Urine mean?

And pleased you have someone to go into labour ward with you crsyty.

Right - going to look for high chairs and try not to dribble when mum starts cooking dinner.... as per usual - i'm starved - even afetr my "kiddie" lunch!

Thanks ladies!

gallic Cardiff is great! I live not too far from there and am looking forward to a shopping trip there when I can walk instead of waddle again!

cupcakes Soooo annoying about the highchair! Maybe if you post a link (sorry if u already have and I'm being clueless!) then one of us will realise that we've seen one similar somewhere?

crysty forgot to ask about the pains? Are they getting regular?

sending baby arrive vibes to bubba and salt and glad you're feeling a bit better today salt

disappointingly little happening. still have tightening feelings at top and bottom of bump - perhaps he's just shifting into a good position, rather than making plans for his exit!

imagines bump in celebrity green room having hair, teeth and make-up done in preparation for his grand entrance

bugger cupcakes no high chair?! boo.

I must have proper labour brain today - I read bubba's post as you were going for an induction at richmond spa!!

think i'm going to admit that bump is not appearing today and head for the bath tub - lavender bath bomb awaits.

then curry for dinner...

not that i'm trying to encourage him or owt!

Ha bubba that'll get people talking at school. Although hopefully come Monday they will have something to talk about

I'm making Pad Thai and have all my spices sorted. Looks very pretty colours. Just waiting for DH to get home with the prawns.

Hope everyone who wants bubba out asap gets their wishes this weekend. We are now in the month of Aquarius. You can go to babycenter.co.uk I think and check out your star sign with bumps to see how you will get on. Aquarius children sound very cute. Apparently you should let them choose their outfits as soon as they can as they are very creative :)

www.babycentre.co.uk/horoscopes/?intcmp=lnav_fav_horoscopes