The great PESH dispenser

[Muser]

Here we go again:

BESH BAYBEES

dontrythisathome, girl born March 25.
Cheggers, twinz girlz, born April.
FannyPriceless, boy, born June 8.
CurlyCasper, girl, born June 24.
CUNextTuesday, boy, born June 29.
AlpinePony, boy, born 1 July.
Carrots, boy, born July.
IggyPiggy, girl, born July.
Cosmosis, boy, born Sept 5.
Backinthebox, boy, born Sept 7.
Skatergrrrl, girl, born Sept 10.
VAG, boy, born Oct 2.
Silversky, boy, born Nov 1
SomethingSuitablyWitty, girl born Nov 2
okiecokie, girl, born Nov 12
Honeymoo, boy, born Nov 11
ReginaMonologue, boy, born Nov 13
Maswera, boy, born Dec 24
PollyPoo, girl, born Jan 5?
MrsFC, boy, born Jan 7

UPDIFFED

ChoChoSan, "and Lo! The lord did resurrect her petrified womb", due 31 Jan
CluckyKate, hatching an egg, due February 2
Perfect Dromedary, defied medical science, due February 24
Muser, blooming at last, due February 27
Ginhag, reckless cake-carrier, due 28th Feb
Medee, has a deceptive bump, due March 12
Casserole, completely out of witty things to add, due April 8
Scorpette, now carrying a RL baby in addition to Clothilda and the squid, due 18th May.
Laurielou, the unmarried hussy with the "surprise" diff, due 31 May (ish)
Rocketleaf, no longer jealous of morning sickness, due 1 June.
TwinkleToes, supergluing her fanjo shut, due 20 June.
Orchid, hoping for a zen like child, due 1st July
Ginfox, loving the new mega-boobs, due 12th July.
LadyGoneGaga, Has lost her waist, due 24 July
Ivegotmrbitey, Marmite is a lovely name for a baybee, due 27th July.

Muse Ina May uses the word 'rushes' doesn't she? Much nicer word than contraction.

Surges often used i Hippo birfing too.

Congrats on luffly scan, Bitey. Are your dates same still?

Glad you're going to get some proper drugs Scorps.

Morning ladeez! Sorry, I went straight to bed after OBEM - firstly I was knackered & secondly I couldn't wait to give Mr Loz the low down on the programme.

It was AMAZE! It was lovely to have an episode of 3 amazingly calm wimminz, with obviously painful but manageable births. It was also nice to see laughter & smiles through the pain. Poolgirl was just gorgeous & fabulous. In fact all 3 wimminz were! Poolgirlsis was hilarious & reminded me of exactly why as much as I love my own sister I will not be having her within a 10 mile radius of me in labour!

I've definitely decided I'm going to try for a water birth, (with a bit of hippo birthing thrown in) albeit in the MW led unit at hossie. For my first (& possibly only) baybee I just don't know how I'm going to react so know I'll feel calmer knowing I have all the medical shiz on standby.

Scorps how lovely - & wierd at the same time - feeling The Lad move. It sometimes makes me feel a bit queazy feeling the little movements...

I skyplussed OBEM as is a rare night I stay up past 9pm these days [blush}. Will try and watch tonight. Am hopefully going to try for a home waterbirth again this time after my slightly dramatic hospital transfer last time. But depends if they sign me back from consultant led to midwife led care at the end (they did last time so fingers crossed).

Feel like am in that weird limbo part of being pregnant - post 12 week scan, faded symptoms, yet feeling randomly a bit podgy with no proper kicks yet (still the odd flutter which might or might not be the baby - could be gas!

I swerved OBEM as we were watching Breaking Bad instead.

Lady if you are going to watch it tonight maybe I can find it on demand and we can support each other? Sounds like everyone had a right laugh last night! You might be feeling things, sposed to come earlier 2nd time round. Its a weird 4 weeks between 12 week scan and 16 week MW appointment, isn't it?

Right better get a wiggle on as meant to be heading to -hell-- Ikea at 10.

Yeah, would be up for that, Sprocket. Sweetly though MrG loves OBEM - he found the screaming woman hilarious after I told him that I was not a screamer but actually a moo-er (yes, really - wanna make something of it!).

I loved the pool birth - I want one of those too please! She was amazing, I was v. impressed with her .

Rocket yes I had a home birth for mini O. It was very nice (!) and relaxed. I almost hyperventilated when I went to look round the labour ward at the hozzie so I know that would just not have suited me at the time (unless of course I had to, which is a different matter). This time I really want to go to the hozzie as I'm much less scared of the whole thing. Seeing that pool birth last night sealed the deal for me (am now hoping that the pool is free etc when I get there!). I think you have to go for whatever you think will be most relaxing for you. A HB suited me first time, and I hope a hozzie birth will be ok for this one.

Of the 3 midwives I had here for the delivery, every single one told me to get up and deliver on all fours, standing up etc. They didn't want me to be in the 'normal' position. They were really great at doing all the stuff I wanted them to. I, however, just changed my mind, so they left me with it in the end and just told me to do whatever felt natural. I have nothing but praise for their approach to the whole thing. There were no outdated opinions coming from any of them, which I had feared beforehand.

I really wanted a home birth orcs because I thought (and still do to an extent) it was the best way to get a water birth. But I also need for TB to be as calm as possible and he said he was really worried about it 'just in case'. Plus with the gallstones etc I don't know how that is going to affect me pain wise, I think I'm probably better off having the option of more than just G&A just in case - although none of them appeal and I am going to try my best to do it drug free. I just hope this episode of OBEM doesn't mean there will be a long line of women clamouring to get in the pool!!!

Change of plan, work just called and need me to go in tomorrow so going to do ikea on way home but means i cant have my free osteo :( oh well.

Bleeeeurgh, I have a cold!

Man I loved gas and air. Only had two rushes without it!

n.b I was induced - so massive big rushes from the off!

Rushes have a whole other connotation for me, I doubt very much that surges/tightenings/contractions will feel anything like that but it would be bloody great if they did! (that would have to be some shit hot hypnotherapy tho)

Poor scoresonthedoors cold on top of everything else. Is not fair that.

I have run a ground with the decluttering, have done loads and doesn't seem to have made a dent, what am i gonna do with it all!!! (waaaaah)

I don't think it matters what you call a contraction, it's how you view them that makes the difference. If you go into it thinking 'ooh, a contraction must mean everything is clenching up and it is a bad name for it because I want to be opening up instead,' then every time anyone says 'contraction' to you instead of surge, rush, tightening, flower opening or whatever you want to call it, you will make a small negative connection in your head. And if you have any kind of medical professional come anywhere near you at any point in your labour, even an enlightened one, the 'C' word will be mentioned. So why set yourself up to be knocked down and disappointed whenever anyone says 'contraction' within earshot? If you associate the word 'contraction' with feelings of progressing closer to birthing your baby, it will be a positive word. If you make a mental note to yourself that you don't care WFT they call it, that thing your body does in order to get your baby out is happening, and whatever it's called it IS getting your baby out, you will not be disappointed whatever the people around you call it.

We have terms for things at work to try and not upset the more sensitive souls among our passengers, but 'a few little bumps' is still turbulence, and 'a little engineering snag' is still a technical malfunction. Some people like the kiddology involved as it reassures them and others just want it telling how it is. I'm a tell it how it is kinda gal, so I really have no problem calling a contraction a contraction. And without blowing my own trumpet, I think I win the prize for 'closest thing to a sneeze' to date .

PS it should be noted I come from Yorkshire, and we are famous for calling a spade, a spade up there!

Wise words, Boxy. Ironically I hadn't really thought too much about the word contraction until everyone here started on about it

Seeing as us black-hearted BESH's seem to have made up our own language anyway, any inspirational words of what we can call "contractions?" If nothing else it may remind us that the power of BESH is behind us during labour.

Oops, forgot to say poor Scorps. Have a Kleenex on me.

I liked gas & air when they re-set my broken wrist. Although apparently I did begin ranting about Princess Diana's gynae I'm also a firm believer in closing my eyes during tough times, so will prolly spend most of my labour having to be guided around

very wise words boxerbeat and ditto lozzer i am not from yorkshire but am very much of the calling a spade a spade camp. Hadn't even thought about contraction being a negative word really. Its just an inevitable part of birth (CS not withstanding of course) But maybe thats because I haven't actually experienced one yet!

All interesting stuff! I too had never thought of the use of 'contraction' instead of other words, but I like the sentiment behind not associating it with negative thoughts. I went to PG yoga with mini O and the best thing I was told there was to trust your body and relax. I thought it sounded crazy telling a woman in pain to 'relax' but I now see the value in it. She never dressed anything up as not being painful etc, but in her words "you give birth up here (points to head), not down there (points to foof)" - metaphorically speaking of course!

Anyway, just wanted to say that I have just invested in a doppler. I feel a bit like LGG and in limbo. I don't feel very PG at all so thought a doppler might help me realise that there is something in there and I don't just have a long lasting stomach bug . Now Mr Postie, please be quick and deliver it as fast as possible!

rocket Rushing reminds me of my raver days which may be a happy thought in the labour ward but may also result in a complusion to sniff vicks sinex and dance like a loon!

Thanks for the tissue, Loz. I feel guilty about blowing my nose on the back of your skirt now

Got my drucks - take the first one tonight, eek!

I've never thought of any connotation associated with 'contraction' either, good or bad. Also a Northerner, I like to call a spade a spade (unless using coyness for comic effect, heheh). I think I might do well with hippo birfing - when I am in a lot of pain, esp. when I used to have Satan's Own Period Pains, I'm good at putting myself in a 'zone' where I kinda go into the pain and accept it and feel quite calm and in control. Obvy, I realise giving birth may sting a tad more than that My hippy traveller pal taught me some Taoist mind-over-matter exercises which I use and a lot of what I hear/read about hippoing sounds like the principles are similar.

Have a vision of a gurning Bitey giving birth wearing lumo headband and wristbands and blowing on a whistle between contractions

of Boxer's easy-sneezy birf. BTW, you'd like my Dad's favourite joke quote about being a Northerner (he's from near Sheffield): 'Ah say what Ah like and Ah like what Ah bloody well say!'. :)

Personally I couldn't give a fuck what anyone calls a contraction, was just chit chatting.

Gah, lost second half of post.

What I was meant to say is: I was just chit-chatting. But I do think it's interesting to consider what's happening in a contraction and whether the word conveys that. Because if I'm thinking about a contraction being clenching, and it turns out it's not, then that's interesting. Doesn't mean I care what the midwife or anyone else calls it. It's just kind of interesting to think about.

Clearly I lost that post due to overuse of the word "interesting".

I am dithering about homebirths again. I am off to google to see if I could fit a birth pool into my flat.

Muse My friend did homebirth in super-tiny, not brilliantly acoustically insulated flat - all went BRILLIANTLY. I reckon you could do it if you wanted. I decided it wouldn't work for me because our living room has two walls that are entirely glass: waving at passing boats from birthing pool did not feel comfy. What is hospital option?

You're right, Muse, it is interesting. Contraction does indicate clenching and tensing, which is pretty perfunctory at best to describe what's going on. Probably a man wot thought it was the best word We wasnae criticising your choice (or not) of terms, btw.

Drom, are you asking what the hospital option is to ensure that passing boats can wave to you?

Oh I rather like the idea of waving at passing boats!

Hospital option is shiny gorgeous birth centre. But I'm getting paranoid about "what if it's full and I have to go to the labour ward instead?" I have asked and to date, nobody has been turned away because it's full. So I'm not sure I'm being rational. I just worry that it is getting more popular so at some point it's going to be full. And what if that point is when I turn up?