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.

Owlie haven't you sorted out your attire yet then? What about <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.it/imgres?imgurl=4.bp.blogspot.com/_M2uQvpZdM_Y/Sf36ijxiaEI/AAAAAAAAAo4/myuHuKfb9JI/s320/Biohazard%2BSuit.jpg&imgrefurl=www.networkworld.com/community/node/45789&usg=__yULoe_z9UXJEfMrw5dMID-tMQCc=&h=267&w=250&sz=18&hl=it&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=gias9QBJQf1uZM:&tbnh=149&tbnw=140&ei=K1o0TZPzMsqXOue4jLUC&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvirus%2Bsuit%26hl%3Dit%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D608%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=431&vpy=286&dur=2995&hovh=213&hovw=200&tx=98&ty=139&oei=K1o0TZPzMsqXOue4jLUC&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this? Discreet, no?

Hmm in that case I will watch OBEM to see how much screaming the waterbirth woman does. Last weeks screamer was most off putting! I now they only showed her because it was quite entertaining but still SHE SCREAMED and SCREAMED.

Greetings my fellow ostrich.

Bitey don't forget your sieve. Okay, I will shut up about the sieve now. When is your scan? When? When?

You could do water-for-pain until it gets unbearable and then demand your epidural - but they tend to be quite different birthing styles. Plus, you may leave it too late to ask for the epidural and then have to handle the rest of labour drug-free.

Epidural - pretty much inevitably going to be on your back, so harder to push and more chance of intervention. But NO PAIN, which is GOOD.

Waterbirth - more control over pushing and gravity will help get the baby out. But you may HATE the water and your only option is gas and air.

Can you tell I spent the weekend at NCT?

Ooo. Drom was it worth the money do you think?

Oh, and last week's screamer was using screaming as a way of dealing with pain. Doesn't mean she was in that much pain - given that she did, at one point post-epidural, scream "I can't feel anything".

bows down in front of dromedarypainmanagementguru

I am well going to try and get to give birth in the pool, off to yoga now and going to a meditation class tonight. OOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

:o

lol at screamer. She sounds like a bit of a weirdo but you know, whoever gets you through i suppose.

soz, boots should have remembered you are wed and milano is tomorrow.

Bitey - any scan news? Score?

NCT - totes worth the money in my neck of the woods, but only really to buy friends! It was a nice way to meet RL people who are having babies who are within walking distance.

Although I guess I have been obsessive queen of research throughout this pregnancy, therefore knew a lot of the useful information before we started. If you were going in totally cold, it would have been well worth the cash just for the edumacation.

getyourrocksoff I'm very much with you in the lavender world of yoga, meditation and self-delusion. Will report back by the beginning of March on whether or not this worked for me.

Goods luck with the scan, Bitey. Such a bummer FDH can't get there

I see I've got off lightly with Radio 1. Although I have now developed a Pavlovian response to Katy Perry that sends me into a gibbering ball of weeping incoherent rage. Love 'plebfilthgerms', Bootylicious. The People's Friends from 1998 at my GP's are swarming with 'em!

Thanks for all the lovely wishes, PESHlingtons, it actually went worse then better than I imagined. Had to wait 1 1/2 hours (in room alone as couldn't handle the waiting room noise) but consultant was excellent. She was shocked my GP had refused to prescribe the amitriptyline (hardcore headache sorter-outer) back in Nov, as my GP had worried about it clashing with my Omeprazole. Consultant said my condition was actually v serious and was surprised I was able to walk about and talk okay to her - she said she believed I've developed a rare form of a migraine syndrome which is affecting my overall physical health and is deteriorating me and that it had sent my brain into a 'pain loop' which needs breaking. Said although it's not ideal to take both lots of drucks, if the migraine syndrome continues, I risk delivering a v prem baybee (ARRGH, NOOOO) or even worse, I might not 'get through' labour (least subtle euphemism ever, eeeeek) - and that a cs wouldn't do me any favours when this weak, either. Said if I don't start taking this Amiwotsisname then I'd have to be admitted for observation for the rest of the pg. So I agreed! It's actually an old type of anti-depressant that scientists realised works v well on odd types of pain, like weird migraines.

So then I walked for 25 mins to the hossie pharmacy. Whereupon the pharmacist pointed out that the consultant hadn't signed it, FFS. She then rang her up... only to find out that she had gone home for the rest of the day now Can pick it up tomorrow after 11am. By sheer luck, my folks are visiting their friend who lives right next to the hossie tomorrow, so can and will pick it up for me, the stars.

So that's my tale of woe. Actually iller than I thought I was but they can sort it out. Reassured me lots that The Lad will be fine as my BP and urine are textbook and the scan t'other week showed he was absolutely perfect (of course). Hate taking drucks and posing a teeny risk to him, but they kept saying that the risk of continuing untreated was far worse.

Phew! Am going to eat now - talking of His Nibs, he's doing his best 'Feed me, Seymour' kicks at the mo :) Soz it's so loooooong.

You may also be able to have a mobile epidural, where you can still walk around and feel more than with a traditional kind. But not all hospitals offer them, because they're more complicated.

Yes, I have done NCT as well.

You could do waterbirth and TENS machine, but not at the same time because electricity and water don't mix fact fans. But you can use the TENS before or when you get out.

I am not keen on the idea of an epidural because I worry about the not feeling anything and not knowing when to push. And the whole ending up on my back in bed, which I really do not want. Especially now I've seen how the pelvis works. I want my gravity, I do not want to push a baby uphill and out. However, I am willing to reconsider all this when the time comes.

I also wouldn't worry about the screaming woman. Most of the time she sounded scared more than in pain. And given the way all the midwives reacted you could tell she wasn't behaving the way most women they saw did. They all looked quite shocked, as opposed to "yeah, this is what women do".

Glad you have a course of action Scorps, I hope the drucks do the trick and you start feeling more human soon. Definitely better to take the drugs then try to battle on and risk premature birth.

That's what I think, Muse (and have spoken to TYF, who agrees). Consultant said that my health was so bad and only getting worse that that posed a worse provable risk than any small, potential risk from drucks. And I am nearly at 24 wks, so that's even better for baybee too (how did that happen?!). Cheers for the support :)

Great info, BTW, from you and Drom (our glorious leaders in style and NCT titbits ) Wonder if you can have a water birth but have summat like pethidine? Perhaps too drowsy-making for you and enfant, hmmm. Am going to sign up for the NCT course that's in the area we hope to move to within 6 wks. It's TYF being Cap'n Procrastination stopping us looking at places (okay, so my health too) so if we've not moved in by then, he'll have to suck it up re: extra driving.

( Orchid - area that sounds like a lot of knitting material )

Glad that you and your docs have a plan scorps and sounds like you finally have someone who knows what they are doing!

I have seen one very laid back baybee, one hand behind the head and ankles crossed. Looked for all the world like he/she was reclining in a hamock on her/his holidays! Lush! Poor FDH missed it but my mum and very proud gran was there so she is now wildly excited!

I am scared of pethidine, my mum reacted badly to it and saw dwarves running round the room (halluciantions so un PC in those days) and now has flash backs whenever she gets a fever!

Lots of good advice here thanks PESHes, good luck for tomorrow milano!

My mum is the very proud gran by the way, I didn't have three generations of bitey in the ultrasound suite

Blimey Scorps you have been suffering, haven't you? Sounds like you got a good consultant though, & these drugs will hopefully sort you out.

Muse & Drom thank you for the NCT updates, most helpful.

I had MW appointment today. All good, heard heartbeat, which is a sound I could listen to all day. Was really clear, then a little noise as baybee moved, so MW followed with HB wand, & so that game of cat & mouse continued. Also decided where I'm going to lay. We have a new MW led unit, but there is also consultant led on site for emergencies. I haven't seriously thought about needing that, but I think it will help me relax knowing all those facilities are just a lift ride away as opposed to an ambulance ride away. The MW led unit has 2 birthing pools, which I'm determined to try, plus for me the big thing is private rooms with en suite & double beds so if I lay in the middle of the night Mr Loz can curl up in bed next to me & we can both stay the first night in hospital. Result!

In ther news MW said she thinks there is an aqua natal class in a nearby leisure centre. So rang to find out details. I asked if there was anything I needed to bring (thinking more along the lines of any notes etc) only to be told "bring your bathers coz the class is in the water"

Doesn't look like there is diff yoga in my area, so will continue with my normal yoga class. So that's tonight, then home, wuick shower & homework session of water birth on OBEM.

Hope everyone is OK, looking forward to scan updates, x

Actually, you DID have 3 generations present - your Mum, you and Bitey Jr! Pethidine flashbacks sound bloody awful, your poor ma

Good luck for tomorrow, Milano :)

Awww, glad you enjoyed hearing that lovely strong heartbeat, Lozza. Sounds like s/he is going to love playing Hide 'N' Seek when they're here

Your chosen hossie sounds bloody fabulous, you lucky thing. I don't get to see the facilities at ours until we go on an all-day workshop about everything birthly when I'm 35 weeks.

Glad you were told to take your cossie to the Aqua Natal class; how would you have known to do so otherwise?

Wonderful news Bitey! Congrats on good scan. I too am a bit scared of pethidine as TBG had to be resuscitated when he was born because of it. I hadn't realised it could cause problems for baybee.

I am trying not to focus on potential pain side of things though. Going with that hypno idea that fear of pain makes it more likely things will be painful. And that maybe the pain will be something that I can just deal with, rather than something that overwhelms me. While, of course, still being open to that epidural if I decide I want it.

Hello all.

Blimey Scorps, never a dull moment in your world. Didn't realise you were suffering quite so much. Glad you have a sensible-sounding Doc now. GPs generally know bugger all about tricky stuff(IMO) and are merely a gateway to referral to the real experts. Sounds as if they should have done the referring bit ages ago tho.

So everyone meeting here at 9 for OBEM? Mr Fox is once again out of town, so I haff to watch all by my lonesome [wobbly bottom lip emoticon]. Pliz to be holding my virtual hand? I also want to research the possibility of waterbirth, esp as it might be more comfortable than a regular hospital room in baking hot July*.

*Am in Scotland, so baking hot = above 15c.

Top plan, Muse, and mine too: 'hope for the best, be open to the rest' I reckon your excellent PMA is half the battle won :)

Pethidine sounding eekier by the minute!

I had pethidine once. It was trippy but the flashbacks have been mercifully few.

During the two heady days when I thought I might be diffed I did some research into laying options down here. Yes, it was plainly ill-advised but that's by the by because I have a question. It turns out that our local hossie doesn't have any birthing facilities at ALL, the main hospital for the PCT is 30 miles away, there is ONE birthing pool in a MW led unit 10 miles and away and another 50 miles away. This is in the second largest local authority in the country. And I have been scaring myself silly reading maternity reviews of the big, main hospital (Florence Edellion Cameron, anyone?)

Does that seem a little, well, lacking in terms of facilities? I'm certainly not NHS bashing, but it doesn't appeal to have to go 30 miles in labour in the car. I guess I'm luckier than the girl who posted the other day who is a bit concerned as she has recently moved to an Outer Hebride and discovered she is diffed.

I appreciate these anxities may be a little premature given today's events, but should I move back to my parents' if when the time comes?

That last question was a joke by the way. I would rather remain childless.

So glad you have some answers score and will soon have some drugs. Your attitude to them sounds very sensible re: small risk to The Lad versus you being able to cope with rest of pregnancy and avoid possible preemie. I really really really hope they work very quickly! Pain feed back loop sounds absolutely bloody dire, you poor old thing.

lozzer your hossie does indeed sound fabulous! our MW led unit also has a cons led unit in same building which is a relief just in case, although they only have one pool. I'll just have to take my chances! Apparently if you specifically request a water birth on your notes then you have more chance of getting in (rather than saying you just want to use it for pain control iyswim)

muse thanks for the hippo cd recommendation, my friend has received hers and is very pleased with it. our yoga teacher has also asked for a looksee. timing works out v well as she is due mid feb, which gives us enough time for yoga lady to have a look and me to start it at 32 weeks.

bitey lovely scan news, shame about the FDH not being there but gran sounds like a good substitute :o If FDH is anything like TB then you would prob get a better reaction from your mum than "it's a blob"

WHOOP! Excellent news on the scan Bitey :) Everything crossed for a good 'un tomorrow Milano .

Laurie Big hoorah for lovely heartbeat. Your MW unit sounds ace; I think we have a similar set up here but no fancy rooms for menfolk etc.

Scorps v.glad you were taken seriously, sounds bloody awful - hopefully the new drucks will make a world of difference.

RE. water birf. I reckon chances of getting anywhere near limited number of pools at peak birth times of year are pretty much zero. This will not stop me trying though. We used to have a lovely pool on the ward I worked on and I never once heard anyone screaming in there which is enough of a recommendation for me! A lot of women I spoke to said pethedine made them barf. So I don't fancy that at all.

Gin I have to watch OBEM secretly on the 4OD thingy as I cry all the way through so cannot watch it with Mr Boots present. Plus I think it will terrify him.