Feb 2011-Final,final stretch!!

[Grannyapple]

Hi ladies-thought I would be adventurous & set up the new thread for the final leg of our journey

delia with 2 weeks to go I definitely feel physically worse then I did 2 weeks ago - SPD worse, sleeping badly, ligament pain, being kicked in the ribs / lungs etc. Psychologically feeling pretty good though, as really looking forward to the conclusion of this pregnancy! I also know from last time around that I actually slept so much better after the baby was born, so am looking forward to that too.
My SPD was worse in my last pregnancy, and I had some other problems that required monitoring every other day at the hospital, so can't really compare the two. HTH!

Delia is this your first? With my first I found it ok just about up until my due date, but after that (went 2 weeks over) it was pretty grim. I think it's nature's way of making you actually look forward to labour, which is of course horrible! If it's any help I found life with a baby much easier than being heavily pregnant.

needto v exciting re your show- does this mean you'll be Next?

ledkr bet you're glad the party is out of the way, now you can concentrate on getting ready for your teeny one :)

My aunt insisted on holding a baby shower for me- I don't need anything cos we have everything from DD, so have said no presents. It'll just be a chance to see friends and have a chat. It's on Saturday, hope we've not left it too late!

Have v weird symptom- I get carpal tunnel at night, but now it never really goes during the day either and my fingers are constantly tingly and numb. It's a bit disturbing. I asked the useless midwife at hospital last week but she didn't say anything.

delia I've been thinking the same thing - glad you asked. WIll be interesting to see responses. I'm feeling like I can't go on for another month now - bathroom man was just explaining to me about how tricky things would be to get this shower done and all I could do was sit there feeling really wobbly and faint. I can't make any decisions either - vey unlike me - I have no idea if I want the extractor fan to work with the light or if I want it to stay on a timer .

Can I just share that my shopping order just arrived and I accidently ordered 14 cartons of grape juice instead of 1 . DH doesn't even like grape juice

Deliaskis Great news about dh not going on trip. I'm not sure if last few weeks is harder or not, this is my 3rd and I've found this pregnancy harder than the other two but that's been from the word go The only advice I can give you is to sleep and rest as much as you can. That's the thing I miss most in this pregnancy, having dd2 at home apart from 2.5 hours a day is hard, fitting in school runs etc. I remember when pregnant with dd1 I couldn't sleep at night but took advantage of sleeping/napping during the day especially late morning.

After I had dd1 the thing that surprised me most of all was how easy I found the first few months with the baby (don't tell anyone) but compared to the last few months of preganancy it really was a piece of piss. Dd1 ate, slept, burped, needed clean nappy and that was really about it, I slept when she slept, watched her a lot with that wide eyed look of awe and caught up on a lot of tv

Morning all.
Delia I'm feeling the same way - at 37+4 - how much longer can this go on? And will it get any worse (before labour proper, I mean!). I also need a me me me post as I felt rubbish friday and all weekend, and now I'm fairly sure I have a urine infection. Off soon to source some cranberry juice.
I can't wait to have a good steak after the birth, I think we'll need the iron levels so it's medicinal, right?
I loved the wire and am just getting in to Lie to me - but I've just started season 5 of Dexter and it is so good (bit addictive tho!) and keeps getting better! Bit gory for sensitive souls maybe, but quite clever.
Come on, we are surely due some more babies by now! I'm talking to YOU needto and ledkr

Morning!

Nothing to report, BHs all the time but the period pain has stopped for the time being. Cystitis is back, ggrrr!

In all my notes it says that baby is ROP (facing left but face up if that makes sense) and I'm wondering if that's why I have so much backache. I've looked it up and it looks like I'm heading for a back to back labour so I'm trying to get him to move round. Does anyone have any tips for this? I've been sitting on the floor and getting on all fours and bouncing on my ball regularly but hasn't worked.

delia I have noticed that since baby has dropped I can eat a bit more and feel less out of breath so you have that to look forward to!

wiggles that's me (it's my first) - I can't sleep but a big fan of the late morning nap! Glad to hear you had at least one dream baby - it gives the rest of us hope that they do exist! Here's hoping you get another one (you know you are doing something right, anyway!)

needto, have you tried the old getting on your hands and knees and scrubbing the floor trick? Gym balls are meant to help too.

needto another gem from my AN class re: back to back is to sit on the ball and rock your hips from side to side. They said this encourages baby not to go back to back - they suggested everyone try it in early labour but can't see any harm in trying now .

Byronicheroine I paid for my smugness with dd2 Did everything the same ie no routine at all Hoping this one takes after dd1's early few months although to be honest she is now quite a dramatic 5 year old and is prone to the odd bout of pre-teen behaviour, seriously at the age of 5!!! Thought we'd have another few years before the eye rolling started.

Mr Wiggles and I have been watching Modern Family on DVD (Christmas present) and it suddenly occured to us that the kids age gaps are the same as ours will be, created a mild panic in our house when we realised what the bickering would be like in a few years.

Hmmmm...so responses seem to suggest, it might get worse, it might not, it might even get a bit better, and maybe the 'light at the end of the tunnel' will help!

I think I'm just feeling really low today and the last day or two, maybe it will go away. I was quite positive last week as had booked some time off work etc. but still doing 4 days this week and wish I just wasn't. Still each day is a day closer right? Next week I'm working only 3 days, and then week after, just 2, then none! Roll on Feb 8th.

D

Morning all!

So, like needto, I've had a show this morning too! I am so excited and as I was driving DH to work this morning, we were going over all our labour plans and stuff. I know it could still be a week off yet, but stillvery excited! I rang my mum and she said that with me her contractions started the same day as her show and she had me the next day - hoping that type of this is genetic!!!

So, although I should rest, I am tidying the house for an hour, then going for a walk into town and a hot Nandos followed by lots of raspberry leaf! My bath's not big enough to fit me in it anymore :( (it is a short bath - I've not suddenly turned into some hideous monster!) so I guess I'll just have to enjoy a shower instead.

Have a good day all!

I agree that last time I managed up to my due date pretty fine, mentally, I mean I was more tired etc. and i WAS over it completely but I was on mat leave with no other children to look after so had lots of time to rest, watch tv, read, go for gentle walks etc so it was fine. I only went 2 days over and thank god! because they felt like an eternity and I did start getting a bit down worrying I was going to go right up to the 2 weeks over.

Unfortunately I think our lack of patience did then lead us to jump the gun a bit and I ended up getting induced whereas if I had just chilled the F out and held on it might have all been a bit easier! lol so there might be a lesson in there somewhere..

On the plus side I would say it is LOOOOOOADS better having a newborn than being 9 months´ pregnant! and that is with stitches and swollen boobs and (maybe) a baby that doesn´t sleep too much. In general you do feel just so much more normal again. Or I did. I think what DID surprise me completely was

1. afterpains, i had heard these weren´t too bad with a first but I found it quite sore for a couple of days when feeding.

1. not springing back to 100% normal. Your body can look quite weird with the empty belly (unless you are lucky enough for it to spring back right away) and playboy boobs etc. although i didn´t expect to have a super fit body overnight i did find it a bit depressing looking in the mirror. Not everyone will find this though, i could be particularly vain.

I only say this because if you expect it, it prob won´t be a big deal, I don´t mean my specific examples, just that most people will prob say having a newborn is easier than being pregnant but there are of course other little things that you just don´t expect. Like suddenly 100% believing your loving, wonderful husband/partner is the world´s biggest idiot that you must have been insane to consider having a child with him.

I am seriously considering putting up 2 mantras all over the house

1. "it´s not a competition" (re lack of sleep)

and

1. "you do NOT hate each other"

wiggles your para about the first few months being better than being pg has given me hope (and has actually made me tear up a little bit ! I have a colleague with 6 month old who every time I come in looking tired having had about 2 hrs sleep, makes helpful comments like 'oooh it's nothing compared to when you've got the baby', and 'it's your body getting used to the sleepless nights to come'. I just get at comments like this as it hardly helps, and whilst I know there are going to be hard parts to having a new baby, there are also going to be rewards aren't there? I'm liking the idea of sleeping when baby does. That means I might get at least some sleep right?

Dx

Yay pipsicles Hope all goes well, bring me home some Nandos!!

A tip I meant to pass on earlier, I went 1 week over with dd1, went into labour spontaneously (sp?) the day before I was due to be induced. My tip - loud film at cinema, more Harry Potter action than the Kings Speech if you know what I mean.

Deliaskis you are probably so tired without even realising it, I worked late with dd1 and swore I would never do it again. Take care and you're right every day is a day closer to the baby.

Delia I agree - you are just knackered. I am still working 3 more days this month and am thinking i might take them as holidays because its just too much for me so I can only imagine.

It IS much better after the birth. In the last month or so last time I had to sleep almost upright due to rib pain and acid and was up several times a night weeing it was HORRIBLE and yes you do need to get up in the night with a newborn but your dh CAN help if you want them too. I breastfed but dh still got up and maybe did the burping or the nappy change. And when you sleep you sleep so much better. Platitudes don´t help at this stage and it IS all you are going to hear from most people because nothing can change the fact that we all feel pretty miserable right now, no one can really say anything to make it better! But before you know it you will have that warm yummy baby in your arms and it will ALL have been worth doing for them a million times over. x

Sorry D keep x posting, you will get some sleep, the trick is finding a little groove for the both of you, with dd1, I used to doze on the sofa from about 7pm - 10pm at night, if she woke up Mr Wiggles would feed her, we would go to bed at around 10ish, Mr Wiggles would feed her if she woke up before 1am ish. I would do any later feeds.

The other thing we did was making sure that each of us had one full night sleep a week ie if Mr Wiggles had 2 days off, the first night he would get up each time dd1 did, he would sleep later the next day but at least I got a full night sleep. Although obviously we formula fed.

People tell fibs about their babies all the time, especially about sleeping, either its a competition about who has slept the least, or they fib about what great sleepers their babies are. I remember feeling with dd2 that she was the only baby that wasn't a good sleeper, it was only when dd1 started nursery and I was meeting the other mums that I realised about three quarters of us had second babies that didn't sleep. There is a lot of comfort to be had when you realise you aren't the only one, which is why forums like this can be so fab

Awww thanks for lovely responses ladies, even as I was typing I was thinking you would all be well within your rights to say 'FGS get over yourself, you're not the only one you know'. So the words of wisdom and encouragement have really helped. I feel better already .

D

Delia agree with wiggles that people exaggerate about life with a newborn. We also formula fed which did make life easier as we could share the night feeds.

When DH was on paternity leave we took it in turns each night so at least one of us had a decent nights sleep - the "off duty" one slept in the spare room. Once DH went back to work I would go to bed around 9pm and he would do any feeds up until around midnight as he usually stays up late anyway allowing me a couple of hours sleep before the "night shift" really started. DS never had us up every hour like some people say though and I never went a day without getting chance to shower/bath which some people say too....

Just been very naughty and bought yet another changing bag - I think I might need to join some kind of support group! Also got DS the cutest wellies with bees on! He is going to love them :)

Hi everyone!

Ooh exciting news re people having shows etc! When my friend was pg, she had a show in the morning and she'd just had a new floor fitted and the men had left it covered in grout so she got on her hands and knees to scrub it and had another show after. A few days later and voilà - baby arrives! So get down scrubbing those floors people !

Needto the physio at hospital advised against sitting on floors as it can aggravate hip/back pain, because of the way that you have to sit. Exercise ball and getting on all fours is fab though!

Delia the end of my last pregnancy definitely didn't get any worse in the last few weeks. I only got to due date though (DD was born at 40+1 and I was in labour on my due date) so I'm not sure how I would have felt had I gone over. I'm 35+2 now and shuddering at the thought of having 7 weeks left rather than 5.

The best advice that I have read re babies/children (I think it might have been on here actually) and have found it to be true, so far, is that every stage is just that (a stage) no matter how great or how horrible and that it will pass. I've found that a bit of a comfort when DD has been through awkward phases and I keep thinking "this too shall pass!" Some phases, of course, may take longer to pass.

PDR I love my new changing bag and I'm really looking forward to using it! I have been tempted to use it as it just looks like a hand bag but I haven't. It's just so much nicer than the awful Jeep monstrosity that I had last time!

Hi everyone so much to catch up on again have only just about done this new thread this morning. Very excited that things are moving on!

Delia I was feeling really down for ages but have turned a corner now am in last week of work - that said it doesn't take much to set me off again - not feeling like making any decisions/being flexible - just want to get in my nest and wait out this baby! I do think extreme tiredness makes you like this and as someone just said you sleep much better once the baby is born even if in smaller snatches - if you add the hours up you can find you have managed 8 hours in 2 hour intervals which can be better than a few hours in a whole night of massive bump discomfort!

I breast fed last time but said to DH last night that am seriously considering formula much earlier as am not looking forward to being the only one that can look after the baby - at least now with DD if she cries at night either of us can go - am starting to have cold sweats at the thought of being permanently on duty again (loving the "it's not a competition sign - am gonna use that one!)

d i dont think it gets any worse tbh,my level og discomfort has been the same pretty much throughout these last weeks,i find that doing less has helped lots and not being afraid to ask for help too.Its normal to get like this,when ihad 6 wks left i felt it was a life sentence,when it gets to 3wks left it seems close.
Well girls just had my pre op and had to be monitored again cos big bertha had a fast hb.Its ok now and im all set for thursday!I am so scared!I wish i could take you all with me.

Cantwait thanks for your words of encouragement. I think as I have 4 days this week I still feel like I'm not properly 'slowing down' (although better than 5!), but next week is 3 days, the week after only 2, then finished, so I am hoping I turn a corner soon too.

I think the sleep thing is also compounded by being at work as there is pressure to get enough sleep for work which in itself makes it even harder to sleep.

D

Oooh ledkr just read your post, and excited for you with Thursday approaching fast! Can't wait to read your updates.

(Plus things like that remind me we're all getting a bit closer each day, which helps me too!)

D