Button, squats are supposed to be good for childbirth and piles too so definitely worth a try, just don't go down too far!
Looking at the weights I've put 14-20th May as my guesstimate of when she'll come which is when she'll be the weights of the other two. I hate it when people moan about pregnancy and want the baby out this early but because of everything I'm going through the sooner now the better for me. I've been having strong contractions all night but then I have been for awhile and it's difficult because I don't want to rush up for them to stop and end up being kept in another two nights and I don't want to leave it too late so I'm constantly on alert - at least now though with a full course of steroids I don't need to rush because there's not a lot they will do.
Total sympathy with the nail! You never realise how much they hurt until you do it. At the start of my pregnancy, before I knew I was pregnant, I slammed my thumb in the car door and broke it just above the crescent! It's only recently grown out although you can still see the bottom of where I had an acrylic put on as a plaster. I have to use the trolley for support too, so the crutches get flung in the basket. My local Tesco doesn't have any scooters which are a life saver when you get them! I found out that baby seat trolleys are brilliant when things are bad. I cross my arm across the seats and lie on them. I only found this out as we met OH once and the girls wanted to get down to him, so I lay on the seats as I was in too much pain to stand up.
Twit, glad to hear you're taking them regular - remember, it's not pain relief, it's medication for your PGP! If it doesn't work taken like that then try upping it to co-codamol. It's to do with the fact it takes awhile to kick in so you end up with ups and downs in the pain whereas if you take it regularly it will give you a consistent level of numbed pain. Natural birth is absolutely the best way to deliver for PGP - if there are no other considerations, obviously. Staying mobile, keeping upright etc will all help. Also knowing your limits as some women find the pain of labour/ birth can overshadow the PGP and they forget their limits and end up in a lot of pain later on. Because they're going through the major core muscles you don't have those muscles at full strength to pull you back together after a section.
It's been awhile since I looked at birth positions with PGP. Lying on your side is good if you need to slow things down though. If you've got a physio they can talk to you about positions, if not ask to speak to one otherwise ask your MW.
cara, I find sucking Kendall helps if you can get it and can stand it - I've got some now for that reason, sadly my last bar so need to find some more!
stan, sections aren't like that for everyone. I spent a week on my back having to call the MWs and nurses to sit me up and pass me my baby because I could barely move. I still managed to burst my stitches. When I went home I kept her inside my clothes so I didn't have to rely on anyone and spent most of the time in bed. It's one of the reasons that I've had PGP for 6.5 years. A natural birth is better for the recovery of the woman and child, it is also a lot safer. They're great when needed (and I did need them, my difficult recovery is better than the alternative) but if they're not needed then it's far better (safer and healthier to both) to deliver naturally - especially when the mother has PGP.
Eglu, YOU will deliver the baby, anyone else is just the catcher. You've done it before you know what you're doing. If the baby comes then get him/her onto your chest for skin to skin and breastfeed. The cord doesn't need to be cut, but if you deliver the placenta put it in a bowl above the baby's belly button. Breastfeeding will help the placenta and the afterbirth pains. If a woman passed out in the middle of a field miles from anywhere with no one to help her, between her body and the baby everything would be sorted. If you're worried ask for a note to be put in the front of your file or for it to be entered onto the Alert Sheet that you are a rapid delivery and they need to get straight to you.
Jimmy, have you tried Ina May? It's a brilliant book, can sound a little extreme at times but that's because it's written for the American birth model. Another one I like is The Water Birth Book, even if you're not having a water birth it goes into so much detail about how the body works and why that I found it really helpful. DVD that'll get interesting reactions from your OH is Orgasmic Birth (some scenes are on YouTube)!
You can squat with the help of different things, such as holding onto the side of a bed or table (if you're planning to be home) or even getting him to hug you under your arms and take your weight. All fours has a similar effect too. Don't go in with the idea you will do this position or that one, allow your body to lead you it knows better.
I don't think IIRC I've even gained a stone - they measure in kg so I'm not sure.
Really fed up tonight, more contractions and very wiggly baby. I'm sure she was breech earlier but my bump has dropped this evening so I think she's back to head down.
Had bit of a scary night last night. Was woken by a bang and a scream - one of those classic it was my scream that woke me moments! The support for the slats on my side of the bed broke in half and came away from the bed on the bottom half. I couldn't move because the small of my back was supported but from my bottom down I wasn't. I felt like a car on the edge of a cliff, if I moved it made it worse but I needed to move to escape. Eventually OH managed to pull me up and we went downstairs to sleep on the sofas. Been in a lot of pain with the back today and struggling to stand up straight some of the time. Mum is really upset because she bought it for us last weekend from someone she knew and feels she should have checked it better. They're on holiday or Dad would have been over to fix it so another night on the sofa. OH's stepdad is coming over on Wednesday to fix it for us.
We've been home a week now and I'm amazed at the difference. I'm so much calmer and handling my eldest better, she's in a better mood, sleeping better so much that her asthma has improved! No fights at bedtime, she's not asking for DVDs and finding other excuses not to go to sleep. She's over slept every single morning! OH is driving me mad at the moment though, but we've not been together for six months so we're getting used to each other again.