April 2011 - towards motherhood boucing on yoda balls, eating coc pops and riding frozen surfboards we are

[SnapFrakkleAndPop]

Raspberry leaf and all round.

Continuation from here. No Mofo C bombs yet been dropped in the delivery room although our first 2 babies have arrived. Congrats to gormers and Jo, we hope your little ones are still doing great.

Definitely call them! Best of luck x

cycle I would ring, my labours have all been like period pains with no other signs.

Oh Liv thank you so much for sharing that, well done & such lovely story for those of us who might also have to be induced. Although, I'd be about labouring on the ward and lack of antibiotics too.

Oooh Cycle I dunno - maybe wouldn't hurt to phone and see what they say??

Oh call them cycle

Cycle I agree with others, and would suggest you phone. Hopefully it is the onset of labour , perhaps now you are already on your way to hospital. Looks like my due date buddy may well beat me to it!

Diddly squat happening here. I think I may well end up being induced at term plus 12 as I was with dd. I've had absolutely no signs whatsoever that labour may be imminent. No increased discharge, no BH. Had mild lower backache this morning like a period but it settled after I was up and about.

Liv thanks for sharing your birth story. Actually v similar to my induction with dd albeit my pushing stage lasted 2 1/2 hours. Gives me hope that if i am induced again the 2nd stage will hopefully be a lot quicker. Fig rolls are a fantastic breast feeding snack too!

off to try and sleep but fully expect to be up every hour, groaning and grunting as I haul myself over to alternate sides, to finally give up and attempt to sleep sitting up.

Lets hope some more babies put in an appearance overnight.

x-posts Liv your birth story sounds pretty positve all things considered, although not sure I'd have been too chuffed that DH was sent home but at least he was there for the main event and got to cut the cord!

Love DS picking the name Poppy! DSS says, whenever he's asked, that our baby should be called 'white'!! Not quite sure how we're going to work that into an appropriate name....

Cycle Good luck tonight if things do progress and will look forward to hearing of another new arrival soon!! :)

Really enjoyed reading your birth stories, Petal and Liv, they're fascinating. ali you sound really blue. Are you ok? Good luck, cycle, hope this is it for you!

Uneventful day here today. Drawers built and a mammoth risotto cooked, portioned and frozen.

Got to be up at 7.30 to make my 38wk appointment tomorrow, so really ought to get some sleep. Goodnight, Aprilites!

Ooo Cycle fingers crossed for you that this is it and we'll have some more baby news soon!

Liv thank you for sharing your birth story, induction is a possibility I've been sticking my head in the sand about so it's good to know that it's not always as terrible as the ones I've heard about. Also, your DS has a very good taste in names

I'm knackered but can't sleep tonight, which is very annoying as for once I'm not in any real pain with my hips (as yet!). I'm resorting to the tried and tested Horlicks in the hope that it gets me sleepy (and Little Insect who after been fairly quite since Saturday is making up for it tonight!).

Morning all.
Looking forward to hearing some more baby news today.

Thanks for your story Liv, it is fascinating to compare notes.

Had a rough night in new-baby land last night. Feeding constantly from 10pm-3am, Felix crying inconsolably, leading to me in tears not knowing what to do and wishing we weren't in this mess. Then feeling guilty for even thinking it. I suppose this is the shape of things to come. After 3 hours sleep, I've got my yummy snuggly boy back, and I'm feeling pretty bad about last night. Please tell me it gets easier. x

Aw Petal is does get easier, but those middle of the night dark times are no fun.

Liv - thanks for your story :)

Lots of sore aches last night but come to nothing this morning. I have played on my Contraction timer app though so know how that works at least.
DH back late tonight then only working locally for a good few weeks so baby can come anytime from tonight. Plus I want to try and make one last orchestra rehearsal this evening

Petal with DD I was a crazy lady up all night with feeding every 20 mins. DP wasn't there (long story) so I ended up phoning labour ward in floods of tears 2 nights in a row. It does get easier though. I found the first 10 days the toughest then things pick up. Make sure you're asking for help and take advantage of every opportunity to go back to bed and sleep. You're doing everything right. Don't doubt yourself for a minute.

Aw Petal it does get easier I promise. I know you can feel really alone in the middle of the night with a screaming baby that just wants feeding constantly. At first they do seem to feed all night but it's because the prolactin hormone I think has a peak at night, and suckling stimulates production. I found dd slept more during the day than at night at first, but after a while it reversed. keep going you are doing a grand job. Sleep when baby sleeps and don't be afraid to turn away visitors if you are feeling knackered. Accept all offers of help too. I found it helped to have a bath every evening, even if it was just for 10mins. I shut the bathroom door and handed dd to DH. Its important to just get that little bit of time to yourself as you feel totally consumed by the baby completely depending on you. Keep posting. We're all in this together (or at least will be if this bloomin baby ever decides to put in an arrival!)

Wonder if there is going to be any news from cycle ?
Ali how are you?

Ow Ali, the highs and lows of the baby pinks and baby blues are tough. Remember you've had surgery to add into the equation too. Try not to feel too guilty about your last few weeks with ds before the baby arrived, you do wat you have to do to get through it, in its own way looking after a toddler when pregnant is tough too.

It does get better Pet I promise you, but also you do get used to the disrupted sleep. NOTHING can prepare you for looking after a baby for the first time. I remember being completely shocked with the relentlessness of it all with ds1. I would phone my sister up and cry down the phone 'he doesn't sleep, all he wants to do is feed'.

My sisters response? 'er yes, that's what they do.'.

I think we have somehow been conditioned and led to believe that you feed every four hours and inbetween that time they sleep and you have time to nap, cook and do the housework It was my sisters comment that was the turning point for me, I accepted that it was going to be tough and just rolled with it for a few weeks/months. We lived on takeaways and the house wasn't clean. But tough shit, my emotional (and mental!) health and the baby's well being came first. I sat on my arse watched a lot of tv and fed a lot.

Then as the weeks and months passed I realised how much easier it had all become. DS started to sleep for longer stretches and most importantly I became more confidant in parenting - and I think that only really comes with time.

Great story Liv

DS off to pre-school this morning, so I'm going to be living it up doing the housework and making a huge ragu sauce to freeze. Then off to see the Osteopath at lunchtime. As per usual, it's all rock and roll in my house!

I think ILTMIMI has put it perfectly. Once I realised that the early days were all about expecting to do nothing other than feed, cuddle and change explosive poos I had a much better time. Oh and eat the odd biscuit and cake whilst doing the feeds and cuddles. Ali hope today is a better day, it's such a rollercoaster you'll probably be feeling high as a kite today.

Loved reading your stories Liv and Petal, thanks for posting.

Weather very grim here today so perfect for batch cooking. Hooray! Thanks chilli for that cookie dough recipe, made some yesterday and it was delish.

Morning ladies :) Feeling a lot better today, mainly because we actually got some sleep! DS2 managed a whole 3 hours in his Amby, and then another 3 in with us but not needing to be on one of us so we have both slept. Lovely cuddles in bed this morning with both my little boys, DS1 is so delighted to have DS2 that I'm feeling considerably less guilty.
I think part of the problem is that I had PND that went undiagnosed for some months after DS1, and I have actually got quite a few blank spots from his babyhood. DH and I had a look through some photos last night and I had a good old sob, and we're going to get some albums made up to have around so that I can jog my memory and sort myself out.

Petal - it does get easier, I promise. 3am is a lonely place with a hungry baby and you the only one who can do anything about it.
You do just have to resign yourself to it and you'll realise that in a few weeks things are so much better. Be kind to yourself and eat plenty of cake

Morning! Ali and Petal Hope you are both enjoying your little ones today. It quite good to hear that it isn't always as we planned it out. As a first timer I'm approaching everything with blinkers on. My friends with DCs just give me a look when I say how I'm planning to feed every 3/4 hours with sleeps in between and my baby will be pre-programmed to do this! I have started to lower my expectations! I am quite happy to sit and eat cake feed all day for the first few months!

Cycle's been quiet since her request for advice! Ooh Exciting! Another baby could be here! Who'll be next? It was my friends EDD yesterday, so I'm going to visit with a pineapple this afternoon! She is totally fed up!

Quick question about movements. I know there isn't much room in there but should we still be counting them the same as before? I get really strong kicks every now and then but not as frequently as before. He still has his mad half hour in the evenings too. I'm not worried about it, but wondered this morning if I should be.

Cycle def sounds like things were starting for you so hopefully you're busy in hospital at the moment! Exciting stuff.

Petal it's bsolutely normal to feel this way. The nights are REALLY tough - I used to sit there in the nursery with two shrieking babies thinking that I was a) the only person in the world awake, and b) the only person with newborns who was making a total hash of it. My top tip is to accept that this is the next two weeks and make things as comfy as possible for yourself in the night. If you don't want to feed in bed then maybe set up a lovely nest for yourself in the sitting room. Leave a lamp on so that when you come down you don't have to set everything up - you've got a warm, low-lit room with some blankets and cushions and a box set/fave DVD ready to go. Have a pint of water beside your sofa and make sure you have a hot drink too. I found the nocturnal feeding marathons a lot more bearable if I was able to do it in comfort. Coming downstairs to a dark sitting room just felt so depressing and lonely. And remember, you won't be alone. Every woman in the country/world who was having their babies at the same time as you is currently wading through the long lonely night feeds. And in a couple of weeks this will be the rest of us and you'll be through the worse of it.

No sign here - the usual period pains and I'm not constipated any more but nothing explosive or dramatic. I've got a sweep this afternoon so it will be interesting to see if I'm 'favourable' or if everything is still closed to business. God knows. I'm due tomorrow.

Liv loved reading your birth story - glad you had a positive induction.

I'm afraid there's no exciting update from me, just more of the same which when I spoke to the midwife on the phone on Monday about she thought it was all fine.

I really enjoyed reading the about the births, well done and thank you!

I remember those night feeds with my first and feeling quite tired, it will not be forever and you are doing a good job!

Sounds like cycle may well be progressing, hope we get some happy news soon :)

Lis I'm experiencing less movements just now too, they must be resting up before the big day.

I'm spending most of the day tired trying to fight my eyes closing (can't nap during the day because of my active toddler) and at night BHs keep waking me.

The midwives agreed to arrange the equipment to come tomorrow instead when i told them about the lovely things that my body was doing, so that is at least something. Although I have been told that if I go into labour before 9am on Thursday then they will not come out to me at home. On the plus side at least i will have everything in place ready. Goodness after all this I hope I don't go overdue!

Tomorrow night I am going to see a Bollywood dance show as a last minute treat with a friend. I have no idea what I'm going to attempt to wear but I am looking forward to it so very much. I love dancing and miss it.

Frak hope your DH is safely returned and that you can relax a bit now :)

Lis I haven't been counting movements but have noticed that Little Insect tends to have a mad half hour or so each day and the rest is very quiet (compared with when it had more room!) apart from the odd limb suddenly sticking out of my side! I've also noticed that it will have a busy day followed a couple of much quieter days, then another busy one. It's been that sort of pattern for a couple of weeks but if you're at all worried I'd get checked rather than stress and worry.

Kits thanks for the tip about leaving a lamp on downstairs over night, I like the idea of keeping things cosy without faffing around and I realised after last nights nocturnal pottering that my living room isn't all that easy to navigate in the dark!

Well, the Horlicks didn't work and I was up until 3am, on the plus side I did get my sewing machine working so it wasn't a complete waste of a night despite the lack of sleep!

Beetle views pile of newly hemmed reusable wipes with pride<

I've also lost a bit of my mucus plug this morning, I've never been so happy to see something so snot like in my knickers before! MW this afternoon (the appt she didn't think I'd make it to) so hopefully she'll be able to tell me if things are really starting to move.

Congrats to lowra, Ali and Liv and Ulysses for their lovely new babies!

Well, after nearly a week's stay in the hospital I'm now back at home which is a relief... They managed to find the right medication to bring my blood pressure down + my bloods were fine so it seems it wasn't PE but pregnancy-induced high blood pressure. I have to go back to the hospital tomorrow for more tests but am hoping I won't be admitted again if my bp is in acceptable limits. The problem for the last few days was that it was up and down quite drastically so they said I could have a stroke, not nice...But it seems to have levelled out now to 145/95 so am hoping it stays that way and I can be at home until the birth.

Despite being at home I'm feeling so down at the moment :( Our little cat went missing a week ago when I was in hospital, DH didn't want to tell me before I got discharged tho as he knew how upset I'd be about it. We both love our cats so much. We've put posters everywhere + called the local shelters and vets....just hoping he's ok and some kind person will find him and take to the vets and they'll scan his chip. Im trying to keep positive as I know cats can go missing for weeks at a time but it's hard as it's never happened before with our ones :( His sister is missing him lots too & following me everywhere and meaowing in a sad manner which just breaks my heart...

Another worry is the presentation scan to see if baby's still in breech & a meeting with the consultant tomorrow to discuss the birth. I'm really hoping to get a date for the section there and then but we'll see...I'm feeling so stressed now, not knowing whether I'll have the section or not is hell. I've been preparing for it for the past 10 weeks so if we find out the baby's turned and I'll have a natural labour instead will just send me into a panic mode, not least as what's to stop him turning back to breech again, especially as he's been in that position for the last 10 weeks? My friend had an undiagnosed natural breech birth with no time for pain relief and it was sheer hell.

Sorry about all the negativity and gloom, it's just all feeling a bit too much at the moment. I think the BP meds are also to blame as they're making me drowsy and tired. Hoping the next few weeks will go fast and soon I'll have a healthy baby boy and the cat will find his way home too!

Ali, sorry to hear you've been feeling down too, I hope things are better for you today.

hi all, typing with one hand as conor is home!!!! SO amazing to have the small one here. What a ride that was.

petal i'm in the zone with you - it's pretty tough isn't it? i can't type much but wanted you to know that your not alone! i've done 5 nights and already feel like i am losing my mind. it WILL get easier.

big shout out to the April ladies x

Hugs sats so sorry ur having a time of it and so sad re ur cat :-(

Woo hoo Jo how exciting that Conor is home

I wonder how cycle is

I had my 36 mw appt this am. All is well. Head is down. Blood pressure spot on. And my irons gone up. Yay.

Aww JoEW that's lovely that you finally have Conor at home with you! I imagine it must have been difficult to have your baby but not have him with you for a while to begin with. Hope everythings going well now you're home and settled.

Glad you're home too sats and hope you get to stay there until the big day arrives! I know how you feel about your cat, one of mine went missing once and never returned, it was so sad not knowing what happened to him. I have another cat now which currently resides with my parents as DP is allergic, this combined with the fact that she's a lot little bit wild means she'll never be coming back to live with me :( don't think my parents are too keen to keep her either but are tolerating her for the time being! As much as she's a little bugger I would hate for anything to happen to her.

and yay for losing a bit of plug! Hope your MW appt goes well :)

Your bollywood show sounds like fun arch I have a hen do the day before my EDD!! My friend is still expecting me to make an appearance but I haven't the foggiest what I'm gonna turn up in since the theme is tartan!!! Hopefully babyWajs has popped before then and I don't need to go!

Kits Hope your cervix is favourable this avo and your sweep goes well :)

Lis My MW is still sticking to the "count 10 movements per day" rule whenever I have mentioned reduced movements. BabyWajs has good and bad days, some she never stops and others she's a lot quieter but I'm still feeling enough most days I think. They have obviously changed a bit recently due to the fact that there's less room now and are more like shoulder barges than actual kicks or punches.

Ali Glad you're feeling a bit better today, I can only imagine that sleep deprivation is the worst form of torture! I am used to working nightshift so hoping that might stand me in good stead for night feeds etc but I guess you never can tell!

Have also downloaded a contraction timer app to my phone this morning JKS although there's actually not that much to it just a stop and start button and a bit that stores each one!! Bit disappointed really, although not quite sure what I was expecting!!

Not much to report here, still getting the constipated pain now and again but nothing else otherwise. Posted a bump picture on my profile for anyone that wants to look. Fuzzy headedness of yesterday is gone and hopefully never returns!!

Ahh congrats Jo must be wonderful to finally have your baby boy at home :)