Charters Anonymous Graduates Volume 2! – No more temping!

[Iwish]

A nice cosy place to accommodate our growing bumps and little wrigglers.

Spilt I should imagine labour this time will be quite a different experience. Normally waters are clear although sometimes with some meconium. Your contractions will carry on after full dilution as that is what gets the baby out. You will only push when you have a contraction. But there will be some similarities too. You have to think of it as a different situation with an entirely different outcome. But think you will be better prepared for it having gone through your labour with Bobbie.

Spilt my waters were clear,. they just disappeared... in the bath i think!! No idea where they went!! 3 crochet hooks and 3 diff internals later neither did the consultants lol. They can be a bit discoloured though i think. Agree with LG it will be very different but you will still be able to use your experience. Could be you have very short labours,some do..? Did you have any pain relief at all? I suspect it was all a bit surreal, you were grieving too.

I cant seem to remember anything!! At all... ! Cant take fish oil this time,, was my saving grace last time!!

Congrats to the team pinkies!! BTW... still stuck on names :( DS and DH fave for a girl is scarlet... :( reminds me of harlot!! still nowt for a boy, like Corey though.

Absolutely exhausted.... bed now night xxx

Re. hypnobirthing Getdown, I think the trepidation is just because I'm a really no nonsense kind of person and I haven't yet convinced myself that hypnobirthing uses anything different to the kind of 'hypnosis' Derren Brown uses...I'm doing lots of reading though and beginning to come round. (DH jokes that because I'm a Christian I'm not no nonsense at all )

I love Scarlet Nickster - especially if there's any chance she'd be a red head! I knew a family of red heads whose kids were called Saffron, Blaze, Rufus and Leo. Amazing

Spilt did you have counselling after your last labour? I hope that's not too personal a question - I don't mean to pry. I just wonder whether it would be helpful to talk to someone (is there such a thing as a 'grief specialist midwife'?) in advance of this labour so you don't spend it feeling scared because it's the same as/different to last time?

Ladies, I'm panicking a bit, I just fell down the stairs. I landed on my bum so hoping it will be ok. Worried though. :(

Oh MrsP poor you Try not to panic. Have you got any crampy pains at all? Any bleeding? If you landed on your bum you should be fine. I think this happened to LadyG too ... (?) Remember the baby is cushioned in a tough fluid filled membrane and is sheilded from knocks and bangs. A friend of mine had a car accident whilst pregnant, and although her bump was bruised from the force of the seat belt, baby was absolutely fine.

Call midwife if worried. Hugs xx

Thank you getdown. Everything seems to be ok so far, the thing that hurts the most is my toe which is quite random! You're right about LadyG I think. Must be more careful from now on.

Hi MrsP - yup, exactly that happened to me. I think (although can't properly remember was around 20 weeks). I just slipped on the stairs and fell on my bum. Everything was fine - I had a doppler so checked heartbeat myself but do call the midwife if you are worried. Is horrible though - I also had a big fall when we were on holiday. Slipped down one step, went flying in the bar and literally landed on a poor woman who was sitting minding her own business having a drink. Pretty much rugby tackled her! All was fine by the way.

My SiL had her baby this morning, a week overdue and has called her little girl...Scarlett. Is a lovely name and one I considered myself but wouldn't work with DS who is called Will...

And in other news, we finally have a move date . Two weeks on friday, whoo hoo!

Thanks ladies for your comments on labours etc. I think I could do with a sort of debrief of last time so will talk to my MW and see if we can book a time to go through it. I think I need to understand properly exactly what happened that day and what might happen this time, to help me cope with it all. Hopefully that is a normal sort of thing to ask for and she will be able/willing to help.

nix I had a shot of morphine in the hip right at the end about 9 contractions before my waters went. As I say there was then nothing after that so it was a pointless thing to have with hindsight. I really hated the sedated effect. That kicked in just after the birth and I was half asleep for the next two hours and really didn't want to be. As I understand, pethidine is a close relative of morphine and also a strong sedative so I plan to avoid that.

MrsP ouch. Hope your bum is feeling ok. I'm sure your baby is ok in there, GD is right, she is very well protected, but can only imagine how terrifying it is. Do phone someone if you would feel better for a check up.

Congratulations on your new niece Lady, I love the name Scarlett.

The wretched cat has just brought us another bird . Poor thing squawking away.

Thanks ladies, feeling better about it now. I think just the shock of it sent me into a panic! I felt her wriggling while I was eating my dinner which seems to be the daily routine so all seems well.

Great news re the move LadyG!

Ooh, I hate it when the cat brings in a bird spilt. They make such a mess. Ours is more of a mouse cat but she likes to bring them into the bedroom while we're sleeping, aaargh!

too tired to realise may have caused offence... oops! not meant x

I like the name Scarlett with two T's.. and its the top of the list at the min for the boys.. (Congrats on the birth of Scarlett for LG's SIL ) I was actually joking about Harlot... but its what i think they will get called at school. I like Lexie, but will it be shortened to sexy lexie... ? Anyway, scarlet wouldnt work with our surname, too much like charlotte...which i like but just not with the surname!! Mrs P sorry you fell, hopefully everything is ok, am sure it will be.

Spilt diamorphine is a derivative of heroin and i shant be going there again... lol...know what you mean about moggs... took 3 mice of my big boy cat the other day... every day i come down to entrails :(

I am getting very achy tummy. baby nestling v low down in pelvis i think, keeps booting me in the bladder and making me wee myself.... but starting to hurt now :(

YEY on the house move date LG x

Bleurgh to entrails, Nix . No offence caused! I knew a lot of Charlotte's at school and very few were ever accused of harlotry so unless particularly slutty in teenage years should be fine.

I really don't fancy Pethidine or anything like that. I was spaced out even before had even had gas and air. And I'd worry too much about effect on baby.

Has baby engaged yet, Nix? Mine is head down but head still very mcuh free floating. But I read second babies don't tend to engage til late anyway. In fact MiniG didn't really engage properly til in labour anyway. Apparently my pelvis is roomy (!) (nice way of saying fat arse?) so I guess no need to settle in til last minute.

MrsP hope you're feeling ok today? I keep scaring myself by forgetting how big my bump is and standing too close to doors when I open them, meaning that I regularly whack myself in the bump! Figure there's a lot of me between the door and the baby though and I'm sure the same is true for a fall. (By which I don't mean to imply anything about the size of your bum!!)

Hope everyone's well today. I've had a day off and have spent most of it wrestling with our new buggy. It doesn't like me - I predict a good couple of years of swearing in car parks in the pouring rain...

ah god it would seem that with my pg brain i am quite incapable of communicating these days... Cant have charlotte because webb is surname!!! Charlotte Webb...!! Like the book :) thats what i mean.. nowt harlotty about charlotte pmsl Thats why i said i couldnt have scarlet because its too similar to Charlotte. But i actually like Scarlett with two tts - However mother would freak. Apparently my elder male cousin is a right ARSE and his daughter is scarlet and mother hates him LOL!

Lady i have no clue whether engaged or not, my next check isnt til 36 weeks. Getting a LOT of low down aching... but keeps swimming round i think and nestles v low down in pelvis anyway. Keep getting booted in the bladder and it makes me leak then the next day it will be kicking elsewhere.... DS was in a funny position curled up like a snail for the entire pg and i think i have a wide womb that causes it... as i get kicks over by my hip bones bizarrely but very few up top.

I would definately not advise anyone to have diamorphine. I didnt research and i was offered it and took it, and it worked, but what they dont tell you is that you lie back like a heroin addict in enforced relaxation.. the pain relief wears off and the spaced out-ness doesnt. If i get that bad again i will just have an epidural straight away. As soon as i had one last time it calmed me down and i relaxed. I was raving on gas and air..... No two labours are ever the same... and god i really hope that to be the case

Still no idea about names :(

I know what you mean about banging the bump pippa and misjudging gaps! I am doing the same The other annoying thing is that my belly button is now protruding to such an extent that it catches on things Such as my bag strap - ouch! DD also knocked my belly button the other day and it was agony!!

I see what you mean now about the trepidation re. the hypnobirthing. I'm like you in that I'm a bit cynical, and take quite a biological approach to things, am certainly not of the mind that you can "think yourself out of pain" in some kind of hippy, tree-hugging way. But it seems that there is a lot of science to hypnobirthing and the hypnosis itself is not scary or weird like some of those tacky stage shows, but is actually just a state of supreme relaxation and control over your state of mind Sorry you are strugging with your new buggy Don't worry you will get the hang of it. Before you know it you'll be slinging it over one shouler, having folded it with one hand and juggled a baby with the other whilst carrying shopping Trust me.

Glad you've got a move date LadyG That's exciting! Glad to hear you have a gorgeous new niece.

spilt don't really know the answers to your questions about labour and whether you would have fully dilated to deliver Bobbie... but you're right you should have a debrief and def talk it all through with the midwife. I had two doses of morphine last time. It made me vomit and feel generally awful. Not to mention making DD sleepy and hard to feed for the first 3 days. I will definitely be avoiding this time at all costs.

nix you make me smile re. the name! Don't think anyone took offence. We all like different names and that's a good thing in my book. I am still totally stuck for boys' names. Eeek! We have reached a bit of a stalemate DH and I!

I keep getting period type pains - do you think these are Braxton Hicks? I never felt them with DD Weird thing is that my belly doesn't go particularly hard when I'm having the pains, so don't know if this can be contractions or not??

Oh by the way ladies, I have discovered a way to wake baby up..... PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISES

GetDown yes I get intermittent period pains, esp if I have just exerted myself a bit (like walking faster) and wondered if it could be BH too. Not sure though. Like you say my bump doesn't really go hard - a little tough near the base perhaps but that's about it.
I'm about half way through the hypnobirthing book for the second time and was trying to practice sleep breathing. Kept ending up with racing heart due to ballsing up breathing entirely and getting out of puff/over oxygenated alternately! Then I fell asleep, but when I woke up realised that the natural breathing when half asleep is exactly what the book describes. Think I might be getting the hang of it now...
In a couple of days I shall progress to trying slow breathing.

How nice to have a roomy pelvis Lady! I'm not hoping for engagement just yet (30 weeks now) but would be lovely if she would go Head Down please! Once we're home (staying at PILs this weekend) I shall be pumping up my birth ball again and try and get her turned, but first need to locate the puncture and fix it. Cats got to it last time...

pippa yup I do that to. I get stuck in doorways when I part open a door and try and squeeze through. Feel a prat. Mind you, I still haven't learnt the lesson of puberty that I have hips - I am forever assuming I am waist width all the way down and walloping my hip of the corner of the kitchen counters etc. I have been doing this for years now.

And break out the party poppers, I have finished work!!!

Hi there spilt congrats on finishing work!! You will be properly in the "nesting zone" now. I am already stressing out DH by going into mega-preparing mode. It's probably partly the boredom free time since I gave up my job . I sorted through loads of DD's babygros today and folded them all up neatly in little piles according to Newborn, 0-3 months etc. (which is plainly ridiculous as they all need a wash again before baby makes an appearance!!)

Yes the period-y pains are weird aren't they? I still find them slightly worrying, although I am sure they are normal. The other day I had a horrible scary moment where I had the pains, went to the loo and thought I saw blood in the toilet. Thankfully it wasn't blood but it was a heart-stopping moment for a fraction of a second

I know what you mean about the sleep breathing being difficult to master. I just can't seem to get it right. I get breathless too, and find it hard to see how it could ever feel relaxing I think it does get better with practise though. For example the slow breathing I have def got better. When I first tried it there was no WAY I could count to 20 and still be breathing in, but now I can do it. Just need to work on the breathing out bit now Also the book says to breathe out through your nose and definitely not your mouth, but I don't understand this as I find I can control the out breath much better when I breathe out through my mouth. I met my hypnobirthing teacher at the weekend at a free event they were running and she seemed really nice Start our course a week tomorrow.

Tomorrow I have my next monthly appointment with the mother and baby psychiatrist. Another morning of sitting around in the waiting room for an hour only to breeze in and say "Hi, I'm fine!!" Oh well!

Hypnobirthing class sounds good, Getdown. We did a free taster one where we were doing the trying to breathe in for 20 and out for 20 thing. Need to practise also. But I'm also doing the Natal Hypnotherapy CD's which I think really were helpful last time. Wasn't painful at all until about 8cm and then because DS was asynclitic and got stuck.

Fab that you have finished work, Spilt. I'm doing a 3 day week this week, an 3 days next week then that is it! I'm definitely ready to go - physically and mentally just feeling knackered now.

I'm sure the right name will come eventually, Nix. Until then you can always call them Baby Anon. We're still undecided on boys name. Might have to wait until we can see what he/she looks like when out.

The new niece was gorgeous! Feeling very broody now . Just as well really!

OK so which hypnobirthing CD should i buy?
any pointers would be helpful... will order today as working from home.
Very jealous of those finishing work. My last date was supposed to be 1/7/11 but they have very foolishly taken very long to find my replacement so i have offered to work from home for another week - with no travelling... provided they come to me and its on my terms....!

Worried about breech as well... i know am only 32 weeks but getting constantly booted in the cervix and fanjolina. Am not due to see MW until 36 weeks but i think am gonna book a check up this week. [and get out my ball!!] Really really dont want to have a section if i can avoid it, just purely for the recovery purposes...

I have the Effective Homebirth preparation one from here, Nix.

I had a hossie appt today and wasn't good. Had sugar in my wee and was measuring huge. So they did a growth scan - baby is estimated to weigh 6 and half pounds already. Considering am only 34 weeks. So they think i might have Gestational Diabetes. Having a Glucose Tolerance Test next Monday. But if positive I won't be allowed my homebirth . And could potentially be lots more complications.

Shit, lady :( but... better they know about it? and can sort it? Can they sort it? I know nothing about gest diabetes, sorry.

Well, hoping it not positive. But if it is will have to manage it with no sweet stuff/simple carbs in diet. Test blood for sugar pre and post every meal. If not managed by diet could be other medications or insulin. Plus a host of possible complications for the baby. Really hope it isn't an I coincidentally have grown a massive baby. Can't see that they can do that much since I should deliver in under 6 weeks anyway.

I will be washing the 0-3 month babygrows tonight in any case

aah bless... am sure it will turn out negative xx FX. some people just have larger robust babies :) I know someone who was scheduled for a section recently for a very large little girl... but when she arrived she was two pounds lighter than they said...!! They arent always right. Heres hoping its a neggie and everything turns out to be ok xx

Yey Spilt on finishing work! I don't officially start maternity leave until September, but I have 4 weeks left of term (so I get a cheeky 8 weeks 'free' :) )

Lady hope you're feeling ok :( Like you say, you might just be growing a big baby. I think it's more and more common these days - I know a few people who've had 9lb/10lb babies with no health problems. I'm having the blood glucose test next week too as my Dad has diabetes, so fingers crossed for both of us but if it's positive, at least we won't be in it alone!

Good luck for yours too, Pip. Mine is on Monday. I'm not very hopeful though as have been really thirsty too which have read is a symptom. And very of the early start to maternity leave.

Only got 5 more working days to go, mind you!

Sorry to hear about your appointment Lady I really hope it doesn't turn out to be GD for you. I agree with nix that they are often wrong with guesstimating weights - and often very wrong too. Not long till you finish work now... hang in there! Glad to hear that hypno stuff helped you last time around. That is encouraging to hear. Looking back I think I seemed so unprepared for the labour last time - even though I had done NCT classes. I knew a lot about labour, but not really much about how I should behave / cope / strategies for getting through it. Hopefully this time will be different!

nix I haven't got the CD yet as the hypnotherapy lady is bringing it when we start our first session. But I think it's called something like "Rainbow Relaxation"? Not sure if you can get it on Amazon, but worth a search to see if it's available. Hope your baby is not breech, but remember there is still plenty of time for the little munchkin to turn so don't worry about it just yet. Good idea to get the birth ball out. I was also told to spend at least 5-10 mins a day on my hands and knees (this does not mean I can scrub the kitchen floor though )

Waves to pippa hope your test for GD comes back ok too. How are you doing now? Just a count down till end of term I bet! That's great you can be paid for the whole summer hols!

I sent off my application for maternity allowance. Really looking forward to having a little money coming in again!!