due in dec 05- one down....were off!!

[ei23mummy]

almost time for us to be startin our postnatal thread ladies...
one of our number has popped who'll be next to go?? dya think we should take bets?? now were all at at least 34 weeks it could be any one of us...take a wild guess!!

HIya all,snow,wow,where are you?DD will be 3 a wk on monday,but her party will be a wk sunday....so it better not start on either of these days,cant miss her party or her bday.....
Hows ur day going scully,any surprizes in store for you?

Hi all, Am feeling abit more rational this morning. I apologise for venting on here AGAIN. My life really does feel like an episode of eastenders at the moment and i know that if i thought about it all rationally i wouldnt react the way i am BUT rational thought is completely beyond me at the moment.
Dh and i didnt speak at all last night and i was up till 3am with really strange feelings in my legs. They were so restless and painful and i really found it hard to breath. Ended up pacing the hallway until alex moved into a better position then ended up sleeping propped almost upright on a pile of pillows BUT i did get about 5 hours sleep and feel better for it today.
Really am fed up with being pregnant. I want my baby, I want her in my arms, I desparately need that physical contact that she can offer me. DS really isnt into cuddles at the moment and DH never is! I really think being on my own all day is doin my head in but am trying not to drive unless i really have to! No snow here yet but its blooming freezing!

Eb,
I live in Ireland.. It was lovely looking out the window this morning !! Mind you it will be gone by the time i get home!! Isnt it early for snow!

Question: Are you ladies going to use pain relief during labour and if yes what kind?

Bonkers,
Would you go for a short walk, always clears my head.. Or call to a friend for coffee.. Vent away i think were all at that stage where we just want it to be over and start enjoying out bundles..

Morning all - not much happening here today - think I may have a snooze.

Minnie - just wanted to say about pain relief - if my last birth is anything to go by I will stick with gas and air. Perhaps if things drag on and get too painful I'll try pethadine but I will def try and avoid an epidural. Mainly because I can't stand the odea of having to keep still for so long and I hate the thought of having a needle in my spine. Plus, I want to be out of hospital and home asap so the less drugs the better.

S/H,
Have been thinking the same myself, I am really nervous about the epidurel, I have had the pethadine with the d&c and found that good..

Im thinking wont know till it happens kinda thing..

well back from MW bubs is measuring slightly big for my 35 weeks so i have to go to consultant next week... as i am suffering terrible with SPD the MW says i may need to be induced early (maybe just a week) in order i can have a 'normal' delivery, wont know for def till i see the consultant, also she wants me to have a scan as shes not 100 % that head is down so lots of fun times to be had when i go to hospital next week! BP normal and no protiens so i dont have to worry about the size of my ankles and hands though ( they have ballooned) just need to rest and put my feet up, think i can manage that!
As far as pain relief, i really dont know, with this being my first i am inclined to want to do just gas and air have been advised against having an epidural (SPD) so will have to suffer some kind of pain!!

Am with you SH on the snooze front, am going to make a date and walnut loaf ( PIL coming tomorrow) then its feets up and eyes shut!!

I am the biggest needle phobic in the world and when i had DS my only thing on my birth plan was NO EPIDURAL! That didnt happen and after being induced the pain was unbelievable so was told i had no other option but an epidural. I was terrified of moving but it took no time at all to be put in and i managed to sleep for a while too! This time round the only thing i was certain of was i would have an epidural!!

ditto with the freezing comment, just went out for lunch and it's not windy, just bitterly cold! no surprises yet but I did see an email about something happening at 3pm, so something to look forward to
I had a c-section last time, but regards the needle bit, also found the spinal block no probs to have done and didn't take that long to wear off either. Going in with an open mind this time round, with my trial labour - haven't ruled anything out

It was the anti-natal class that has put me off the epidurel, but i really think i have to be open minded..

O pretty please can i have an easy birth i have just gone and jinxed myself hav'nt I!!!!

Going to go home and put on a huge fire.. i would love to pop open a bottle of wine but i think a cuppa and a box of chocs with make up for that!

hey ladies, back home from funeral, which was FREEZING! tiny smattering of snow everywhere and that icey wind that blows right thro you.
boiler will not be fitted this weekend, can you believe it?!, but NEXT weekend. my comments to the poor man that had to tell me were rather unladylike. seems one heck of alot of broken boilers now everyones put their heating on, and lots of boilers out of stock. never mind. will add more heaters to my now growing collection and this will become a story to tell the baby when its older!!
the funeral was so sad and cold I thought i was going to go into labour there and then....massive BH that caused me to sit down suddenly............. i was so thinking PLEASE not now...-can you even imagine?!
scully bless your dd on knowing its head down now. how cute.
george, have started to take hot water bottle around with me....youre right its great!
minnie, i dont really do pain relief. ....more for the fact i am scared and hate the side effects of just about all of them. water works well for me- getting in it I mean.... gas and air makes me spinny and feel drunk/sick. never tried anything else. just aiming to get the baby out quick!!LOL

God I'm terrified - just relised (duh) that I'll be giving birth some time in the next 2 weeks - I really really wish there was another way out!

Hi all,

Not been on for a few days so this post may be a bit lengthy.

OK if you remember George has lost weight at every weigh in since being born and everyone was starting to get a little concerned so DH and I decided to stop Breast feeding and go onto the bottle, well I am pleased to say that George was weighed on Wednesday and has put on 3 and a half ounces he is very nearly back to his birth weight and considering that weight gain was in 48 hours I really don't think that breast was best for my little one. The MW also said that he was like a totally different boy so bright and alert. I was soooooo proud

Also his cord has dropped off mush to DH's suprise when he changed his nappy it was very funny, and yesterday we went and registerd my little boy as George Nicholas Nii-Koi Ashie and I will never forget how proud my DH looked when I told him he should sign the register.

I can not believe that I have had my son for 2 weeks now, at 8.08pm tonight 2 weeks ago he was born and it seems like just yesterday even after being in special care for a week, he is just so beautifull and amazing I expect you will all think the same as me when you pop but it really is strange to think that this little boy was inside me, I can't get my head round it properly, it's such a strange feeling.

On the subject of pain relief as some of you are I went with gas/air and pethadine and dealt OK with it until about 4.30pm when they said no more pethadine because birth was iminent I didn't think it could get any worse and then at about 6.30pm I started to push and OMG it can get worse, I will never forget the feeling when the head was being born it hurt so much I remember screaming out but the sensation was unreal I knew that this was it my baby and no matter how out of it I was or how much pain I was in I was enjoying it sounds weird I know but some of you may feel the same and then it was over the pain went away and my little boy was there staring at me with these big brown eyes.

I apologise if I sound all corny and gooey but I'm a new mummy I'm aloud

Come on girls I want you all popping in the near future and then we can swap birthing stories all the gorey details.

Look after those bumps because they won't be bumps for much longer

LOL sweetheart. anyday now.............no other way out...

flutter nice to hear from you,..am sure s/h will be keeping you company on the dec antenatal thread soon

Just a quick one,sh i know how you feel...will try and catch up tonight,sorry havent been around for a while xx

wow - going to be another quiet weekend here then huh!

OK, well I've been up to town today and stocked up on Raspberry leaf tea and arnica tablets - can you get them any stronger than 30c????

I also brought some lavender oil to go in the bath afterwards, any other dieas what might help with the healing process. Isn't salt water supposed to be good? Do you think you just stick ordinary table salt in the bath with you?

Is anyone doing perineal massage? I'd be really interested to here any views on this as I am really worried about tearing again. I found this much worse than the birth first time round!

So is there anything else I could/should be doing to prepare for the birth?

What about those cold compress things - I think it was DQ that was saying something about freezing sanitry towels?!?!?!?!?! What do I did them in first? Any ideas?

Hello all,
Didn't manage to get on here at all yesterday as DP was using the computer all morning then NCT and shopping in the afternoon and collapse in a heap in the evening

We have just covered pain relief at my classes. I've ordered my tens machine (well, it gives me something to do doesn't it!!) and I'd love to only have gas & air but I know what I'm like. First contraction I'll be screaming for an epidural!

SH, I've gone for Arnica 30c too - any idea when you start taking it? I've got my lavender too. You are right, it just doesn't seem enough somehow.

Gad you made it home from the funeral OK DQ but bad news about your boiler. Hope you aren't too cold.

Bonkerz, hope you are feeling better today. I'm with you on the weird leg feelings. Mine keep going to sleep and aching which wakes me up. Had a record wake up night last night. Woke up at least once every hour. Just tried to have a nap but my body is having non of it.

Hope everyone else is OK. Flutter, lovely to hear from you, we will be with you soon

george - You can start taking teh arnica whenever really - I started mine last week and will take it until a week or two after I give birth depending on what the birth is like. I took it with dd and it was fantastic!

HI all, why is it always so quiet here at weekends? It cant possibly be that we all have lifes away from mumsnet surely!!!
Thanks for all the thoughts and i again apologise for my ranting and venting on here. Feeling much better today! Managed to have a very honest chat with Dh this morning and it appears to have helped for now! I KNOW i am completely irrational at the moment and to be honest i scared myself over the past few days and really am worried i may be sinking into depression like i had a few years ago. Have midwife on Friday so will chat to her about how i feel because im worried how im gonna feel after the birth! On a positive note though Dh is aware of how im feeling and has promised to be more careful and sensitive for the next few weeks!
Finished all the christmas shopping today and am going to put tree up tomorrow, have written all my christmas cards and just need to post them in a week or so!
Am off to a rock concert on MOnday night in Nottingham to see Franz Ferdinand and am starting to think its not such a great idea!! Wonder what on earth Alex will think about it!!
Ok am gonna try get some sleep! (hahahahahahahahaha)

morning all
not made it onto thread for a few days but seems like its been quiet anyways..lol
Bonkerz I had a dream about you last night having baby on 5th dec but in a waterpool and it was a boyYou looked so pleased with yourself...yes for some reason I was actually there...lol

My friend had her baby on fri morning and it has started the panic in me as all the way through the pregnancy it was I dont have to worry till E has had her baby..lol We are also putting up our tree today as its only day dh will be around to help me until baby is born so need the help..lol Have been busy making cards and decorations etc with Adam this week which has been really lovely although been a bit emotional about how I wont be able to give this fab little boy as much attention as I do now.

Morning girls.
Was at the big London meetup last night which was fab.

hope you're all well.

I need to know what you lot have left to do / buy so I can feel calm or panicked, depending. Need to know how much of a kick D needs!

hiya peeps

well PIL have now gone! it wasnt to bad i guess, but DH doesnt exactly get on very well and i think their visit was more to say that they had been to see me whie i was pregnant ( they live in Devon) wasnt too many arguments or conflicts, but always is a strain wondering how they will wind him up next! Am now sitting in front of an open fire, all snuggly and warm!

Going to be getting my hospital bag ready this week,and also get me some raspberry leaf tea whats the arnica for, can anyone tell me??

Glad things are looking a bit brighter bonkerz hope you enjoy the concert, is it Rock City you are going to see Franz at, or the royal concert hall?? When i lived in Nottingham Rock City was my second home, god i miss it.....used to go there every thursday fri and sat night to get completely rocked out on some cool choons!! have had some wild times there i tell you anyway enjoy it!! am sure Alex will have a good time too...start them young thats what i say!

George did you order yout tens machine from your midwife or the antenatal class? I need to do it but not sure who i need to spk to?

lol SH , is there no other way out... i was saying the same thing to MIL, but alas, nope we have to go through it! Am clinging on the the thought that 'it will all be worth it in the end' or else so many woman wouldnt have gone through it!

Flutter i think its lovely to hear you go on about baby george, its so nice to hear how its going and how you are coping, seems like you are doing wonderfully well and it comes accross that DH is being a star also! Keep us informed, you can be my guru, when i need to know about anything after the birth you wiil be a few weeks on front so will know 'everything!!!!!' hehehe

Right might go for a nap, hope everyone is well , J

oh btw, TC if youve got any pics from your meet, put them on yahoo, would be cool to see another 'gaggle' of preggie women! Whereabouts in London did you all meet up? Did you have fun?

SH - The cold compresses were given to me at the hospital to pop in my knickers, I had a natural tear and was left to heal with no stiches and it helped hugely so if you do need stitches I can see it making all the difference. They were like very thin square sanitory towels that they poured witch hazel (ice cold from the fridge)on to, you then just popped themin your knickers. Some of the witch hazel will run down your legs and you may have a little wet patch when you get up but the feeling was unreal, I think I was very close to an addiction with the amount I was going through. Also make sure that you leave your normal towel in your knickers and just pop the cold compress on top. I'm sure if you bought some witch hazel and small pads you would be able to make these yourself just like on Blue Peter being in hospital for a week I had a never ending supply.

Feeling a bit low about Mumsnet at the moment, I think because I have popped so early I am stuck in limbo, I've tried chatting on the November postnatal thread but feel a bit cheeky as I haven't really chatted with them before so I haven't been able to re-live my birthing story with them and all you lovewly ladies still have to give birth so I can't really chat with you till you little bundles have arrived.

aww FB we all want to hear everything about little george so dont feel in limbo..also a few of us second/third/fourth timers may be able to help with questions/tips and gripes...although not promising anything..lol

Hope everyone else is ok.
Here has been a nightmare DH and I have done nothing but argue about putting the tree up etc. It is up now and does look lovely but still think its too early..nevermind! Saying that we dont seem to be able to do much lately without arguing so will see what happens when baby is here..lol
Take care