April 2012 babies!

[RosyRosie]

Hello, not sure if there's a similar thread already but just thought I'd create somewhere for nayone else expecting in April 2012?

I actually conceived about 3wks ago but I think this counts as week 5? Just staring to get symptoms - headaches, little stirrings of nausea, getting tired and grumpier than usual lol.

A little bit concerned because I have a LOT of work on from now until October and maybe beyond - and I think I'm just going to want to sleep and puke through it all - hell! :( d'oh.

Hi cheaperthantherapy - yes, I'm trying to decide too. Same as you, had emcs last time. Talking to my mother (who had a caesarian like her mother before her) she thinks (didn't tell me this beforehand) that we are actually incapable of giving birth naturally due to some pelvic narrowness or something - do you think a consultant could check for that?! I'd like to try a VBAC but I have a horrible feeling it would all go the same way again ... got to 9cm before and no further.

cheaperthantherapy I am also at kingston - had DS there and they were great last time so fingers crossed - the only thing is you always have to wait ages to see the MW but guess that is the same everywhere.

Have lots of friends in you situation re CS - they all ended up with a 2nd CS some elective and others booked it in for 41 weeks to see what happened first. Mixed reports as to whether recovery is better or worse from first! sorry can't be much help but got to think would you want ot go through labour for possibly days and then still end up knackered and with a CS but such a hard decision for you!

Told work today - now feels a bit real! (and the fact i am starting to be the size of a house!)

mint I am at Queen Charlotte - booking in appt for Sept 20

Good news Saj! hope it all goes smoothly from now on.

Big hug to everyone feeling very sick. I have felt sick but I have to say last week it began to be less often. Still wanting to sleep 24/7 though!

Can't wait for my MW referral letter to come through. I still don't know of I'm 8 or 9 weeks so the scan will be a Godsend.

As for the work situation. My mother-in-law has been very kind and booked a meeting with the manager who was an ignorant pig and told her I had resigned and all the rubbish he'd been making up. She came out with all this legal stuff (she managed supermarkets before) and he got all confused and told her she had to call the area manager because that meeting was pointless. She called the area manager who said he had sacked me and the money and letter I need would be with me on Thursday. :)
I went to the jobcenter, signed on and to the council for housing benefit. I've never received benefits and felt weird. Broke down a few times. But today I woke up feeling positive and full of energy, I'm going to enjoy the day with my daughter.

Did someone go for an early dating scan ... is it worth it?

Also, are you on the NHS or private? I'm foreign and I'm worried as the whole expierence here ist very different to Germany.

Thanks!

I've had two early scans courtesy of the NHS, but they will only scan before 12 weeks if there is a suspicion of miscarriage or ectopic, or if you have a history of complications.

You can get them privately between £50 and £100, worth it if it saves you four weeks of worry. Wait until about 8 weeks and you should see something more like a baby than a seahorse. Also if you see heartbeat at 8 weeks, there is an above 90% chance of the pregnancy making it to term.

I didn't go for an early scan. Would have loved it though as I am so confused about my dates! But I think you can only get them privately or if there is an emergency, but I may be wrong.

I'm on the NHS, can't afford private care. I was well treated last time but I could see flaws and I would go private if I could.

What area are you in Thaleia? Maybe there is someone here with some local knowledge who could put your mind at rest... NHS care is largely brilliant, but as SurprisEs says, there can be flaws, and care does vary from area to area. Do some research and check out your options locally - i.e. near me there is one hospital with a fab midwifery led unit, and people travel large distances to give birth there, while a lot of the surrounding hospitals' departments are apparently quite lame.

Good news about the letter etc SurprisEs, hate to think that guy got away with mistreating you - big up the MIL!

Yes, MIL has really gone up in my good books. I can't thank her enough for her help and support. She said" we all know how lazy you are when it comes to housework and everyone has faults but you are not a liar!" lol

Yay to surprisEs MIL!

I have another scan tomorrow morning - this time with my private consultant. Having to bring DS as no childcare so it really really needs to be ok.

Good luck digi for your scan tomorrow. Will be thinking of you

I'm jumping in to join the thread. I'm due 24th April (DC3). Have been feeling horrendously sick & tired but yesterday the nausea seems to have lifted alot & now just the tiredness is remaining. Hoping it doesn't return, morning (ha ha) sickness really is the pits.

Good luck for those going for scans, I haven't had a booking in appointment yet so it will be a few weeks for me yet.

Hi all,

Sickness seems to be passing although I have no appetite for food or drink of any kind. Tiredness is the main issue at the moment, especially as I am working nights this week.

Would like some advice regarding an incident that happened at work last night.
I work on an acute psychiatric ward and to cut a very long story short, got shoved around a fair bit by a manic patient.

Obviously this has all been reported etc and my manager knows that I am pregnant although colleagues don't.

I have no contact with ward manager this week as I'm covering nights. I did however send an email pointing out how dangerous the situation was. I got a call today inviting me to a 'debrief' with work psychologist which I declined as it is basically a 'how did you feel about that ' session.

My question is, should I be asking to be removed from the ward and be put onto other duties? Do I even have the right to ask for this?

The environment on the ward is unpredictable with 20 acutely mentally I'll patients and only 4 staff.

What should I do? I am hoping to have a response via email from manager when I go in today.

Rx

As you are pregnant your supervisors at work have a legal duty to conduct a Risk Assessment. If it is not safe for you to continue with your current duties then they need to adapt your work for the duration of your pregnancy. This is the law. Depends what counts as "unsafe" really. I presume you are working for the NHS and there ought to be some sort of handbook/policy guideline covering this area given that it is such a large employer. If you are unhappy with the response from your manager seek union advice.

www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg373hp.pdf
www.erypct.nhs.uk/upload/HERHIS/East%20Riding%20PCTs/Document%20Store/Policies/Pregnant%20Workser%20Safety%20Policy%20and%20Risk%20Assessment.pdf

The documents I've linked to give info on what to take into account during a risk assessment. Tiredness is one of those, so is working in a violent environment/ risk of shock or blows.
You need to have a proper meeting so they can do a thorough assessment. This is part of their responsibility as an employer.

Definitely get the risk assessment done. You need to be taken out of that ward as it is too risky for you at the moment. Hope this week gies without anymore frights.

So, all I've done today is eat... But it has helped with the sickness (had none) and got rid of that horrible taste I've had in my mouth for 4 weeks. Gross.

I asked to be (& was) taken off of nightshirt when I was pregnant with dc1. Think I was about 13wks or so.

Hi all. Sorry to have been MIA - morning sickness was just too much to deal with so spent most of the last couple of weeks under a duvet. Then when I finally returned to work, I had a bleed so went back home again (bet they love me!). Had scan last Thursday and all was well. Saw heartbeat and yolk sac and even found out egg was from right ovary!!!!

Was obviously very reassuring. I hadn't been 100% sure that it was a true bleed, as I only saw red in the toilet bowl so thought it may have been in urine, so they think it may well have been due to damage of stomach and so on because of all the sickness.

Sickness is in check due to meds so I can finally eat again, and I'm making the most of it!

I have my booking in appointment on Thursday and then should be just a week or two later I'll have my dating scan, but my scan last week provisionally put me at 14th April. It sudenly becomes very real all of a sudden, doesn't it!

Oh, and Sugar, yes - Risk Assesment should be done as soon as you tell someone you are pregnant and covers all sorts of issues - tiredness, loud noises, lone working and most importantly risk of violence. I would request one asap, and between you and your boss, come up with a solution that works well for everyone. Don't feel under pressure to go somewhere or do something that you don't want to do. GL.

I'm in London, Tooting area ... My neighbour went to have her 2 children there (as I think you're not allowed to choose where to go when you've got a hospital on our doorstep?) but both times they didn't stitch her up properly and she had to go back twice to have it redone.

The other posh neighbour went to the Portland and clocked up a £15k bill (it included a cesarean) and had a fab time. However, is ever so slightly over budget . We might have to max out the creditcards just for the "normal" one.

Thaleia, I wouldn't max out my credit card in order to give birth. Trust the NHS but make sure you make it clear to the MW what kind of labour you are aiming for. If something goes wrong the professional help is there.

I'd agree with SurprisEs, just because you pay more, it's no guarantee things are going to be straightforward. Write a clear birth plan and discuss with your midwife before you go into labour about what you want.
I would also still explore the alternatives available to you. I checked our local hospital's website (Darent Valley in North Kent) and it under the FAQs it says:
'Can I have my baby at Darent Valley Hospital even if I do not live in the area?
Yes. You now have a choice of where you would like to give birth to your baby. If you would like to have your baby at Darent Valley Hospital then simply complete our online self referral form.'

There may be a similar set-up at an alternative hospital near you...?

DD was born at Daren't Valley Hispital. I had all my antenatal care there too. :) people said horrible things about it but I had a relatively good experience. Some flaws but not with the hospital itself, just one of the MW. I was glad when she finished her shift!

Well, I got an email response from ward manager saying 'incidents sounds scary, we are dealing with violence issue but just be careful. Then another staff member came up and asked me outright if I was pregnant. She said that she'd had an email saying that everyone needed to be 'sensitive to my situation regarding dangers,.

Next, the CN called me into the office to say he had received an email basically telling him to do risk assessment and that policy etc was in his in tray...it wasn't. He also said...I have no idea about this RA so will get someone else to do it tomorrow night.

The shift was a smooth running one though without any real problems and I found all of the info I needed on intranet so printed it all out myself.

Thanks for all the advice :)

Rx