September 2011 - a month or so to go, come here to share the joys and woes of the final stretch.

[100years]

Now I know the threads we were in weren't finished, but there were 3 threads for the September due dates, and I thought it would be nice to get everyone together and share their experiences.

Stats thread is here If you aren't on there, then get adding yourself.

Hopefully we can all get through the last stint together :)

I'm due 1st Sept, so one month to go, if the LO is punctual.

We discussed alternatives to, um, discarding, the placenta the other day in an NCT class. Not necessarily recommending google-imaging, but check out Lotus Births as this is when the baby is not cut from the cord and the placenta remains attached until it naturally dries and falls off. The pics shown at the class were of a baby at home, with placenta in colendar (sp - the things you wash veg in) next to it. Each to their own and all that, but eeeep! Apparently you have to salt it to make it dry and stop it smelling .

Mine was buried at the bottom of the garden by my Dad. This is a Fijian cultural thing (rather than new fangled compost) - I was born there & my folks wanted to respect the local customs. Hmm. I have requested that the clamp/cut is delayed to allow the baby maximum blood and oxygen, but won't be toooo sorry to say goodbye to the rest of it post-birth. Mind you - what an incredible organ. I may have a peek if I remember.

Photos. Yes, well, if the DH is spotted with camera before LO and I are suitably arranged, we may have some words (and THAT photo of him at friends' wedding 3 years ago will go promptly up on Facebook :o

I think I will download that Horizon programme to watch, I've heard a few people on about it.

Wasps, I think our OH's don't realise that something they say may make us feel pants, it's only a certain tone of voice or a comment you would usually be fine with, but can make you [frown/cry] Not heard much about cord blood banking. I know if you let the cord pulse post birth and let it stop naturally without the syntocinon etc then but gets a good supply of the placental blood which is supposed to be good.

Re photos during birth, I've seen someone's birth photos!!! And not just the ones of faces. I'll be OK with a camera there so long as I'm not mid contraction and that it's of nothing bodily. I would like to see what's happening and so would like a mirror, but whether I'll be able to contort to see in the mirror when I'm pushing or concentrating enough on it when it's happening is another thing. I'm not weird, honestly, just intrigued as to what's going on with my body.

LOL at baking with cord blood! I want the delayed cord clamping, but they will only do it here if there have been no interventions at all.

Misty, we shall keep our fingers crossed that you do manage to get the HB.

sebs, yeah ER will do that to you. I love it and know loads of the episodes and so I kind of watch it knowing what's going to happen and that makes it worse. Same the other day watching Top Gun!

Glad you have made a decision over birthing Millie :)

I saw a placenta and 'examined' it in some training I did a few years ago, it is an amazing thing. I'm not sure I like the idea of carrying it around with baby till it dries off. I mean I'm all for new things, but that might be stretching it too far.

Yay, pregnancy brain moment, cooking the tea, chops in the oven, declared the veg to be on, just went to make the gravy and realised I hadn't turned on the steamer. Oh well. :)

Had a lovely morning this morning. Met up with Tiddleypompom :) Had a lovely couple of hours in a little bakery chatting away :) Was very nice.

Done a bit more crochet and had a sleep, done a bit of housework and had a few awful stomachy aches this afternoon, and have also bounced on the ball. Got a bit of a headache now, but it's not got worse which is good. Think I will be doing some more bouncing a bit later on.

My OH sang a song to my bump, about the fact there is a baby in there with 2legs, 4 arms, 4 heads and 3 bums, the limb/head numbers changed with the 'second verse' He made me laugh though :)

Ooh, lotus births are not something I've ever heard of. I'm def not doing it though! I have requested that the placenta remain attached until it's stopped pulsing but I don't want to be co-sleeping with the thing or lugging it around in the sling along with the baby!

I told my mum about people burying the placenta and she thought it was very weird but I think it's a nice idea, burying it so that it continues to nourish the ground like it nourished the baby. I'd be tempted but I'm not sure I trust the cats not to dig it up

Read about storing the cord, love the idea as u never know wotthe future holds and it could potentially save a relatives life from wot i read. I couldnt afford storage tho (over £1000 i believe) and think only a few hospitals offer it.
Babys dropped :-)

Well done jimmijam junior

Yay Jimmijam! How good is it to be able to breathe without feet in your lungs?! :o

Glad you're feeling better ssmile :)

100years and Tiddley - sound like you had a lovely afternoon. Hurray for chatting and cake!

My camera will be staying in my bag until I have had a shower and washed my hair at the very least. I'm even tempted to put it in my birth plan now! "Photograph me at your peril ... " :) I had a good look at DS's placenta after he was born. DH had to look the other way but I got the MW to show it to me and explain it. It's not pretty but like Tiddley said, it's a fascinating organ.

DS's birthday went well, he enjoyed himself so much. Only downsides were SIL completely neglecting to so much as even text a happy birthday and MIL not acknowledging it either. Their loss. Our blue cupcakes were yummy but we may have used too much blue paste in them because they stained everyone's mouths/lips and DS did a stinky nappy that had a blue tinge to it

Turns out my new sandals and rainy pavements don't mix. I kept skidding, luckily I didn't fall over but it was like Bambi on ice and I think I've pulled a muscle in my side :(

Lovely dropping bumps :)

I didn't actually notice that whole being able to breathe differently when my bump dropped. I think I've only ever been kicked in the ribs twice and that was when I was sat hunched over forwards, have been really luck to not get that, or much heartburn.

CBear, yep it was lovely. :) Blue poo nappies reminds of when we had a dog and he ate a pack of crayons, took said dog out for a walk and needed to pooper-scooper, knew which were the dog's poos as there were bits of crayon through it! Take it easy today if you have pulled a muscle :( I nearly tripped myself up wearing a pair of jogging bottoms and standing on the bottom of the opposite leg material :(

Well I went for a walk last night, only about 1 1/2 miles, was fine, but I think we walked too fast for me. Has caused my PGP to flare up this morning, and in my frequent loo trips last night I've had to hobble to the loo :( Ouchy. No sign of the walk helping LO out though!!! And OMG last night in bed she was going mad, OH was there put his hand on bump and ended up guessing her body parts, it was very cute and made me smile.

Scan today :)

100yrs gd luck with your scan today. Impressive walking I can barely walk anywhere now.
cbear blue pooh :o
jimmijam yah for dropping babies
Enjoyed my do nothing day yest sat and watched 3hrs of TV&film unheard of for me but needed it. Slept well last night. DH decided to take tom off work I thought yah makes it easier to get to my pre-op appt tom but turns out he also wants to paint our hallway I'm booked in next day to have baby! It is the last bit of our hse to do but .......
Hope all those in throes of DIY are getting there pre-babies

Morning all. Not checked in for a few days and had pages of posts to read!!!

100yrs, good luck for the scan. i too have been a crying hormonal lady this week, which is not like me at all. Then again I have also been standing in the kitchen making silly meals whilst telling myself 'why should existing dc's suffer because im in a crap mood'......not good!

Jimmijam, Oh how I wish this one would get the right way round, never mind dropping! Well done!

Ssmile, we hung the final pictures in the nursery last night......think the diy is over! Hoorah!!!

Off to the MW this morning, and if LO has not turned will be sent for scan today and then possible EVC if it looks like a valid option. If not planned CS :(

Gd luck sewmuchtodo with babe turning. Friend of mine Hoovered her house on her hands n knees and the baby turned! Planned C-sec although not what you had planned is not so bad main thing is getting out the baby safely. Hope your apt goes ok.

Off to get last bits for hospital bag then may treat myself to scrambled eggs in yummi cafe enjoying last day of freedom as just dropped DD at nursery :) and its sunny ere

Just checking in with nothing to report! Think baby has dropped and theres a good amount of movement, kicks, hiccups etc but nothing else has happened, no BH, no tightening, no nothing! Not officially due till 8th sept though, but mw coming on 1st to do a sweep so ive been on my gym ball trying to help!

Good luck with your scan 100years.

Hope everyone is well x

Morning ladies, how is everyone today?

I'm excited as My Mum and sister are throwing me a baby shower tonight! I'm 37 weeks today too so little one is fully cooked! Feeling great, also had a good sleep last night which has helped, the night before I think I finally had my first BH and I lay awake for ages waiting for another! Only had two though!

Good luck for the scan 100years and with baby turning sewmuchtodo

Good luck with turning baby! Spoke to a friend a few days ago from wot she said they turned ds either during labour or a few days b4-she went on 2 have a hospital water birth- which was filmed!! :-/ not my thing but shes happy to show it off!
I was planning to ask mw to do a sweep at appt this thurs, til i read its now illegal 4 them to do this b4 40weeks. Reading back a few posts it looks like thats not the case at all, yay :-) (not that sweeps did anything with ds or dd)
Heehee blue pooh! Thats new 1 :-) almost photoworthy :-/ do u also find the odd chocolate pooh? Ooh the things u 4get wen theyre toilet trained!
baby shower sounds exciting! Never had 1 of those.
Anyday now we should tart seeing arrivals on here :-) how exciting! Will any1 beat fridays cs?
Tmi alert-any1 else struggle going 2 toilet sometimes and worry that soon u'l have a huge baby 2 push out? Wondering how i'll manage it, could b a long labour :-(

Just checking in too, and seeing the progress with everyone. Found my raspberry leaf tablets yesterday so started taking them, although doubt they did much good the last twice as had about 17 hour labours both times.

Tens machine arrived today which was quite exciting. Can finally get the labour bag sorted.

Also did a bump cast last night. Was good fun and it looks great, although not sure its going to dry right so may do another at the weekend.

Good luck with mw appointments to those who have them. Hope those babies turn.

Jimmijam - know what you mean about the toilet, and it is just like pushing out the biggest poo ever. I hate the thought of what all comes out at the same time, but the mw manage to get rid of everything like that without you even noticing as far as I can remember.

What I wanted to know was if you have a water birth, and poo comes out, how does it get out of the water?

We went on a tour of the maternity unit and they showed us one of the pool rooms. One of the dads asked "what's the sieve for?".

We then learned how they clean up poop during a water birth :)

I havent watched her video and dont know about the pooh in the pool, but i do know she enjoyed the birth and recomends water births 2 every1 (she has 2 boys, dont think water was used with her 1st)

Thanks everyone, heading out shortly. Have a major headache today :( Boo, it started after my earlier post, went back to bed, got woken up by OH telling me the fridge freezer is broken. :( Nightmare on food street. Fortunately his sister lives only a mile away so the stuff that hadn't defrosted is in her freezer, but reckon it went yesterday evening as something I put in to freeze hasn't even started to freeze and the lollies and things like that were like little bags of mush!

The saddest thing is that the biscuit mix we had made the other day did not survive the 'defrosting' so cannot be refrozen so we will just have to make biscuits later on

Tried to stay as chilled as possible this morning with all of this, it's not a major disaster, but it's not a nice pleasant keep your BP low and get rid of a headache kind of morning, just what you need before an ante-natal check.

Check in later :)

Conker, my MW has asked every time I've gone for an appt whether I've got my sieve ready. She is obsessed with it. DH jokes that he is going to get a shrimping net.

In fact, we haven't bought a sieve but I am just about to go out so will go and do it right now, along with a thermometer as, apparently, if the water gets too cold then the baby is more likely to take a gasp as it comes out and get its lungs full of water

Oh no 100years, things like broken freezers are so stressful, but yay for eating biscuits all afternoon though!

Disaster, 100years! At least you have the biscuits as a consolation.

The blue poo phenomenon has spread, DB3 informed me this morning (he's 10 so has no qualms about sharing such information). I am never going to live this down. Twenty years from now at some family meal my mam or dad or one of my brothers will pipe up "remember that time that Cbear and Mr Cbear gave us those cakes that made us all do blue poo?"

I'm going to the park this afternoon so that I can run (waddle) through the lovely and cold play fountains on the flimsy context of keeping an eye on DS. Ditto eating ice cream, if I don't lick the top bit off for him it'll melt all over his hands and arms.

Hope everyone's appointments go well, good luck for your scan 100years and fingers crossed for a head down baby, sewmuchtodo :)

Well I'm glad there is an answer to the water birth question - always wonder if others manage to do it with no poo, but I think it's physiologically impossible probably.

Bh seem to have calmed down which I must admit, I'm a bit disappointed about. Ds1 was 6 days over and ds2 was 9, so not really expecting this one early, but had been having so many strong BH for weeks, that a wee bit of me was hoping it woudnt be too long. But must remember its good to keep them inside till they are ready, so must not get obsessive [repeats to self].

Hope the biscuits ae good 100years. Shame about the rest.

Cbear - seems perfectly reasonable about the ice cream. You are just providing a service.

Mummy has to test all icecream here too &intervene when dribbles are looming :o thems the rules.....

Conker, apparently I didn't poo when I had DS

CBear - that's hilarious! To be known in your family for making poo turn blue!!!

100years - hope scan goes well, and you also manage to keep the BP low. Not fun finding fridge/freezer broke, but enjoy those biscuits.

sewtoomuch - good luck with turning the LO.

ssmile - hope you enjoyed scrummy scrambled eggs and are enjoying a couple of quiet days before Friday... Guessing you'll be the first to announce on here... how exciting!! :)

To everyone having waterbirths, good luck and remember those sieves!!

Anyone else starting to get "cabin fever"?? I'm enjoying the calm before the storm part, but as I live rurally and trying to reduce car trips now (I'm pretty short so bump is now getting in the way of the steering wheel!) the days are getting pretty quiet. DP promised we'd go out a few times over the weekend, which'll be great. Nevermind, it'll soon be mega busy and I'll be dreaming of this quiet time - with LO here and step-kids back, it'll be non stop again!

My BHs have started getting more frequent again - particularly bad when going to bed, makes trying to get "comfy" impossible.

Is anyone else's LO having about 3 bouts of hiccups a day??

Feral - that's impressive!!! That is one aspect I'm NOT looking forward to, so glad to know it can be done... though my digestive system is all over the place with the iron tablets I'm on!!!