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.

Those who are on number 2 or 3, or anyone who knows, do labours get shorter and easier? First was a 4 days induction, followed by forceps and special care, 2nd was a day of mild twinges while he got in position, followed by a four hour labour in water from 2cm dilated to baby out and latched on.

Midwife had suggested we think about home-birth in case it's quicker than that and we don't make it, but DH not keen, and I haven't pushed it TBH, but now I'm worrying that it'll be a drawn-out nightmare ending in CS or something.

Also, do they get bigger each time, and are girls smaller on average?

DS1 was 8lb5, DS2 was 8lb11, will this one be over 9lbs?

So, basically, has anyone got a crystal ball handy? Will it be big, and how long will it take to get out?

TIA

this is my 2nd and my DD was 9.1lbs so no idea if girls supposed to be smaller, she is small now but was 15days over so that accounts for some of the size. this one is also measuring big on the tape measure I've not had any growth scans. I preferred having a bigger baby she was robust, held her head up early, sat up early but mostly went into 3-6mths clothes straight away. this one I'm having at 39wks by C-sec so I estimating 7.5lbs
maybe we should have a guess how heavy they all gonna be :)
but most people I've heard have the 2nd/ 3rd quicker if they had normal V-birth previously

Hi from very start 2 wen they were born both myn were around 24hours, 1st-dd was born by cs tho so could have been.much longer without, she was 9lb 5oz. Ds was 7lb 13.5oz. She was 8days overdue, he was 1 day early so who knows wot will happen this time!! Dd came out in chickenpox last night so this 1 will have 2 stay in 4 at least the next week, shame newborn pics (and mondays family portrait) will have 2 spotty/scabby children in. But. Am glad they got it now rather than with a newborn in the house!

DS was 9lb 3oz, 37.9cm head, and born at 40 weeks. Labour was 36hrs from first noticeable contraction to baby in my arms but only 9hrs of that was active/established labour (6hrs labour, 3hrs pushing). I got to hospital and was 4cm and it was 9hrs from that point so that's the official length of my labour that's in all the notes.

DD is so far measuring spot on for her dates in terms of the MW measuring the height of my womb, it measured 34cm at my 34wk appointment. The MW was the same community MW I had with DS and she recalled DS measuring anywhere from 3-5cm ahead at each appointment. She had a feel of my tummy and said not to hold her to it because she was just having a guess for fun but she thinks around eight and a half pounds this time. She told me girls tend to be smaller. I was told at our hospital tour that established labour this time will be much faster so not to hang around once it starts. I can dream!

When are you going to ask your DH or DP to stop drinking alcohol in readiness for that hospital drive?
With DD1 he tried to stay off it from 37wks but this wasn't helped by his 30th B'day on my due date which he had 2pints &i had a back up driver. In the end I went 15d over it nearly killed him having month off the beer :o
This time I'm booked in at 39wks but still think he should stay sober from 38wks, he does like a couple of cans most nights. Is this fair? It's 40min drive to hospital so a taxi would be £30 in daytime ere I think as last resort.

DH is sober from now on (36 weeks) seeing as how DS was born at 36+4. My mum and dad are also on standby so one of them has to be fit to drive and everyone is expected to have mobiles on and charged at all times (including me, and I am awful for remembering to have my phone with me; it spends more time lost than it does in my pocket).

DH could certainly do with a month off the beer; I think it is perfectly reasonable and very sensible to expect sobriety between now and the arrival. And it makes me feel less hard done by as well.

DH is virtually sober anyway, the odd one here and there but that's it. DH hasn't got a license at the minute anyway, we have a car there for us but can't legally use it. I'm going to be getting my mum to drive us to the hospital, even if DH passes his test before I go into labour the parking is awful. They have something like 20 suites but only 10 parking spaces reserved for maternity, you only get a parking pass once you're in active labour (elective caesareans and scheduled inductions "don't count" apparently) and the car has to be moved once it's over, local parking is something like £1.20 an hour and there's never any spaces. Too much hassle by far!

Gosh cbear parking sounds like a nightmare where you are. Ours is £1 an hr but you can get a 'day ticket' I think £6. Plus I remember before the security guard said wouldn't worry on a Sunday /bank hol they don't check! This time I should also be in over bank hol wend in august so hopefully only Fri&sat to pay for.

Thanks for all the kind thoughts!

I'm leaving the island on Wednesday at 36 weeks and warned that section will be 37/38 weeks...they'll try to let me keep going while there are no signs of imminent labour but probably not longer than 38 weeks.

Reading the tips on getting baby out from under the ribs and a bit jealous i can't try any of them; i've not to even think about encouraging him to move down. But he's right under there, i can even get a kick in the boob now!

Is everyone getting enormous now? In the past week i've absolutely exploded. He must know they're going to take him out soon -i'm also absoluteky starving all the time. Hopefully he'll be a chubby little thing, none the worse for a slightly early entrance.

Best wishes to all of you expecting SVDs and sections for other reasons, i guess we all have our own anxieties. Although i'd much prefer to be looking toward an SVD myself, some of you are making me feel a little bit better by reminding me of some of the cons i'll miss out on! My sister gave me a graphic description of first pees and poos post-vaginal delivery, made me shudder!

glimmer gd luck for next couple of wks. Hope baby stays put until he ready to come out. C-sec isn't so bad my first was unplanned c-sec this time around I've gone for planned c-sec due to various reasons. You just need to be more cautious after birth I was too eager to get back into action post baby so go carefully I learnt my lesson the hard way with DD.
Hope u don't miss ur island home too much it will be worth it all when the wee one is in your arms x

And yes I got huge in last wk am 36wks now &walking vslowly now!

Dualta I'm kind of hoping I'm not going to have a similar birth to the one my Mum had with me, I was 2 weeks late, induced and 10lbs 2oz! I'm hoping for a nearly on time baby of around 8 or 9lbs max! Although yesterday I had this weird thought that I'm going to go over by a long way :(

How are you doing now feral?

Yay for head down babies CBear.

Misty, hope you are having a lovely time away. Plantar fasciitis, horrible stuff, I had it before I got pregnant, and I'm hoping that 9 months off running will have helped it enough to be able to get back to running in a few months with no pain.

ssmile, Hope you managed to have a decent rest after all that sorting.

Scarlet, glad you had a good NCT class, it's something we didn't look at to be honest, as we had a labour day at the hosp through the NHS

jimmi, I will bear the towel over stitches advice in mind.

Stase, my sisters second labour when established was definitely shorter than the first.

Glimmer, good luck with it all.

Re the drinking question, my OH hardly drinks anyway, in fact we(I'm talking pre pregnancy for me when I say we) never drink at home, and he very rarely will have a drink if we go out for a meal, so there is no problem, went to a wedding on Sat where he did have a drink, but I had no problem with it, in fact I offered to drive home so he could have a drink if he wanted, as it was he had one drink and decided he didn't want another one, I still drove home.

I've not had a spurt for a while, and not feeling as massive as I thought I would at this stage, maybe I'm just used to it and expecting a spurt in the next few days.

Most of the time recently I've been knackered and was a bit nervous of going to the wedding as we were there for the full day, however I was full of beans on Saturday and even had a dance at the reception! Shocking considering some days I find walking hard work with PGP. Did feel the pain of it yesterday though and it's wiped me out a bit since, but was good to do it.

Had a lovely if busy weekend. Have been loaned a TENS machine from a friend who recently had a baby, so that's all sorted now, ready for action if I start after Thursday! Can't believe I'll be officially classed as full term this week! 37 weeks on thurs! Amazing.

Oh and what's the deal with not being able to go back to sleep after 5 am unless I get up and have some food?!?!? That's what's happened this morning, lay there trying to get back to sleep, relented and decided to get up and feed my stomach, then I'll try going back to sleep again in a bit.

Got the cot arriving tomorrow, have ordered a bedside one :) Already have a moses basket, but for ease wanted the cot now, so LO will go in the moses basket in the day and the cot at night, or at least that is the plan.

Did you get back to sleep 100years? I also woke early, which is becoming a habit as LO likes a good stretch around 4-5am! I tend to sit up (on my beloved long pregnancy pillow) when that happens, have a banana (!) and play a few games of solitaire before I fall asleep again and wake as poor DH gets up to go to work - oh, the guilt!
Was stung by a wasp yesterday at family BBQ - it was hiding in a tissue in my pocket and came out as I retrieved said tissue to blow nose. Thankfully it got my finger and not my nose! No pills and potions of course so spent the next hour with finger in cold water, sigh.
Wow so plenty of 35+ ladies on here - it will be so lovely to hear of the new arrivals.
Meantime - hungry all the time? I second that emotion. Have excused recent love of all things sweet (a girl according to old wives tales) as friends say I haven't put on any non-baby weight, however I am aware that this is not necessary the entire truth having debated a week or so back how all of my undies MUST have shrunk in the wash... Chocolate banned, muesli repositioned at front of shelf.

What is it about the 4am to 5am thing??? From about 1.30 I wake up at least every hour - either to visit the loo or because of hip pain and the need to turn over. Usually get back to sleep, but between 4 and 5 I really struggle. My mind just seems to flip into action and start thinking of all sorts. Can usually drop off again around 6ish... which is also when DP's alarm goes off. But finding my iron tablets have finally kicked in and don't feel quite so exhausted in the day now. Of course, iron tablets kicking in also bring their own "side effects", but shan't go into that... TMI !!!

Good luck Glimmer...

Tiddleypompom - hope wasp sting is ok... Ouch!

36 weeks today... just had a look at the "36 weeks pregnant" websites and they all refer to the baby engaging. Mine definitely hasn't yet - although am feeling more pressure lower down - but still getting kicks in the ribs. Has anyone felt their LO engaging? (I know it's later for 2nd plus babies).

Still can't quite believe the whole birth thing is happening in the next few weeks...!!! Be so excited to hear everyone's news here...

tiddleypompom, eventually, and only for about an hour! Have been out to see family today and will be having an early night with nothing on tomorrow other than to sit and wait for a delivery. Sorry to hear about the wasp sting, I know it's too late now, but when I was at school was told to put vinegar on a wasp sting and bicarb on a bee sting.

sebs, I'm on my first baby and at my check up last week when I was 35+6 I hadn't yet engaged, bummer, I've not really had kicks in the ribs though, I think I've been quite lucky. She's definitely still head down though, has been since about 24 weeks! I reckon she'll engage when I'm in labour at this rate!

sebs71 if the iron tablets bung you up as they did me, try Floradix liquid iron £10 for month supply from health shop or chemist all my 'mummy' friends ended up taking it as it was much less constipating. I take it in morn on empty tum with glass Apple juice. You need to avoid caffeine or milk for at least an hr after. It's worked for me and really boosted my energy levels. Gd luck. Iron tablets are horrid. I also snack on Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds &dried apricot which r high in iron.

Hi all, everything horribly stressful here as the builders are now carpeting and doing a load of work on the house - bloody abysmal timing - and I can barely squeeze around past all the boxes and everything's covered in dust. Tomorrow DS and I are decamping to my parents' as it is just all a bit too much.

DH said that he would arrange it all and that I wouldn't have to do anything but, tbh, he has the organisational skills of a gnat and hasn't thought through any of the moving/ boxing/ painting etc. He is bloody hopeless at anything like this and so I tend to do it all but obviously can't as packing and lifting are out of the question. Consequently we are fighting like cat and dog and I am just about ready to murder him!

On the up side, DS has decided that he is now ready to pee into the loo -completely bypassing the potty, the little genius - and so I am not having to pick him up to change him or do a nappy wash every single day. This is making me very happy!

I will be thoroughly enjoying a nappy-free existence for the next few weeks before I have to start all over again with meconium, followed by the luminous yellow weirdness that comes out of NB's backsides!

How long do they leave it if babys in breech position (im not sure but i dont think this ones head down) b4 talking about eg c-section?
Had family photos done 2day, hadnt realised how fat my face has gotten!! :-(
Photographers got his work cut out editing out ds chickenpox scabs and dds pox spots and blotches!!
Myself and dh arent big drinkers so not worried there, dont blame u wanting him 2 give it up 4 a few weeks, esp as u've had 2 4 9 months!
Ive not had trouble with constipation and iron tablets yet. I believe its best 2 take them after food, i take 1 after breakfast and 1 after dinner. Also best with fruit juice as ur body absorbs the iron better 2- taking them with a cup of tea prevents your body absorbing the iron. I think. Have seen adverts 4 floradix looks like good stuff!

Feral - hope things better at parents. We've just finished a load of work and it was all a bit stressful but nice noe done.

Thanks for all iron tablet advice. I was on spatone but even on that my count went down so had to go to tablets. Having blood test thurs and if levels still low I'll have to have infusion as consultant reckons won't have enough time to get levels up before birth. But feeling less tired on tabs so hoping levels have risen. Taking them with orange juice and steering clear of tea after and eating lots of raisins and cress!!
I think they try and turn breech babies about 36/37 weeks but not sure. Get bouncing on a birthing ball - worked for me- she turned at about 34 weeks after bouncing!!

Hi all you mums to be!

I remember this last bit so well: exciting, scary, can't wait for it to be over, to see the LO's face

I know you have alot to think about at this time, but here is something that might interest you.

I need to find a mum and baby in central or west London who would be prepared to allow me to observe them. I'm about to start my first year of psychotherapy training and we do a baby observation course. I would like to find a mum who would be willing to let me come to her home for one hour a week from around when the baby is a few weeks old until next July. I just observe the baby and you, interacting or whatever, in order to learn about a baby's development. I do not get involved, I am not judgemental, I do not give advice. I just observe.

Every trainee psychotherapist does this course and I have heard lots of heartwarming stories about babies and mums who have been observed. It seems to be a positive experience for all concerned - "my observer is the only person who is as interested in my baby as I am" is what one mum said.
I have accreditation from the BAP and a full CRB check. I also have 3 children myself, now of uni and past uni age, but oh yes, still around (actually, it's lovely!).

If you are interested, or would like to know more, please do message me.

Thanks for reading, and very good luck in September!

Lunkie

sebs-midwife recomended i took spatone with our 1st just over 5years ago, tasted foul and i also ended up very anaemic (from memory, my iron level got down to about 4.9 a week or 2 b4 birth), that stuff shouldnt b sold, am very against it now! iron tablets r MUCH better!!!

have just realised everyone on here will soon b posting births!!!!!!!!! how weird is that! will have to start up a new thread 4 all the ups and downs afterwards!

2 those on here who have had previous cs- do u ever get sharp pains where ur old scar is? This morning its notnice and is spreading down my right leg and making me feel sick :-( reminds me that wen i had vbac with ds the scar caused more pain than the contractions and only felt better while i was pushing (until the pain of himcoming out). Anyway 2 reduce the old cs scar pain?-now or in labour

Hi jimmijam yes I had lots of ligament pain starting from the end of my c-sec scar post DD and this week I've started to have more discomfort thinking that at last after 4yrs it had gone. It caused me lots of pain and difficulties walking post my DD so now a bit nervous that the same will happen again. It made my life miserable last time as all I wanted to do was walk with the other mums and pushchairs having walked everywhere pre birth and I couldn't. So big fingers crossed it doesn't happen again as I have to do the walk to school run this time 12days post birth..... I am booked for a 2nd C-sec so hoping the repeat op doesn't make it worse??

I think baby is dropping as the pressure is increasing in groin and I am now proper waddling duck!
On the iron discussion Floradix isnt the same as spatone I too have tried that and it didn't work. My MW was happy with me taking Floradix and with diet its been maintaining my iron levels. I couldn't function on the iron tablets no matter how many prunes n water n juice I consumed

Hi All. Another new joiner here hoping to share these last few weeks with you all :). Currently have a two year old DS and expecting DC2 on 18th September. Can't quite believe how quickly this pregnancy has gone as kept meaning to join an antenatal club and never got round to it 'til now! Am really looking forward to finishing up work next week as the tiredness is really starting to set in again.