Nov 2011 - Mat B forms are in and time is flying not long now

[PamSco]

Sorry just went for a new thread as I couldn't see another.

Hope you are all well this morning

GPS test?

Re: reusables - We've been lent a full birth to potty kit (2 black bin bags full!) but for the first month I am going for disposable. I'm under no illusion of being able to cope with feeding, sleeping, washing clothes AS WELL AS washing nappies. Nope. No no. Also, my mum is staying with us for the first two weeks, and I'm not expecting her to have to deal with reusables.
After that, I'll hopefully be in a routine, and then there will be no excuses!

sorry i meant GBS test the group strep b test.

we also found that the reusables made ds's excema worse.

You have to do it privately? That's outrageous!

I know. I'm going to have a chat with my mw when i see her in a couple of weeks. she certainly didn't mention that they don't do it anymore. i'll see what she says.

chip like others have said, i have no idea what you are going through atm - just sending very unmumsnetty hugs and hope that your boys are keeping you and your new daughter going.

Pamsco you do not have to go along with any of that unless it is very clear it is medically necessary for you and not hospital policy. You can refuse constant monitoring (no evidence it improves outcomes anyway) and opt for hand held doppler every 15mins (midwives dislike this as it means they can't strap you to the bed and bugger off) and you can refuse epidural etc.
Top tips - stay mobile and if they pressure you into monitoring etc say you'll think about it but for now you're going to hop into the shower/loo/bath/pool whatever and don't get out for ages!
Also - eating during labour, ha! It's cause they worry you'll vomit if you're under GA if you have a section. Bloody ridiculous. Women do much better eating light, nutricious (sp?) foods rather than secretively stuffing themselves with sugary sweets to keep their energy levels up. Think natural yogurts, wholemeal bread with honey etc. Someone once said to me - if you weren't supposed to eat during a normal labour, then you should never ever go out for a meal and drive home, just in case you were in an accident and had a full stomach.
:)

GBS = group Strep B test. The reason it is not offered on nhs is the test they use is rubbish and gives a false result 50% of the time. Private tests are much more accurate (and consist of a vaginal and anal swab taken at home by yourself and popped in post)
Just bear in mind though that up to 30% of all humans naturally carry the strep B bateria in their bodies and of these, fewer than 10% will pass it onto the baby in labour. Of the babies that do pick it up, fewer than 1% will then have a serious problem. Your baby is more at risk on your drive home from hospital, IMO.
But, if your baby does get it, it can be very serious.
If you test positive, you will need IV anti biotics throughout labour and will not be able to labour at home, unless your doctor is prepared to give you an intra muscular injection at the start of labour which bloody hurts, and then lets you go home (unlikely).
If you do test +ve, try to avoid sweeps and internals as these increase the chances of passing it onto your baby.

So, it's up to each woman to decide for herself whether to have it.
You can reduce your chances of a +ve test by inserting a cut garlic clove on a piece of string into your vagina every night for 8 nights before the test. Remove and discard clove every morning.

The jury's out for me atm - I'm still deciding whether to piss off my midwife even further by refusing the GTT she has booked for me!! (by now you must realise how off the wall I am, so feel free to pull cats bum face and ignore )

Of course it's up to every woman if she wants to do a test or not - but if she wants to, they should ruddy well provide! Why can't the NHS do the same as the private ones?

(mutter mutter, taxes, mutter, mutter)

Totally agree cali the NHS should offer the accurate test (it's routine in Australia and the US I believe) but, well, they don't. Not sure why - cost I expect (compared to the cost of treating a newborn with strep B??!)

Afternoon. Managed to get appointment at docs and have got the start of a middle ear infection. Ouch. Take paracetamol and not much else! Ah well. Have just asked the doc if he had the result of my bloods last week and he passed some that he 'nipped' on to find. Glucose 7.1..... Oops! I blame the fact that it was a hot day and I had just had half a can of lucozade and my lunch!!!! Midwife will ring if she feels necessary. Dr says if she does want to test again then it will be a fasting blood test. Think I'll just ask for another blood test first as I know I probably messed it up with having pop so near to bloods... Ah well!

snoozle and poppy, hope you both feel better soon!

pam, who gave you the leaflet? I would be pushing for the labour that you want so long as that's ok for the baby too. I still have to have that conversation yet, but will see how successful I manage to be, am good at giving advice, not so good at taking my own though!

Been to the antenatal diabetes clinic today, got to do my bloods four times a day and go back in a week, am a bit worried about it all, but will have to knuckle down for a couple of months and do my best to keep my weight gain down and eat properly.

Pam it's a bit of a bug bear of mine to get told 'you should' in such a general, sweeping statement rather than have a sensible discussion about our personal situation and options. Agree with the others, don't feel pressured into doing anything that is for the convenience of the staff only, rather than the good of you and your baby.

On the topic of GBS, I tested positive for group B strep from a urine sample early on in my pregnancy (around 9 weeks!) and have now got a big yellow sticker on my notes and a prescription for IV antibiotics at the back of my folder that the consultant wrote out at 13 weeks

I have repeatedly asked whether they will test again and particularly whether they will perform a swab test later on, as I feel a bit at my labour being so defined by this so long before I even get there! I have been repeatedly told that no, they will not repeat the test and once I have tested positive, that's it, I need the drugs.

I do understand that a positive test in urine is more significant than swab tests, but am also really keen to only have to have IV antibs if I or my child actually need them. I want to have an active labour and use the pool, which I can do with an IV in but it will make it all the more cumbersome to be natural. I think I might try to talk to my MW again when I see her in a couple of weeks, to try to get this across without sounding like a moaning prima donna of a first time preggo!

In other news, I feel very large and cumbersome this week, which is getting me down a bit. In reality I am not really and have put on very little weight so far, but I am tired a lot and feeling a bit whingey. Oh well only 2 more days at work and then I'm on holiday until 5th September - yippee, can't wait! We have lots of family / friends things to do over the 2 weekends and in between we are treating ourselves to a 'parents to be' pampering break at this cheeky place so am very excited about that. I realised I've not had a week off work since Christmas and haven't had a holiday since last July so no wonder I am dire need of the break. Work is CRAZY and rather than feel guilty about not being here, I am elated at the thought

voodoo NICE states anything above 7.8 is a concern, so your reading seems well within normal limits IMO.

truffkin how about getting a private swab test done yoyrself around 37 wks? You arrange it all online. If it's negative, you have evidence that you don't need antibiotics. I'm surprised they won't re-test as strep b does come and go.

Ok, I'm confused.
I called the triage unit because Sprout is moving so much less over the past few days (from 10-15/hour to 4-5/hour) and the midwife was completely fine and didn't understand why I was all concerned about it.

Am I being a paranoid preggers lady?

MrsA phew! I shall not give it a second thought.

Cali, no u aren't being a OTT preggy lady at all. My mw said that cause for concern for them would be if there was a significant change to 'normal' movement. If you aren't confident or are worried then ring back, or ask yr OH to ring!

Cali I don't think you're being paranoid at all. It's concerning and always worth checking, midwives must be so used to ladies ringing up to ask. But I agree with voodoo if you don't feel like you got a satisfactory answer you should ask again. I did hear that as they get bigger there is less room to move around so you tend to feel less of the big kicks - but maybe that's in a few weeks time. I'm a naive firsttimer so have no clue!!

Thanks for all advice on monitors - I think I'll def get one - again probably because as firsttimer don't really know what to expect and seems a good idea to me.

Poppy and anyone else - I also have sciatica pain, I'm seeing an antenatal physio who has given me some exercises and is even going to try hydrotherapy which is apparently good for it.

Have just updated my stats - I've been on this thread since the beginning but never got around to updating that list.

Cali if you are worried then I would ring back and ask for monitoring. Otherwise keep an eye on movements and try again tomorrow. I find baby is really active 1 day and then the next not as much.

monitors I got the monitor when we moved DD to her own room at 3months. She outgrew the Moses basket and was such a noisy sleeper that we decided to move her. She has slept through the night since moving her and so have we! Dh uses the 2 way function to tell me if he needs help with nappy, but not really essential. Lullabies are brilliant to soothe especially if DD is in different room ie on holiday or at grandparents.

chip hoping you, DH & Sylvie-Rose had a better day. Take each day as it comes and take heart that your little girl is getting stronger every day. Easy fir me to say I know.

Question: if I didn't have GBS for first pregnancy, could I have it in this one?

to be honest moosey i don't know, but i wanted to be checked just to be on the safe side.

MrsA keep the parental hat close at hand and voodoo get that stern teacher voice tuned - what a day.

Thanks for the best wishes all.

I should be posting with all my good news and feeling chipper if not a bit embarrassed that all is well. Instead bloody doctors have managed to upset me right royally.

So quick update. Drove myself to the hospital nearly getting hit by a ship's float (big pink plastic ball) bouncing into the fast lane infront of me as I travel at full speed swerving out the way.

ECG - all good nothing out of the ordinary
growth scan - all good, The Boy is being marvellous with his lovely kidneys and stomach all visible - and his bits. He seems to like showing them. His head is down spine front to the left - all very promising. Growth spot on average for EDD.
GTT results - all ok - just
LFT - stable and improving
BP - 115/70 lovely jublee
Weight - still below starting weight but adding c2lb a week so healthy.
Gallstones - some tiddlers I seem to have passed the biggies

So far so good. In fact so far so bloody marvellous - sorry not bragging!

Then it went downhill.

I mentioned my birth preferences and the leaflet regarding epidurals etc, mw was very reasonable.

So I mentioned labouring in water - oh no that is not allowed - you are too heavy for that. What? I'm not even heavy to attend this clinic!!!!!!!! It was a choice I was given. Even banks don't get away with this miss selling anymore.

Then I mentioned active birth positions. That isn't something we recommend - due to being heavier we recommend constant monitoring (saw you mentioned that MrsA I had no idea). I have declined that. I have said I will consent to 20 minutes monitoring when I arrive at triage and if all is well I will expect nothing more than the doppler.

I ave demanded an appointment with the consulting mw to discuss, I'm so down about the day after being on top of the world.

Do you know the #@&%@ consultant (Prof so and so) actually said to me. You may not be the heaviest lady we see but you are more than 5 times more likely to have a still born baby that a normal woman

I could have cried. I asked her what did that mean in real terms? 5 times of what - and she said, well I don't know all the numbers chapter and verse. So I asked her to have the curtesy of doing the research before scaring me into a policy driven decision rather than a person centred decision.

She wasn't happy with me.

Sorry for the epic post - on the scheme of things everything is good and I am lucky - all is going well - but my OH is out and I want his hugs

Oh and then 100 yds from home an idiot in a people carrier bolted across the roundabout and would have gone into the side of me if I hadn't emergency breaked and swerved at the same time. At least he apologised to me.

Oh Pam what a shame that they managed to outweigh all of that good news with such negativity I totally agree that no one should be quoting stats intended to frighten you if they don't actually have the knowledge to back it up. Shocking behaviour and entirely unethical.

How can you be 'too heavy' to labour in water? I really don't understand that one. When I talked about it with my midwife she said they have guideline numbers because getting in and out of the pool can be difficult if your mobility is limited by being very overweight, but that they would assess each person individually and not just go on stats / numbers / generalisations. Your HCPs seem entirely the opposite, so unhelpful.

I hope DH is home soon to give you those hugs

Pam, breathe through it. My thoughts are that a lot of the people we are coming across lack some or all people skills. If you are fit and healthy where is the issue? You seem tohave promising/good stats at the moment so I would be saying ok I take your point but actually I prefer to wait and see if I remain the same. Even my mw was advocating to me that I need to be really straight and say I don't want constant monitoring etc as currently there is no need! Little garbled but am hoping you get what I mean. Also how do u get on with your midwife? Is she likely to be up there fighting your corner? Mine seems to be coming into her own at the mo with support etc.

Sleep on it and see which points are the most pertinent tomorrow, these are probably the ones you need to prioritise and plan to answer. The rest is most likely stressy upset stuff. Demoralising but manageable. Hope you are a little more chilled now. Go and have a nice bath or crash in front of the tv etc and destress :-)

pam what an entirely unhelpful and unnecessary thing for your consultant to say.

My midwife appointment was much better than last week. my normal midwife was back :) 28 bloods had to be redone because my white cell count was up and have been told my iron levels are borderline needing iron tablets, which I'd rather not go on, so need to make an effort to eat lots of rich in iron foods instead for the time being.

consultant appointment and scan tomorrow. can't wait to see my boy :) ]

he's been a proper wriggler today and I'm feeling much calmer because I've been constantly aware of him. why can't babies be consistent with their movements everyday? I'm sure he'll be quiet again tomorrow and I'll be on edge trying to make him move...

Cali you keep ringing if you are concerned.

Thanks all for your thoughts. I was thinking sciatic nerve too, but I wasn't sure because of the popping feeling when the pain released. I still have no idea what DH did!
I am going to the Dr (OB, as I haven't registered with anyone else yet!) tomorrow anyway (my 27 week checkup and can't wait to see the LO), but thought I'd see if anyone had any ideas in the meantime, as it was excruciating to say the least! Voodoo, I cannot physically move when the pain grips me. I also sometimes manage to inflict this pain when lying (sp?) on my back in bed with my knees bent.
Baby is head down and has been for the past 20 weeks (not kidding!), but it might be his head pushing on nerves?
I hope that the Dr can refer me to someone, or give me something to stop me from doing whatever I did to bring that pain on
Anyway, I woke this morning with a visibly bruised belly button , so will definitely ask Drs advice.

Snoozle hope your Drs appointment went well and that you feel better. Sounds rough :(

Stripey Ouch! Sounds like you are having a bad time too :( I guess that's the third trimester pains in full anger

I am furious at the cost saving for the GBS test on the NHS. What blardy good is the test if it is so inaccurate? Rather save the money and spend it better then?

Oh Pam :(
I am so sorry the good day turned to be crappy. What an awful thing to say from the Professor!!
I am so glad that you were safe in both almost collisions! What an awful day :(

Cali don't let them turn you away! Keep calling them until they see you to reassure you. A person I used to work with (we are no longer on talking terms) lost her baby. I am not sure what happened and have only been told that the child was stillborn, which is absolutely dreadful I cried for hours for her lost baby. I know how desperate she was to get the baby.
So, I have been scared into definitely going to get checked out anytime I worry. I don't care if it may not be convenient, though the doctor was very happy to scan me and told me to come back anytime I worry.

caz I hope your scan goes well today and I am glad your normal MW is back. I agree, it'd be great to have consistent movement from bubba
I have been thinking loads of you and I really wish there was something I could do to help you make the time go faster

Oh, also I had confirmation yesterday that I am staying on until 30th September to help my company bridge the gap. So instead of 4 working days I am up to 20, though 16 are from home with only occasional site visits and 2 upgrade mornings to support. I am very happy and feel so much better for staying in work longer. I am terrified of being a housewife/SAHM

Pam, so sorry that you had a horrible appointment, my sister in law is a big woman and i mean really big,but she produced two lovely little nieces for me (obv not just for me, but hopefully you know what I mean :) ) no issues as far as i can remember and very very quick labours too, so for every scare story there is the other side...