January 2012 - Thread 4

[shonnomanom]

Can believe we are on Thread 4 already! We must chat too much

Not sure mum2be. I get achey if I lie on my back for too long in any event. Is it only first thing you have the problem?

mum2be You probably have been but: Have you been doing pelvic floor exercises? Am and Pm if you can. I can tell when I've been slacking off as my back hurts a lot more (like today, fell asleep doing mine lastnight).
Also, try the pilates cat-stretch (on all fours, pull up pelvic floor muscles and in tummy muscles [as far as you can go] push your breath out gently as you arch-up your back and hold for 10 seconds, breathe in as you 'relax' back, and repeat 8-10 times. You can build up the no. of seconds and the repetitions). I'm finding this much easier than the curl up/down that you can do.
Also, lie on your bed, on your back, bring legs up and feet fairly close to bum. Engage pelvic floor and bring in tummy muscles again. Breathing out, drop legs togeher (like they're glued) to one side slowly and gently allowing your sides to stretch out (roatate with your feet touching the floor), hold for a count of 4-8 (breathe IN for this bit), bring legs back up gently (breathe out), rest at the top (breathe IN), and do the other side. Repeat 4-6 times for each side. If you want to make it more difficult you can raise your feet, or even stretch up your legs . (You're essentially rotating your spinal column so you're on your hip during the stretch but on your back when legs are back up). If you can't get your legs all the way to the matress, pop pillows/cushions under where your thighs or knees will be to stop you over-stretching your ligaments.
I love both of those to stretch out my back (muscular injury). Always have and these two are still proving useful. NOW, be careful with this one, as it technically counts as being on your back...so any signs of feintness when you 'get up' and dont' do it again...which we're told to avoid, but I can't see this as being too bad, as you're 'moving' the lower back and if you only do it 4 times on each side, you're not on your back for very long!? I'm certainyl waking up having been on my back for longer and feeling fone. Either way, my back's loving it for now. IF in doubt, ask MW who shoudl be able to give you some stretches too.

Re: lack of fluid. If worried, talk to MW, but this seems unlikely, as you've not been leaking fluids and all was OK at 25wks apt (you'd assume they'd pick that one up). LO's prpbably adding to the pain with being low down, but, well, try a hot water bottle throughout the night. And, if it's still happening for a while after you get up, try cold compresses too (both will ease the ache). Try also sleeping on left, but padding out your right side/back so even if you lean back, you're still not really that far from left (IYSWIM). I've found my furrbabies act as good back padding

Sorry for the length, but, well, hopefully it'll help...maybe?!

It's a pink lining / yummy mummy one. But it's over 2yrs old so not sure if they do the design any more....

yummy its the muscle you use if you're peeing and you make yourself stop. try it next time you're on the loo, then you can do them anywhere anytime. It is really good for you, but so easy to forget to do them.

Re changing bags - I used free Boots one all the time with DD. Just bought a funky black Paul Frank one off Ebay though, with all the necessary compartments and more! love it!
Also, used a gym bag for hospital, but think I will use DH's bigger one this time.

Got meeting with HR on Thurs to tell them my plans. Anyone taking mat leave and not planning on going back to work afterwards? Are you telling your employer or pretending you do want to go back? and after 9 or 12 months?

Thats some good advice from Oiesha there, my dh has a 3 degenerated disks in his spine and does similar exercises morning and night.

yummy if you try and stop the flow of wee when youre on the toilet-those are the muscles you're aiming for. You sort of pull the bottom of your bum in. In aquanatal we do 5 sets of 5 short bursts so: squeeze release, squeeze release x 5 etc, followed by a set of 5 holding each squeeze for 5 seconds so squeeze...count... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 release.

I can highly recommend that you do them, I was crap the first time with DD1 but now I'm doing them like mad at much as I can because I have been having some "Tena lady" moments with this pregnancy. I hate it, it's so embarrasing. I definately smelled the other day. Sorry if TMI

I don't know if it;'s the heat or just the stage of pregnancy but I am so chuffing tired. I'm sleeping ok but i definately need to start slowing down a bit.

fish - I have excellent pelvic floor muscles and exercise them regularly, but even I am finding sneezing a bit of a trial these days, especially if my bladder's full. Oh well - it's a good incentive to keep going with the exercises!

apparently we're doubling our blood volume (well, def. increasing it) again, so now is the time to start topping up your fluids and fibre to avoid the dreaded constipation. I tried having a half-pint of water every time I went to the loo, but am now peeing literally every half an hour, so may cut that back to a quarter pint! lol

makescakes- I heard about the blood volume doubling I think it happens by your blood actually thinning. Then after birth you excrete it the usual way iykwim. I feel I am the most unprepared I have ever been for a baby. On the other hand my son's case for the sendist tribunal is going well. That's where all our free money is going, I am hoping that by the time our new baby is a couple of months old that will be sorted and our big boy will be in a specialist school ready for the summer term ( it won't be for lack of trying). I am going to the nct nearly new sale to so hope in a few weeks time I can feel I am ready for for little boys arrival.

yummy sleeping's not easy. With the heat I'm thrashing about a lot.

Acne - yeah, ever 3-4wks I get a massive breakout and then it calms again (cyclical methinking). As long as you're going to sleep with good intentions of being on your left, there's not much you can do, besides pad out behind you, to stop yourself rolling. The dreamgenii has stopped some of my rolling though. As has being the owner of enormous knockers [I'm in a JJ now]. Pre-pg sleeping on them was a no-no. Early on even wearing clothes, or just being stood up was so painful, the thought of lying on them made me wince, so I'm not 'front' slept for a while.

My glow never nappened, or maybe it just hasn't happened yet... I whine bitterly about being pregnant on here, but despite it all, I'm loving feeling Abi bashing about in there. She was even having a go at work yesterday. She's normally v. quiet then. Got to watch my belly dance again this morning.

cakes i've just stuffed back some allbran...so am def doing my damndest to increase my fibre intake. Also more thirsty than usual so am def. drinking more.

fish hehe, another symptom we have in common, though thankfully I've not had that "oh gods" moment. Certainly been VERY close though. I now wee regularly just to make sure a full bladder doesn't = disaster.

Anyone else getting short of breath randomly??? Not very badly, or for very long, but that feeling of needing to breathe more deeply all of a sudden. Was stood talking to a customer yesterday who looked so worried for me. Between breaths I just muttered "baby" and pointed to belly. He looked even more confused but did kinda get that I was OK and not in need of assistance.

I'm off to get stabbed in the arm and then for a swim. TTYL...

Sorry, been lurking on here for ages but the chat seems to move on so quickly that by the time I have a chance to post I'm 5 conversations too late!! (I can't get on MN every day.)

yummy I'm totally with you on the sleeping thing. I tend to do a lot of tossing and turning and I'm used to switching from side to side and sometimes on my back, and trying to ONLY sleep on my left is just not working! I end up waking up every half an hour really wanting to turn over and usually lie awake for ages or eventually give in to it and switch to my right (and obviously then wake up feeling guilty!)

Trying to figure out which is worse - lying on my right for some of the time, or not getting a good night's sleep! :(

Thanks for the tips on the Boots parenting club/free changing bag everyone! Signed up yesterday - looking forward to getting the welcome pack. :)

Heavens Yummybunny, I hope your MIL isn't right about dairy products and fruit increasing allergies in children! What would that leave to eat? :)

Otherwise, thanks to everyone for the v nice feedback on Theo (the name, not the baby :) and - more recently - for the helpful hints about pelvic floor exercises - will start doing them right now.

For what it's worth, my sleep is also v disrupted at the moment: tummy sleeping is obviously out (Oiesha I'm not quite JJ but certainly G and now staring down H - is that even what comes next??), although you can do quite a satisfying 3/4 thing if you stick a pillow between your knees, and I find it difficult to sleep on my side as I'm not used to it.

Finally - ahem - constipation. Cakes, I have these great capsules called Colonease (!) which contain soluble fibre (i.e. prebiotics), probiotics and some powdered peppermint. I chuck them back two at a time (usually with meals) and they work a treat. Seriously, can't recommend them enough.

Hi ladies!
Still no boob growth here, but the bump is getting huge! Still not brave enough to stand on a scale but still wearing the same size clothes allbeit mat clothes on bottom.
Restless nights - check
Monthly spot outbrakes - check
Pgp flaring up - check
Boots change bag - check, agree size has changed from older models
Freaky dreams about refusing to push when in labour on Christmas day - check repeatidly
sweet tooth - check

Hope the low fat milk thing ain't true. I have to drink the red lid as the others give me heartburn.

Had a quick read over the last few pages and hoping everyone is ok. You'll be glad the weather is cooling now. If it gets too hot just come to Scotland. We've had rain since Thursday night ...

I'm not sure that is true about the low fat milk/yogurt thing.

my dd has milk, soya and possibly other allergies during the pregnancy with her i couldnt eat any dairy products i just felt really sick and uncomfortable. so i went on a dairy free diet didnt have any yogurt or milk and she is still allergic. sometimes i think that no matter what you do you cant stop your child being allergic (or sick or disabled etc) and that some studdies try and find an 'answer' where there just isnt one.
i'd be very intrested in looking at that study and also looking at the figures for teh mums studdied who did eat yogurt and drink milk andd had children with out any allergies.

hello everyone.

Want some reassurance....

Had a terrible crying fit last night about lots of stuff, baby wriggling about fine. Bad night's sleep, work all day, dodgy tummy and some pain in strange places - no baby wriggles

How long do I wait til i get worried? Haven't felt him since last night.

sorry to ignore everyone elses posts and hijack thread. just can't concentrate on anything else. have been for a long walk, tried loud noises, ice cold water, lying on my side - nothing.

Redhead-I would call, lovely, if nothing else to set your mind at rest. (Thats is of course if you get some response from the triage unit in your area of course.) It's much better to bother them and get your mind set at rest. He's probably feet toward the back or something. I'm sure it's nothing, the minute you get strapped up to the monitor you'll get kicks aplenty. Keep us posted.

I know what you mean about crying I did it last night on DH. I am deathly tired, my whole brain is a fug-when you look at what i'm doing with my week it's hardly suprising though. It's intense, i'm working harder for this 8 hours a week than ever before in my 3 days a week job. Paperwork coming out of my ears FFS. Marking, lesson plans, admin paperwork. It takes up all my time. ...7 weeks to go... 7 weeks to go...

cakes i heard about the blood volume too. I have upped my iron-I take spa tone iron waters and find them excellent. Also taking a womens formula vitamin pill. I'm hoping it will compensate for the tiredness.

yummy my dh used to do my perineal massage for me-I couldn't reach. It's worth it, I ended up with an episiotomy anyway (failed forceps attempt) but it has never given me an ounce of trouble-I didn't even know I had stitches down there after dd was born. i had to get the MW on the ward to look at them for me I used to do it last thing at night then shower in the morning. No knicker stains. :)

Mine always moves about after a hot meal red have you tried that? He may just be quiet because you are under the weather though.

If in doubt call the MW unit though.

cakes I was forced to use the dreaded Google while I was on hols. I kept hearing my pulse in my ear - apparently its a form of tinnitus caused by the increased blood flow through the jugular into the brain and back again. It seems to have calmed down a bit now but was VERY irritating for about a week.

thanks everyone about to eat a hot meal and watch a bit of eastenders catchiup - he must be used to the theme tune by now, sadly... - so will see if that does anything.

red def call mw and get hooked up to a doppler. Very reassuring. Fingers crossed for you.

Just ask my dh about the concept of perineal massage and "You know I love playing aaround down there"...ok. Something tells me I might not find this wildly erotic, but hell, I'll let him have his fun!

Dinner's ready. Going to try gammon and parsley sauce, see if that takes my fancy.

oh my god!!! hot meal is doing the trick, he's going absolutely bonkers!!! maybe it's a bit TOO hot!! thanks everyone

Glad it did the trick red :)

sorry i panicked a bit